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#3 Life of the Buddha: Significance in Today’s World
Fireside Chat Course: Introduction to Basic Buddhism for the West and Beyond
Saturday, November 2, 2024

Life of the Buddha (Chapter 2 in Jewels, the textbook)

First 30 minutes: Ken Tanaka summaries the main topic of the class, Life of the Buddha: Significance in Today’s World

Second 30 minutes: Lay guest speaker: Tatsuaki Kono Tokyo, Japan

Third 30 minutes: Ordained guest speaker: Rev. Matt Hamasaki Sacramento, California

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First 30 minutes: Ken Tanaka summaries the main topic of the class, Life of the Buddha: Significance in Today’s World

1. Three main points
a. The Buddha was a human being, not a God or a divine being.
b. He was most concerned with the aim of overcoming duḥkha (in English, most often translated “suffering,” “pain,” “dis-ease,” “sorrow,” “unsatisfactoriness,” etc.).
c. The emphasis on the importance of one’s personal understanding over excessive reliance on the tradition or institution.

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2. The Buddha was a human being, not a God
a. Comparison with other religions:
1. The Buddha should not be compared with Yahweh in Judaism, God in Christianity, and Allah in Islam.
2. He is more comparable to Jesus (6 to 4 BCE - 30 or 33 CE) and Muhammad (570 - 632).
3. The Buddha was born in the northeastern area of the Indian subcontinent around 2,600 years ago and passed away at the age of 80 (566-486 BCE).
4. The Buddha did not create truth or Dharma (true reality) but discovered or awakened to it.
b. The various names:
1. “Siddhartha”: First name - whose purpose (artha)
is accomplished (siddha).
2. “Gautama” or “Gotama”: Family name - the highest (tama) cow (go).
3. “Shakyamuni”: Sage (muni) of the Shakya clan.

c. “Buddha”
1. It is a title or status, meaning “an Awakened person.” Siddhartha Gautama became a “Buddha” at the age of 35.
2. Later Buddhists came to see that there are many Buddhas as there are awakened people.
3. “Shakyamuni Buddha” makes it clear that we are speaking of Siddhartha Gautama after he became awakened.
4. Later, especially in Mahayana Buddhism, many other Buddhas emerged, most as personified beings or the anthropomorphic representation of the dimensions of ultimate truth or reality, such as Amitābha or Amida Buddha, Medicine Buddha (Bhaiṣajyaguru), and The Great Sun Buddha (Mahāvairocana).

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3. The Buddha was most concerned with overcoming his duḥkha and that of others.

a. Parable of the Poison Arrow:
1. Each one of us is shot by an arrow. So, recognize that.
2. Each of us must pull the arrow that is stuck in my body.
3. We should not be caught up with “intellectual” questions such as is the cosmos finite or infinite or does an enlightened being exist after death.

b. His personal life:
1. Death of his mother, and being raised by his aunt.
2. Saddened by the creatures killing each other.
3. His father shielded him from experiencing duḥkha.

c. “Excursion from the Four Palace Gates”:
1. Frail old person
2. Sick person in great discomfort
3. Dead person with grieving family
4. Wandering monk with serenity and inner glow

d. Leaving home
1. In order to find a way out of duḥkha.
2. Becomes an ascetic and engages in various meditative and ascetic practices in contrast to the life of luxury of the palace.

e. Middle Way: Abandons the ascetic practice as he had done with the life of luxury.
1. Awakening under the Bodhi tree.
2. Nirvana = “the state where one’s flame of greed, hatred and ignorance has been blown out.” (Jewels, page 46).
3. He had gained full understanding about the nature of duḥkha, the cause of duḥkha, and the way to overcome duḥkha.
4. First taught his “discovery” to the five former fellow seeking monks. Then for the rest of his life, for 45 years, the Buddha taught others to realize their way to overcome or reduce duḥkha .

f. Too pessimistic?
1. Some have criticized Buddhism as being too “pessimistic” due to its undue focus on duḥkha.
2. But Buddhism leads us to overcome or to reduce it. It begins with duḥkha but ends in its negation.
3. “Out of the mud grows the lotus flower.”

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4. The emphasis on the importance of one’s personal understanding over excessive reliance on the tradition or institution.
a. “Make yourself the light. Rely upon yourself. Do not depend upon anyone else. Make my teachings your light.”

b. Kalama Sutta
"Come, Kalamas. Do not go upon what has been acquired by repeated hearing; nor upon tradition; nor upon rumor; nor upon what is in a scripture; ....

Kalamas, when you yourselves know: 'These things are good; these things are not blamable; these things are praised by the wise; undertaken and observed, these things lead to benefit and happiness,' enter on and abide in them.”

c. The Buddha allowed a greater level of individual and personal understanding and appreciation of his teachings.