3. HISTORY
Buddhism is based on the teachings of Siddhartha
Gautama, the Buddha
The life story of the Buddha may be taken as a
parable of Buddhist principles and ideals. Born a
prince, Gautama came to realize that even in the
happiest and most prosperous life, one would
encounter sickness, old age, and death.
From Gautama’s experience came the Buddhist
conception of the Middle way: seeking a healthy
and useful discipline without either extreme of
complete sense indulgence or self-torture.
4. Buddhism currently has two major traditions:
Theravada & Mahayana
Theravada emphasizes on self-discipline
Mahayana emphasizes service to others
These two great traditions were seen as alternative
personal interpretations within Buddhism
Zen is a major school of Mahayana tradition
Zen is said to have been brought to China in the
sixth century AD by Bodhidharma.
Under the influence of a series of great Chinese
masters, Zen gradually developed as an
independent school of Buddhism
5. In 12th and 13th centuries, two Japanese monks,
Eisai and Dogen, traveled to China to study
Buddhism. When thy returned to Japan, these
monks established temples, and founded the two
great sects of Japanese Zen Buddhism, Soto and
Rinzai.
6. MAJOR CONCEPTS
The Three Characteristics of Existence:
1. Impermanence – Everything is constantly changing;
Certainly nothing physical lasts forever. It also
applies to thoughts and ideas. The concept of
impermanence implies no final authority or
permanent truth. Because conditions change , what
seems true at one time inevitably becomes false or
inappropriate at others. Therefore, Buddhism
cannot be said to have a fixed doctrine.
7. Selflessness - The concept of selflessness holds that
no immortal soul or unchanging self exists in each
individual. The individual is seen as a collection of
elements, all of which are impermanent and
constantly changing. So it’s not something other than
the pattern formed by the temporary interaction of
these component process. When the parts perish, so
does the individual.
Dissatisfaction – Or suffering. The Buddha taught
that the source of suffering lies within the individual;
only through self transformation can we experience a
sense of real satisfaction with ourselves and with the
world.
8. The Four Noble Truths
To overcome suffering and limitation which is an
inevitable part of human life, Buddha formulated The
Four Noble Truth
The Existence of Dissatisfaction
Craving as the root of dissatisfaction
Elimination of craving
The Eightfold path
- It regards the way to eliminate craving and
dissatisfaction.
- Ethical conduct, Mental discipline, Wisdom
9.
10. Meditation
Meditation is the central discipline in Zen. There are
two major styles of Zen meditation – one can focus on
a koan and one can simply sit with concentrated
awareness (“just sitting” or “zazen”)
Meditation on a koan – A koan is a question or
exercise impossible to solve by mere thinking or logic.
Koans are used today in the Rinzai school of Zen to
test students and to force them to go beyond the limits
of thought and to contact their deeper, enlightened
mind. Example of a well- known koan “When both
hands are clapped a sound is produced; listen to the
sound of one hand clapping.”
11. “Just Sitting”(zazen) – The Soto approach to
meditation can be thought of as “just sitting” without
a koan or other exercise to occupy the mind. The
meditator strives to maintain a state of concentrated
awareness, in which he or she is neither tense nor
relaxed but totally alert. The meditator observes the
thoughts going by, without getting caught up in them
and thus forgetting to remain an aware observer.
12. Mindfulness
A mental state achieved by focusing one's
awareness on the present moment, while calmly
acknowledging and accepting one's feelings,
thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a
therapeutic technique.
Enlightenment
One Buddhist term related to enlightenment is
nirvana. Nirvana, a state of mind in which all
cravings and desires have become extinguished, is
achieved through self-discipline, meditation, and
realization of impermanence and selflessness.
13. Arhat and Bodhisattva
1) The Theravada ideal is the Arhat, one who has
completely cut off all the limitations of attachment to
family, possessions, and comfort to become perfectly
free of this world.
The Arhat seeks nirvana through elimination of
craving.
14. 2) The Mahayana ideal is the Bodhisattva, literally
“enlightenment- being”. Bodhisattva realizes that he
or she is part of all other sentient beings and that
until all beings are freed from suffering, he or she
can never attain complete liberation
Arhat focus on self discipline; Bodhisattva
emphasizes service to others
15. DYNAMICS
1)Psychological Growth
-The ox is a symbol of the Buddha-nature,
and the events entailed in finding the ox refer to the
internal search and inner development of the Zen
students
2)Obstacles to Growth
Greed , Hate and Delusion ( three fires of Buddhism)
Self discipline and the discipline of following the
Buddha’s precepts offer the opportunity to control
his/her greed.
16. Emphasis on compassion and respect for others,
provide a way to overcome hate.
The realization that all things are Buddha is the
antidote for the problem of delusion.
Pride – It can enter at virtually any point in training,
even after kensho. However, at this stage, many
students believe that they have learned everything,
that they understand Buddhism fully and no longer
need a teacher. A good teacher will insist that, at this
point , the student continues with regular duties and
training in order to ensure that pride do not distort
the initial deep understanding of Buddhism
17.
18. STRUCTURE
1) Body
The Buddhist concept of Middle Way is of central
importance in one’s attitude toward the body. The
body is a vehicle for service to others and for one’s
pursuit of truth. It should be cared for with this
understanding.
2) Social Relationships
A common misconception- quietism
Buddhist teaching stresses responsibility
Everyone has the Buddha nature
Social interactions offer crucial opportunities for
practicing Buddhist ideals and principles
19. 3) Will
-To grasp the will is to make a real
commitment to your training and to take
responsibility for your own actions.
4) Emotion
-An important goal of Buddhist training is to
learn to control one’s emotion rather than be
controlled by them. The ideal Buddhist emotional
state is compassion.
5) Intellect
- The study of Buddhist scriptures and the
intellectual understanding of Buddhist teachings are
important first step in Buddhist training.
20. - Reliance on the intellect alone can become
a hindrance to true awareness.
- Intellectual understanding plus the actual
practice of that understanding is required.
6) Self
- Buddhist thought distinguishes between
the lesser self and the greater self
- Lesser self is the ego
7) Teacher
- A true Buddhist teacher is one who lives
by Buddhist principles.
21. EVALUATION
In Zen , Buddhist practice and daily life are not
separate; they are seen as one and the same
A Zen master once said, “My miracle is that when I
feel hungry I eat, and when I feel thirsty I drink”. Life
is to be lived with full awareness by accepting and
fulfilling the requirements of daily life.
There is no final doctrine because there can be no
absolute truths, nor even an absolute Buddha, in the
face of impermanence.
22. Buddhist teachings are aimed at eliminating the
sense of dissatisfaction and inadequacy caused by
limited, selfish ego.
Teaching and discipline that aid people in becoming
more mature, more responsible and more complete
human beings are considered to be good Buddhism.
23. BUDDHISM and
PSYCHOLOGY
Buddhist thinking has had a significant influence on
different areas of psychology.
Carrington and Ephron (1975) and Engler (1986,
1993) have explored ways in which psychoanalysis
and meditation techniques can interact effectively.
Erich Fromm (1970) believed that the goals of Zen
and psychoanalysis are the same. They include
insight into self, liberation from the tyranny of the
unconscious, and knowledge of reality. They share
the common principle that knowledge leads to
transformation.
24. Gestalt therapy and Buddhism stress the mindful
living in the present
Perls (1969) argued that the conscious mind is our
enemy and Buddha pointed out that the conscious
mind clings to cravings and to false idea of a
separate self.
Daniel Goleman has written about meditation and
states of consciousness in the Theravadan tradition.
25. REFERENCE
Fadiman, J., and Frazer, R. (1976). Personality
and personal growth. New York: Harper & Row.
www.britannica.com/topic/koan
www.britannica.com/topic/zazen
