Teachings of Buddha When Siddhartha Gautama, a prince of the Kshatriya class (therefore from a wealthy family), emerged from his self-inflicted exile from the world, he believed that he had discovered the path to nirvana, or a peaceful tranquility after being released from the cycle of death and rebirth. His followers later called him Buddha, and the religion that formed in his wake is called Buddhism. Analyze the following translation of one of Buddha's discourses and answer the questions that follow. As you read, consider his word choice and the emphasis he puts on life's purpose. Buddhist Scriptures (1) Then the Lord [Buddha] addressed the five brethren: "These two extremes, brethren, are not to be practiced by one who has given up the world. What are the two? The one, devotion to lusts and pleasures, base, sensual, vulgar, ignoble, and useless, and the other, devotion to self-mortification, painful, ignoble, and useless. By avoiding these two extremes, brethren, the Tathagata ["the one who has thus gone" or "the one who has thus come," a name Buddha uses for himself] has gained perfect knowledge of the middle path, which produces insight and knowledge, and conduces to tranquility, to transcendent knowledge, to complete enlightenment, to Nirvana. (2) What is this middle path, brethren? It is the Noble Eightfold Path, that is, right views, right aspiration, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right endeavor, right watchfulness, and right meditation. This, brethren, is the middle path, of which the Tathagata has gained perfect knowledge, which produces insight and knowledge, and conduces to tranquility, to supernatural faculty, to complete enlightenment, to Nirvana. (3) This, brethren, is the noble truth of suffering: birth is suffering, old age is suffering, illness is suffering, death is suffering. Union with unpleasant things is suffering, separation from pleasant things is suffering, not obtaining what we wish is suffering, in short the fivefold clinging to existence is suffering. (4) And this, brethren, is the noble truth of the cause of suffering: craving, which causes rebirth, accompanied by pleasure and lust, and rejoices at finding delight here and there, that is, craving for pleasure, craving for existence, and craving for prosperity. (5) And this, brethren, is the noble truth of the destruction of suffering: which is the complete and trackless destruction of that thirst, its abandonment and relinquishment, liberation, and aversion. (6) And this, brethren, is the noble truth of the path that leads to the destruction of suffering, that is, right views, right aspiration, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right endeavor, right watchfulness, and right meditation." 2. Consider the relationship between Hinduism and Buddhism. Siddhartha Gautama's influence was even more notable because of his background. He came from the Kshatriya caste, not the priestly Brahmin caste, which was normally responsible for preaching. Because of this, his message was likely __________ (easier, more difficult, equally easy) for the people of India to accept. 3. (look at the picture attached) Option - right watchfulness, right meditation, right action 4. Buddha constantly uses the word "right," as in "right view" or "right effort." How is this different from the Hindu concept of dharma, or duty? It emphasizes universal instead of role-specific duty. The implications of using the words "right" and "duty" are identical. Buddha's assertion of "right" gives a much stricter and more explicit code of daily actions to follow. It is more selective. Buddha's terminology assigns ethical conduct to select people, not everyone
Teachings of Buddha
When Siddhartha Gautama, a prince of the Kshatriya class (therefore from a wealthy family), emerged from his self-inflicted exile from the world, he believed that he had discovered the path to nirvana, or a peaceful tranquility after being released from the cycle of death and rebirth. His followers later called him Buddha, and the religion that formed in his wake is called Buddhism. Analyze the following translation of one of Buddha's discourses and answer the questions that follow. As you read, consider his word choice and the emphasis he puts on life's purpose.
Buddhist Scriptures
(1) Then the Lord [Buddha] addressed the five brethren: "These two extremes, brethren, are not to be practiced by one who has given up the world. What are the two? The one, devotion to lusts and pleasures, base, sensual, vulgar, ignoble, and useless, and the other, devotion to self-mortification, painful, ignoble, and useless. By avoiding these two extremes, brethren, the Tathagata ["the one who has thus gone" or "the one who has thus come," a name Buddha uses for himself] has gained perfect knowledge of the middle path, which produces insight and knowledge, and conduces to tranquility, to transcendent knowledge, to complete enlightenment, to Nirvana.
(2) What is this middle path, brethren? It is the Noble Eightfold Path, that is, right views, right aspiration, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right endeavor, right watchfulness, and right meditation. This, brethren, is the middle path, of which the Tathagata has gained perfect knowledge, which produces insight and knowledge, and conduces to tranquility, to supernatural faculty, to complete enlightenment, to Nirvana.
(3) This, brethren, is the noble truth of suffering: birth is suffering, old age is suffering, illness is suffering, death is suffering. Union with unpleasant things is suffering, separation from pleasant things is suffering, not obtaining what we wish is suffering, in short the fivefold clinging to existence is suffering.
(4) And this, brethren, is the noble truth of the cause of suffering: craving, which causes rebirth, accompanied by pleasure and lust, and rejoices at finding delight here and there, that is, craving for pleasure, craving for existence, and craving for prosperity.
(5) And this, brethren, is the noble truth of the destruction of suffering: which is the complete and trackless destruction of that thirst, its abandonment and relinquishment, liberation, and aversion.
(6) And this, brethren, is the noble truth of the path that leads to the destruction of suffering, that is, right views, right aspiration, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right endeavor, right watchfulness, and right meditation."
2. Consider the relationship between Hinduism and Buddhism. Siddhartha Gautama's influence was even more notable because of his background. He came from the Kshatriya caste, not the priestly Brahmin caste, which was normally responsible for preaching. Because of this, his message was likely __________ (easier, more difficult, equally easy) for the people of India to accept.
3. (look at the picture attached)
Option - right watchfulness, right meditation, right action
4. Buddha constantly uses the word "right," as in "right view" or "right effort." How is this different from the Hindu concept of dharma, or duty?
- It emphasizes universal instead of role-specific duty.
- The implications of using the words "right" and "duty" are identical.
- Buddha's assertion of "right" gives a much stricter and more explicit code of daily actions to follow.
- It is more selective. Buddha's terminology assigns ethical conduct to select people, not everyone.
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