Buddhism Flashcards
What are the three types of Dukkha
- Dukka-dukkha (painful experience)
- Vaparinama-dukkha (changing nature of experience)=produces pain. suffering and unhappiness
- Sankhara-dukkha (the contingent nature of existence)=frustration at limitations of human existence-lack of knowledge (angst or anguish).
What are the five aggregates?
- To end suffering we have to turn our attention to the aggregates:
1. Material form
2. Feelings
3. Perceptions
4. Mental formations
5. Consciousness
What are the notions of tahna, nirodha and magga?
Thirst, cessation, the path
What is the medical metaphor for the 4 noble truths?
- Dukkha exists
- Dukkha has an identfiable cause
- That cause may be terminated
- The means by which that cause may be terminated.
What are the 3 lakshana’s?
Annica- Impermanence
Anatta- Non self
Dukkha- Unsatisfactoriness
Outline the first noble truth
Dukkha; All life is dukkha:
-Also lakshana: unsatisfactoriness
-Buddhist description of human condition
-Diagnosis of illness we all suffer
Recognition that all life is Dukka=first step to overcoming it.
-To overcome Dukkha you must find the cause, attack it and overcome it (like a disease).
Outline the second noble truth
- Samuyuda (arrising of dukkha)
- Cause of Dukkha=Tanha (thirst)-root cause of all suffering.
- Attachment or craving
- Causes us Dukka because our actions are dominated/motivated by Three Poisons.
What is Samsara?
- The ‘cycle of rebirth’
- The cycle of rebecoming from moment to moment.
- Kamma (our actions) keeps this cycle in motion
How can attachment cause suffering (dukkha)?
- Attachment to people: Unhelpful if defined by what you can get out of them. Giving relationships are positive. Taking relationships are negative: feed Dukkha.
- Attachment to particular beliefs: Middle Way is also about avoiding extreme views about nature of existence, nihilism or eternalism. Buddha classes these views as speculation- cannot prove them, do not help overcome Dukkha.
How do we get past tanha?
Make these basic assertions:
- There is no such thing as self
- ‘I’, ‘me’, ‘self’ is an illusion
- This is the teaching of ‘Annata’.
Outline the third noble truth
-Nirodha- cessation of dukkha
To do so one must:
-Liberate oneself from attachment
-Control craving or thirst for attachment
-Results in a state called nirvana-fires of craving cease to burn-no more suffering.
Outline the fourth noble truth
-Magga (the way)
-Path to liberation from Dukkha
-Practical steps to take to root out tanha
-Creates basis from which Nirvana may arise
The middle way: avoids two extremes:
1. search for happiness from pleasures of senses-life of luxury=attachment-causes suffering in long run.
2. search for happiness through self mortification- ‘painful, unworthy and unprofitable’. Life of hardship causes us to crave & want those things that keep us alive-life of suffering.
What are the threefold trainings?
- wisdom
- morality
- meditation
Outline the Eightfold Path
- Right Understanding WISDOM (panna)
- Right Thought
- Right Speech MORALITY (sila)
- Right Action
- Right Livelihood
- Right Effort MEDITATION (samadhi)
- Right Mindfulness
- Right Concentration
Outline the parts of the eightfold path associated with wisdom
Right understanding: Understanding Buddhist doctrines of impermanence and no-self=life is changing all the time-cannot find happiness in things that change-should avoid becoming attached.
Right thought: Actions AND thinking have Karmic results
- Purification of our minds of hatred and desire-no negative actions or suffering can follow.
- Lead to results according to Karma: negative thoughts lead to negative actions, should be avoided.
Outline the parts of the eightfold path associated with morailty
Right speech: Pure minds=pure speech
- Telling the truth, avoid gossiping.
- Be aware of consequences of things we say-everything is interconnected-all actions have consequences.
Right action: Follow the 5 moral precepts
- Closely linked to right thought
- Action can only be right if intended to be right
- Intention more important than action itself.
Right livelihood: No occupation that harms others
-Buddhists try to set up businesses that work on ethical principles.
Outline the parts of the eightfold path associated with meditation
Right effort: Desire to have commitments or goals (like world peace)- not desire for oneself.
Right mindfulness: Awareness of consequences of thought, speech and actions, think, act and speek skkillfully. Be aware of ones inner motivations and intentions-trying to get rid of greed, hatred and ignorance.
Right concentration: Proper use of meditation to gain insight into true nature of things: selfr as a collection of skhandas constantly in flux, arising and ceasing of desires etc.
How do Therevada Buddhists follow the eightfold path?
- Great deal of attention given to it.
- Key quality is wisdom-gained mainly by meditation and/or study (of the Pali canon).
How do Mahayana Buddhists follow the eightfold path?
- Try to keep the lay precepts
- Try to cultivate the six paramitas (perfections)
- Key quality is compassion (leads to Bodhisattvas being reborn again and again in order to help all beings.
What are the Six paramitas?
- Giving (dana)
- Morality (sila)
- Energy (virya)
- Patience (kshanti)
- Meditation (samadhi)
- Wisdom (prajna)
Outline the Bodhisattva path
- Being in ten stages that are gone through over many lifetimes.
- Aim is to attain enlightenment for sake of others.
- A vow to that effect is made at beginning of Bodhisattva path.
Outline the benefits of following the eightfold path
-Gives clear guidelines on what Buddha wanted people to do.
-Provides a path that, if followed shows the way to escaping samsara and reaching enlightenment.
-Helps you gain positive Kamma
-Helps you focus on positive actions rather than negative ones
-Morality steps improve how you behave
-Wisdom steps help you increase understanding/make mental progress.
Meditation steps help you control desires/undersrand teachings.
Outline the difficulties in following the eightfold path
- Can be hard to follow without expert guidance
- Due to emphasis on wisdom and need to study scripture
- Not always easy to do the right thing e.g. right speech-sometimes we need to tell lies in order to save feelings.
- Meditation is difficult to master on its own-you will need a teacher to progress
- If you are a Buddhist in the western world- can be difficult to follow the path when it is not followed by those around you.
Outline the Five Precepts (Panca Sila)
For the Sangha (both lay and monk)
- Make up right action in the noble eightfold path.
- Areas which Buddhists feel should be avoided when on path to enlightenment.
1. Abstain from harming
2. Abstain from taking anything that is not given
3. Abstain from sex/ of the senses
4. Abstain from misuse of speech
5. Abstain from taking any substance that clouds the mind.
Outline the Monastic Precepts (Dasa Sila)
Aim is to be freed from all sensual entanglements
- Abstain from eating after midday
- Abstain from dancing or singing
- Abstain from using perfume or garlands
- Abstain from sleeping on comfortable beds
- Abstain from handling money
What are the eight precepts for?
What are they?
-Lay followers who wish to practice Buddhism more strictly.
Follow the Panca Sila and three more:
-Abstain from eating at wrong time (right time=after sunrise, before noon).
-Abstain from singing dancing, playing music, attending entertainment perfomances, wearing perfume, and using cosmetics and garlands
-Abstain from luxurious places for sitting or sleeping, and overindulging in sleep.
When might the precepts be applied and by whom?
- 10 precepts taken by novice monks or nuns
- 10 precepts taken by laypeople on uposatha days or on retreat
- Usually, yogis who come to do a retreat in a mediation centre are requested to follow these eight precepts.
- Female nuns follow rhe 8.
Outline the sangha
- Third Jewel (refuge) of Buddhism
- The community of Buddhist monks
- Sometimes means both monks and lay people
- Helps preserve teachings and traditions of Buddhism
Who are the ordained sangha?
- Live in monasteries
- Some have little contact with outside world
- Others work in local community
- Monks and nuns take on special rules (five extra precepts)
- Often dress in robes, shave off hair-detach themselves from how they appear.
Who are the laity?
- Buddhists who live normal lives
- Often provide food for monks and nuns- in return Moks & nuns pass on Dhamma
- Both accumulate good kamma with selfless deeds.
- Many lay Buddhist families encourage children to join monastic community for period of time-gain good kamma for themselves and whole family.
What are the benefits of belonging to the sangha?
- People with similar aspirations live together, worship together, worship together and make progress towards enlightenment together.
- Each day organised in same way to help people develop Buddhist qualities.
- Monks also benefit from peace and quiet whereas lay Buddhist family life can involve noise, argument and even confrontation.
- In monasteries there are also advanced meditators who can help and teach less experienced monks and nuns.
What do the rules of the Vinaya state?
- A monk cannot handle money
- Not eat food that he has not received from somone else
- Should not dig the ground nor have it dug (prohibiting farming)
- Not store food unless sick (and then only for 7 days).
- If called to preach then they should go
What are the duties of the monks (Bikkhu)
- Preserve and practice the Teaching of the Buddha
- Buddha himself indicated survival of teaching dependent opon existence of monastic community
- Having accommplished this, they can use learning and wisdom to hep society as a whole.
- Help to provide various social services for lay community.
What are the four parajikas?
Rules entailing expulsion from monastic order.
- Sexual intercourse, any voluntary sexual interaction between a bhikku or bikkhuni and a living being.
- Stealing
- Intentionally bringing about the death of a human being
- Deliberately lying to another person that one has attained a superior spiritual state.
What are the three jewels?
Remedies for the three poisons
-The Buddha- doctor
-The Dharma- medicine
-The Sangha- nurse
Cure= taking medicine, meaning practising the methods.
-Help Buddhists free themselves from attachment to ‘false refuges’.
Outline the chanting practice for refuge
- Chanting called- “Going for Refuge”
- Important part of Buddhist ritual
- Chanted three times, so that each refuge is brought fully to mind.
- In chanting the formula Buddhists orientate themselves away from wordly things like money, ambition and romance towards the three Jewels.
Outline Buddha as a refuge
- Will not help Buddhists escape life and its difficulities
- Examples of teaching represent practical and reliable responses to life.
- Buddha means enlightened, awakened One.
- A person who has purified all defilements/developed all good qualities.
- Started as ordinary person-generated infinite compassion to arrive at state of highest bliss.
- Can refer to Buddha-nature, or other enlightened beings, or to principle of enlightenment itself.
- Siddhartha-not first or only Buddha to exist
- Some believe there are infinite number of Buddhas right now in other solar systems
- Buddhists go for refuge, pray for refuge and prays fro blessings and inspiration.
Outline the meaning of the Buddha for Therevada Buddhists
- Buddha= historical figure of Guatama- became perfect example of Dhamma.
- Warned against devotion to himself
- Compared himself to a raft built for crossing a river.
Outline the meaning of the Buddha for Mahayana Buddhists
- Just the originator of the traditon
- Every other being who reaches enlightenment
- So when they take refuge in Buddha, they honour all beings who have taken that path and reached ultimate goal.
- Believe Buddha has not passed into final nivana- exists in 3 dimensions- where he can intervene to help others.
- To take refuge in Buddha also means the desire to achieve bliss and ultimate truth.
- Historical Buddha, Shakyamuni Buddha.
- “Buddha-nature”-absolute unconditioned nature of all.
- May be a person awakened to enlightenment.
Outline the meaning of the Dharma
- Means doctrine, law or truth.
- “Holds back the mind from suffering”.
- Ultimate medicine against all suffering.
- Buddha’s first teaching known as ‘Turning of the Wheel of Dharma’.
- ‘Outer’ and ‘inner’ Dharma jewel- outer=spoken or written word of Buddha, Inner=Buddhists understanding of those words.
- When Buddhists met with a problem, they use understanding of Dharma to solve it.
- To take refuge means more than just trust and acceptance of teachings, also trusting your practice of Buddhism.
Outline the meaning of the Dharma for Theravada Buddhists
- Body of the Buddha’s teachings.
- Timeless truth.
- Eternal path to nibbana.
- Laws governing the universe-same word used for both indicates how Buddhists believe that Buddhist teachings are objectively true.
- Pali scripture & stories of Buddha’s life and previous lives (Jataka tales).
Outline the meaning of the Dharma for Mahayana Buddhists
- Include wider variety of texts and teachings.
- Much more literature added to traditional texts (Dhammapada, diamond sutra, Tibetan Book of the Dead).
- Make sharper distinction between eternal Dharma and Buddha’s Dharma.
- The law of karma and rebirth.
- Ethical rules, mental objects or thoughts.
- “Manifestation of reality” or “phenomenon”.
Outline the meaning of the Sangha
- ‘Assembly’-group of people.
- All those who follow the Buddha and his teachings.
- Provide guidance and support for people trying to be good.
- Going for refuge in sangha jewel=spending time with people whose aim is to follow the Buddha’s teachings because you want to think and behave like them.
- Importance cannot be overestimated.
- Opening yourself to others, supporting and being supported, is crucial to loosening fetters of ego and selfishness.
- Might mean monastic sangha, or a Buddhist’s own group or community of all Buddhists.
Outline the meaning of the Sangha for Theravada Buddhists
- Order of Buddhists monks and nuns.
- All those holy disciples-exemplary conduct.
- Either achieved nibbana, glimpsed it or are on brink of seeing it.
- In practice refers to ordained monks and who try to live lives of holy disciples.
- Original teaching and in current Theravada communities, sangha refers only to monks, nuns and other ordained teachers.
Outline the meaning of the Sangha for Mahayana Buddhists
- Includes all those who embrace the Dharma as a community.
- Taking refuge=making vows to become more like a Bodhisattva, by bringing loving kindness into the world through whatever means are appropriate to a particular person or culture.
- Doesn’t make same kind of sharp distinction between ordained and non ordained people and adopts a greater flexibility in interpreting monastic rules.
How do Buddhists take refuge?
- Inner commitment: public ceremony of initiation, continuing practice of repetition and recollection.
- Subdue the body, speech and mind, instead of letting our senses rule us, do not speak harsh, sceptical and avoid being judgemental.
- Practice ethics and vows.
- Be kind and considerate to any living being.
- Make special offerings on two special days of the year: 15th of 4th lunar month (around may), to celebrate birth, enlightenment and passing away of Buddha, 4th of 6th of lunar month (around July) to celebrate first turning of the wheel.
How do Buddhists take refuge in the Buddha?
- Commit yourself to one master, the Buddha.
- Do not follow other, lower beings as ultimate spiritual guides.
- Respect all images of the Buddha, treat these as if they are Buddha’s.
How do Buddhists take refuge in the Dharma?
- Listen, study and practice Dharma to overcome your own delusions: respect sangha.
- Do not harm or upset humans or animals.
- Respect texts, treat them with utmost care.
How do Buddhists take refuge in the Sangha?
- Accordance with their example.
- Do not be negatively influenced by any extremists or others opposing our beliefs.
- Respect even piece of robes and all whose wear robes (despite behaviour).
How do the 4 noble truths link to taking refuge?
First noble truth: Second type of Dukkha-suffering as a result of change-happy feeling in life is not permanent-when it changes it brings suffering and unhappiness-Annica-cannot take refuge i something that is not permanent - material objects.
Second noble truth: tanha (thirst)-craving, wanting and attachment-to material objects + political beliefs-one cannot seek refuge in something that is not permanent.
-Help Buddhists free themselves from attachment to ‘false refuges’.
Outline the importance of meditation in Buddhism
- Part of path toward enlightenment and nirvana.
- Reduces stress, lowers blood pressure, effective in working with depression, anxiety and anger.
- Used to realise our true nature-beyond self-identity with ots self-imposed limitations.
- Only antidote to personal sorrows, and anxieties, fears, hatreds, and general confusions that beset human condition.
- Techniques that encourage and develop concentration, clarity, emotional positivity, and a calm seeing of the true nature of things.
- Involves one-third of noble eightfold.
- One of the threefold trainings of eightfold path.
- Buddha identified two paramount mental qualities that arise from wholesome meditative practice: “insight”-enables one to see, explore and discern “formations”. “serenity” or “tranquillity”-steadies, composes, unifies and concentrates the mind.
- Want to avoid ‘duality’-meditation must involve the body and the mind as a single entity.
What do Pure Land Buddhists believe about mediation?
- You run the risk of reinforcing your sense of self.
- May end up thinking ‘I’ve done a lot of meditation today, so I must be nearer my goal of enlightenment’.
- Say we should face up to reality of inability to achieve enlightenment through own efforts and rely on merit and grace of Amitabha.
Outline Vipassana as a type of meditation
Theravada:
- Seeing things as they really are.
- Increased awareness, non-delusion, self-control and peace.
- Pali for insight.
- Intellectual-insight into lakshanas.
- Damien Keown=’generation of penetrating and crucial insight’.
- Taught by Sidddartha as universal remedy for universal ills.
- Self transformation through self-observation.
- Focuses on deep interconnection between mind and body.
Outline Samatha as a type of meditation
Theravada:
- Calmness.
- based on mindfulness of the breath.
- develop inner strength+freedom from turmoil>to clarity+understanding.
- Mindful of body, feelings, mind and mental state-be aware of current state of 5 skhandas (body sensations, perceptions, impulses and consciousness).
- Chattering, unruly mind gradually becomes calmer and develops clarity-working of mind becomes less confusing.
- Path from calm to insight followed by Buddha himself-central tradition of Buddhist meditation.
- Develops levels of jhanas.
Outline Metta bhavana as a type of meditation
Theravada:
-Metta, loving-kindness-feeling of universal love that wishes all beings experience happiness, both worldly and ultimate.
-State of mind-developed through loving-kindness meditation.
-Development or cultivation=Bhavana.
-Most commonly in 5 stages:
Ourselves, a good friend, a neutral person (no strong feelings for), a difficult person (have conflicts with or feel ill will towards), all sentient beings.
-Meta=attitude of recognising all sentient beings can feel good/bad, and that all, given the choice, will choose the former over the latter.
Outline Zazen as a type of meditation
- Zazen.
- “seated meditation”.
- Developed by Dogen.
- Being awake but letting go, experiencing present moment.
- Central form of mediation in Zen Buddhism.
- Particular attention paid to sitting posture-lotus position with straight back and palms together.
- Stare at wall and eyes are open-not rejecting the material world.
- Breathe and observe thoughts, don’t ignore them.
- Recognising true state of things you can detach from them and see how things really are-realise attachments and cravings>enlightenment.
Outline the role and importance of selfless generosity/giving or sharing of time/money/possessions.
Dana- ‘Giving’-lay offer dana to sangha-gain merit.
-Can be translated as generosity.
-Any act performed with unselfish attitude and positive view of giving.
Importance:
-Outlines relationship between laity and monastic community (Sangha).
What are the three bases of merit?
- Generosity-dana.
- Ethical Conduct-sila.
- Cultivation/Meditation-bhavana.
Outline the role of the Buddhist community in supporting those inside and outside the community
- For laity dana=support of sangha.
- Laity supports sangha by providing material support-alms, donations of robes and eight requisites, and money to support monastery.
- Sangha receive gifts from laity-act as a ‘field of merit’-monk must live by monastic rules of vinaya.
- The more spiritually advanced the monk is the bigger their field of merit is-not based on ordination.
- Sangha also expected to act with generosity- in return for material support from laity, sangha must provide spiritual support support-avoiding through teaching Dharma to lay community-when invited to give blessing, chant at funeral, or attend housewarming-sangha should send a representative.
