Asian Philosophy
Asian Philosophy
Lecture 5
Siddhartha Gautama
563- 483 BCE
Buddha = The
Enlightened One
Buddhism began in
India and spread from
there to other parts of
Asia and the rest of
the world eventually.
Current world
population = 350
Million
Three Buddhist Insights
1.
Everything is dependently co-originated. Nothing exists
independently of everything else.
2.
Reality is a constant flux of change. What we perceive as being
our external reality is in fact an illusion. The real nature of things
is not disclosed to us in our experience.
3.
There is no self. What appears to us as a permanent substantial
self that persists over time is actually an illusion.
Buddhism and the Four Noble Truths
1.
The truth of what suffering is. Dukkha
2.
The truth of the conditioned arising of suffering.
3.
The truth that suffering can be eliminated by eliminating that
which brings about the conditioned arising of suffering.
4.
The truth that the way to remove the conditions that give rise to
suffering is to follow the Middle Way, constituted by the Noble
Eightfold Path.
The First Noble Truth: Suffering
The Noble Truth of Suffering (dukkha) is this: birth is suffering; aging
is suffering, sickness is suffering; death is suffering; sorrow and
lamentation, pain, grief and the pleasant is suffering; not to get what
one wants is suffering – in brief the five aggregates of attachment are
suffering.
Dukkha ≠ mere bodily pain
Dukkha = suffering from the human condition
Dukkha = unsatisfactory life
Dukkha = not functioning well
Personhood and Selfhood
When we look inside we only find:
1.
Physical processes, which give all kinds of bodies their solidity, liquidity,
their ability to transform various kinds of energy, and their ability to
move and act.
2.
Processes of sensation, which produce pleasant, unpleasant, and
neutral feelings.
3.
Perceptual processes, which produce perceptions of material and
mental objects through the sense of the mind.
4.
Volitional processes, which produce impulses to action that enable a
person to act in the world.
5.
The processes of consciousness, which enable one to be aware of the
presence of various objects and of consciousness itself.
Person = the interrelated functioning of the constantly changing 5
processes. There is no permanent self!!!
Three Levels of Dukkha
1.
Ordinary suffering of pain that comes from birth, death, and
unpleasant things.
2.
The suffering of change that comes from recognizing that things
that are good can turn bad.
3.
Attachment of the self to the processes of existence that gives
rise to ordinary suffering and the suffering due to change.
Second Noble Truth: The Conditions
The Noble Truth of the origin of suffering is this: It is this craving
(trishna) which produces re-existence and re-becoming, bound up
with passionate greed. It finds fresh delight now here and now there,
namely, craving for sense-pleasures; craving for existence and
becoming; and craving for nonexistence (self-annihilation).
The origin of suffering is craving and desire and attachment!
Not all desire is bad!
Desire that is a function of greed and selfishness is bad!
Desire for a separate permanent self causes bad craving!
Second Noble Truth: The Conditions
What is the primary cause of craving?
The desire for a permanent self that is separate from everything
else and not dependent on anything else.
The source of this desire is
ignorance
or
primal confusion
.
It is because we are ignorant or confused about what we really are
that we fall into craving for a separate and permanent self.
Third Noble Truth: Freedom from Suffering
The Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering is this: it is the complete
cessation of that very craving, giving it up, renouncing it,
emancipating oneself from it, detaching oneself from it.
The elimination of suffering caused by craving is called
nirvana
–
extinguished.
There is the possibility of nirvana with life –attaining the
extinguishing of suffering within one’s lifetime.
There is the possibility of nirvana without life – attaining the
extinguishing of suffering by ending the cycle of rebirth.
Fourth Noble Truth: The Eightfold Path
Eightfold Path: Right View
Right view
requires seeing things as they are.
Wisdom
requires understanding things as they are and acting in
accord with right understanding.
Intellectual
understanding is a lower form of understanding than that
achieved through direct insight
Direct seeing
and insight require a complete illumination of things
just as they are in themselves and not as limited by concepts and
theories.
Direct insight
allows one to see dependent arising and the nature of
dukkha.
Eightfold Path: Right Intention
Right Intention
requires acting always from love and compassion.
To understand
right intention
one must have the right view of what
they ultimately are and how what they and others ultimately are
requires one to act in a certain way.
Because
we are interdependent and there is no individual permanent
self we must all act toward one another with compassion and love.
Acting
from compassion and love would allow us to bring about
greater happiness and the elimination of suffering.
Eightfold Path: Right Speech
Right Speech
requires that we avoid all talk that will hurt either
oneself or others, and to speak pleasantly in ways that will help
overcome suffering.
Prohibits:
Lying and slander;
Attacking a person’s character;
Talking in a way that brings about hatred or jealousy;
Harsh or rude talk, abusive language, gossip.
Eightfold Path: Right Action
Right action
requires:
Not killing
Not hurting
Not stealing
Not cheating
Positively one should aim to promote peace and happiness
Eightfold Path: Right Livelihood
Right livelihood
extends right speech and action to one’s mode of
making a living or earning income.
One must avoid:
(i) drug dealing, (ii) using or dealing in weapons, (iii)
making and using poisons, (iv) killing animals; and (v) prostitution and
slavery.
One must promote:
(i) attaining a sufficient means of life through
one’s own efforts without engaging in fraud, trickery, or other kinds
of wrongdoing; (ii) enjoying one’s rightfully acquired wealth; (iii)
enjoying freedom from debt; (iv) enjoying the happiness that comes
from being free of blame.
Eightfold Path: Right Effort
Right effort
requires
1.
Preventing evil and unwholesome sates of mind from arising.
2.
Getting rid of evil and unwholesome states of mind that already
exist.
3.
Bringing about good and wholesome sates of mind.
4.
Developing and perfecting good wholesome states of mind.
Eightfold Path: Right Mindfulness
Right mindfulness
requires being attentive to all of one’s activities.
1.
Activities of the body.
2.
Sensing and feeling.
3.
Perceiving.
4.
Thinking and consciousness.
One must understand how their own mental states arise and what
their content and character is like.
Eightfold Path: Right Concentration
Right concentration
requires focusing one’s consciousness.
The idea is that right concentration allows one to deeply understand
something.
Ignorance can be eliminated through right concentration.
Enlightenment can be achieved through right concentration.
Right concentration allows one to understand their mental activities.
One must purify their mental states through concentration.
Buddhism, Mind, and Well-Being
On the negative
Mind is the forerunner of all actions.
All deeds are led by mind, created by mind.
If one speaks or acts with a corrupt mind, suffering follows,
As the wheel follows the hoof of an ox pulling a cart.
On the positive
Mind is the forefunner of all actions.
All deeds are led by mind, created by mind.
If one speaks or acts with a serene mind, happiness follows
As surely as one’s shadow.
Delve into the profound teachings of Buddhism, exploring key concepts such as the Four Noble Truths, the nature of suffering, and the illusion of selfhood. Learn about Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, and gain a deeper understanding of how these ancient teachings are still relevant in today's world.
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Presentation Transcript
Asian Philosophy Lecture 5
Siddhartha Gautama 563- 483 BCE Buddha = The Enlightened One Buddhism began in India and spread from there to other parts of Asia and the rest of the world eventually. Current world population = 350 Million
Three Buddhist Insights 1. Everything is dependently co-originated. Nothing exists independently of everything else. 2. Reality is a constant flux of change. What we perceive as being our external reality is in fact an illusion. The real nature of things is not disclosed to us in our experience. 3. There is no self. What appears to us as a permanent substantial self that persists over time is actually an illusion.
Buddhism and the Four Noble Truths 1. The truth of what suffering is. Dukkha 2. The truth of the conditioned arising of suffering. 3. The truth that suffering can be eliminated by eliminating that which brings about the conditioned arising of suffering. 4. The truth that the way to remove the conditions that give rise to suffering is to follow the Middle Way, constituted by the Noble Eightfold Path.
The First Noble Truth: Suffering The Noble Truth of Suffering (dukkha) is this: birth is suffering; aging is suffering, sickness is suffering; death is suffering; sorrow and lamentation, pain, grief and the pleasant is suffering; not to get what one wants is suffering in brief the five aggregates of attachment are suffering. Dukkha mere bodily pain Dukkha = suffering from the human condition Dukkha = unsatisfactory life Dukkha = not functioning well
Personhood and Selfhood When we look inside we only find: 1. Physical processes, which give all kinds of bodies their solidity, liquidity, their ability to transform various kinds of energy, and their ability to move and act. 2. Processes of sensation, which produce pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral feelings. 3. Perceptual processes, which produce perceptions of material and mental objects through the sense of the mind. 4. Volitional processes, which produce impulses to action that enable a person to act in the world. 5. The processes of consciousness, which enable one to be aware of the presence of various objects and of consciousness itself. Person = the interrelated functioning of the constantly changing 5 processes. There is no permanent self!!!
Three Levels of Dukkha 1. Ordinary suffering of pain that comes from birth, death, and unpleasant things. 2. The suffering of change that comes from recognizing that things that are good can turn bad. 3. Attachment of the self to the processes of existence that gives rise to ordinary suffering and the suffering due to change.
Second Noble Truth: The Conditions The Noble Truth of the origin of suffering is this: It is this craving (trishna) which produces re-existence and re-becoming, bound up with passionate greed. It finds fresh delight now here and now there, namely, craving for sense-pleasures; craving for existence and becoming; and craving for nonexistence (self-annihilation). The origin of suffering is craving and desire and attachment! Not all desire is bad! Desire that is a function of greed and selfishness is bad! Desire for a separate permanent self causes bad craving!
Second Noble Truth: The Conditions What is the primary cause of craving? The desire for a permanent self that is separate from everything else and not dependent on anything else. The source of this desire is ignorance or primal confusion. It is because we are ignorant or confused about what we really are that we fall into craving for a separate and permanent self.
Third Noble Truth: Freedom from Suffering The Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering is this: it is the complete cessation of that very craving, giving it up, renouncing it, emancipating oneself from it, detaching oneself from it. The elimination of suffering caused by craving is called nirvana extinguished. There is the possibility of nirvana with life attaining the extinguishing of suffering within one s lifetime. There is the possibility of nirvana without life attaining the extinguishing of suffering by ending the cycle of rebirth.
Fourth Noble Truth: The Eightfold Path Path Type Right View Wisdom Right Intention Wisdom Right Speech Moral Conduct Right Action Moral Conduct Right Livelihood Moral Conduct Right Effort Mental Discipline Right Mindfulness Mental Discipline Right Concentration Mental Discipline
Eightfold Path: Right View Right view requires seeing things as they are. Wisdom requires understanding things as they are and acting in accord with right understanding. Intellectual understanding is a lower form of understanding than that achieved through direct insight Direct seeing and insight require a complete illumination of things just as they are in themselves and not as limited by concepts and theories. Direct insight allows one to see dependent arising and the nature of dukkha.
Eightfold Path: Right Intention Right Intention requires acting always from love and compassion. To understand right intention one must have the right view of what they ultimately are and how what they and others ultimately are requires one to act in a certain way. Because we are interdependent and there is no individual permanent self we must all act toward one another with compassion and love. Acting from compassion and love would allow us to bring about greater happiness and the elimination of suffering.
Eightfold Path: Right Speech Right Speech requires that we avoid all talk that will hurt either oneself or others, and to speak pleasantly in ways that will help overcome suffering. Prohibits: Lying and slander; Attacking a person s character; Talking in a way that brings about hatred or jealousy; Harsh or rude talk, abusive language, gossip.
Eightfold Path: Right Action Right action requires: Not killing Not hurting Not stealing Not cheating Positively one should aim to promote peace and happiness
Eightfold Path: Right Livelihood Right livelihood extends right speech and action to one s mode of making a living or earning income. One must avoid: (i) drug dealing, (ii) using or dealing in weapons, (iii) making and using poisons, (iv) killing animals; and (v) prostitution and slavery. One must promote: (i) attaining a sufficient means of life through one s own efforts without engaging in fraud, trickery, or other kinds of wrongdoing; (ii) enjoying one s rightfully acquired wealth; (iii) enjoying freedom from debt; (iv) enjoying the happiness that comes from being free of blame.
Eightfold Path: Right Effort Right effort requires 1. Preventing evil and unwholesome sates of mind from arising. 2. Getting rid of evil and unwholesome states of mind that already exist. 3. Bringing about good and wholesome sates of mind. 4. Developing and perfecting good wholesome states of mind.
Eightfold Path: Right Mindfulness Right mindfulness requires being attentive to all of one s activities. 1. Activities of the body. 2. Sensing and feeling. 3. Perceiving. 4. Thinking and consciousness. One must understand how their own mental states arise and what their content and character is like.
Eightfold Path: Right Concentration Right concentration requires focusing one s consciousness. The idea is that right concentration allows one to deeply understand something. Ignorance can be eliminated through right concentration. Enlightenment can be achieved through right concentration. Right concentration allows one to understand their mental activities. One must purify their mental states through concentration.
Buddhism, Mind, and Well-Being On the negative Mind is the forerunner of all actions. All deeds are led by mind, created by mind. If one speaks or acts with a corrupt mind, suffering follows, As the wheel follows the hoof of an ox pulling a cart. On the positive Mind is the forefunner of all actions. All deeds are led by mind, created by mind. If one speaks or acts with a serene mind, happiness follows As surely as one s shadow.
