Buddhism

Question 1

The Four Sights

Answer 1

• Old Age
• Disease
• Death
• Holy Man
• He had been hidden from these things all his life

Question 2

The Four Noble Truths

Answer 2

• Dukkha
• Tanha
• Nibbana
• The Eightfold Path

Question 3

Dukkha

Answer 3

• Life is full of suffering
• You are never really satisfied
• Suffering is always there
• Is caused by craving (Tanha)
• Major part of human condition
• Only way to escape dukkha is through enlightenment

Question 4

Tanha

Answer 4

• Desire/craving
• Is a fundamental cause of suffering
• Impermanence causes craving because everything is always changing
• Craving > Greed > Bad Kamma > Bad Samasaric Re-Birth
• While we are craving we cannot be enlightened
• Following Buddha’s teachings (dhamma) leads to life of simplicity

Question 5

Nibbana

Answer 5

• View that suffering can be overcome
• Enlightenment
• Out of reach of the things you craved before
• once achieved you step out of the Wheel of Samsara and will not be reborn again but become a Buddha
• Central principle, end goal

Question 6

The Eightfold Path

Answer 6

• Right view, resolve or intention, speech, conduct, livelihood, conduct, effort, mindfulness, samadhi (meditation)
• Set of practical steps to allow achievement of nibbana
• Process will allow you to rid self of desire
• All to be done at all times
• Way of wisdom (knowledge of the world), way of morality (actions and behaviour) and way of effort (discipline and meditation)
• Doctor analogy; Disease>Cause>Prescription>Medicine

Question 7

Samsara

Answer 7

• The wheel of life
• Rebirth; when we die we are born to live another life and keep repeating this until nibbana is achieved
• Birth>Life>Death>Birth>Life>Death
• Kept turning by the three root poisons (ignorance-pig, hatred-snake, greed-bird/chicken)
• Bhavacakra; symbolic representation

Question 8

The Three Jewels

Answer 8

• Sangha
• Buddha
• Dhamma

Question 9

The Sangha

Answer 9

• The community who follow the teachings of the Buddha

Question 10

The Buddha

Answer 10

• SIddhatta Gautoma
• Siddartha Gotama
• Prince who when revealed to the four sights saw the suffering in the world and commits to finding a way to end suffering for all living sentient beings

Question 11

The Dhamma (Dharma)

Answer 11

• Buddhist’s teachings
• The way of life for Buddhists
• Always existed but required the Buddha to realise it
• Teachings of the Buddha

Question 12

Arhat

Answer 12

• Buddhist monk
• Disciplined, motivated, calm, relaxed, selfless, hard working
• On verge of nibbana
• Become an arhat to teach others before achieving nibanna

Question 13

Ley Buddhists

Answer 13

• Follow 5 precepts
• Follow the eightfold path
• Do this to develop good kamma and good re-birth but not to achieve nibbana
• Less intense following of the Buddha’s teachings

Question 14

The Three Root Poisons

Answer 14

• Ignorance; symbolised by a pig
• Hatred; symbolised by a snake
• Greed; symbolised by a bird
• Continue endlessly, they lead onto one another
• Ignorance feeds greed, greed produces anger and then hatred

Question 15

Ignorance

Answer 15

• Pig
• We are doing this now, living a life away from the Buddhist ideal
• Spawn of all the root poisons

Question 16

Hatred

Answer 16

• Snake
• Intense dislike, our hatred causes to hate ourselves and others
• Born out of ignorance and greed
• Fear, anxiety, anger all come from same place

Question 17

Greed

Answer 17

• Bird
• Lust or craving
• When we are greedy we feed our desires & attachments, our greed causes pain and suffering

Question 18

Beliefs - The way Buddhists see the world

Answer 18

• The Buddha
• The Four Sights
• Three Marks of existence (Anatta, Anicca, Dukkha)
• The Four Noble Truths
• Nibbana & Kamma
• Samsara
• The Three Root Poisons

Question 19

Actions/Practices - The way Buddhists behave in the world

Answer 19

• Meditation
• Follow the middle way
• Read scriptures (Dhammapada)
• Take refuge in the sangha
• Follow the 5 precepts
• Follow the eightfold path

Question 20

The Five Precepts

Answer 20

• I undertake to abstain from taking life
• I undertake to abstain from taking that which is not freely given
• I undertake to abstain from the misuse of the senses (sexual intercourse etc.)
• I undertake to abstain from wrong speech
• I undertake to refrain from taking drugs & alcohol which cloud the mind

Question 21

The two main groups of Buddhism

Answer 21

• Mahayana Buddhism

- Theravada Buddhism

Question 22

Mahayana Buddhism

Answer 22

• Translates as ‘The Great Vehicle’ as it offers chance for so many to achieve enlightenment (more inclusive)
• Around 58% Buddhists are Mahayana
• Seen as more ‘modern’ form
• Developed around 1000 years ago
• Mainly found in China, Tibet & Japan
• Aim to become a BODHISATVA, chooses to stay in samsara to teach others how to achieve nibbana

Question 23

Theravada Buddhism

Answer 23

• Closer to original teachings
• 35% of Buddhists
• Focus on becoming monk and reaching nibbana through monastery life, personal development
• Believe nibbana achieved through dhamma and individual effort
• Reserved for monks and nuns, they are less affected by craving and temptations of world
• Aim to become arhat, ‘worthy of respect’

Question 24

Meditation

Answer 24

• Used for thousands of years
• Buddha gained enlightenment as direct result
• Mahayana; ‘If he can do it so can we’
• Theravada; ‘We should do it the way he did’
• See themselves as they really are
• Essential to understand nibbana
• Two types; relaxing & thinking

Question 25

Samatha Meditation

Answer 25

- Suitable for everyone | - Calms mind, increases self-awareness and self harmony

Question 26

Vipassana Meditation

Answer 26

- Requires us to think - Gives chance to see one true reality - Requires teacher to begin

Question 27

Puja

Answer 27

- Buddhist worship - Lay Buddhists can't live same as monks so worship in own way; reciting three refuges (Buddha, Sangha & Dhamma) & following five precepts - Can also involve chanting, meditation and making offerings to statue of the Buddha, taking part in festivals/pilgrimages too

Question 28

Pali Canon

Answer 28

Buddhist scriptures

Question 29

Skandhas

Answer 29

The five bundles that make up a person: - Body - Feelings - Perceptions - Impulses - Consciousness

Question 30

Pretas

Answer 30

- Realm of hungry ghosts | - One of six samsaric realms

Question 31

Nidanas

Answer 31

- Sections of the wheel of samsara | - Show how people pass from one realm to the next

Question 32

Magga

Answer 32

- The Noble Eightfold Path

Question 33

Mara

Answer 33

- Selfish temptation

Question 34

Kamma (Karma)

Answer 34

- An action that produces good or bad results

Question 35

Devas

Answer 35

- A god | - One of the six samsaric realms

Question 36

Asceticism

Answer 36

- Living with only the bare minimum needed of existence | - Trying to strip yourself of desire

Question 37

Tipitaka (Tripitaka)

Answer 37

- The three baskets or sections of Buddhist scriptures

Question 38

Yama

Answer 38

- The lord of death

Question 39

The Human Condition

Answer 39

- What it is like to be human - Belief is one of suffering - The three universal truths (Anicca, Anatta & Dukkha) - The Wheel of Life - Dependant Organisation - The Four Noble Truths

Question 40

Anicca

Answer 40

- Description of nature of the universe - Everything is impermanent and forever changing - Nothing will last - If we do not accept this then we crave for things to stay the same (tanha) which leads to suffering (dukkha)

Question 41

Anatta

Answer 41

- The concept of anicca applied to people - We want to stay the same forever but everything is changing always - We crave to stay young forever (tanha) and are sad/disappointed when this doesn't happen (dukkha)