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Wednesday Sept 6th class 1 ● Readings:Hinduism: eBook:Introduction, Ch. 1 Vedic Religion/Sanskrit pp. 1-53. Clearihue C Thursday Sept 7th class 2 Religion : what are the similarities and differences between religions. Afterlife? No afterlife? Hinduism is a slippery term, is it ethnically based? Hard to define: is there a central element? A hindu is someone who regards a set text “the vedas” but not all hindus regard them as important. The word hindu comes from the sanskrit word for ocean. Umbrella term. Hinduism existed after the 18th century. Before 1500 BCE is the composition of the “vedas” oral traditions. India and pakistan: Indus Valley civilization is the oldest, we can date them to 6000 BCE. 2750 are the great cities where 40,000 people were documented living there “Harappa, and Mohenjo Daro, but what language was used? Dravidians are also mentioned that they are indigenous peoples from northern india and that european peoples pushed them south where there is a small remnant of people who exist down there. Monday Sept 11th class 3 Arya : noble. Vedic Sanskrit word that is innocent. The nazies appropriated this to the Aryan race. Hindu context is the people with the veda culture and the brahmans. Deva. varuna: ocean, usha, indra: god of war. Agni: fire god. different gods were associated with the ocean ect. Within these vedas, early members of society were able to commune with these deities. The earliest hymns are praise to these gods, samhitas are hymns of praise. Visionaries or rsis are mediums who could communicate with the gods. The creation hymn, rg veda 10.129: went over in class. It discusses the origins of earth and what it means and who knows the creation. Where does this inspiration come from? Soma: induces visions, associated with mushrooms and also a god, suggests that they were on psychedelic mushrooms. Early culture was focused on these deities and the idea is that by communicating with them, 1500-1200 BCE samhitas, it was formulaic to ensure that the early civilization would prosper. They used rituals to petition the gods to help the society function. In these rituals or yajñā the brahmanas: priests, brahmins, were experts in the hymns and knew the language and rituals, stars were very important. The rsis are different from the brahmins.
800 BCE new layer to the samhitas. More texts are composed orally, associated with vedic hymns and they were called the brahmanas. They are oral compositions that have instructions for all of these rituals. Bhukti: worldly enjoyments or benefits. What was sought after through the brahmanas was benefit for the communities. Cause and effect: law like relationship. Mantras were like the verses that the vedic literature was used by the priests. The priests have enormous power over the gods, this was because if they did the rituals properly that the gods had to obey. Cosmology: the universe was three layers, the god realm/svar, the father /pitr-loka, and human/bhur. When people died they could still be benifited in rituals in ancestors. 600BCE aranyakas/forest text 500BCE upanisads. Why are we here at all, freedom/mukti/moksa? What do we have to be free from. Cycles of being reborn, wheel of rebirth, samsara. Its negative. Dropouts: seek answers to big philosophical questions Wednesday Sept 13th class 4 Kharma: ritual action, considered a law of nature if you performed it the act would follow. Upanisads: originally were not a tradition of the Brahmans highest teachings of hinduism. They originated outside and were absorbed because of their popularity. They come out of the mix of different teachings. Universalisation:sponge of hinduism or brahmanical culture finds traditions and absorbs them into their traditions. End of the vedas or veda anta, goal or consummation or essense of tradition. Orthodox: astika unorthodox: nastika what distinguished the two is one is that none of them accepted the authority of the vedas and that the priests were not supposed to be in a class system. We consider the core teaching of upanishads to be the main of hinduism. Upanishads: upa+ni+sad sad means to sit ni means down and upa means up to, sitting down at the feet of. Its a teaching being given and passed on from teacher to student. Tat tvam asi atman=brahman in the upanishads is the fundamental power of the basic grounds of everything that exists. In western cultures we consider this equal to god. The recognition that atman and brahman are the same is what liberates someone moksa/mukti, if
Wednesday sept 20th class 7 Sankias school is missing a spiritual methodology Theories of liberation or salvation: soteriology Liberated from: samsara. What is it thats liberated: the person Upanisads atman: self, also the purusha is a person or witness or observer. What do you have to do? Sankia and the yoga school blended together to have deeper teachings on this. Ashtanga yoga: eight part yoga. Yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, samadhi. One's reality and morality is connected. If their morality is off then their reality is shifted. Ahimsa aparigraha : grasping around and not grasping after things without being greedy. This is the starting point 5 fold morality and there are variations of this in buddhism and jainism asana : physical postures and people practising yoga. Yoga has a place for god. The atheistic stream for this ashtanga yoga kind of melts away. Ishvara : god can take different forms for each person Devotional component is a necessary aspect of the 8 fold yoga. 4th one is pranayama : the breath You want to harness all of the different points of your mind and body and the breath so you can harness your energy. Concentration on an object: dharana One's ability to keep your mind on one object or subject at a time is important. Enhance your self knowledge and see yourself more clearly and contemplate: dhyana. Unification, no distinction between the observer and the observed. No duality; samadhi Vedanta: end of the vedas, consummation of the vedas it refers to the upanisads Advaita vedanta and visistadvaita vedanta: two different schools with three mains texts, the bhagavd gita and brahma sutra. Advaita; duel ad is negative so not dual. Everything is one school where hinduism is most famous, everything is one in the same. It comes in the 8th century with a philosopher named sankara, he had the path of knowledge jnana-marga, what can we be certain of and what is the ultimate reality. What is the world? What is the relationship between the self, reality, and the world around us, he says they are all the same. There is one thing we can be certain of its ourself. Circle drawing: brahman, within brahman there is a material world and within the material world there are numerable souls and cells atman. atman = brahman if the lines get erased in the circle then the illusion is lifted and we will no longer have lines of ignorance or maya.
This leads us to believe that there are multiple things out there. We are not just one. avidya = ignorance. With meditative practice we can erase the maya and get rid of our ignorance and attain unity and sankara believes that this is how we can be released. What is this like? Sankara says that the ultimate form of brahman is without qualities nirguna: brahman. Devote themselves to saguna brahman without and with qualities. They are abstractions of brahman. The philosophers who followed him wanted to give some kind of more meaty description of brahman nirgu na, they used the term sat-cit-ananda, sat existence, cit consciousness, ananda bliss. Nov 6th daoism : two traditions in chinese, daojia and daojiao, philosophical and religious Philosophical daojai: two texts, dao de jing the way and its virtue (laozi, the author) the contents are poetic and confusing, many translations. Concerns how a ruler should rule a state. Daos: indescribable, the dao that can be expressed in words is not the timeless dao, the name that can be named is not the name of the timeless, the nameless is the heaven and earth. The dao that can be told is not the eternal dao. The idea is to live in harmony with your surroundings (yin,yang). Non action: wuwei, follow the yin, acting in a way that is not selfish but more natural. What this means for rulers is that they should keep things simple and not interfere with the people as they are unnatural and this backfires. If you let people be they will not be immoral Ruling a large country is like cooking a small fish. The harder you try and cook it the more you will mess it up. Confucianism and daoism are after the same thing they just have different methods, dao wants to follow nature, confucius wants cultivating virtues from the 5 classics to lead. They can both be seen as complementary opposites, they both are not seen in Chinese traditions as intentions with each other. Confusionist is more yang and deliberate, daoist is letting things be it is ying. Zhuongzi (399-295) BCE : he lived in the latter part of the 4th century, well known to be offered a position in government. His response was “ there is a sacred turtle that the kingdom that he says will be happier with his tail in the mud just like him” he declined. He is outlining pointing towards the dao, and how to be united with the dao and achieving a state of unity with the dao. Stretch your mind to let go of artificial constructs and be one with the dao.
Social customs were different: monks begging for food, lazy not working and making virtue of begging. Chinese Buddhism adapted different things like growing their own food. Celibacy was different in china as well. Monastic traditions of not engaging in xiao or filalpiety. No appeal to china. Beliefs of Indian buddhists were strange, Karma and rebirth samsara. Exitinguishing desire or transcending desire was frowned upon, especially with confucius though was opposite. Problems with texts and concepts. Vast texts from India, chinese scholars count not understand the different buddhist texts. Mahayana buddhism (common era), mahayana sutras The perfection of wisdom sutras The lotus sutras Descent into Lanka Sutra Laṅkāvatāra sūtra Noble Sutra of the Explanation of the Profound Secrets The Holy Teachings of Vimalakīrti Sutra The Flower Garland Sutra The Nirvana Sutra The Longer and Shorter Sutras on the Display of the Land of Bliss Production of such sutras began around the turn of the common era and continued until the final decline of Buddhism in India in the 12th century there were hundreds of them, mostly written in Sanskrit and in India. Many are now lost in their originals but have been preserved inTibetan and Chinese translations. Mayahana emptiness. When the Chinese scholars were attempting to make heads or tails between them they were not only ordering them they were stuck with the translation. Concepts lining up was hard. Dharma, kharma, buddha were confusing, they put dharma with dao (the way) marga as well. Three Vehicles: Hināyāna (orŚravakayāna lit: Vehicle of the Hearers) (small vehicle) Mahāyāna(Great Vehicle) Tibetan Vajrayāna (Diamond Vehicle) an practice based offshoot of Mahāyāna aimed at speeding up the process of awakening.
Two famous schools of Mahāyāna Buddhist Philosophy. Also shastras and the philosophical schools confusion from China. Madhyamaka: the Middle Way School founded by Nāgārjuna c. 150 CE favored the perfection of wisdom school Yogācāra (or Cittamātra). Focused on meditation The Yoga Practice school, also known as the "Consciousness only" school. Roughly if everything is empty there still has to be something to understand that emptiness. Preferred the descent into lanka sutra and profound sectrets These two schools of thought plus four others became established in China between the 1st and the 11th centuries CE. Subdivisions and interpreters from China and composing texts in Chinese. Over time the scholarship deepened in China. The problem of minks not working practices changed like no more begging they grew their own food. Idea of not having children was a sacrifice in mahayana practice. Onec again its changing in North America. All have different preferences on the sutras. 6 more schools. Sanlun (Madhyamaka) Faxiang (Yogācāra) Born in china sutras Tiantai: (lotus sutra). Popular in Asia, doctrines that are kind of anti buddhist he is seen as a father, the sutra reffers to itself and says that people who dont believe in it go to hell. Everyone will become devine even if they go to hell. Huayan: main text is the flower garland sutra, interdependence, it puts the universe as everything that happens is related into another event into a net. Each event is a jewel and it reflects in itself everything else Chan: Pure Land: longer and shorter sutras, bodhisattva doctrine, these sutras are based on a story and they talk about dharma khara a monk who encounters a buddha and he vowed he wanted to be a buddha as well. His vow is elaborate and the sutra says he wanst to help people in the
Chinese monks bring over the ideas of buddhism and the ideas of these new texts and sutras. The aristocracy has its own adgenda and the traditional religion was shinto, different deities (kami), spirits od different ancestors or power spots like creeks mountains and valleys. The world is inhabited by different spiritual forces. When mahayana buddhism came into japan and the deities were located in different spots the aristocracy thought that a good way to unify to have a common object of devotion in these beings. The history of buddhism in Japan is long. Nara period (710-794 CE) Heian (794-1185 CE) Kamakura (1185-1333 CE) where buddhism comes into forms Tendai (Tiantai) school is dominant in tradition up until the Kamakura period. Its main sutra is the lotus sutra, its unusual sutra contains distinctive doctrines: we are all bound to become awakened one day (universal awakening) inbuilt telos in human beings to wake up into buddhas. Another idea: we have this principle of original awakening within us. Second doctrine: the highest of all the sutras, in chinese buddhism it's understood that people who didn't believe in the lotus sutra would go to hell, hell is a temporary state because we are all bound for awakening eventually. Buddha as a divine father figure looking after his children. Monasteries established and monks are with the tendai school. Jirki: self power Tariki: other power Used to understand different japanese traditions, is it self or other? Whether one achieves awakening in your own power or other power. The division between zen and pure land. The curious thing is that they are seen as contradictions but in the film Japanese people don't see tension, they are just different ways of practice that are complementary. Land of the disappearing buddha; sideburns asks a japanese man who was a devotee of pure land buddhism (other power), he is relying on the saving power of one of the buddhas for his liberation and salvation, narrator asks if you are a self made man then why wouldn't you use Jiriki or zen and he said that he doesn't have the time. Pureland buddhism: the easy way. In the kamakura period there is a movement from the aristocracy into the mass field, due to pureland or jodoshu (honen shinran two people associated). 1133-1212 honen tendai doctrine- goes back to the main texts associated with pureland buddhism in China (sukhavatvyuka sutra, short and long), they contain a legend of a buddha in the celestial realms Amitabha (infinite life buddha). When he was trying to become a buddha dharmakara, he wants to benefit beings in the most effective way possible, if he accumulates good kharma he can dedicate it to wellbeings of others and this will create a paradise realm just by chanting his name and visualising it. There is a process he makes a vow and makes a paradise and from there its easy to get into nirvana and he will become a
buddha in this realm. This legend is contained in these sutras. Honen goes to those sutras and has a n interpretation of these practices to see what you have to do. November 29th Changes in mahayana buddhism that allow pure land buddhism to flourish Sutra on the display of the pureland: bodhisattva(inspiring to be a buddha) named dharmakara wants to dedicate his accumulation of good karma to other beings. Great compassion. There is this idea that you can transfer good karma to other beings. In this particular sutra it is employed that you can even create another realm of pureland (land of bliss). Buddha field, there are different fields that buddhas operate in the spheres. When he becomes amitabha or amida (sutra written in sanskirt), he says how to get enlightenment. The assumption is that people dont have the capacity to do the eightfold path that is needed to become enlightened in this new mahayana sutra. The universe and the human realm also go through different cycles. Out of compassion amitabha Pureland buddhism as a school in china after all of these sutras get translated. Its a range of thinkers who comment on the sukhavati sutras and they develop a theory of salvation based on them. Pureland developed for the first time in China from the modestaries and into the public. It's a good news sort of school. The practices involve visualisation of the pureland or meditation of visualising this pureland and chanting amitabha particularly on your deathbed, you will be transported to this place. Degenerate age (age of degenerate dharma or MaFo Mappo in japan) Chan school becomes Zen (not in India, transported from China to japan) Kamakura period Honen: monk in the tendai school, came aross the sutras (visualization sutras, longer and shorter sutra all associated with pureland buddhism) he gives his own reading of the sutras. His reading isnt consistent in tendai buddhism so he creates his own school, he finds in the sutras that senju nembutsu (all you have to do is recite the buddhist name) which is the nembutsu you say “namu amida butsu” homage to the buddha amhita. Senju means exclusive. Problems in Japan: some people interpreted his doctrine thinking that you say it once and you get into the pureland. The single nembutsu doctrine, he did not acknowledge this understanding.
point of the chan tradition is the story of a Monk called Kasyapa, the buddha is on stage and boddhisatvas and he holds up a flower kasyapa gets it so he gets the dharma. Chan vs mahayana Introduction of Buddhism into tibet. China by Indian buddhism. in the 7th century the infiltration was already there. Buddhism is an indigenous tradition in China, it was completed at this point. At the same time the establishment of Buddhism was in tibet. Anhimistic tradition of Bon was also existing in tibet. Indian scholars and monks would come from Behar where the good universities of buddhism were known (yalanda). The royalty in tibet was really interested in buddhism, they were concerned to understand the basic orientation of it/ correct way to practice. They took everyone who would travel into the country and they would look at their practice. There are a few Chinese scholars but mostly indian. 795 CE, debate occurred in the first monastery sam- ye to see if indian of chinese (chan school). Representative of chan school tought a doctrine that emphasised meditation and demphasised the other buddhism stuff like intellectual activities has the effect of obscuring the mind. Bright awareness: buddha nature, the ability to wake up, everyone has the ability to become liberated, in mahayana buddhism this gets translated that we can all become a buddha but in chan they say its there all along and we already know it you just have to tap into it. Buddha nature being actuality, moral activities are counterproductive and unnecessary, instantaneous moment of wakeup. Lack of conceptual activities and sudden awakening. Camala shila said the opposite of this, believed you needed to have the correct understanding of emptiness for you to achieve it and it was gradual. And everyone has buddha nature but its potential. Tibetans after hearing this the king came to agree with the indians. The gradual awakening and potential buddha nature is the norm of tibetan buddha nature on how to practice mahayana buddhism. It is diverse and many different traditions on these takes but buddhism was the tibetan identity after this and was national identity until 1950 when china infiltrated tibet communist ideology. Evolution of chan (Jhana, dhyana, chan zen) means meditation rougly 7th century is a mix of every religion, animistic religions and traditions.ndont extend in much range (great and little traditions) 3 great traditions buddhism confucianism and daosim are mixed together
Religious daoism Had morphed from daoja to daojo. Less textually based, popular movement and the practices are ordinary. 3 goals: long life, prosper, and prosterity. Concern with prosterity is a concern of immortality. Different sects of daoism that experimented with potions and alchemy. Came out of the concern of immortality. Yojic practice and physical practice tai chi. Daojao. Cosmology and gods whose structure parallel the government structure. The Jade emperor at the top. Daoism revolves into a religion. Laut Zaou incorporates this, he becomes a member of the heavenly pantheon as well as confucius he is the duke superior truth. This is where buddhism enters because they become a part of the pantheon. Some of the dennisms of the heavenly realms. November 20th Rinsai: school that focuses on concentration devices from teacher to student. Not just one there are different levels and sequences of the level of understanding. This system of meditation is contrasted with the early Buddhist meditation. The early buddhist model is calming of the mind, this later one is completely different (land of the disappearing buddha). Different Koans or teachings. Koans don't make sense literally so it can be very confusing. Scholars of zen argue that it is the opposite of early buddhist teaching, it leads to a breakthrough sudden experience. Distinction between sudden or gradual enlightenment or awakening (bhovi). In tibet they sided with indians for gradual enlightenment In japan the zen or rinzai zen is a sudden awakening. Because there are different levels in the Koan there are different levels of awakening. Soto: Dogen (1200-1253): masters of zen buddhism, travelled to China to look for scriptures and teachers and came back with zen(chan in japanese) traditions, was dissatisfied with his own traditions he liked soto. His riddle didnt have a good answer teaching with chan buddhism where we are awakened “if our essential nature is awakening then why did all the buddhas have to seek awakening and engage in spiritual practice?” If bodhi is already there then why did they have to seek it? He couldnt figure it out so he went to China. This tradition is soto Soto doesnt use Koans, it is simply sitting. Zazen: sitting meditation. Based on a assumption that this principle of awakening is within you so sit and allow it to manifest. As you sit and your mind calms your conceptual framework will fall away.
