Buddhism for Dummies

by Landaw, Jonathan; Bodian, Stephan; Bü; hnemann, Gudrun

• ISBN13: 9781119643265
• ISBN10: 1119643260
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2019-08-27
• Publisher: For Dummies

Summary

Your hands-on guide to this widely practiced and ancient religion

Buddhism, one of the world's most widely practiced religions, is a fascinating yet complex eastern religion that is rapidly spreading throughout western civilization. What does it mean to be a Buddhist? What are the fundamental beliefs and history behind this religion? Buddhism For Dummies explores these questions and more in this updated guide to Buddhist culture. You'll gain an understanding of the origins of this ancient practice and how they're currently applied to everyday life. 

Whether you're a searcher of truth, a student of religions, or just curious about what makes Buddhism such a widely practiced religion, this guide is for you. In plain English, it defines the important terms, explains the key concepts, and explores in-depth a wide range of fascinating topics.

• New and expanded coverage on all the schools of Buddhism, including Theravada, Tibetan, and Mahayana
• The continuing relevance of the Dalai Lama
• Updated coverage on daily observances, celebrations, styles, practices, meditation, and more 

Continuing the Dummies tradition of making the world's religions engaging and accessible to everyone, Buddhism For Dummies is your essential guide to this fascinating religion.

 

 

P.S. If you think this book seems familiar, youre probably right. The Dummies team updated the cover and design to give the book a fresh feel, but the content is the same as the previous release of Buddhism For Dummies (9781118023792). The book you see here shouldnt be considered a new or updated product. But if youre in the mood to learn something new, check out some of our other books. Were always writing about new topics!

Author Biography

Jonathan Landaw is the former English Translation Editor, Translation Bureau of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Stephan Bodian has studied and practices several schools of Buddhism. Gudrun Bühnemann, Professor, teaches the Sanskrit Language and its literature, along with courses on the religions of South Asia.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

About This Book 1

Conventions Used in This Book 2

How This Book is Organized 2

Part 1: Embarking on a Journey: The Basics of Buddhism 3

Part 2: A Short History of Buddhism 3

Part 3: Behaving Like a Buddhist 3

Part 4: Exploring the Buddhist Path 3

Part 5: The Part of Tens 4

Part 6: Appendixes 4

Icons Used in This Book 4

Where to Go from Here 5

Part 1: Embarking On a Journey: The Basics of Buddhism 7

Chapter 1: Entering the World of Buddhism: The Basics 9

Figuring Out Whether Buddhism is a Religion 10

Recognizing the Role of the Buddha 12

Understanding the Function of Philosophy in Buddhism 15

Appreciating Buddhist Practices 16

Living an ethical life 17

Examining your life through meditation 18

Practicing devotion 19

Dedicating Your Life to the Benefit of All Beings 19

Chapter 2: Understanding Your Mind: The Creator of All Experience 23

Recognizing How Your Mind Shapes Your Experience 24

Contrasting the Body and Mind 25

Approaching the Mind from Three Different Buddhist Perspectives 26

Recognizing the six major types of consciousness 27

Seeing how certain factors affect mental consciousness 28

Feeling around for your emotions 29

Appreciating the Fundamental Purity of Your Mind 31

Seeing that delusions can be remedied 31

Finding the sun behind the clouds 31

Tracing the Path of Wisdom and Loving Compassion 33

Wisdom: Removing the veils of misconception 33

Loving compassion: Opening your heart to others 34

Part 2: A Short History of Buddhism 37

Chapter 3: Surveying the Life and Teachings of the Historical Buddha 39

Revealing the Buddha’s Early Life 40

A miraculous birth 42

An overprotective father 43

The prince marries: Imprisoned in palaces of pleasure 44

Forbidden knowledge revealed: The four visions 45

Beginning the Quest 46

Renouncing the royal life 46

Going to extremes and discovering the middle way 47

Sitting in the Shade of the Bodhi Tree: The Defeat of Mara 50

Benefiting Others: The Buddha’s Career in Full Gear 52

Providing spiritual guidance: Turning the wheel of Dharma 52

Founding the community 53

Listening to the Buddha’s final message: All things must pass 54

Understanding the Four Noble Truths 55

The truth of suffering 55

The truth of suffering’s cause 57

The truth of suffering’s cessation 59

The truth of the path 60

Envisioning the Future 63

The advent of Maitreya 63

Degeneration, followed by hope 64

Chapter 4: The Development of Buddhism on the Indian Subcontinent 67

Convening the First Buddhist Council 68

Gathering the council 68

Categorizing the teachings: The three baskets 69

Spreading the Teachings — Peacefully 70

A Fork in the Road: Managing a Developing Split in the Buddhist Community 71

Convening the Second Council 71

Advancing the teachings in different ways 72

Making Buddhism a Religion of the People: The Emperor Ashoka’s Influence 73

Transforming his approach 73

Promoting Buddhism beyond India 74

Two Levels of Practice in Early Buddhism 76

Witnessing Shifting Allegiances and New Ideals 77

Turning to the stupas 78

Taking a ride in the Great Vehicle: Mahayana Buddhism 78

Recognizing the Major Mahayana Themes 79

Chronicling the Rise of the Mahayana Teachings 80

White Lotus of the Good Dharma Sutra 80

Exposition of Vimalakirti Sutra 81

Perfection of Wisdom Sutras 81

Descent into Lanka Sutra 82

World-Array Sutra 82

Land of Bliss Sutras 83

Looking at the Decline and Reappearance of Buddhism in India 84

Disappearing act 85

Reappearing in India 86

Moving Mountains: Buddhism in Nepal 86

Delving into Buddhist traditions of Nepal 87

Narrowing in on Newar Buddhism 87

Chapter 5: Watching Developments Continue to the Present Day 89

Tracing the Two Routes of Buddhism 90

Spreading the Way of the Elders Across Southeast Asia Theravada Buddhism takes root in Thailand 92

Vipassana meditation gains popularity in the West 94

Driving the Great Vehicle to China and Beyond 97

Watching Mahayana Buddhism evolve in China 98

Examining Flower Ornament and Tiantai: The great unifying systems 101

Chronicling Pure Land and other devotional schools 102

Zen: Taking root in the Far East — and the West 108

From Tibet to the West: Charting the movement of the Diamond Vehicle 114

Part 3: Behaving Like a Buddhist 125

Chapter 6: Turning to Buddhism 127

Proceeding at Your Own Pace 127

Taking responsibility for your own life 128

Determining your level of involvement 129

Getting Acquainted with the Teachings of Buddhism 130

Reading books on Buddhist teachings 131

Choosing a tradition 131

Receiving meditation instruction 132

Developing a meditation practice 133

Finding a teacher 133

Formally Becoming a Buddhist 135

Focusing on the importance of renunciation 135

Taking refuge in the Three Jewels 136

Receiving the precepts 137

Exploring further stages of practice 139

Entering the Monastic Way 140

Renouncing the world 140

Ordaining as a monk or nun 141

Dedicating your life to Buddhist practice 142

Chapter 7: Meditation: A Central Practice of Buddhism 145

Dispelling Some Meditation Myths 146

Defining Meditation 147

Exploring the Benefits of Meditation 149

Examining how neuroscientists see it 149

Recognizing the condition you’re in 150

Cultivating equanimity 152

Turning an old phrase upside down: Don’t do something — just sit there 153

Appreciating your life 156

Understanding the Threefold Nature of Buddhist Meditation 157

Developing mindful awareness 158

Deepening concentration 160

Developing penetrating insight 161

Developing the Three Wisdoms As the Foundation for Insight 162

Cultivating wisdom from listening to the teachings 163

Cultivating wisdom from reflecting on what you heard 164

Cultivating wisdom from meditating on what you understand 164

Chapter 8: A Day in the Life of a Buddhist Practitioner 167

Surveying the Role of Monasteries in Buddhism 168

Renouncing Worldly Attachments: A Day in the Life of a Western Buddhist Monk 169

Following a day in the life 170

Punctuating the calendar with special events 171

Growing a Lotus in the Mud: A Day in the Life of a Zen Practitioner 175

Following a day in the life 176

Attending silent retreats 179

Gathering for special events 181

Devoting Yourself to the Three Jewels: A Day in the Life of a Vajrayana Practitioner 181

Trusting the Mind of Amida: A Day in the Life of a Pure Land Buddhist 185

Chapter 9: Walking in the Buddha’s Footsteps 187

Visiting the Primary Places of Pilgrimage 187

Lumbini: A visit to the Buddha’s birthplace 189

Bodh Gaya: Place of enlightenment 190

Sarnath: The first teaching 193

Kushinagar: The Buddha’s death 195

Seeing Other Important Pilgrimage Sites 195

Rajgir 195

Shravasti197

Sankashya 197

Nalanda 198

Going on Pilgrimage Today 198

Part 4: Exploring the Buddhist Path 201

Chapter 10: What is Enlightenment, Anyway? 203

Considering the Many Faces of Spiritual Realization 204

Reviewing the Theravada Tradition’s Take on Nirvana 206

Defining nirvana 206

Revealing the four stages on the path to nirvana 207

Getting a Handle on Two Traditions of Wisdom 208

Realizing the Mind’s Essential Purity in the Vajrayana Tradition 209

Taking the direct approach to realization 210

Understanding the complete enlightenment of a Buddha 211

Standing Nirvana on Its Head with Zen 211

Tuning in to the direct transmission from master to disciple 212

The ten ox-herding pictures 214

Finding the Common Threads in Buddhist Enlightenment 221

Chapter 11: A Matter of Life and Death 223

Taking Death Personally 224

Recognizing Your Life As a Rare and Precious Opportunity 226

Facing Reality: The Nine-Part Death Meditation 227

Understanding that your death is definite 228

Realizing that the time of your death is uncertain 230

Using death awareness as your spiritual ally 230

Reaping the Result of the Death Meditation 231

Dealing with the Death of a Loved One 232

Surveying Attitudes toward Death in Buddhist Traditions 232

Theravada: Getting off the wheel of existence 233

Vajrayana: Turning death itself into the path 235

Zen: Dying the “great death” before you die 236

Chapter 12: Minding the Concept of Karma 239

Appreciating the Law of Karmic Cause and Effect 239

Experiencing Karmic Consequences 240

Following the Buddha’s Ethical Guidance 241

Exploring the Buddhist Precepts 242

Arranging the precepts behind three doors 243

Taking a deeper look at the ten nonvirtuous actions 244

Dealing with Transgressions 251

Atoning for mistakes 251

Purifying negative karma 252

Chapter 13: Breaking Free of the Cycle of Dissatisfaction 255

Feeling Like Life’s a Big Rat Race 256

Spinning the Wheel of Life: The Meaning of Wandering in Samsara 257

Identifying the root delusions 260

Surveying the six realms of existence 263

Understanding the 12 links 266

Cutting through Suffering: The Three Trainings 271

Chapter 14: Fulfilling Your Highest Potential 275

Ordering a Round of Happiness for Everyone and Everything 276

Dedicating Your Heart to Others 277

Keeping it all in the family 278

Figuring out what all beings desire 279

Nurturing the Four Divine Abodes 281

Extending loving-kindness 281

Developing compassion 281

Nurturing sympathetic joy 283

Establishing equanimity 283

Cultivating the Six Perfections of a Bodhisattva 285

Practicing open-hearted generosity 286

Following the self-discipline of ethical behavior 287

Developing patience 288

Practicing with enthusiastic effort 290

Sharpening your concentration 291

Cultivating the ultimate perfection: Insightful wisdom 293

Chapter 15: Life Stories of Four Buddhist Masters 295

Dipa Ma (1911–1989) 296

Spending her early years as a wife and mother 296

Overcoming physical ailments through meditation 297

Sharing her story with others 298

Ajahn Chah (1918–1992) 299

Finding his way in the forest of life 300

Blazing the monastic trail 300

Thich Nhat Hanh (Born 1926) 301

Working for peace in times of war 302

Forging new beginnings from classic ideals 303

The Dalai Lama (Born 1935) 304

Understanding the legacy of reincarnation 305

Reviewing the early life of the present Dalai Lama 306

Dealing with the Chinese 308

Finding freedom in exile 309

Appreciating his interest in science 310

Embracing the role of Buddhist ambassador to the world 310

Part 5: The Part of Tens 313

Chapter 16: Ten Common Misconceptions about Buddhism 315

Buddhism is Only for Asians 316

To Buddhists, the Buddha is God 317

Buddhists are Idol Worshippers 317

Because Buddhists Think Life is Suffering, They Look Forward to Dying 318

Buddhists Think That Everything is an Illusion 318

Buddhists Don’t Believe in Anything 319

Only Buddhists Can Practice Buddhism 320

Buddhists are Interested Only in Contemplating Their Navels 320

Buddhists Never Get Angry 321

“It’s Just Your Karma; There’s Nothing You Can Do about It” 322

Buddhists Don’t Know How to Count 322

Chapter 17: Ten Ways Buddhism Can Help You Deal with Life’s Problems 323

Affirming the Basic Principles 324

Applying the Basic Principles 324

Turning the page on your great expectations 325

Accepting change gracefully 325

Breaking up the concrete 326

Pretending to Be a Buddha 327

Watching your car rust 328

Seeing that what’s yours isn’t really yours 328

Feeling sorry for a thief 329

Tendering your resignation to pain 330

Turning off the projector 331

Dealing with uninvited houseguests 332

Part 6: Appendixes 335

Appendix A: Explaining Buddhist Terms 337

Appendix B: Additional Buddhist Resources to Check Out 343

Index 353