Theravada School Known as the Theravada School, or the School of the Elders (Skt. = Sthaviravada). Also pejoratively referred to as the Hinayana (lit. = Lesser Vehicle) by Mahayana adherents, who claim that Hinayana emphasizes personal liberation/salvation in contrast to the collective liberation of the Mahayana (lit. = Greater Vehicle). The Theravada (Jp. = Joza Bukkyo, Jōza Bukkyō) or Hinayana (Jp. = Kojyo Bukkyo or Kojyō Bukkyō) school is based on the teachings of its founder, the Historical Buddha. Known also as Gautama Buddha or Prince Siddhartha, the Historical Buddha lived in India from around 560 to 480 BC. For comparative purposes, his contemporaries were Confucius and Lao-tzu (the founder, the “old boy” of Chinese Taoism) -- slightly later in the West comes Plato (427? - 347 BC). In India, in the four centuries following Gautama’s death, his dialogues and teachings were preserved only in the memory of followers. No written records or artistic representations (except for the footprints of the Buddha) survive into the present age. Like the Hindu Brahmins, the early Buddhists believed that religious knowledge was too sacred to be written down, too sacred to be etched in stone or wood. exclamation The Theravadins clearly differentiate between monks and laity. Only those who practice the meditative monastic life (i.e., the monks) can attain spiritual perfection. Enlightenment is not thought possible for those living the secular life. Theravadins revere the Historical Buddha, but they do not pay homage to the numerous Buddha and Bodhisattva worshiped by Mahayana followers. The highest goal of a Theravadin is to become an Arhat (Skt), or perfected saint. (Japanese Rakan or Arakan). spacerThe early Buddhists split into a number of factions following Gautama’s death, each faction holding firm to its own interpretations. Roughly 500 years later, two main schools emerged -- Theravada (pejoratively called the “Lesser Vehicle”) and Mahayana (“Greater Vehicle”). Theravada sought to preserve the original and orthodox teachings of Gautama Buddha, while the Mahayana tradition was more flexible and innovative. At the time, the distinction between Lesser and Greater Vehicles was politicized into arguments over “benefitting self” and “benefitting others.” Mahayana adherents insisted that only by “benefitting others” could one hope to benefit oneself. To Mahayana followers, the Theravada philosophy is false, for Theravada stresses “self benefit” -- practicing by oneself strictly for one’s own emancipation. See Additional Readings for more on this early schism. The modern-day practice of Theravada Buddhism (and Mahayana as well) is based in part on the Four Noble Truths (“Shitai” in Japanese) and the Eightfold Path (“Hasshodo”), both attributed to the Historical Buddha. For a detailed guide to the basic teachings of the Historical Buddha, please click here. The Four Noble Truths are: (1) life is suffering; (2) suffering has cause; (3) eliminate cause and thereby eliminate suffering; (4) learn and pursue the proper path to alleviate suffering (i.e., the Eightfold Path). Suffering is caused by human weakness -- desire, lust, pride, anger, greed and a host of other foibles. The Eightfold Path means the Right View, Right Resolve, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Occupation, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration. Gautama believed that all life was suffering, and that suffering was caused by desire. He sought, through meditation, to attain a state known as Nirvana, in which one is free of desire and therefore suffering. Nirvana literally means “the state of a flame being blown out.” It represents the quiet state of mind that exists when the fires of attachment and desire are extinguished. It can also refer to the “flame of death.” The death of the Historical Buddha, for example, is referred to as “the Great Extinction.”
Posted on: Tue, 23 Sep 2014 03:34:47 +0000
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