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The Buddha died in about 483 B.C.E. He had gone from a prince to an ascetic, from a wealthy man to a nomadic beggar. For more than fifty years he wandered India, teaching others about enlightenment.
Imagine that you are a newspaper columnist. Write an obituary for the Buddha as if for a modern newspaper.
Include as much information as you can about the people who were important in his life and the events that shaped his life and beliefs.
Scholar Huston Smith has identified six common aspects of traditional religion.
They are authority, ritual, speculation (answers to questions like “Why are we here?”), tradition, grace, and mystery. But these aspects are not found in Buddhism.
Imagine a conversation between the Buddha and a student, where the Buddha is asked about one of these aspects or religion. What do you think the Buddha would have said?
Write a short dialogue to show the conversation.
The oldest printed book in the world was printed in China around 868 C.E. It is a copy of the Diamond Sutra, one of the teachings of the Buddha. The sutra ends with these lines:
Think of this fleeting world
As a star at dawn, a bubble in a stream;
A flash of lightning in a summer cloud,
A flickering lamp, a phantom, and a dream.
What do you think the Buddha meant by this?
According to Buddhism, things don’t have an essence that defines them. This idea is called sunyata, or emptiness. For example, you know what a car is, but is it always a car? When it is being assembled in the factory, at what point does it stop being a set of parts and become a car? One answer is that it becomes a car when it can fulfill the function of a car – that is, when it can be driven. But does that mean it stops being a car if it won’t start? What if the car’s wheels were stolen; would it still be a car? What is the essence of this thing we call “car”?
Another aspect of this idea is that things aren’t inherently either good or bad. Things may seem good or bad depending on the context, but nothing is good or bad in its essence.
Write of something you usually consider either good or bad. Then try to think of contexts where it might seem different – when something you think of as good seems bad, or vice versa.
Buddhism often uses stories to present ideas. Here is a Buddhist story.
One day a farmer’s only horse disappeared. His neighbours all came to commiserate with him on his bad luck. But the farmer just said, “Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?”
A week or so later, the farmer’s horse returned, accompanied by two wild horses. His neighbours all came by to congratulate him on his good luck. But the farmer just said, “Good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?”
The farmer’s son decided to break the wild horses so they could be ridden. One of the horses threw him and broke his leg. The neighbours came by to console the farmer for this stroke of bad luck. But the farmer just said, “Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?”
A few days later, the king’s army came to the village. They took all the able-bodied young men to fight in a war. They left the farmer’s son because he had a broken leg. The neighbours all came by to congratulate the farmer on his good luck. But the farmer just said, “Good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?”
Write what idea you think the story is trying to present.
Buddhism often uses stories to present ideas. Here is a Buddhist story.
One day while walking in the wilderness, a man came upon a vicious tiger. He fled, running through the trees, looking back over his shoulder to see if the tiger was gaining on him.
Unfortunately, this meant he didn’t watch where he was going, and he tumbled headlong over a cliff. He scrambled desperately to save himself and managed to grab a vine that hung over the cliff. For a few moments he dangled there, savouring his amazing escape from certain death.
Then he looked up. Two mice were perched on the cliff edge, gnawing on his vine with their sharp little teeth.
As he looked up, the man glimpsed something else. A strawberry plant was growing from the cliff face, with one plump, ripe strawberry. The man reached up and plucked the strawberry. It was incredibly delicious!
What idea do you think the story is trying to present?
Buddhism often uses stories to present ideas. Here is a Buddhist story.
An old lady had two daughters. One was married to an umbrella seller. The other was married to a noodle seller.
On sunny days, the woman worried about her first daughter, thinking that nobody would buy any umbrellas, and her son-in-law’s business would be hurt.
On rainy days, she worried about her second daughter, as her son-in-law couldn’t dry noodles without the sun. As a result, the old lady lived in sorrow, grieving for her daughters.
One day she met a monk who asked her why she seemed so grief-stricken. She told him about her worries. The monk smiled and said, “I will show you a way to happiness. On sunny days, think of the younger daughter’s husband making plenty of noodles and doing good business. On rainy days, think of the older daughter’s husband. With the rain, people will be buying umbrellas, and the business will prosper.”
The woman did as the monk told her. From then on she was happy every day.
What idea do you think the story is trying to present?
The law of karma is part of Buddhist teaching. The law of karma involves cause and effect.
It says that every event causes another event. The second event can be pleasant or unpleasant, depending on whether the first event was prompted by self-interested cravings or by pure motivations.
The second event can be so far separated from the first one that they don’t seem to be connected, but the connection is still there.
If our actions come from pure motivations, then the results will be positive, leading us to keep acting in positive ways.
If we are motivated by negative feelings, then the results of our actions will also be negative. And the effects of negative feelings can be cumulative. When bad things happen to us, we tend to respond negatively. This can lead to a vicious circle of negative actions and negative results.
Think of something negative that has happened to you. Then think of how you reacted to it. If you reacted negatively, did that negative reaction also affect the way you saw other things? If you reacted positively, did that positive reaction affect your outlook in positive ways?
Describe the event, your reaction, and how your reaction affected you.
In Buddhism, people can attain enlightenment in many ways. They can also do different things once they are enlightened. One choice is to enter nirvana, where all suffering ends. A person who choose this is called an arhat.
A second choice is to stay in the world to help others find enlightenment. A person who chooses this is called a bodhisattva.
The difference between them is explained in a story.
Two men were wandering in the desert when they came to a compound, surrounded by a high wall. The first man climbed the wall. Giving a cry of delight, he leaped down on the other side.
The second man also climbed the wall. At the top, he saw that the walls surrounded a beautiful oasis with springs and gardens. He wanted to enter the garden. But he thought about all the other people who were wandering in the desert. Instead of entering the oasis he returned to the desert, determined to help other wanderers find the oasis.
One of these men was an arhat, and one was a bodhisattva. Which was which?
A bodhisattva is a person who has achieved enlightenment and is dedicated to helping other people escape from suffering. Some teachers suggest that non-Buddhists might be bodhisattvas.
Can you think of anyone (either from history or the present day) who fits the description of a bodhisattva? Name as many people as you can.