3.2: Mahayana Buddhism
What is it?
· Great vehicle. -For the masses.
· Basham:
o "A new and great vehicle which would carry many souls to salvation."
· Keown:
o "A major movement in the history of Buddhism embracing many schools in a sweeping reinterpretation of fundamental religious ideals, beliefs and values."
o "Great emphasis is placed on the twin values of karuna and devoting himself for the service of others."
· Developed in 100BC.
· Liberal split from conservative pre-Theravadins.
o Spread to China via silk road.
o Spilt from Theravada at the 4th council.
· Interacted with Hindu traditions = More diverse.
Madhyamaka school:
· King Kanishka:
o Mahayana Ashoka.
o Hosted 4th council and funded the spread of Monks.
· Nagarjuna:
o Founded the school.
o Went to Naga's underwater palace to receive hidden teachings.
o "Liberation is the cessation of all thought, the dissolution of all plurality."
o "There is no distinction whatever between nirvana and samsara."
· Teachings:
o All is conditioned.
o Between metaphysical essentialism and nihilism, only substantial essences can be real and there are none.
§ All is relatively real.
o Shunyavada:
§ The way of emptiness.
o Reality has no Tathata;
§ Suchness.
o Nirvana = realization of Samsara, not to escape.
Yogacara school:
· Mind only.
· 4th century.
· Founded by Asanga and Vasubandhu.
· Reality = mental construction.
o Dreams.
· Lankavatra Sutra:
o "The world is nothing more than thought constructions."
· Understand reality in 3 ways:
o Constructed.
o Dependent.
o Perfection.
· 8 types of consciousness:
o 5 Skandhas, 'mind' and 'store consciousness for Karma'.
§ Karma originates in store consciousness.
Tathagatagarbha school:
· China and Japan.
· Lankavatara and Srimala suttas.
· Ratnagotravibhaya:
o "In each being there exists in embryonic form the element of the tathagata."
· Enlightenment = Uncovering it as we already have it. We do not need to attain it as such.
· 2 methods of understanding:
o Tibet:
§ All have potential.
o Chinese:
§ Buddhanature is the only reality.
· Hua-Yen school:
o Unity of everything:
§ Everything has value, appreciation of nature, Avatamsuka Sutra.
Vajrayana:
· Lamas:
o Religious leaders who lead out of compassion for others.
· Tantras = Key.
· Goal = Enlightenment in a single lifetime, not many.
More general Mahayana teachings:
· Cush:
o "Mahayana and non-Mahayana teachings were delivered to different groups of listeners."
· Upaya:
o Skillful means.
· Lotus sutra:
o Says there is 1 vehicle:
§ We all have Buddhanature.
o Burning house.
o Spoken by the Buddha.
§ Arhats leave the sermon = Bad bad Theravada.
o Parable of the wise physician:
§ He offers children some medicine. Children who take it are cured. This is weird and I don’t really get it...
o Parable of the magical city:
§ tour guide is taking some travelers on a long journey. After some travelers become worn down and demoralised, the Buddha creates an illusory magic city, which revitalises the travelers, and allows them to get to the REAL magic city.
Scriptures:
· Prajnaparimita:
o Perfection of wisdom:
§ Mayahana literature = Version of the Pali canon.
o Cush:
§ "Full and complete insight into the way things are."
o Introduces:
§ Sunyata.
§ Svabhava:
· 'Own being'
o Which none have,
§ Existence as a set of Dharmas ("changing collection of impersonal events"- Cush).
§ Conventional and ultimate truth.
· Goal = Compassion and liberation for all.
o Through worship and spiritual exercises.
o Full Buddhahood (Lotus).
· Tathagatagarbha Sutra:
o 2nd century
o First to express Buddha Nature.
o 9 Similies:
§ 1st is Buddha's teaching and next 8 are metaphors.
· Treasure beneath a house, gold nugget in excrement
· Heart Sutra:
o Perfect wisdom teachings.
o 5 Skhandas are lacking ultimate reality.
o Given by Avalokitesvara.
o "All dharmas are marked with existence."
o "There is no ignorance, no stopping... no path."
· Diamond Sutra:
o Vajrayana Buddhism:
§ Sets forward tathagatagarbha and anatman.
o Non-attachment.
o Diamond cutting = shattering illusions.
Nature of the Buddha:
· Can be multiple – divine beings.
· Buddhahood is everlasting and all beings have the potential.
· Trikaya doctrine
o 3 bodies.
§ Teaching body 'dharmakaya':
· The enlightened mind, purified consciousness and beyond words.
· Has always existed which is why we all have Buddha-nature.
§ Actual body 'nirmanakaya':
· Physical manifestation of an enlightened being, can refer to the historical Buddha.
§ Celestial body 'sambhogakaya':
· The dimension of energy and light in which enlightened beings can choose to reside in.
· Buddhas/Bodhisattvas are intangible but visible, like a rainbow.
· 5 cosmic Buddhas each who reign over their own Buddha worlds.
§ Sun analogy:
· Dharmakaya: sun.
· Sambhogakaya: sun rays.
· Nirmanakaya: sun rays hitting the earth.
o Chan:
§ 3 bodies are "mental configurations."
o Pure experience:
§ Forget all else.
o Vajrayana:
§ 5 body doctrine:
· Great bliss' body, essence body divided into 2.
o Buddha:
§ "He who sees me sees the dharma."
o Basham:
§ "The Buddha had 3 bodies, the body of essence, the body of bliss and the transformation body."
· Dalai Lama:
o "Buddha's spirit is always there."
Bodhisattvas:
· Cush:
o "Being of enlightenment."
· They aim to save all beings.
o Shantideva:
§ "I take upon myself the burden of all suffering."
· Open to all beings.
· Buddhahood > Arhatship
· Buddha Shakyamuni
· Avalokitesvara:
o Represents compassion in general, Dalai Lama is said to be an emanation of.
· Maitreya:
o Next human Buddha.
· Rinpoche:
o "It is a mistake to identify the Buddha as an ordinary person."
· Pretty much the Mahayana 8fold path.
· Vow:
o "However innumerable sentient beings are, I vow to save them."
· Goal = Full Buddhahood.
· Basham:
o Considers Bodhisattvas the "Fundamental difference" between M and T.
· Bodhicitta:
o "Mind of enlightenment:
§ Desire to liberate oneself and all others from suffering.
o Cush:
§ Bodhisattva must embody "Ultimate compassion."
o All spiritual merit earned is given to others for their benefit:
§ Sambodhis:
· Unlimited merit and so can transfer to others.
o If bad karma is earned through helping others, the Bodhisattva is willing to deal with that.
· Conventional level:
o Help all.
· Ultimate level:
o These beings do not exist – Have no inherent existence.
o Dalai Lama:
§ "Wise selfishness."
· Become Bodhisattva by the Bodhisattva path:
o Living a good life and worshipping Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, eventually will gain a spiritual breakthrough and start leading others.
o 10 Bhumis of their career:
§ 1. Pramudita (joy)
2. Vimala (purity)
3. Prabhakari (lightgiving)
4. Arcismati (radiance)
5. Sudarjaya (difficult to conquer)
6. Abhimukhi (face-to-face)
7. Durangama (far-going)
8. Acala (immovable)
9. Sadhumati (good intelligence)
10. Dharmamegha (the cloud of Dharma)
Yea more teachings:
· Ekyana:
o One path:
§ Bodhsatva path is the only way to enlightenment.
· Nirvana isn't enough;
o As it exists with Samsara = You have not truly escaped until you reach Buddhahood.
· 10 Paramitas:
o 1. Generosity 'dana'
2. Moral discipline 'sila'
3. Patience 'ksanti'
4. Diligence 'virya'
5. Concentration 'dhyana'
6. Wisdom 'prajna'
7. Upaya
8. Aspiration 'Pranidhana'
9. Strength/Power 'Bala'
10. Primordial wisdom 'Jnana'
· Dukkha:
o Ignorance of Sunyata.
o Suffering is an illusion
· Dalai Lama:
o Seen as emanation of Avalokitesvara.
o "The essence of Mahayana teaching is not-only that but to go serve and help others."
o "It is foolish to concentrate on oneself when helping the vast numbers of other sentient beings can bring greater benefit to the self- this is wise selfishness."
· Stupas:
o 8 types representing Buddha's life.
o 3 steps at the bottom represent 3 refuges, jewel at very top represents enlightenment.
o Borobudur:
§ Represents 3 realms.
Merit:
· Merit transfer is emphasised = Parinamana.
· Bodhisattvas have karmic fruitfulness and generated a lot of merit for all.
o Can be done from 'heavens.'
§ Pure land.
· However, we lack inherent existence so merit does not 'belong' to anyone.
· Gethin:
o "Extremely widespread and common."
· Basham:
o "A special feature."
Buddha Nature
· Dogen:
o "All existents are Buddha nature."
· Dalai Lama:
o "Every sentient being have Buddha nature."
· Avatamsaka Sutta:
o "The all melts into a single whole."
Mahayana- A Basham and the 14th Dalai Lama
· Basham’s definition of Mahayana = ‘a new and great vehicle which would carry many souls to salvation’
· Basham on appeal of Mahayana = ‘fitted… the needs of many simple people better than did the Lesser Vehicle’
· Dalai Lama on worship of the Buddha = ‘Buddha’s spirit is always there’
· Basham on Trikaya = ‘the body of essence was identified with…. The Brahman of the Upanishads’
· Dalai Lama on compassion = ‘the essence of Mahyana teaching is not only that but to go serve and help others’ and ‘the motivation is altruism and the practice of the 6 paramitas’ and ‘wise selfishness’
· Dalai Lama on Buddha nature = ‘every sentient being- even insects- have Buddha nature’
· Basham on the Bodhisattva doctrine = ‘the fundamental difference’ between Mahayana and Theravada
· Basham on merit transfer = ‘a special feature’