The South Asian Buddhism by Berkwitz - Essay Example

Buddhism Introduction The Dharmacakrapravartana is famously known as the first Buddha’s sermon. Sutra is (Buddha) was born Siddartha in northern India. He lived a luxurious life because he was a prince. He was not interested in becoming a king and was frequently meditating on life’s mysteries. The king was very protective of him because it had been foreseen that a great spiritual leader or king. The king knew that if Siddartha experienced and saw life’s sufferings he would more probably become a teacher. Nevertheless Siddartha was predestined to experience and witness sickness, old age and death. This led to immense compassion to happen in the prince and he swore he would in some way achieve enlightenment, and educate others how to flee the cycle death and birth (cessation and nirvana). This article reviews the books, “the experience of Buddhism,” by John strong and “The South Asian Buddhism,” by Berkwitz. Background The South Asian Buddhism The book concentrates not only the logical Buddhism thinking but also the South Asian cultural history. Berkwitz tries to spread some light on the Buddhist restoration in South Asia and the socio-cultural history of South Asian Buddhism of the modern and past. The first chapter re-examines the development of asceticism in prehistoric India and Buddhist monasticism. The third chapter surveys the origins and development of Mahayana Buddhism and commemorates Mahayana legendary and literary accomplishment. A Berkwitz note on the enduring struggle in Buddhist study is to reach a distinct conclusion regarding the origins of Mahayana Buddhism. The fourth chapter looks at the sequential or chronological development of Buddhist reflection and the later integration of Buddhist scholasticism, whereby the heritage of Santideva, Dharmakīrti, Buddhaghosa and Vasubandhu, and their relevant works are briefly described. The chapter also describes the development of Buddhist Tantra and Vajrayāna. In chapter five and six, Berkwitz surveys the recurrent Buddhism developments in South Asia. This review entails Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan Buddhism, as well as the monastic organizations, local Buddhist literatures and ritualism, in those particular countries (Stephen 165) The experience of Buddhism The two extremes (anta-s) and the middle (madhya) It happened to be a tradition in the sutras for somebody to ask the Buddha to speak by making a request to hear the dharma or by asking a question. This practice has affected how Buddhism has extended from India. Buddhism has not been evangelical for most parts of the world. Similar to the Buddha, teachers don’t frequently propose to teach except if requested. Buddha continued: Monks," he said, "for a person who has strolled forward, there are two extremes. On the one hand, there is affection and attachment to bodily pleasures; this is rude, frequent, immoral, meaningless, and not favorable to a chaste and scholarly life, to disgust with the world, to dislike from passion, enlightenment or nirvana, cessation and monkhood,. Buddha experienced this extreme while he was growing up in his is fathers palace. Here, he was referring to his way of life as self-perpetuating. It was a simple trap to be caught in. In the trap, the idealized coming future was basically more happiness and wealth. Such a person always wanted more and more and was never satisfied. "Again, there is compulsion to exhausting the self through asceticism; this is pain, suffering, purposeless and ignoble. This path was self-perpetuating that the ascetics were travelling. In it the ideal future was to totally exceed the body by not giving into desires to maintain it. Basically the body was viewed as an evil delight to be given up so as to live only on a sacred level. "Monks, for one who has wandered forth, these are the two extremes. In this case, Buddha is saying that these two choices presented themselves for those wanting to attain enlightenment by living a spiritual life. "Staying with the Disciple and the Tathagata’s Noble Doctrine and, far from both extremes, is the middle course, The the middle way, "Tathagata" means the "the one who is gone (who experienced cessation) which was the identity the Buddha used to refer to himself. The burning house in the Mahayana sutra In this tale of the burning house in the mahayana sutra lotus of the true dharma, a father attempts and manages to let his children desert their play and flee from a burning house by informing them that the playthings they had longed for, wagons drawn by oxen, goats and deer are just outside the gate (John 146). But after everybody is securely outside, the father decides that he is rich to provide each of the children a larger and a better carriage pulled by a huge white ox. And he does this to the children’s great amusement. The parables points out that there are four vehicles and that the three lesser ones are substituted by the great one. More frequently, though, the one vehicle is pointed out to be comprehensive of the three. The three wagons represent three diverse ways to practicing Buddha-dharma, the pratyekabuddha, the shravaka, and the bodhisattva traditions. The shravaka way, is a representation of traditional monks who follow awakening in monastic communities, mainly by listening. “Shravaka” means hearer. Quite frequently in the text these first two ways are incorporated into a solitary way, such that there is a distinction between this pair, exemplified by monks who follow negative goals of nirvana, putting out of enthusiasm, and such, and the third way, the way of the bodhisattva, which is the quest of awakening in contact with others in the globe. Here is contrast between the goal of the bodhisattva, which is to become a Buddha and goal of the shravaka, which is to become an arhat, one who is creditable of offerings. The Four Noble Truths” and “On Nirvana”) from Nagarjuna’s Root Verses on the Middle way. Siddhartha’s (Buddha’s) development and awakening progressed into the Four Noble Truths teachings and the Noble Eightfold Path. "monks, there are Four Noble Truths. The Noble Truth of suffering, the Noble Truth of origination of suffering, the Noble Truth of the cessation of suffering, and the Noble Truth of the way leading to the cessation of suffering. "Now, monks, what is the Noble Truth of suffering? Birth is suffering, old age is suffering, sickness is suffering, death is suffering. And what is the Noble Truth of the origination of suffering? It is the desire for additional existence, which comes along with happiness and obsession and brings passing pleasure here and there. This, monks, is the Noble Truth of the origination of suffering. The forms of suffering are generally expressed as three: Persuasive suffering (suffering of existing, the suffering of suffering. This can be either mental or physical suffering can be build upon a previous experience of suffering. “And what is the Noble Truth of the cessation of suffering? The demolition without remains of this very longing for more existence, It comes with no passion. It is cessation, neglect, deserting, and rejection. In this part of the sutra Buddha is stating that if we stop desire, we will never experience suffering. "Cessation" is the last part and absence of our connection to this world and the craving that keeps it going. "Abandoning" and "Forsaking" is giving it up. These two terms occur sometime after opening your brain and mentality to understand that the world is formed by our desires. "And what is the Noble Truth of the way leading to the cessation of suffering? The Eightfold Noble Path, consisting of right meditation, right speech, right views, right intention, right action, right mindfulness, right effort, right livelihood. This, monks, is the Noble Truth leading to the cessation of suffering. This is Buddhas point of guidance on to how to be a fine honest person and live your life to its most useful and helpful degree. Nirvana factually means "unbound as in "Mind like fire unbound". This attractive image is of a blaze flame of fire burning by it. The Picture of a flame burning on a stick or wick seems to float around just above the object burning. The flame seems to be free of the thing burning but it hangs to the stick and is bound to it. This logic of the flame being unbound has frequently been misinterpreted to signify the flame is extinguished. This is totally reverse to the meaning of the sign. The flame "burns" and produces light but is no longer bound to any flammable material. “The flame is not blown out and the clinging is blown out. The flame of our right nature, which is awakening, burns separately. Eventually, Nirvana is past conception and logical understanding. Full perception and understanding only comes through experience of this "state which is beyond the definitions the limitations of time and space.” The thunderous silence of the wealthy layman Vimalakirti Sutra Vimala-Kirti was a rich layman and one of the Buddhas important lay disciples. Even though he was a layman, his intelligence was said to surpass that of all of the Buddhas foremost monk disciples. Much of the Sutra is done describing arguments among VimalaKirti and the monk disciples about Buddhist principles and doctrines, arguments which VimalaKirti consistently won. The view of a laypersons intelligence exceeding that of a monk is only one of many fundamental ideas presented by the Sutra. VimalaKirti is famously known for his "thunderous silence," referring to the time when VimalaKirti stopped an extensive dispute about the essence of wisdom by speaking nothing at all. Vimala-Kirti was an admired figure amongst the ruling classes of prehistoric China, who could recognize Vimala-Kirtis function in society. Vimala-Kirti is customarily viewed as the incarnation of this uppermost stage. Here is how the Sutra portrays how Vimala-Kirti lived: ‘He wore the white clothes of the layman, yet lived immaculately like a sacred devotee ... He had a wife, a son, and female attendants ... and appeared at sports fields the fields and in the casinos, but his plan was constantly to grown-up people [there] ... He occupied himself in all kinds of businesses, yet had no concern in profit or wealth... To build up children, he always paid visits to all the schools ... He was respected as the administrator among officials because he controlled and harmonized the government functions according to the Dharma.” Works cited John S. Strong. The experiences of Buddhism. Sources and interpretations. 3rd ed. 2008. pp. 146-150. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company. Stephen C. Berkwitz. South Asian Buddhism: A Survey. London and New York: Routledge 2010. Print Read More