HUMA 3481 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Mahayana, Jataka Tales, Middle Way
Document Summary
Refers to the 5 aggregate: body (rupa, feelings (bendana, perceptions (samjna, mental dispositions (samskaras, consciousness (vijnana, creates the next life. Every 7 years our 5 aggregates change, we are not the same as we were 7 years ago. Bhakti devotion to a god so that the god will help you. Mahayana want help from the bodhisattva to get out of the samsara. Bodhisattva: person who has attained enlightenment, has lots of compassion, loves everyone so they postpone parinirvana and wait to bring others along: pari-nirvana: complete nirvana. Significance of the devotion: bhakti: pray to a god for different materialistic things (wealth, health etc, mahayana: pray to emulate and become like the bodhisattva. The first world religion to send out missionaries. The religion that accepts that we will never agree (there will always be differences) Buddhism gives up the concepts of the caste system and atman.
