Buddhism | World History | Khan Academy
Buddhism | World History | Khan Academy
An introduction to Siddhartha Gautama Buddha and Buddhism.
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Content
0 -> we're now going to talk about one of the
1.36 -> most significant figures in all of human
3.52 -> history and that is siddhartha gauthama
5.839 -> who would later be known as buddha as
8.08 -> the awakened one or the enlightened one
10.639 -> now before we get into his life let's
12.96 -> think about the context in which he was
14.88 -> born so we see from this timeline most
17.44 -> accounts place his birth at around 563
20.24 -> bce although there are some historians
22.4 -> who think that he might have been born
24.32 -> about 150 years later than that but
27.439 -> either way that would have been near the
28.8 -> end of the vedic period and then vedic
31.359 -> period is named after the vedas these
34.079 -> hindu scriptures written by those
36.719 -> indo-aryans who came into india most
40.399 -> historians believe around 1500 bce or
44.399 -> maybe before that now by the time of
47.039 -> siddhartha's birth hinduism was really
49.44 -> starting to take shape many of the
51.6 -> things that we would now recognize as
53.199 -> modern day hindu practice already
56.239 -> existed and he was born into that world
60.719 -> now on this map here you see the major
62.48 -> sites of buddha's life he's born in
64.72 -> lambini in modern-day southern nepal he
67.36 -> eventually meditates at bodhgaya under
70 -> the bodhi tree where he reaches
72.08 -> enlightenment he does his first
73.92 -> preaching at sarnath and then he
75.68 -> eventually dies at kushinagar and to
78.32 -> modern buddhist these are still
80.08 -> considered major pilgrimage sites
83.2 -> so he is born
85.04 -> according to tradition
86.4 -> at lambini his mother is in transit and
89.119 -> born along the way at lumbini his mother
92 -> dies shortly afterwards he's raised by
94.88 -> his aunt but his father in some accounts
97.28 -> is a king a chieftain and he's able to
100.88 -> give the young siddhartha gotham a very
104.079 -> good a very sheltered life
106.96 -> and this life continues into his 20s
109.36 -> he's able to get married have a child
113.439 -> but at the age of 29
116 -> he's able to leave the compound he's
118.719 -> able to see the world as it really is
121.119 -> outside of this world that his father
123.28 -> has created for him and he sees old age
125.92 -> he sees sickness he sees poverty and
128.08 -> this creates a lot of consternation in
131.12 -> siddhartha he wonders why this is so why
134.48 -> is there this suffering in the world
136.879 -> and so he decides once again at age 29
140.4 -> to seek the truth to try to understand
142.8 -> the universe as it is and remember this
144.959 -> is in india where it was common practice
147.12 -> for religious ascetics to go off into
149.44 -> the woods and to meditate about the true
151.76 -> nature of reality try to obtain moksha
155.04 -> so he goes and follows that same
157.44 -> practice and for six years he is through
160.4 -> going through the woods he's wandering
162.08 -> he's left all of his possessions behind
164 -> he has left his family behind he
165.92 -> famously starts off trying to go in the
168.56 -> mold of these hindu ascetics letting go
171.2 -> of everything including trying to
173.519 -> deprive the body of food and water and
175.84 -> he almost kills himself
177.84 -> but then eventually at age 35
181.2 -> he makes his way to the town of gaia now
184.4 -> known as bodhgaya and over there he
187.36 -> meditates under a sacred fig tree later
190.48 -> known as the bodhi tree and he meditates
192.72 -> there for seven days
194.64 -> and on the seventh day
196.4 -> it strikes him he has a revelation he
199.68 -> awakens so to speak and according to
202.159 -> buddhist tradition from that moment he
204.319 -> becomes the buddha or
207.12 -> the awakened one
210 -> and for the next 49 days he makes no
212.56 -> contact with anyone but he eventually
214.799 -> makes his way to
216.72 -> sarnath
217.84 -> and at a deer park there he
220.239 -> re-encounters five of his previous
223.44 -> followers and they had given up on him
225.36 -> but now they see that there's a change
227.28 -> in siddhartha now the buddha and he
229.76 -> begins to explain to them what he has
232.4 -> seen what he has discovered
237.68 -> this is a quotation from the dhamma
239.68 -> chaka pavatana suta what it was called
242.159 -> in the pali language which was the
243.68 -> language of buddha's time
245.84 -> and it can be translated as setting the
248.4 -> wheel of dhamma which is another word
250.319 -> for dharma the sanskrit word dharma in
253.2 -> motion and dharma in hinduism means this
257.199 -> cosmological law what you should follow
260 -> in your life
261.359 -> dhamma in buddhism or dharma in buddhism
264.4 -> can mean that but it can also mean the
266.8 -> teachings of buddha and the dama chaka
268.96 -> pavatana suta the sayings of buddha at
271.44 -> sarnath are considered to be his first
273.36 -> teachings to his followers there are
275.68 -> these two extremes that are not to be
277.68 -> indulged in by one who has gone forth
280.32 -> which two
281.6 -> that which is devoted to sensual
283.44 -> pleasure with reference to central
285.12 -> objects base vulgar common ignoble
287.84 -> unprofitable and that which is devoted
290.16 -> to self-affliction painful ignoble
293.04 -> unprofitable avoiding both of these
295.36 -> extremes the middle way
297.759 -> leads to calm to direct knowledge to
300.4 -> self-awakening to unbinding so this is
303.919 -> considered to be buddha's first
305.919 -> reference to the notion of
308.8 -> the middle way and what's interesting
311.199 -> here he's saying things that are
313.039 -> consistent with many of the hindu
315.12 -> ascetics of the time that you shouldn't
317.039 -> devote yourself to sensual pleasure with
319.039 -> reference to sensual objects base vulgar
321.28 -> common ignoble
322.8 -> but he's also saying that you shouldn't
324.56 -> go the other extreme either you
326.56 -> shouldn't devote yourself to
327.84 -> self-affliction painfully noble
329.919 -> unprofitable but that too is not going
332.08 -> to lead to the truth he says avoid both
334.479 -> of these extremes the middle way
337.759 -> now in the dhamma khaka pavatana suta he
341.6 -> goes on to describe what are known as
344.24 -> four noble truths
348.88 -> now this monks is the noble truth of
351.52 -> suffering or dhukkah
353.52 -> birth is suffering aging is suffering
355.759 -> death is suffering sorrow lamentation
358 -> pain distress and despair are suffering
360.56 -> association with the unbeloved is
362.319 -> suffering separation from the loved is
364.639 -> suffering not getting what is wanted is
367.759 -> suffering so the first noble truth he's
370.56 -> describing this notion of dukkha this
372.88 -> notion of suffering and later on he goes
376 -> to expound on it saying it's not just
378 -> traditional notions of sorrow
379.44 -> lamentation pain distress
381.919 -> but it's also trying to desire or pursue
385.039 -> anything that is temporary in nature
386.88 -> will eventually lead to dukkha or
389.44 -> suffering
390.88 -> and this monks is the noble truth of the
393.68 -> origination of suffering the craving
396.24 -> that makes for further becoming
398.16 -> accompanied by passion and delight
400.4 -> relishing now here and now there craving
403.84 -> for sensual pleasure craving for
405.919 -> becoming craving for non-becoming so
408.479 -> that cause of the suffering is this
410.88 -> craving craving for these impermanent
414 -> things
415.36 -> and this monks is the noble truth of the
418 -> cessation of suffering the remainderless
420.56 -> fading and cessation renunciation
422.319 -> relinquishment release and letting go of
424.8 -> that very craving
426.88 -> so here he's saying look
429.199 -> you don't have to suffer there's a way
431.52 -> to
432.479 -> escape from it and it's essentially to
435.12 -> stop that craving that's the third noble
437.84 -> truth
439.039 -> and this monks is the noble truth of the
441.759 -> way of practice leading to the cessation
444.639 -> of suffering so how do you actually
447.36 -> practice life in a way that you can
449.599 -> seize this suffering
451.36 -> precisely this noble eight-fold path
454.319 -> which is another concept which is quoted
456.72 -> a lot in buddhism this notion of these
458.96 -> eight things that you need to do in
461.199 -> order to escape from this suffering from
464.4 -> this dukkha from this craving
466.96 -> right view
468.319 -> right resolve right speech right action
471.52 -> right livelihood right effort right
474.479 -> mindfulness and right concentration
478.16 -> this comes from the hama pada
480.72 -> which you can interpret as the path to
484 -> dhamma and buddha says all that we are
487.599 -> is the result of what we have thought it
490.24 -> is founded on our thoughts it is made up
493.28 -> of our thought which is a core idea in
496.319 -> buddhism that this notion of
498.639 -> separateness this is just due to our
501.12 -> thoughts it's all happening in our mind
503.12 -> there the physical reality that you
505.12 -> think is somehow more permanent than the
508.4 -> transient thoughts it's all happening in
510.879 -> your thought it's all happening in your
512.479 -> mind and the separateness is really an
515.68 -> illusion and once again very similar
518.32 -> idea to what we see in the upanishads
520.8 -> now one final idea buddha taught
524.24 -> throughout his life and eventually dies
527.12 -> at kushner which is one of those four
528.959 -> pilgrimage sites that we saw on that map
531.279 -> but what really accelerated the spread
533.279 -> of buddhism especially beyond india was
536.16 -> the reign of the emperor ashoka during
539.519 -> the morya empire and we talk about
541.92 -> ashoka we have a whole video on him but
544.399 -> he eventually converts to buddhism and
546.88 -> he sponsors it he builds temples and he
549.92 -> sponsors missionaries to spread buddhism
552.32 -> from europe all the way to china and so
555.76 -> buddha was obviously the central figure
558.16 -> but ashoka was the accelerant that
560.32 -> spread buddhism to the world
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-_cJU-pFwQ