Buddhism Flashcards
Who was the Buddha’s father, mother and what was special about his mothers pregnancy?
. Suddhodana
. Maya
. His mother had a dream that an elephant came down and entered her side
. her pregnancy lasted 10 months
What happened at Gautama’s birth?
. His mother gave birth to him under a tree in Lumbini
. He was born painlessly out of her side
. He took 7 steps in each direction and at each step a lotus flower sprang up
. He declared “ I am the king of the 4 directions. This is my last birth”
What are the three marks of existence or Lakshanas?
- Dukkha
- Anicca
- Anatta
What is Dhukka?
suffering or pain
What is Anicca and what are the two types of Anicca?
. Impermanence
1. Obvious Anicca
- Impermanence which is all around us like spring and summer and winter
- Hidden Anicca
- Anicca that cannot be seen like molecules changing their configurations
What is Anatta?
No independent self
- there is no “I” have thoughts there is only thoughts
no soul or essence
What is Pratitya-samutpada?
. Dependant Origination
“ everything exists only because of the existence of other phenomena in an incredibly complex web of cause and effect covering time past, time present and time future”
What is the analogy of the four noble truths?
- Disease - humans are ‘sick’ - they suffer from dukkha
- Diagnosis - the buddha identifies that the sickness is caused by craving
- Cure - the Buddha identifies that the sickness can be cured
- treatment - the buddha says the treatment is the eightfold path
What is the eightfold path?
- Right Viewpoint
- Right Thought
- Right Speech
- Right Action
- Right Living
- Right Effort
- Right Awareness
- Right Concentration
What are the Three Poisons?
- Ignorance - refusal to recognise the three Lakshanas
- Greed - our desire for possessions
- Hatred - Anger and jealousy
What is the Way of Wisdom?
. first two parts of the eightfold path some people regard them as the most important as they allow understanding of the reality of life and you can make good decisions following the Magga.
What is the way of Morality?
Morality is the second part of the eightfold path and is about the way that people should treat each other. This is incredibly important as the actions of a person determine rebirth.
What is the way of meditation?
Mental training and spiritual practices that the Buddhists can do to reach nirvana. They can replace bad thoughts with good thoughts.
What is Samsara?
Death and rebirth without end. Wheel of existence. Yama god of death holds the wheel. 6 realms : anti-god realm, Hungry ghost realm, hell real, human realm, animal realm.
3 animals at the centre of the wheel.
What animal are the three poisons?
- Ignorance - Pig
- Greed - Rooster
- Hatred - Snake
What metaphor is used to describe enlightenment?
Being locked in a prison cell and then the door is suddenly opened
What did the Buddha say about the three poisons?
“If Ignorance, Greed and Hatred, are given up, man aims neither at his own ruin nor the ruin of others, nor at the ruin of both, and he experiences no mental pain or grief. Thus is Nirvana visible in life, immediate, inviting, attractive and comprehensible to the wise”
What does Nirvana mean?
‘blowing out’ - the extinguishing of the cravings and three poisons in a state of enlightenment
What is Theravada?
‘way of the elders’ - direct beliefs from the dhamma unchanged, oldest form of Buddhism. Most important text is the Dhammapada meaning verses of the dhamma and key verses of the buddha. they are read and chanted.
The Arhat verses?
“There is no suffering for him who has finished his journey, and abandoned grief.
They depart with their thoughts well-collected.
In a hamlet or in a forest, in the deep water or on the dry land, wherever Arhats dwell, that place is delightful
Where the world finds no delight, there the passionless will find delight, for they look not for pleasures.
what is the goal in Theravada?
A person who has completed the eightfold path, destroyed craving and the three poisons, overcome Dukkha and achieved nirvana are called Arhats - ‘one who is worthy of respect
Why can Arhats be seen as selfish?
They are only concerned with themselves and only focus on their own nirvana they do not help others on their journey to nirvana.
What is Mahayana?
‘Great vehicle’ not all teachings of the dhamma were revealed at once and a lot of it was revealed later when people were ready to hear it. Most important scripture is the Lotus Sutra were the Buddha is described as a supernatural being. It describes how the Buddha was questioned by 80,000 Bodhisattvas.
What is a Bodhisattva?
Someone who delays his or her Nirvana to help others achieve Nirvana. They are seen as a source of Karuna for the world. All Buddhists can be Bodhisattvas.
What is the Bodhisattvas vow?
“The deluding passions are exhaustible: I vow to extinguish them all.
Sentient beings are numberless: I vow to save them all
The truth is impossible to explain: I vow to explain it
The way of the Buddha is unattainable: I vow to attain it”
Who was Avolokitesvara?
One of the most famous Bodhisattvas who has 1000 arms and faces so she can help all beings who need her.
Who was Manjushri?
A Bodhisattva who’s task is to destroy ignorance and delusion hence her sword. she awakens spiritual knowledge and wisdom.
What is Panha?
‘Question of Menander’ - King Milinda visits famous Arhat Nagasena with 500 people from his court and asks about his beliefs?
What explanation does Nagasena give to Milinda?
Milinda rode in a chariot, all the parts of the chariot combine to make a chariot there is no permanent chariot only a collection of parts that fall under the name chariot. In the same way Nagasena has no permanent self he is a collection of organic matter and 5 skhandas that falls under the name Nagasena.
What are the 5 Skhandas?
- Form - physical Body
- Sensations - Senses
- Perceptions - Awareness of information
- Mental Formations - Reactions
- Consciousness - Thoughts and feelings
Buddha quote about Skhandas?
“It is just like a mountain river, flowing far and swift, taking everything along with it, there is no moment, no instant, when it stops flowing - it goes on flowing and continuing
What does the Heart Sutra say about human personality?
Avalokitesvara describes it as ‘Sunyata’ meaning emptiness or hollowness. The Skhandas contain Sunyata and all senses are Sunyata meaning that the nature of one is the nature of all.
