Jessica Joseph's Rubin Museum Project

Jessica Joseph

HUP 105

Paper 2 – Rubin Museum of Art Project

After completing the first part of this assignment, it was a tough decision choosing one work of art because they are all amazing works of art. From the batch of pictures of Buddha Shakyamuni, the enlightened one, Protector Begtse Chen, Wheel of Life, Female Deities (Tara), and Buddha Ratnasambhava with Wealth Deities, Buddha Shakyamuni, the enlightened one was chosen. This work of art was selected because I was attracted by the name “Buddha Shakyamuni, the enlightened one.” Even though we studied the life of Siddhartha in class, conducting this research paper on Buddha, would give me a better understanding of his life and Buddhism. It is also a way of learning about another religion that I am not accustomed to. After completing this research paper, I hope to gain a better understanding of the Buddha doctrine and the foundation of this religion.  

This picture of Buddha Shakyamuni, the enlightened one was taken at the Rubin Museum of Art, on the second floor.  This portrait represents the founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama. According to Rubin Museum of Art, he lived between the sixth and fourth centuries BCE in the north section of India. Mr. Gautama is the first representation of Buddhism and through him this religion began. Gautama Buddha has been displayed sitting down and touching the ground. As reported by Shakyastatues.com, the act of Gautama touching the ground has been described as a representation of his enlightenment, as he was the first person to achieve enlightenment in this religion. He achieved enlightenment by recognizing the true meaning of life and purified himself from all worldly pleasures. In other words, He freed himself from samara. Samara is described as the endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.

Buddha Shakyamuni, the enlightened one illuminate the Buddha doctrine. The Buddha doctrine focuses on spiritual enlightenment. Buddha Shakyamuni also refers to Siddhartha and in this religion, only Buddhas are referred to as enlightened. As mentioned before this religion was founded and based on the teaching of Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama. He paved the path for all the other Buddhas by achieving full enlightenment and his teaching. The term “Buddha” means awake or enlightened. To be a Buddha, a person must attain full enlightenment.  Being a Buddha is not restricted to a specific group, and anyone in the Buddhist faith can become a Buddha. In order to become a Buddha and achieve enlightenment like Siddhartha, one must renounce all the pleasures of the world and become a spiritual seeker.

The Buddha doctrine can be compared to the Brahman doctrine as both doctrines place significant roles in their religions. Mary Fisher stated, “Brahman is the essence of everything, and it has no beginning and no end” (Fisher 44). In Hinduism, everything is connected to Brahman. While in Buddhism, the essence of everything is not from Buddha. Buddha and Brahman are both placed as the highest caste, even though Buddhism rejects the concept of caste system the way Hinduism sees it. In Hinduism, people are placed in a caste from birth, according to their family’s wealth. No matter what the future may bring, if someone was born in the high or low caste system, he/she would die in it. While in Buddhism, people are placed into a caste based on their good or bad deeds. To be a Buddha, one must be enlightened and set a good example by practicing good. The first Buddha was a king who left his kingdom, his family, and all his wealth behind. He went around teaching and sharing his love with the people that were suffering. According to Sue Hamilton, he spent forty five years spreading the word across India (Hamilton 72). He did not share his love and teaching according to the level of the caste, he shared equally with everyone. In this religion, they believe that the good should be rewarded and the bad people should suffer the consequences of their actions.  

Buddhism is a religion that is slightly different from the other religions. Andrew Eshleman define religion as “By means of an interwoven set of symbols, narratives, doctrines, rituals, ethical prescriptions, and social institutions, a religion aims to provide an appropriate way of being cognitively, emotionally, and behaviorally (both individual and collectively) to that which is conceived as the ultimate sacred reality” (Eshleman 4).  Buddhism has been described as a non-theistic religion. In other words, it is not a religion that involves believing or referencing to a god or gods. It is still categorized as a religion. Buddhism contains several doctrines, rituals, and ethical prescriptions. In this religion, suffering is recognized and finding a way to end suffering is by enlightenment. 

 The Buddhist parliament of the world’s religion in Chicago explained that Buddhism is not a religion that makes reference to gods, but it is a religion of wisdom (Hamilton 73). The PBS Buddha documentary went further to explain that Buddhism is a religion that does not focus on worshiping God. It focuses on seeking peace through meditation, happiness, providing compassionate services to your brothers and sisters, and gaining liberation.            

In the PBS Buddha documentary, Siddhartha Gautama was described as the founder of Buddhism, not as their God. He was a human being just as myself with flesh and bones. Even though he was born in a wealthy and highest caste family, it bothered him to see so much evil and sufferance going on.  Out of humility and compassion, he felt as an important figure in his society, it was his duty to seek for an answer and provide help. He never considered himself as God, he considered himself as a leader and a spiritual seeker. He did not have a solution to every problem that arose, but he gave the people some wise advice. Even the other Buddhas that follow him are not considered as gods; They are simply following Siddhartha’s teachings.

There are polytheistic, monotheistic, and non-theistic religions. Every religion has its own unique concepts and beauty. The more we start learning about them, the more interesting they become. Throughout this research, I gained a better understanding of the foundation of the Buddhism religion. Even though I took a religion education course in high school, for some reason, I grew up thinking that Buddha was not only the founder of Buddhism, he was also their primary God. I learned not every religion is based on references to a God or gods; Some are based on attaining enlightenment.  By watching the PBS Buddha documentary, I was able to get a visual view of the life of Siddhartha and the beginning of this religion. It gives me a clear picture of why Buddhism is a non-theistic religion. 

I was able to learn how philosophy and religion relate. Each religion has their unique concepts of worship and doctrines. Buddhism is one of the most interesting religions we studied. I called it the “unique religion.” It is based on enlightenment excluding the concept of the main God (supreme God), unlike the other religions. I believe this peace is present in this religion. Even though every religious people might consider their religion to be the best religion, this class change my perspective of how I view other religions. Instead of thinking that every other religion is not worshipping the true God, I built this idea that each Supreme Being is valuable in their religions just as my religion supreme God and should not be underestimated.  

Citation

Course reader

Buddhism Hamilton, Sue. Indian philosophy: a Very Short Introduction. Oxford University    

                press, 2001.  

"Buddha Shakyamuni". Lodrodawa.dk. N.p., 2017. Web. 12 Apr. 2017.

Eshleman, Andrew. Readings in philosophy of religion East meets West. Malden, MA:  

Blackwell Pub., 2008. Print.    

Hinduism Fisher, Mary Pat. Living Religions: A Brief Introduction. 2nd ed., Pearson, 2008                                                    

 "The Buddha - PBS Documentary Part 1". YouTube. N.p., 2017. Web. 12 Apr. 2017.

The Buddha - PBS Documentary Part 2". YouTube. N.p., 2017. Web. 12 Apr. 2017.

Shakyamuni Buddha: Shakyamuni Buddha The Enlightened One, Buddha Of                                                     Enlightenment." Shakyastatues.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 12 Apr. 2017.