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RELS
232
Introduction to Buddhism
Lecture Slides
for
Week 10-11
5-14 April
Announcements: 4/5
Special Study Opportunities
One-week Residential Course on
Theory & Practice of Buddhist Meditation
taught by Professor Richard Hayes (McGill University)
Aryaloka Buddhist Retreat Center
Newmarket, New Hampshire
May 12--19, 2000 UM Credit
available
UM Intersession 2001 Study-Abroad Bali Program
Information Meeting & Slide Show:
Monday, 10 April, 7-*:30 pm; Gallagher 108
Or call Prof. Amy Ragsdale at 243-2832.
Three Historical Phases of
Buddhism
Emphasis on the:
1st Developmental Aspect of the Dharma
2nd Relational Aspect:
3rd Technical Aspect: power and
immediacy: liberation within this
lifetime
Principle Schools of
Third-Phase Buddhim
All grow out of the Mahayana
movement:
Vajrayana Buddhism, the Tantric Buddhist tradition of India & Tibet
Ch’an or Zen Buddhism, the East Asian school centered on meditative practice
Pure Land Buddhism, the East Asian school centered on devotional practice directed towards rebirth in the Pure Land of Amitabha (Amida) Buddha
Characteristics of
3rd-Phase Buddhism
emphasis on the technical aspect of the path, on radical & powerful techniques;
liberation here and now: union of wisdom and method
focus on immediate worldly context & concerns as the context for enlightenment
rejection of
scholasticism
Remember: 3rd-Phase Buddhism includes:
Vajrayana, Zen, & Pure Land Buddhism
Announcements: 4/5
Special Study Opportunities
One-week Residential Course on
Theory & Practice of Buddhist Meditation
taught by Professor Richard Hayes (McGill University)
Aryaloka Buddhist Retreat Center
Newmarket, New Hampshire
May 12--19, 2000 UM Credit
available
UM Intersession 2001 Study-Abroad Bali Program
Information Meeting & Slide Show:
Monday, 10 April, 7-*:30 pm; Gallagher 108
Or call Prof. Amy Ragsdale at 243-2832.
Principle Schools of
Third-Phase Buddhim
All grow out of the Mahayana
movement:
Vajrayana Buddhism, the Tantric Buddhist tradition of India & Tibet
Ch’an or Zen Buddhism, the East Asian school centered on meditative practice
Pure Land Buddhism, the East Asian school centered on devotional practice directed towards rebirth in the Pure Land of Amitabha (Amida) Buddha
Tantra in Vajrayana Buddhism
Tantra: “something woven”
vs.
Sutra:
“thread”
Origins of Tantra lie outside of Buddhism or Hinduism
Tantra in Vajrayana Buddhism
Key Elements of Tantric Buddhism
mantra
mandala
magic (“mysticism”): magical world view: homologies between microcosm and macrocosm
demonic dimension of human experience: sex & death
esotericism: importance of relying on
a guru or lama
(both already present in Mahayana)
Tantra in Vajrayana Buddhism
Some definitions of mantra:
“the sound expressing some fundamental structure of existence”; “a seed-syllable” or “power syllable”
“mind protector”
"word(s) believed to be of 'superhuman origin,' received, fashioned, and spoken by the 'inspired' seers, poets, and reciters in order to evoke divine power(s) and especially as means of creating, conveying, concentrating, and realizing intentional and efficient thought, and of coming into touch or identifying oneself with the essence of the divinity which is present in the mantra.” Jan Gonda
Mantra and Mandala
in Vajrayana Practice
Visualization Practice (Deity-yoga) in the Mahayana
Establish a relationship of veneration & aspiration
Awareness of the difference &
distance to be traversed
Visualization Practice in the Tantric Vajrayana
Establish a relationship of aspiration & identification
Awareness of the immediacy & proximity of the goal
Characteristics of
3rd-Phase Buddhism
emphasis on the technical aspect of the path, on radical & powerful techniques;
liberation here and now: union of wisdom and method
focus on immediate worldly context & concerns as the context for enlightenment
rejection of
scholasticism
Remember: 3rd-Phase Buddhism includes:
Vajrayana, Zen, & Pure Land Buddhism
Vessantara on Vajrayana Buddhism
(See Meeting the Buddhas, Chapt.
18)
1. Tantra is Concerned with Direct Experience
2. Tantra Works with Symbols and Magic
3. Tantra Addresses the Whole Person
4. Tantra Sees the World in Terms of Energy
5. Tantra Makes Use of the Strongest Experiences of Life
6. Tantra Sees Samsara and Nirvana as Interrelated:
7. Tantra Begins at the Highest Point: enact enlightenment
Announcements: 4/11
Grades:
A’s B’s C’s D’s F’s Total
1st Exam 19 34 31 12 9 105
2nd
Exam 20
28
34
12 6
100
Pick up exams from the bench outside this room after
class.
Class Videos available from IMS Video Library (Social Science Bldg.)
“Sandpainting” VT 5664
“Exploring the Mandala” VT 5663
“Land of the Disappearing Buddha” VT 7436
“The Tibetan Book of the Dead,” pt. 2 VT 6095
“Compassion in Exile” VT 6092
The Vajrayana Buddhism of
Tibet
The Three Vehicles
Hinayana
Mahayana
Vajrayana
Sutra-yana
&
Mantra-yana
(Tantra-yana)
Tantra
Key Points about Healing
Anger
Example of oral teaching style
Commentary to the chapter on “Patience” or “Forbearance” in Shantideva’s 7th-century:
Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life
Patience, the antidote to anger, is the 3rd of the six perfections of virtues of a bodhisattva
a very traditional topic for teachings
but also a teaching
quite relevant to understanding the Dalai Lama’s perspective on China-Tibet relations
and also
appropriate to the context of modern life
Key Points about the Dalai
Lama
Know something about the both the institution of the the Dalai Lama and about the individual, the 14th Dalai Lama: Tenzing Gyatso
The Dalai Lama is one of many tulkus, the nirmana-kaya emanations of an archetypal, sambhoga-kaya buddha or bodhisattva. Specifically he is the emanation of Avalokiteshvara, the archetypal or cosmic bodhisattva of compassion.
His education, his spiritual and temporal authority, and his current role in exile.
Buddhist basis of his attitude and
policy regarding the Chinese occupation of Tibet; c.f., Healing
Anger
Announcements
Videos available from IMS (Science Bldg.)
Wed: “Sandpainting” VT 5664
Today: “Exploring the Mandala” VT 5663
Mon: “Compassion in Exile” VT
6092
Feature Films about the Dalai Lama’s Life & Tibetan Buddhism:
Kundun: about the early life of the Dalai Lama
Seven Years in Tibet: about Heinrich Harrer (and the D.L.)
The Little Buddha: about Tibet Buddhism & the West
All three are available from local
video stores