BUDDHISM
One thing to
be thinking about throughout this course is how a particular tradition
becomes what we call a world religion. In the case of Hinduism
two thousand years ago it was a matter of regional influence as traders
from India impacted the Khmer culture of Cambodia (the temples of
Angkor Wat are a lasting example of this) and the Malay culture of
Indonesia, especially in Bali. Much later, as Indian citizens of
the British Empire emigrated to England and the West Indies, strong
Indian communities developed, and more recently new waves of Indian
migration have led to thriving communities throughout the United
States.
A different pattern exists with Buddhism, which began as a reform movement within Hinduism and for a while came to be an official state religion in India itself before virtually
disappearing from that
country. From its beginning in Nepal, where Siddhartha Gautama,
the man who came to be called the Buddha, would have been an outsider
since he came from a different ethnic community that had been brought
into the Hindu sphere of influence, Buddhism relied on monks who would
travel widely to promote Gautama's teaching. Within the first
thousand years of its existence Buddhism had expanded throughout Asia,
and in the last century it came to take root also in the West.
Hinduism, like Judaism, sees membership as a matter of having been born into the tradition and so does not actively proselytize for converts. Those who would convert on a religious basis are expected to adapt to Indian patterns, which might well set them apart in their original communties. Those teachers who have come to the West to promote Hinduism more as a philosophy or a spiritual outlook (Swami Vivekananda at the turn of the twentieth century and more recently the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi) would not have such expectations with the result that individuals accepting their teaching should not really be seen as "religious" converts.
Buddhism, in contrast, has tended to adapt to the communities where it is imported, historically blending in elements from local religions. In the United States Buddhists from Japan or Korea or Vietnam or Thailand or Tibet have established temples or centers that serve immigrant communities but often welcome American converts. Some, such as Nichiren Shoshu, more actively proselytize, but it is not expected that someone becoming a Buddhist would adopt essentially alien customs. Often enough, a Buddhist church might Americanize itself with patterns, such as Sunday services involving a sermon, that lessen any sense of difference between immigrants and their neightbors. Also, since Buddhism far more than Hinduism does stress its philosophical basis, there can be a wider diffusion of Buddhist thought (for instance, Zen techniques of meditation) with little or no emphasis on specifically religious practices.
The principal
division among Buddhists themselves centers on the
acceptance of teachings that supposedly were communicated orally by
Gautama to his followers but not immediately committed to
writing. These are the sutras,
which are the basis for the very complex metaphysics characterizing
what is called the Mahayana ("Greater Vehicle") approach. In the
third century BCE, two hundred years aftrer the time of Gautama, an
early Buddhist council reacted to what were seen as "heresies" by
limiting the documents accepted as authoritative to a very few, above
all a group of sermons and a summary of Buddhist teaching called the Dhammapada. In this way (much
like the Protestant Reformers who reacted to medieval Catholic
theology) they argued they were being true to the original intent of
their founder, and their teaching is then known as the Theravada
("Doctrine of the Elders"), although Buddhists in the other camp more
disdainfully refer to it as Hinayana ("Lesser Vehicle"). The
Theravadin approach characterizes much of Southeast Asia but not
Vietnam, while Buddhism in the rest of Asia represents a Mahayana
approach although with significant regional differences.
In looking at Buddhism we want to understand both major religious observances and, given their overall importance in transmitting Buddhist ideas, what is expected of those who choose to become monks. If there is a parallel between Hinduism and Judaism as essentially ethnic traditions that did not seek converts but expanded worldwide regardless, there is also a parallel between Buddhism and Christianity as proselytizing traditions that relied largely on establishing monasteries as bases for making converts. After making use of my web lectures as well as your text (if you are using one), I recommend reviewing material on the websites indicated below. Again, some of these are YouTube videos recommended by former students.
A different pattern exists with Buddhism, which began as a reform movement within Hinduism and for a while came to be an official state religion in India itself before virtually
disappearing from that
country. From its beginning in Nepal, where Siddhartha Gautama,
the man who came to be called the Buddha, would have been an outsider
since he came from a different ethnic community that had been brought
into the Hindu sphere of influence, Buddhism relied on monks who would
travel widely to promote Gautama's teaching. Within the first
thousand years of its existence Buddhism had expanded throughout Asia,
and in the last century it came to take root also in the West. Hinduism, like Judaism, sees membership as a matter of having been born into the tradition and so does not actively proselytize for converts. Those who would convert on a religious basis are expected to adapt to Indian patterns, which might well set them apart in their original communties. Those teachers who have come to the West to promote Hinduism more as a philosophy or a spiritual outlook (Swami Vivekananda at the turn of the twentieth century and more recently the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi) would not have such expectations with the result that individuals accepting their teaching should not really be seen as "religious" converts.
Buddhism, in contrast, has tended to adapt to the communities where it is imported, historically blending in elements from local religions. In the United States Buddhists from Japan or Korea or Vietnam or Thailand or Tibet have established temples or centers that serve immigrant communities but often welcome American converts. Some, such as Nichiren Shoshu, more actively proselytize, but it is not expected that someone becoming a Buddhist would adopt essentially alien customs. Often enough, a Buddhist church might Americanize itself with patterns, such as Sunday services involving a sermon, that lessen any sense of difference between immigrants and their neightbors. Also, since Buddhism far more than Hinduism does stress its philosophical basis, there can be a wider diffusion of Buddhist thought (for instance, Zen techniques of meditation) with little or no emphasis on specifically religious practices.
The principal
division among Buddhists themselves centers on the
acceptance of teachings that supposedly were communicated orally by
Gautama to his followers but not immediately committed to
writing. These are the sutras,
which are the basis for the very complex metaphysics characterizing
what is called the Mahayana ("Greater Vehicle") approach. In the
third century BCE, two hundred years aftrer the time of Gautama, an
early Buddhist council reacted to what were seen as "heresies" by
limiting the documents accepted as authoritative to a very few, above
all a group of sermons and a summary of Buddhist teaching called the Dhammapada. In this way (much
like the Protestant Reformers who reacted to medieval Catholic
theology) they argued they were being true to the original intent of
their founder, and their teaching is then known as the Theravada
("Doctrine of the Elders"), although Buddhists in the other camp more
disdainfully refer to it as Hinayana ("Lesser Vehicle"). The
Theravadin approach characterizes much of Southeast Asia but not
Vietnam, while Buddhism in the rest of Asia represents a Mahayana
approach although with significant regional differences.In looking at Buddhism we want to understand both major religious observances and, given their overall importance in transmitting Buddhist ideas, what is expected of those who choose to become monks. If there is a parallel between Hinduism and Judaism as essentially ethnic traditions that did not seek converts but expanded worldwide regardless, there is also a parallel between Buddhism and Christianity as proselytizing traditions that relied largely on establishing monasteries as bases for making converts. After making use of my web lectures as well as your text (if you are using one), I recommend reviewing material on the websites indicated below. Again, some of these are YouTube videos recommended by former students.
illustrations: statue of the Buddha in a Japanese Museum, a Buddhist temple in Tokyo (my own photos)
YouTube videos that may be of interest:
Zen monks
Thai monks receiving alms
Tibetan sky burial