Buddhism ☸ Flashcards
What are the FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS?
- All life is suffering
- Suffering is caused by greed and desire
- Suffering can be stopped by overcoming
selfishness - The way to overcoming this is called the
eightfold path
What are the 8 components of EIGHTFOLD PATH?
- Right viewpoint
- Right thought
- Right speech
- Right action
- Right living
- Right effort
- Right mindfulness
- Right concentration
What is the definition of NIRVANA?
A state of peace that can be experienced in life or entered into at death
What is Nirvana? Explain it:
Buddhists say that it is impossible to describe Nirvana and it can only be said for what its not. To help Buddhists understand this there is a story about a fish and a turtle who were friends. The fish asked the turtle to describe what life was like on land. The turtle tried but the fish could not imagine life like this. Buddhists say describing Nirvana is like this. It’s a place that means ‘going out’, like a fire that has been put out so too the Buddhist’s desire has been extinguished. It is not life or death, it is freedom from greed and anger, ‘you’ no longer exist and it is the only way to be free.
Explain the Buddha’s search for enlightenment:
-He travelled around India for 6 years
-He spent time with holy men/ monks
-These holy men lived a simple but difficult life
where they ate and drank very little
-He found that the monks way of living did not
help him find the answers to the meaning of
life
-He travelled on until he came to the Bodhi tree
-Here, he meditated and at last gained
Enlightenment
After Siddattha Gotama gained Enlightenment what was he known as?
THE Buddha!
Who was Siddattha Gotama and where was he born?
Siddattha Gotama was an Indian prince. He was born at Lumbini, today called Nepal
What happened when Siddattha was born?
His father asked 8 wise men what he would become. They all said that he would grow up to be a great man, but if he ever saw suffering then he would become a great religious leader rather than a great ruler!
What age was Siddattha when he married?
16
How did Siddattha’s search for Enlightenment begin?
It began when one day he became bored of his life in the palace, so he went riding outside the palace grounds. He saw route things that disturbed him very much: he saw an old man; he had never seen old age before. He saw a sick man; he had never seen illness before. He saw a funeral with relatives weeping; he had never seen this before either. He also saw a holy man that seemed to be contented and happy and this man explained to him that he had given up his home to search for answers!
What does ‘Bodhi’ tree mean?
It means the tree of wisdom
