002 Ultimate Reality - Buddhism Flashcards
What is the ultimate goal for a Theravada Buddhists?
To become an arhat
What is the status of the Buddha for TBs?
an exemplary human being who served as a guide and a teacher
What is the status of the Buddha for Mahayana Buddhists?
The Buddha is a supreme being who is eternal as he has escaped samsara
What is the ultimate goal for MBs?
To become a bodhisattva
What are bodhisattvas seen as for MBs?
emanations of the buddha
How can a Bodhisattva become a Buddha?
By guiding other human beings and helping them to overcome dukkha
Define karuna
Compassion
Define Prajna
Wisdom
How are bodhisattvas motivated by karuna?
they aim to delay achieveing enlightenment for themselves in order to guide others
How are bodhisattvas motivated by prajna?
They have total wisdom and give their merit to others to help them escape dukkha
What is the doctrine of the Trikaya?
The three bodies of the Buddha
What are the three bodies of the Buddha? BUDDHIST TERMS
- Dharmakaya
- Sambhogakaya
- Nirmanakaya
What are the three bodies of the Buddha? ENGLISH TERMS
- The buddha as the ultimate truth
- Heavenly body
- Earthly body
How does belief in the Trikaya doctrine affect Mahayana views of the Buddha?
It makes the Buddha accessible even after death
What is the first step of being a bodhisattva?
Live life of a buddhist and take guidance from other bodhisattvas
What is the second step of being a bodhisattva?
The buddhists will feel the arising of the bodhicitta
Define bodhicitta
the thought of enlightenment - realising the purpose of one’s whole life is to save others
What is the third step of being a bodhisattva?
Making a Bodhisattva vow made in the presence of the living Buddha’s heavenly body
What is the fourth step of being a bodhisattva?
Practicing the way of the Mahayana to develop karuna and prajna to transfer punya to others
Why do Mahayana Buddhists believe that they are more compassionate?
because their primary motivation is karuna for all beings and to delay their own liberation to guide others
How do Mahayana Buddhists justify the view that their goal of Buddhism comes from the Buddha himself?
Buddha, in his semi-divine state, provided the teachings in the lotus sutra after his earthly death when his followers were ready to receive them.
Why can Mahayana Buddhists argue they have a more personal relationship with the Buddha than Theravada?
Because of the concept of the trikaya
Why was the Buddha not a liar when he preached the arhat path?
the buddha used upaya kusala
How was the life of the Buddha upaya kusala?
he deliberately lived and aged like an ordinary human to make his teachings accessible. He pretended to die and enter pari-nirvana, knowing that he would later reveal the more advanced teachings when his followers were ready.
Define anicca
Impermanence
Give examples of things that are impermanent
- human body
- human mind
- ## nature
What do Buddhists believe about impermanence?
That everything is impermenent as every single thing depends on other things for their existence
Finish the Buddha’s quote: “All conditioned things are ….
impermanent
What do Buddhists believe about the universe?
it is in a constant satte of flux meaning nothing can ever be the same
If everything is constantly changing, what cannot exist?
atman/soul
What does understanding anicca lead us to?
liberation from the cycle of suffering
What can individuals cultivate by understanding anicca?
detachment/letting go of craving
What does anicca show?
That everything is interconnected and influenced by a web of causes
What happens in the parable of kisa gotami and the mustard seed?
Kisa Gotami lost her son and sought the Buddha’s help to bring him back. He told her to find a mustard seed from a house untouched by death. After discovering every house had experienced loss, she realized death is inevitable, buried her son, and became the Buddha’s follower.
What does the parable of the mustard seed highlight?
Impermanence
How did MBs develop the concept of anicca?
through the doctrine of shunyata
What is shunyata?
Emptiness
What does shunyata emphasise?
interdependence of all phenomena
What are the implications of shunyata?
Highlights how everything is impermanent because everything is empty
How is anicca and shunyata different?
Shunyata takes understanding of anicca further by deconstructing the notion of inherent existence
Finish this quote by Rahula: “Nothing is permanent,
everlsating, and unchanging in the whole of existence
Finish this quote by the Buddha: “So you should view this fleeting world …
“as a flickering lamp, a phantom, a dream”
Define nirvana
‘blowing out of the 3 fires’
How can nirvana be achieved?
By following the 8FP
What is pari-nirvana?
nirvana after death
What is nirvana in this life?
state of liberation
What is nirvana after death?
final release from cycle of rebirth
What does pari-nirvana represent?
ultimate peace and freedom from suffering
What is nirvana for MBs?
Delaying nirvana in order to help others towards enlightenment
How is nirvana usually described?
As indescribable and beyond understanding
What are the questions of King milinda?
Records of questions by king Milinda to Nagasena, an arhat
Where are the questions of king milinda found?
Pali canon
What dilemma of king milinda is about nirvana?
80th
How does Nagasena respond to questions about what Nirvana is like?
Like an ocean - quantity and content is impossible to comprehend
What does Nagasena compare nirvana to?
The lotus flower that is untarnished by the water that surrounds it
One strength of Milindipanha’s definition of nirvana?
similies Nagasena uses helps to describe what nirvana is like
One weakness of Milindipanha’s definition of nirvana?
Analogies are imperfect and can lead to misconceptions if taken literally
