PS 112: Modern and Contemporary Political Theory

Instructor: Fritzs Krieg Allawey

DEFINITION OF BUDDHISM
 It is a religious teaching propagated by Buddha and his followers, which declares that by destroying greed,
hatred, and delusion, which are the causes of all suffering, people can attain perfect englightenment (Collins
English Dictionary. Copyright HarperCollins Publisher, 2019)
 It is a religious and philosophic system of central and eastern Asia, founded in India in the 6 th century B.C by
Buddha: it teaches that right thinking and self-denial will enable the soul to reach Nirvana (Webster’s New
World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright 2010 by Hough Miffin Harcourt, 2019)
HISTORY OF BUDDHISM
o Founder of Buddhism
 Siddhartha Gautama (Asia Society, 2018)
 Buddha Shakyamuni (About Buddhism, 2007)
 Buddha means “the awakened one”
 Late 6th century
o The Life of Buddha (BBC, 2014)
 A life of Luxury
 Born on a royal family
 Discovering cruel reality
 Went outside his royal enclosure (after marrying and having a child)
 What we saw: an old man, a sick man, and corpse
 Becoming a holy man
 Decided to leave his protected royal life and live as a homelss man
 Search for a way to escape death, old age, and pain
 Being homeless: gave him no answer
 A life if self-denial
 He follow a life of self-denial and discipline
 Practiced meditation
 Then, followed the life of extreme asceticism (6 yrs)
 Still not escaped the world of suffering
 The middle way
 Abandoned the strict lifestyle (self-denial and asceticism)
 But did not indulge in luxury
 Pursued the Middle Way (neither luxury or poverty)
 Enlightenment
 Deeply absorbed in meditation, and reflected his life experiences
 Determined to penetrate the truth
 Finally achieved the enlightenment and became the Buddha
 The Teacher
 Legend: Buddha propagated his teachings.
o Types of Buddhism (Yogapedia Inc., 2019)
 Theravada Buddhism (School of the Elder Monks)
 Goal: To achieve Nirvana through the Eightfold Path
 This is widespread in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asian Countries.
 Mahayana (The Great vehicle) Buddhism
 Goal: Help other sentient being find their own awakening
 Prevalent in India, Tiber, Nepal, many South Asian Countries, China, Japan, and increasingly in
the United States and other Western countries
BASIC TEACHINGS OF BUDDHISM
o Four Noble Truth (Jodo Shinshu Buddhist, 2015)
1. The Truth if Suffering (Kutai)
2. The Truth of the Cause of Suffering (Jutai)
3. The Truth of the Cessation of Suffering (Mettai)
4. The Truth of the Path to the Cessation of Suffering (Dotai)
o The Eightfold Path (Walpola Sri Rahula, 2019)
 Right understanding (Samma ditthi)- Accepting Buddhist Teachings
 Right thought (Samma sankappa)- A commitment to cultivate right attitude
 Right Speech (Samma vaca)- Speaking truthfully, avoiding slander, gossip and abusive speech
Prepared by: Jamiah O. Hulipas
Bachelors of Arts in Political Science IV
PS 112: Modern and Contemporary Political Theory
Instructor: Fritzs Krieg Allawey
 Right Action (Samma Kammanta) -Behaving peacefully and harmoniously; refraining from stealing,
killing and overindulgence in sensual pleasure.
 Right livelihood (Samma ajiva)- Avoiding making a living in ways that cause harm, such as exploiting
people or killing animals, or trading in intoxicants or weapons
 Right effort (Samma vayama) - Cultivating positive states of mind; freeing oneself from evil and
unwholesome states and preventing them from arising in the future
 Right mindfulness (Samma sati)- Developing awareness of the body, sensations, feelings and states of
mind
 Right concentration (Samma Samadhi)-Developing mental focus

Prepared by: Jamiah O. Hulipas

Bachelors of Arts in Political Science IV