Buddhism Flashcards
When was the Buddha born?
500BC in southern Nepal
What was the Buddhas name?
Siddhartha Gautama
What dream did Queen Maya have?
White elephant came down from heaven and entered her womb. The elephant told her that she would give birth to a holy child, and that when he was born he would achieve perfect wisdom (enlightenment)
Where did Queen Maya give birth to Siddhartha?
Lumbini gardens where she had stopped to rest on the way to her parents house
What could Siddhartha do immediately after his birth?
- could immediately talk and walk
- walked seven steps and lotus flowers appeared under his feet
- declared that he would not be reborn
What prophecy was made after Siddhartha birth?
That Siddhartha would either become a great king or a holy man
What did the king do to ensured that he didn’t see suffering?
- brought lotus pond to not show him decayment
- young girl around him to not show him age
What were the four sights that the Buddha saw and what do they represent?
- old man —> everyone will age
- sick man —> everyone will get sick at some point
- dead man —> everyone will die
- holy man —> spiritual answer to suffering was possible
What did the Buddha leave behind when he left the palace?
Newborn son and wife to pursue spiritual enlightenment
What did the four sight result in?
Renunciation ~ letting go
How long did Siddhartha live as an ascetic?
6 years to seek the solution to the problem of suffering
What did he practice while living as an ascetic?
- living in dangerous and hostile forests which were too hot in the day and freezing in the night
- sleeping on a bed of thorns
- eating so little that he looked like a skeleton
What did he learn from ascetism?
Discipline and willpower but didn’t find the answer to suffering
What did Mara send do tempt Siddhartha?
- sending his beautiful daughters to seduce Siddhartha
- sending his armies to throw arrows and other weapons at Siddhartha
- offering Siddhartha control of his kingdom
- questioning Siddhartha’s right to sit at the seat of enlightenment
What did Siddhartha do in result to Mara’s temptations?
- he wasn’t swayed by the charms of Mara’s daughters but continued meditating
- the arrows and other weapons turned to lotus flowers before reaching him
- he touched and called on the earth to witness his right to sit at the seat of enlightenment
What was the first watch of the night?
Siddhartha gained knowledge of all his previous lives
What was the second watch of the night?
- he understood the repetitive cycle of birth, death and rebirth
- he understood how beings are reborn according to their kamma or actions
- he understood the nothing has an unchanging essence
What was the third watch of the night?
- he understood that beings suffer because of desire and attachment
- he understood that suffering can be overcome through the path of enlightenment
What is the importance of Dhamma?
- one of the three refuges
- reduces suffering
- gives meaning to life
- creates satisfaction and happiness
- improves a Buddhists relationship with others and the world
- leads Buddhist become more aware, wiser and more compassionate
Give some examples of dependent arising
- tree depends on soil, rain and sunshine to live -> these conditions changes as the weather changes
- wave depends on how strong the wind is which is also changing
- kamma -> someone’s happiness and suffering depend on conditions
What is the Tibetan Wheel of Life?
An image that illustrates dependent arising as applied to the birth, death and rebirth of beings
- continues until the cycle is broken by following the Buddhist path -> when it’s broken, this allows the possibility of nibbana
What does the outer wheel show?
12 links or stage that show how human beings are subject to birth, death and rebirth
What are the links on the Wheel of life?
Realm of Humanity, Pretas, Gods, Asuras, Animals, Hell and the three poisons in the middle
What does the realm of humanity represent?
The state of being able to make choices and t understand right and wrong -> this is what makes humans unique
What does the realm of Pretas represent?
Pretas are hungry ghosts. They have knives sinking into their stomach and tiny mouths. They can never have enough of anything -> this represent human selfishness
What does the realm of gods represent?
This represents the effect of receiving good kamma from positive causes. -> This is just temporary state and it only lasts as long as someone’s good karma
What does the realm of Asura represent?
Mythical beings which represent anger, hate and envy towards other people
What does the realm of animals represent?
This represents basic human instinct (food, sex and material comfort) and when you are enlightened you can be happy with your natural self
What does the realm of hell represent?
Extreme suffering (this is physical and emotional) -> result of negative kamma
What does the three poisons in the wheel of life represent?
Pig represents stupidity
Snake represents hatred
Cockerel represents greed
- Buddhist see these as the starting point of all human problems
What are the seven states of suffering?
Birth, old age, sickness, death, separation from someone/something you love, contact with someone/something you dislike and not being able to achieve your desires
What are three different types of suffering?
Ordinary suffering, suffering because of change and suffering because of attachment
What does ordinary suffering mean?
Physical and metal pain e.g. breaking a leg
What does suffering because of change mean?
Caused by losing something good e.g. getting older
What does suffering because of attachment mean?
Dissatisfaction with life as a result of craving and attachment e.g. feeling unhappy for no reason
What does three things does annica affect in the world?
Living things e.g. a tree spouts from a seed, grows and eventually dies
Non-living things e.g. an iron nail will rust if left out in the rain
People minds e.g. a persons thoughts and feelings change throughout their lives
What are the five aggregates?
Form, sensation, perception, mental formations and consciousness
What form in the five aggregates mean?
Our bodies e.g. my knee
What does sensation in the five aggregates mean?
Our feelings e.g. my knee hurts
What does perception in the five aggregates mean?
Our ways of interpreting and understanding things e.g. my knee hurts because I bashed it against the door
What does mental formation in the five aggregates mean?
Our thoughts e.g. I want my knee to stop hurting, I don’t like it
What does consciousness in the five aggregates mean?
Our general awareness of things e.g awareness of my knee
What are the four noble truths
- there is suffering -> dukkha
- suffering has a cause -> samudaya
- suffering can come to an end -> nirodha
- there is a means to bring suffering to an end -> magga
What did the Buddha teach about suffering and how to respond to it?
- suffering is universal -> it affects everyone at some point in their lives ~ so everyone needs to overcome it
- there are also many different types of happiness and pleasures that everyone can experience -> these are real but they are impermanent
- happiness and pleasures are only temporary distractions-> they cannot ultimately solve the problem of suffering
- part of dealing effectively with suffering is recognising that it’s a part of life, instead of trying to run way from it
- it ps easier to accept suffering is a part of life by trying not to personalise it
What are the three main types of craving?
Sensory craving -> craving things that please the senses
Craving for being -> wanting to become something you are not
Craving for non-being -> wanting to stop experiencing something
How could you overcome tanha?
People should enjoy things but recognise they can’t last, and be ready to let go of them
- by overcoming ignorance you can realise that temporary pleasure cannot bring true happiness
What are the interpretations of nibbana and enlightenment?
- completely free of the three poisons
- knows the truth about the nature of existence
- knows exactly what causes suffering
- naturally behaves according to the five moral precepts
- understands and lives in harmony with the four noble truths
What three parts does the eightfold path contain?
Ethics, Mediation and Wisdom
What does ethics mean?
Emphasises the importance of having good morals, behaviour and living in an ethical way
What aspects of the eightfold path does ethics contain?
Right speech, right action and livelihood
What does meditation mean?
Emphasises the importance of meditating effectively in order to develop wisdom
What aspects of the eightfold path does meditation contain?
Right effort, right mindfulness and concentration
What does wisdom?
Emphasises the importance of overcoming ignorance in order to achieve enlightenment
What aspects of the eightfold path does wisdom contain?
Right understanding and intention
What does right speech mean?
Speaking truthfully, helpfully and kindly -> avoiding lying and gossiping about others
What does right action mean?
Practising the five moral precepts (especially not causing harm to others)