Buddhist Thought

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Notes on Buddhist Thought

Chapter One: The doctrinal position of the Buddha in context

The Buddha (Awakened One) is one who has awakened fully to the final truth of things, and thus liberated himself once and for all from all forms of suffering. Out of supreme compassion, he has taught others the way to attain liberations themselves.

The minimum for becoming a Buddhist is spoken of as three times 'taking the triple-refuge' in the proper formulaic way

1. One takes refuge by firmly taking the Buddha as the final spiritual refuge

2. One also takes refuge in the Dharma, how things truly are and the way to incorporate an understanding of how things truly are into one's being in the deepest possible way

3. One also takes refuge in the Sangha, the community of practitioners who are in their different ways and at different levels following and realizing the Dharma

Buddhists do not emphasize belief but practicing, following a path, and knowing, directly seeing

This is meant to free the person who sees unpleasant experiences, like pain, frustration, anguish, sorrow, classed under the duhkha

Any person who is liberated is finally and irrevocably liberated from all unpleasant experiences

Buddhism is a soteriology, meaning that it is concerned with bringing about freedom from negative states and experiences

Buddhists do not object to the existence of Hindu gods, but they deny the existence of God as an omnipotent and omniscient creator deity

A Buddhist cannot take refuge in Hindu gods, as they are not Buddhas. These gods do not have liberating insight and ultimately suffer

In many Buddhist countries, there are those who go into a type of trance where they are possessed by a god that may give advice or medical assistance

However, gods concern only the worldly (laukika), while Buddhas are beyond the world (lokottara)

The term for religion is sasana, the Teaching

Buddhists believe that Buddhism will eventually cease to exist due to forces of irreligion

Buddhism in mainland India had all but ceased to exist by the thirteenth century CE, although by that time it had spread to Tibet, China, Japan, and Southeast Asia

After Buddhism ceases to exist in this world, a savanna will again be established by another Buddha

Each time a savanna is established it is due to a rediscovery of the Dharma

The Dharma is Buddhism as content and consists of the teachings of the Buddha

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