TIBETAN BUDDHISM Haylie Morales

HISTORY • There is no divine revelation that lead to the creation of Buddhism. The

historical Buddha is credited with the discovery of “truths” relating to the universe and the human condition that he proclaimed.

WORSHIP• The sacred text is the Tibetan Canon which is divided into two separate parts -The Kanjyur consists of canonical texts. The Kanjyur is made up of 98 volumes containing some 600 texts. The first printing of the Kanjur occurred in China and was completed in 1411. The first Tibetan edition of the Kanjur was done in1731.

- The Tenjyur has semi-canonical commentaries and treatises by Buddhist masters. The Tenjyur contains 3626 texts in 224 volumes.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgJX6-UYTNQ• Meditation is one of the ways Buddhists worship and try to find nirvana, ultimate peace within

oneself, and enlightenment. Using stylized poses called mudras ,each have a different meaning when used throughout meditation.

• It isn’t necessary to go to a temple for worship, if done at home there will be a statue of Buddha, candles and an incense burner. Devoting life to Buddha.

• Prayer aids- prayer beads to count how many times the mantra is repeated. A spinning wheel with a mantra written on it. A flag can also be used as an aid in completing the prayer.

HAPPINESSFour noble truths

• Life is/means Dukkha (mental dysfunction or suffering).• Dukkha arises from craving.• Dukkha can be eliminated.• The way to the elimination of dukkha is the Eightfold Path.

Buddha believed that dukkha ultimately arose from ignorance and false knowledge.• The Eightfold Path is often divided into the three categories of wisdom,

ethical conduct, and mental cultivation. Buddhism pursues happiness by using knowledge and practice to achieve mental equanimity.

WOMEN IN BUDDHISM• Women's position in Buddhism is unique, full freedom to participate in a

religious life. The Buddha was the first religious Teacher who gave this to women. Before, women's duties had been restricted to the kitchen; women were not even allowed to enter any temple or to recite any religious scripture.

• During the Buddha's time, women's position in society was very low. His move to allow women to enter the Holy Order was extremely radical for the times. Yet the Buddha allowed women to prove themselves and to show that they too had the capacity like men to attain the high positions in the religious way of life. “Every woman in the world must be grateful to the Buddha for showing them the real religious way.”

• The Buddha Himself was born as a woman on several occasions during His previous births in Samsara and even as a women He developed the noble qualities and wisdom until He gained Enlightenment or Buddhahood.

MARRIAGE • Buddha never set any particular rules on marriage seeing as it is made by man

for the happiness and well-being of man. Never does it say that one has to marry, stay unmarried or celibate. The views on marriage are very liberal but staying monogamous is said to lead a happy life. “Man must learn the trials and tribulations of having a wife and family.”

• Monks choose a life of celibacy because they are there as service to mankind. They don’t solemnize the ceremony.

• Divorce is not prohibited in Buddhism though if the ways of Buddha were followed the need for separation would less likely occur. Men and women must have the liberty to separate if they really cannot agree with each other. Separation is preferred to avoid miserable family life for a long period of time. The Buddha further suggests that older men not to have younger wives as they are unlikely to be compatible, which can create undue disharmony and separation.

DEATH • Contemplation and meditation on death and impermanence are regarded

as very important in Buddhism for two reasons. First it is only by recognizing how precious and how short life is that we are most likely to make it meaningful and to live it fully and secondly by understanding the death process and familiarizing oneself with it, can remove fear at the time of death and ensure a good rebirth. One mediation methods is the nine round death meditation.

• Death is not the end of life, it is just the end of the body one inhabits in this life, but the spirit will still remain and seek out through the need of attachment, attachment to a new body and new life. Where they will be born is a result of the past and the accumulation of positive and negative action, and the resultant karma is a result of ones past actions.

• Heaven- In Buddhism there are 37 different levels of heaven where beings experience peace.• Human life. In Buddhism we can be reborn into human life over and over, either wealthy or poor,

beautiful or not, Anything can happen. What we get is a result of our Karma of what we have dragged with us from previous existences.

• Asura- A spiritual state of Demi-Gods but not the happy state experienced by the gods in the heavens above this state. The Demi-Gods are consumed with jealousy, because unlike humans, they can clearly see the superior situation of the gods in the heavens above them. They constantly compete and struggle with the gods due to their dissatisfaction with their desires from the others.

• Hungry Ghost- This spiritual realm of those who committed excessive amounts of evil deeds and who are obsessed with finding food and drink which they cannot experience. They exhaust themselves in the constant fruitless searching.

• Animals-This realm is visible to humans and it is where spirits of humans are reborn if they have killed animals or have committed a lot of other evil acts. Animals do not have the freedom that humans would experience due to being a subject constantly hunted by humans, farmed and used in farming, also as beasts for entertainment.

• Hell- Not visible to humans. It is a place where those with a great deal of negative Karma can remain in such places for eons of time.

WORKS CITED • Venerable K. Sri Dhammananda Maha Thera. "What Buddhists Believe - Buddhist

Views on Marriage Chapter 12." What Buddhist Believe. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. What Buddhists Believe - Buddhist Views on Marriage. Web. 07 Dec. 2015.

• Hawter, Ven Pende. "Death and Dying in the Tibetan Buddhist Tradition."Death and Dying in the Tibetan Buddhist Tradition. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2015.

• Ven. Thich Nguyen Tang. "Buddhist View on Death and Rebirth." Buddhist View on Death and Rebirth. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2015

• Venerable K. Sri Dhammananda Maha Thera. "What Buddhists Believe - Buddhism and Women Chapter." What Buddhists Believe - Buddhism and Women. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2015

• "Timeline of Tibetan Buddhist History - Major Events." Timeline of Tibetan Buddhist History - Major Events. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2015

• “Tibetan Buddhism.” ReligionFacts.com. 10 Nov. 2015. Web. Accessed 7 Dec. 2015. www.religionfacts.com/tibetan-buddhism

• Müller, M., & Maguire, J. (2002). Dhammapada: Annotated & Explained. Woodstock, VT: SkyLight Paths Publishing. (Translation by Max Müller, annotations and revisions by Jack Maguire.) web. 07 Dec. 2015

• "Buddhist Worship." BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2015.