Buddhism Flashcards
Ascetic
Someone who lives a life of simplicity and self-denial
Bodh Gaya
The holiest site in Buddhism, where Siddhartha meditated under a Bodhi tree and became the Buddha
Buddha
The enlightened one
Dharma
The Buddha’s teachings
Dukkha
The suffering or dissatisfaction of all living beings
Eightfold Path
Eight instructions taught by the Buddha to help people overcome suffering and reach enlightenment
Enlightenment
The state of being awakened to the truth about life
Five precepts
Five rules that all Buddhists are expected to follow
Four Noble Truths
The basis of the Buddha’s teachings; all creatures suffer; suffering is caused by selfish desires; suffering can be ended; the way to end suffering is to follow the eightfold path
Jhana
A state of absorption – a stage on the path to nirvana through meditation.
Karma
The forces that influence peoples fortune and future rebirth
Meditation
The practice of focussing the mind
Middle way
The lifestyle between luxury and having nothing at all.
Nirvana
A state of bliss experiences by those who have found enlightenment
Parinirvana
A state of complete bliss, entered into by souls that are not reborn
Pilgrimage
A journey taken to a place of religious importance
Samsara
The continual process of life, death and rebirth
Vassa
The period of the rainy season, when monks stay in their monasteries
Wesak
A festival to commemorate the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and death.
