Model Essay: Examine the influence of the belief in rebirth on Buddhist individuals and communities

 

Model Answer: Examine the influence of belief in rebirth on Buddhist individuals and communities (10 marks - AQA)

In his first sermon after gaining enlightenment Gautama, the Buddha, taught his followers the way to escape from suffering. This was through perfecting Magga, the Noble Eightfold Path, which will eventually lead a follower to arhatship (enlightenment with the help of the Buddha’s teachings) and achieving nirvana – a realisation of the true nature of things. Whilst the Buddha was alive, he taught all Buddhists to strive for Nirvana, so it is the final goal in Theravada Buddhism, even if this takes many lifetimes for a follower to achieve. The Buddha taught people to eventually escape Samsara through an understanding of the consequences of their actions, and trying to minimise negative consequences and maximise morality in their everyday lives. This is because one day they hope not to be reborn again, to escape the constant dukkha that existence causes through attachment to impermanent aspects of life.  

The Buddha taught all Buddhists that life if governed by karma, which literally means ‘action’, but refers to the universal law of cause and effect. This means that all Buddhists, whether Mahayana or Theravada, strive to perform actions that have good karmic consequences, and work hard to avoid immoral actions with bad karmic consequences. Theravada follow 5 moral precepts that govern their daily life, for example they vow to abstain from killing animals, which means that they will work hard to respect human and animal life and not cause physical harm. Even though some Buddhists eat meat, none would choose to be butchers or hunters as their profession, as their livelihoods must be morally correct to reflect their commitment to Buddhism. Mahayana Buddhists also work to create good karma over many lifetimes, this is because their final goal is to become a Buddha for the benefit of all beings. This is known as the ‘Bodhisattva goal’. Mahayana Buddhists also follow 6 perfections of ‘paramitas’ which help them to become compassionate for all beings, therefore a Mahayana Buddhist’s life is governed by being compassionate to others. Creating bad karma could lead in a negative rebirth in a hell or animal realm, which would in turn incur more negative karma, which it may take a being many lifetimes to overcome. Therefore even lay Buddhists would aim to perform karmically good actions so that they could be reborn in a heavenly realm or again as a human where they could continue to practise Buddhism. Gautama taught that the best possible rebirth is a human rebirth because only as a human can humans escape Samsara.

Buddhist communities often work together to help Buddhists in their eventual goal of becoming arhats or bodhisattvas. For example, joining the Buddhist sangha shows that an individual is committed to this eventual goal, and may even want to achieve it within their current lifetime. Monks will live austere lives that focus on study, meditation and mindfulness to minimise the bad karma that they create. The Buddha demonstrated that mediation is a way for Buddhists to gain Bodhi, so often communities will meditate together to help Buddhists progress through the 4 jhanas (stages of meditation). For example, the Wat Phra Dhammakaya movement is a modern Thai movement that encourages corporate meditation.

For Buddhists, good karma creates punya, which means ‘merit’. Merit is somewhat like a currency that helps people to improve their rebirth in Samsara. It is common in some South Asian Buddhist countries for people to transfer their merit to others, for example young children may join the sangha as novice monks as a way of transferring punya to a recently deceased relative. This is to help them in their future life. Buddhists also perform puja, which is worship of the image of the Buddha or Bodhisattva’s such as Avalokiteshvara. Mahayana Buddhists in particular will worship images of Avalokiteshvara and ask for his help in difficult situations, because they believe that he has unlimited punya to transfer to others to help them in following the Buddhist path. This shows that Buddhists actions are always mindful of the teachings on rebirth – striving for a better rebirth to help them as they follow Buddhist morals.

Model Essay: Examine key features of the Buddhist sangha in Thailand and how these have changed in the 21st Century.

 

“Examine key features of the Buddhist Sangha in Thailand and how these have changed in the 21^st Century.” (10 marks - AQA)

Traditionally, the sangha in countries where there are many Buddhists is responsible for social order for local communities. This traces back to the original sangha as set up by Siddhartha Gautama. After gaining enlightenment, Gautama ordained the first monks, and this the lineage of Buddhist monks traces back to the Buddha himself. The Buddha created the sangha to be responsible for ‘spreading the dharma’ (Cush). Within Thailand, monks and nuns who join the sangha are therefore responsible for preserving and transmitting the message of Buddhism.

Within the traditional Thai sangha, much as the Buddha intended, life revolved around the Theravada goal – gaining nirvana. This may be pursued through Samatha and Vipassana meditation, and through the study of Buddhist texts such as the Milindapanda of the Pali Canon. The sangha relied on the laity for survival – as monks and nuns may not handle money and property becomes communal after renunciation, the monks and nuns daily beg for alms in the local community. In return, they offer the laity opportunities to learn the dharma and will offer services such as birth and death rites.

The rural sangha in Thailand plays a similar role in the C21st to the traditional sangha envisions by the Buddha. For example, monks will educate local children – providing a service similar to primary school. However, in the cities, the sangha has changed somewhat as general Thai culture and attitudes have developed. It has been suggested that the West has influenced Thai society, making it increasingly capitalistic. Despite having a Buddhist monarchy, Thailand is not a formally Buddhist country. Therefore society is becoming increasingly influenced by capitalism – concerned with wealth and status. This has an effect on the Thai sangha, as people are less invested in Buddhist ideals, which reject reliance on worldly possessions. This decreasing focus on religion and increasing focus on personal gain can lead to monks in C21st Thailand straying from the path of Buddhism – there are suggestions that some monks in urban areas join the sangha in order to be highly respected in society. This may change the integrity of the sangha itself. A lack of religious focus also may lead to less support for the sangha, with less Thailanders attending the temple or supporting the laity with alms, particularly in urban areas.

Politically, there are difference in Thailand today – the country has been a democracy for the past 20 years. The generally positive view of the sangha, particularly in rural areas, has led to political campaigners using the sangha to gain more votes, by associating themselves with local communities and publicly showing themselves to observe Buddhist traditions. This illustrates that the Thai sangha still plays an essential role in Thailand, as it is viewed as an important political vehicle. Democracy has also affected the sangha’s structure – it is now a top-down hierarchy with elected officials in charge of the chief council.

Model Essay: Explain the nature of the Pali Canon and its authority for Buddhists

 

Examine the nature of the Pali Canon and its authority for Buddhists. [10 marks - AQA]

The Pali Canon is a central sacred texts for Theravada Buddhists, which is said to trace back to the Buddha himself. The Pali Canon was originally recorded through recitation, and the sangha (community of monks and nuna) passed it down to each generation of Buddhists orally, as paper could not survive in the climate of ancient India. The Pali Canon is recited regularly, for example the rules for monks and nuns are recited fortnightly at the Uposatha Ceremony by monastics in the sangha. Monks and nuns may dedicate their whole lives to the Pali Canon, for example by copying it out as an act of meditation. The Pali Canon is divided into 3 sections, and is known as the Tipitaka (3 baskets). This is because, when written, the scrolls of the Pali Canon were divided into three sections: the discipline section, the stories section, and the philosophy section.

The Vinaya (Discipline section) of the Pali Canon contains rules of conduct for members of the sangha – there are traditionally 227 rules for monks, and 311 rules for nuns. The Vinaya is very important as it teaches monks and nuns how they must live in order to follow the Eightfold Path. It also has rules for taking refuge in the sangha, and explains what property a monk or nun may own (a simple robe, and an alms bowl only). The Sutta Pitaka contains stories of the Buddha’s life that people can learn from, for example the stories of his renunciation and asceticism before he gained nirvana. The Abhidharma (philosophy) is the most complex section, and is likely to be only studied by monks and nuns seeking prajna (wisdom) – it discusses complex Buddhist doctrines such as anicca (impermanence), and the nature of karma and rebirth. Lay people may not read the Pali Canon themselves, but instead will go to the temple to be taught by monks and nuns about the contents.

The Pali Canon is an authority for Buddhists because it traces back to the Buddha himself, who is a role model and teacher. It also contains crucial information about how to behave morally and what doctrines one must understand to gain enlightenment (true understanding of the nature of things). However, not all Buddhists would regard it as an authority – Mahayana Buddhists accept the authority of other texts over that of the Pali Canon, such as the Lotus Sutra. This is because they believe in the bodhisattva goal as the final goal of life (becoming a future Buddha to save others) so they do not uphold the Pali Canon as a text with the most authority. There are also some debates about the accuracy of the Pali Canon that make it less of an authority – because it is very old and was transmitted orally, there may be some errors in the text that cannot be known today. Nevertheless, it is still the central authority for Theravada Buddhists who uphold the dharma (truth) of Siddhartha Gautama.