The Anthropology ofMagic, Witchcraft, and Religion

Emotional Rescue

Buddhism

• founded by Siddhārtha Gautama, a prince from the Himalayan foothills (ca. 566-480 B.C.E.)

•Gautama’s mother, Māyā, dreamed that a white elephant descended from heaven and entered her womb

Gautama

•The priests consulted to interpret this dream told the parents that the son would either be a great king or become a great monk, depending upon what he experienced

•Gautama’s mother died soon after giving birth

Gautuma

•Gautama’s father sequestered his son from the world, and took steps to ensure that he only experienced happiness and beauty

•Gautama married the most desirable princess of the land

•Together, they had a beautiful son

•But Gautama became bored with life

Gautama

•The gods, aware that Gautama was destined to be the Buddha, were dismayed at the king’s behavior

•They agreed that a deva (god) would appear to Gautama to help bring him to his path

•The deva appeared to Gautama when he left the palace

The “Four Signs”

•on the 1st day, the deva appeared as an old man

•on the 2nd day, the deva appeared as a sick person

•on the 3rd day, the deva appeared as a corpse

•on the 4th day, the deva appeared as a sannyasin, a wandering monk

Gautama’s Quest

•Gautama leaves his life of privilege and wealth for a spiritual pursuit

•The “renounciation”

Gautama’s Quest

•he wandered for years, studied with many sages, and learned a wide variety of spiritual practices• meditation• fasting• asceticism

Gautama’s Quest

•After many years, Gautama finally realized that that no teacher could lead him to the fulfillment of his quest, but that he had to attain it on his own

•The “middle path”

Gautama’s Quest

• One day, he came to the Bodhi tree

• He vowed to remain there until he either died or attained enlightenment

• Gautama began to meditate

the “tree of enlightenment”(Ficus religiosus)

Gautama’s Quest

•Mara, the “tempter” (who uses desire, fear, distraction), attempts to divert him from his quest• he appears as a messenger

with sad news from his home• he sends his three beautiful

daughters to seduce him• by challenging his generosity

• Gautama is not diverted

3 Stages of Enlightenment

1. Gautama gains knowledge of his prior lives and states

2. His “third eye” of omniscient vision opens

3. He understands from within the nature of the “chain of causation”

Gautama becomes the Buddha, the “Enlightened One”

The “Four Noble Truths”

1. that existence coincides with dukkha (pain, suffering)

2. that dukkha has a cause

3. that dukkha also has a cessation

4. that there is a path which leads to the cessation of dukkha

The “Eight-Fold Path”

1. right views2. right aspiration3. right speech4. right action5. right means of livelihood6. right effort7. right awareness8. right concentration

1 & 2: regulate attitude

3, 4, 5 & 6: regulate behavior

7 & 8: regulate meditative dimensions of human life

Buddha’s Teachings

• therapeutic in nature

• the normal condition of the organism is health; a doctor works to remove the obstacles to health

•our normal spiritual state is also one of health; when a person takes refuge in a viewpoint(= dogma), then the fever of desire burns

Buddha’s Teachings

• the three poisons which feed the flame of self-ishness are:• ignorance• desire• fear

•Nirvana is the state in which this flame is extinguished

•Once the flame is extinguished, there will be no rebirth

Buddha’s Teachings

•Buddha did not concern himself with metaphysics, but with the phenomena of existence

•There is no “first cause” or “god” – this is a meaningless concept

•The teachings were like a raft used to cross the river – you do not need them (and hence should abandon them) after you have successfully crossed

“When one gives uptrying to understand,then one may beenlightened”

Nagarjuna