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September Class Notes Intro to World Religions
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Notes taken for introduction to world religions Topics covered are Buddhism, neopaganism and scientology
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Tuesday, September 4th, 2018Intro to World Religions
Buddhism
-No supernatural being
-No beginning, no end
-Goal: Reach enlightenment, wake up just like Buddha
Buddha
-A Hindu prince named Siddhartha Gautama
-One night, his mother had a dream. In that dream, a white elephant gave a prophecy to
her. It revealed to her that her future son would become a great leader. However, the
animal did not specify which type (political just like father or religious).
- At that time, religious leaders would beg for money. They did not own a lot of things. In
other words, they were poor.
-Siddhartha was kept sheltered from the outside world because his dad, a king, did not
want him to become a religious leader. His desire was to pass on the kingdom to him.
-The father prevented his son from seeing the imperfect aspects of the world. During
rain season, he stayed inside. Musicians and dancers would entertain him. The king
also made sure that Siddhartha did not see suffering. For example, a person who was
sick was not allowed to come near the prince.
-Eventually, Siddhartha encountered the outside world.
● 1st visit: old person
● 2nd visit: sick person
● 3rd visit: corpse
-Visits quite traumatic for him because for more than 20 years, the reality that he knew
was something completely different. It did not involve sickness or death
-A state of innocence to experience
-4th visit: holy Hindu man at peace → triggered Siddhartha’s need to find out how he
does that
2 words that describe Buddhism
Impermanence and suffering
Impermanence:
● Things will always change (people will get sick and old)
● You cannot hold on to anything
● Impermanence leads to suffering because you cannot stay in the moment that
you love
, The Great Departure
-Siddhartha decided to give up his life of luxury.
-He cut off his hair (symbolism).
-He became an ascetic → someone who leads a simple and strict life, abstains himself
from the pleasures of life
The Revelation of the Extreme Fasting
-Apparently, Siddhartha used to eat one grain of rice per day → reason why he became
so thin
-Eventually, he realized that it was not a good idea to continue fasting in an extreme
way because he became weak.
-Solution: do everything in moderation
Enlightenment
-Before reaching enlightenment, Siddhartha had to deal with many distractions such as
all kinds of beautiful women. However, he persevered and reached his goal.
-He discovered the 4 noble truths
-Suffering can be either big or small. Impermanence is always there but you can control
your response to the situation.
-Being attached to an ideal is bad. You have to accept reality.
5 Precepts
-They are guidelines not rules
-Interpreted in different ways
● Some Buddhists are vegetarian and others eat meat (avoid destroying life)
- Sex is fine but do not harm the person. You should not have sex every single day.
Mindfulness
-In order to wake up, you have to be present first. Live here and now. Check your mind
(are you thinking about the past or the future?).
Beliefs
-Buddhists believe that life is a cycle. The cycle ends when you reach the state of
enlightenment (nirvana). You can choose to come back and help others on their
journey.
-Nirvana = no suffering
-You are born with the karma of all your past lives. Karma determines which form you
will take in future life.
Dharma = teachings of how to reach nirvana
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