Mahayana Buddhism Powerpoint Presentation, Slides of World Religions

Download Mahayana Buddhism Powerpoint Presentation and more Slides World Religions in PDF only on Docsity! MAHAYANA BUDDHISM | Mahayana Buddhism emerged in the first century CE as a more accessible interpretation of Buddhism. As the "Greater Vehicle" (literally, the "Greater Ox-Cart"), Mahayana is a path available to people from all walks of life - not just monks and ascetics. hayana Buddhism is the primary form of Buddhism in North Asia and the Far East, including China, Japan, Korea, Tibet and Mongolia, and is thus sometimes known as Northern Buddhism. Mahayana Buddhists accept the Pali Canon as sacred scripture with the Theravadans, but also many other works, the Sutras, which were written later and in Sanskrit. I Considered a historical event, a religious schism between the Mahasamghika and Sthavira nikaya ("Sect of the Elders"), another major Buddhist school, transpired during the said council. These new developments within the new found Buddhist sect comprise a set of differing notions pertaining to the original founder and great teacher Siddharta Gautama himself. U Firstly, Mahayana Buddhist believed that Siddharta secretly taught key principles to chosen people, to his most dedicated disciples, or to the most faithful who could completely interpret these teachings in time. ’ Secondly, Mahayana Buddhist forwarded the concept that Siddharta Gautama was actually a benevolent elestial being, not just a mere human being. Thirdly, Mahayana Buddhist advanced the radical idea that Siddharta Gautama was not the only Buddha. There were another divine beings that came to our world even before Siddharta, some of them came after him, and still others will come in the future. I In time, missionaries of Mahayana Buddhism were able to penetrate new places without fear of reprisal from native religions since deities or local gods can be treated as manifestations or incarnations of Buddha Other religions could be absorbed by Mahayana Buddhism y way Of this key principle in their proselytizing activities. Ironically, while Buddhism was being propagated and gaining support in other countries even to remotest places, it was steadily dying in India where it all started. Nonetheless, Mahayana Buddhism is still the most popular branch of Buddhism in the world today. | Mahayanas school possesses innumerable figures often lacking in the theravada literature,including the bodhisattvas,demons,divinities and other spirits. I Most popular or prominent Mahayana texts (or sutra) is the Lotus Sutra or the Saddharmapundarika-sutra that literally means "correct dharma white lotus sutra" or “Sura of the lotus of the wonderful law"in sanskrit. The teachings of Siddhartha Gautama are generally recorded in a wide corpus of sutras and often taking the form of dialogues instead of analytically explicating a certain view point. [ [ Lotus Sutra is presented as a discourse conveyed by Siddhartha Gautama before his eventual death. Mahayana tradition maintain while the sutras were recorded during Siddhartha Gautama's lifetime,these Sutras were kept for 500 years and reintroduced only during the "Fourth Buddhist Council" in Kashmir in 78 C.E Beliefs and Doctrines [ The Buddha Siddhartha Gantama born in the fifth or sixth century C.E. in present-day Nepal is considered the historical Buddha in mahayahay Buddhism. After he attained enlightenment at the age of 35 he came to be own as Geutama Buddha and spent the rest of his life preaching acroses India. He died at the age of 80. For Theravasia Buddhism only the historical Buddha ang past Buddhas are accepted. For Mahayana Buddhism, there are other contemporary and popular Buddhas apart from the historical Buddha. Worship and Observances I Buddhism integrates an assortment of religion practices and devotional rituals with the objective of aiding worshippers in their journey toward enlightenment and in bringing blessings to each and every one. In Buddhist temples, they pray and chant to pay their respect to the uddhas and bodhisattvas such Avalokiteshvara, Manjushri and Amithabha. Mahayana temples are one of the sacred spaces. While only a simple temple layout can be seen in Theravada Buddhism with an image of Siddharta Gautama as the focal point of worship. I Worshippers also recite chants and undertake pilgrimages to sites of Buddhist importance. Meditational activities are fundamental in almost all popular forms of Buddhism. For Theravada Buddhism and Zen Buddhism the practice of meditation is the only means to attain liberation. With the introduction of ahayana Buddhism in other places, local culture influenced the development of Mahayana Buddhist practice. The lotus that symbolizes purity, the eight- Spoke wheels that represents the dharma, and the different hand gestures (mudras) are important symbols for Mahayana Buddhism. Subdivisions I Mahayana Buddhism consists of variety of schools and family of religions. When the teachings of Mahayana Buddhism spread in many Asian Nations, it acquired new concepts from these localities that found articulation in many ritualistic pracitces and divine figure HE PURE LAND SECT Pure Land Buddhism began in India around the second century B.C.E spread to China by the second century C.E. and reached japan around sixth century C.E. when believerd die, it is their objective to live in the "Pure Land of the West" or Sukhavati THE RATIONALIST SECT I A rationalist Buddhist school of thought called T'ien-T'ai emerged around the sixth century C.E. with its name originate from a mountain in sout eastern China where its founder Chih-l or Zhiyi lived. I Apart from meditional practices, this sect taught that one must utilize reason and study the scriptures and doctrines to discover Buddhist truths (Hope 1983). THE SOCIAL-POLITICAL SECT I A Japanese Buddhist monk by the name of Nichiren Daishonin who live during the thirteenth century during the kamakura period began to teach that the path towards attaining enlightenment rested solely on the devotion to the lotus Sutra Nichiren ("sun lotus") Buddhism. Nichiren Buddhism teachrs that individuals must take ponsibility to enhance themselves, or what is called "human revolution", and, in turn, to improve the world's lot. Nichiren taught that he alone understood Buddhist truths. He believed that other Buddhist sects in Japan were corrupting the people towards hell. The Nichiren sect of Buddhism is an example of religions group that came to have an effect in the socio-political dimension of Japan (Hope 1983). Present-day schools of Nichiren Buddhism include Soka Gakkai, Nichiren Shoshu, and Nichiren Shu. TIBETAN BUDDHISM U Tibetan Buddhism has its own set of clergy, the lamas and they are commonly senior members of the monastic community. In fact, of all the buddhist sanghas, the tibetan sect has developed the most elaborate of clergy (Wach 1949) The term lama means "the superior one" and lamas are uite frequently the reincarnations of previous lamas. The Dalai Lama is the most prominent face of Tibetan Buddhism who has been living in exile in Indian since he fled Chinese occupation of Tibet in 1959 The term dalai means "ocean" in Mongol referring to the vastness and depth of the person. The curreny and fouteenth Dalai Lama is Tenzin Gyatso who is the leader of the Gelug School of Tibetan Buddhism and is believed to be an reincarnation of Avalokisteshvava.