Accounts of the birth of the historical Buddha and the Four Sights Flashcards
How quickly has Buddhism developed?
Buddhism is the fastest growing religion in the world.
Which 2 subgroups is it divided into?
Theravada and Mahayana.
What does Theravada follow?
Theravada tends to follow the very earliest recorded teachings of the Buddha.
Where is Theravada usually found?
Sri Lanka, Thailand and Myanmar.
What does Mahayana follow?
Mahayana follows the later teachings.
Where is Mahayana usually found?
China, Tibet, Vietnam, Korea and Japan.
What is the Pali Canon?
Scriptures written in Pali.
What is Pali Canon usually known as?
Tripatka or ‘three baskets’, covering the rules for the monastic order, the teachings of the Buddha and Buddhist philosophical and psychological analysis.
Who was the Buddha born as?
Siddhartha Gotama.
Where was the Buddha born?
Small republic of Sakya on the present-day border between India and Nepal.
Was Siddhartha the first Buddha?
According to Buddhist mythology he wasn’t.
What do stories suggest about Siddhartha’s past life?
- Met a previous Buddha, Dipankara;
- Was so impressed by his teachings that he resolved to become Buddha himself;
- He met many other past Buddhas and took on many forms;
- In his penultimate life he lived in the god realm Tusita Heaven;
- Waited for people to forget the path of enlightenment before taking his final rebirth as Siddhartha, being able to teach Buddhism again.
What is Tusita heaven?
The realm of the delighted Gods.
Who was Siddhartha’s mother?
Mahamaya.
What did Mahamaya have a dream about?
A white elephant which was interpreted as showing Siddhartha would have a great destiny.
Why did she interpret it like this?
If Siddhartha saw suffering he would become a holy man but if he didn’t see suffering he would become a great leader.
AO3: In what way can Gautama’s account be seen to be of importance to Buddhists today?
The art and iconography that exists.
AO3: What standpoint does Walpola Rahula take?
Rahula - a respected Buddhist scholar - removed all mythical elements in his book ‘What the Buddha taught’.
AO3: How many pages does Walpola Rahula give to the account of the Buddha?
Only one page.
AO3: How does Donald Lopez further support the idea that historically, the account is unimportant?
In his book, ‘From Stone to Flesh’, he notes there has never been a historical quest and there is little known about Gautama historically.
AO3: What does the Patimokkha detail?
Focused collection of Suttas detailing the Middle Way and stories of the Buddha.
AO3: Why does the Patimokkha make the biography important?
As it promotes his teachings through the biography.
AO3: How does Therevada Buddhism see the accounts of the Buddha?
They focus on the Buddha as a man.
AO3: How does Mahayana Buddhism view the historical accounts of the Buddha?
More of a mythical approach with the Buddha becoming a supernatural being.
