Introduction to Buddhism

Early, Primitive, Theravadin Buddhism
Monastic Order ( Samgha )

Tripitaka Canon
1. Vinaya
2. Dharma
3 Abhidharma

3 Main principles
1. Poverty
2. Celibacy
3. Non-vilence

Practice
1. Morality Prohibition and Right Conduct The fourth of Four Noble Truth
2 Meditation Dhyana Samadhi Prajna
Meditation Ecstasy and Wisdom

Old Wisdom School
Theravadins -> East of India, Ceylon, Burma, Thai, Cambodia
Sarvasstivadins -> West of India, Mathura, Gandhara, Kashmir, Afghanistan
Mahasanhika ->This is Mahayana

New Wisdom School ->Rise of Mahayana Buddhism
Meaning of Wisdom->Prajna in Sanskrit, Panna in Pali Hanyain Chinese and Japanese
Prajnaparamitahrdaya->Hanya haramita shin gyo Heart Sutra
We have another word for Wisdom which is Jnana or Vijnana

Explantion of Nirvan in New Wisdom School
= Explantion of the word Sunyata=emptiness, Void, nothingness
mu and ku in Chinese and Japanese
1. Logical 4 fold laffirmation and negation
2 Nirvana as realization of tratityasamutpada (Causal origination)
3 Nirvana and samsara are identical
4 Negation and affirmation are the same thing
5 Concept of sunyata
6 Karuna as true nirmana

Theravada Buddhism

Theravada Buddhism along with Mahayana Buddhism, one of the two principal branches of Buddhist belief. It is most widespread in Sri Lanka, Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand. Like Mahayana Buddhism, Theravada (Pali for "School of the Elders") claims to perpetuate the true teachings and practices of the Buddha.
The Theravada school traces its descent from the original sangha, or monastic community, that first followed the Buddha. Its canon of scripture consists of the Tipitaka (Three Baskets), the first great compendium of Buddhist writings, composed in the Pali language. Theravada tends toward doctrinal conservatism, exemplified in a cautious interpretation of its canon. Because of this, it has been given the pejorative name Hinayana (Sanskrit for "Lesser Vehicle") by its rivals, who call their own tradition Mahayana ("Greater Vehicle"). The goal of the Theravadin, or devotee of Theravada, is to become an arhat, a sage who has achieved nirvana (enlightenment) and will never be reborn. Mahayana traditionally prefers the figure of the bodhisattva-who, out of compassion, helps others toward salvation-to the arhat, who is concerned chiefly with his own salvation..

The dharma, or teachings, of the historical Buddha are usually regarded as being contained in the Tipitaka. Unlike Mahayana, which has generated a vast number of additional sutras (scriptural texts), Theravada confines itself to this core dharma. The Theravada canon is recorded in Pali, a dialect popular during the Buddha's lifetime.

The dharma of Theravada regards human existence as a complex of various transient aspects, also called dharmas. These dharmas are grouped in overlapping categories of 5 components (skandhas), 12 bases (ayatana), and 18 perceptual elements (dhatu). The 5 components are the physical body (rupa), feelings (vedana), cognitive perception (sanna), mental predispositions (sankhara), and consciousness (vijñana). The 12 bases are the 5 sensory organs with their 5 sensory fields, plus the mind and the object of mental perception. The 18 elements are the 5 sensory organs plus the mind, their 6 associated objects, and the 6 so-called consciousnesses of ear, eye, nose, mouth, body, and mind. These dharmas create a composite being not united by any enduring soul (atman) or identity: There is no self in the strict sense. The Theravadin endeavors to manipulate the dharmas so as to suspend the action of karma and thereby to achieve nirvana. Theravada is therefore less a philosophical doctrine than an almost scientific discipline, although it depends on a complex cosmology of cyclical, multiple worlds and an involved scheme of reincarnation.

.

Buddhist monks live simple ascetic lives of religious contemplation in monasteries. Buddhist monks follow different rules according to their sect, but most remain cut off from worldly affairs. Monks often perform important rituals, such as funerals, for lay Buddhists.

.