Buddhism 101

Lesson 1: The Buddha and his Doctrines

Buddhism is a system of doctrines developed by a man whom we call the Buddha, who was born around 563 BCE. The story of his life is unique in the world’s traditions, and is used to frame his teachings in a way to which all can relate. This lesson focuses on the man who is the historical Buddha and the doctrines he taught, as well as the developments immediately following his death. There are two goals in this lesson: to provide a sketch of the earliest Buddhism, as taught by the Buddha, and to understand the basis on which all later Buddhism was built. The doctrines discussed are those attributed to the historical Buddha, and as such are integral ideas in every Buddhist school of thought.

First we will learn about the religious climate into which Buddha was born, and the cultural assumptions that were prevalent then – specifically, karma and reincarnation. The two leading religions of the time, Hinduism and Jainism, are described succinctly. Following this we will read the narrative of Buddha’s life – how he came to gain his insight into the nature of reality. Then we will examine his most important insights: the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Noble Path and the doctrine of Anatman.

Then we will look at the formation of the early canon of scriptures, known as the Tripitaka, and finally the code of conduct established by Buddha for his followers. At the close of this lesson I will include exercises to help you understand some of the doctrines presented here. These exercises are voluntary, but I believe they will help you gain insight into what these doctrines mean – you may not agree with what the Buddha preached, but working out their implications can help you understand what the Buddha taught, and you gain insight into what makes up the basis of belief for millions of Buddhists. Discuss these ideas with friends and family, and other people – discussion has always been the best way to learn. In addition, a short multiple choice test will be included to test your retention of basic facts. The exercises form an analytical component while the test provides a chance for you to gauge your skill at remembering key details. Both are important, but you will find that analysis will go further in helping to develop an understanding of Buddhism, while memorization provides a solid base.

India in the Time of the Buddha

     Buddhism was born in India, but prior to its emergence India already had an ancient religious heritage in its past and a rich religious milieu in its present. When the Buddha began his quest for enlightenment he had a wealth of cultural and religious options to draw upon. The cultural elements, being integral to the fabric of Indian society, were certain to be found in the Buddhist tradition. The religious sects and powers of the day were also felt in the formation of Buddhism, however these were more useful in defining what Buddhism was not.

     Two key concepts that had become nearly universally accepted cultural norms in the day of the Buddha are karma and reincarnation. Karma is simply presented as a merit system – if an individual does evil actions, calamities will befall them. The opposite is true – if an individual performs acts of merit they will benefit. The word karma is also thought of in less moralistic and more scientific terms. It can mean simply “cause and effect”, where the system is not so much a handing out of rewards and punishments as it is a cosmic Rube Goldberg machine. Reincarnation fits into the system of karma – a generally bad person will be reincarnated as an unfortunate being – perhaps a lowly animal or even a dweller in one of the Buddhist hells. The better one’s overall karma, the better the rebirth – human birth being the best, as this is the only state in which one can become enlightened. However, depending on one’s actions, mobility was possible – a bad human could become a hell-being and a hell-being could be elevated to a human upon death.

     These worldviews were prevalent in the time of the Buddha – as well as means to escape the system. Constant recycling of oneself in the system known as samsara was not desirable to many. Systems arose in order to free oneself of the system, or at least rise to the top of it. In the time of the Buddha the major religious traditions of India were Hinduism and Jainism.

     Hinduism is a religious tradition that stretches back into pre-history. In the time of the Buddha, it had become dominated by the Brahmins. This was the priest class of the Hindu caste system (which was completed with the warrior, merchant and servant classes). Hinduism held the Vedas as sacred texts, and in this period was in the process of creating the Upanishads, further religious works. Hinduism of this time was a religion that honored gods and goddesses, and performed sacrifices (sometimes animals in this period) as a form of worship. As well, Hinduism placed much emphasis on personal duty – called dharma (in the Buddhist tradition, dharma comes to mean the teaching of the Buddha).

     Jainism was a rejection of Brahmin practices, especially that of animal sacrifice – the foundation of Jainism is a doctrine of complete non-violence in the most extreme sense of the concept. This tradition, alongside a strong Hindu movement, was the birth of the ascetic movement, which would later be seen as a characteristic of the Buddhist tradition. Jains focused on the liberation of the self from all karmic bonds to escape samsara.

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