buddhism beliefs Flashcards
What is Buddhism
A religion founded 2500 years ago by Siddhartha Gautama
What is a Buddha
A title given to someone who has achieved enlightenment
Facts about “the Buddha”
- His name was Siddhartha Guatama
-Became known as the Buddha after he was enlightened
“the enlightened one”
What is the meaning of being a Buddha?
-Someone who has attained great wisdom and
-Understanding through their own efforts
Where was Siddhartha Born?
-Lumbini, southern Nepal
-Prince
Story of Siddhartha’s birth
- Queen Maya has a dream that a white elephant came from heaven and entered her womb
-Told her she would give birth to a holy child
-When he was born he would achieve perfect wisdom
How was Siddhartha born?
- She went to Lumbini Garden, and gave birth to her son.
-He could immediately walk and talk without any support
-Walked seven steps and a lotus flower sprang up from the earth beneath him
Siddhartha birth quote
“no further rebirths have I to endue for this is my last body”
Siddhartha Prophecy:
- He would either become a great king or a great holy man
Siddhartha’s life
His father was determined that Siddhartha would follow in his footsteps and become a great king
-Protect Siddhartha from pain, sadness, disappointment or suffering
-Didn’t want his son to seek religion and become a holy man
Four sights:
- Old age
-Illness
-Death
-Holy man
Realisation after four sights:
-Death came to everyone, everyone was bound to grow older, and go through suffering
-He was inspired to be like this holy man and to become a wandering truth seeker
Why did Siddhartha leave his possessions before leaving?
- He was letting go of the things that he thought were keeping him ignorant. Taught him that “letting go was important to reaching enlightenment”
What does it mean to be ascetic?
- To live a very simple life with few possessions and few pleasures
-Practise self-discipline, requiring pain to focus and train their minds
What did Siddhartha learn after becoming an ascetic?
- He learnt discipline and willpower
-The “middle way”
-How to meditate
Why was the meeting at River Nairanjaana important?
- The turnover point from asceticism and his realisation that the answer is not extreme poverty or richness but the middle way
-Shows compassion of the girl
Three watches of the night:
-Siddhartha gained knowledge of all his previous lives
-He came to understand the repeating cycle of life, death and rebirth
-He understood why suffering happened and how to overcome it
Enlightenment
-Action or state of attaining or having attained spiritual knowledge or insight
-Awareness which frees a person from the cycle of rebirth
Path to enlightenment:
Siddhartha
- Has lived in luxury and extreme poverty
-Decides to sit and meditate under fig tree in Bodh Gaya
-Meditates for 49 days
-Demon King Mara tries to stop Siddhartha from achieving enlightenment by distracting him from his meditation
-Mara gives up and tells Siddhartha nobody would witness his enlightenment
-He touches the ground (# touch wood) at moment of enlightenment and the earth is his witness
Meditation quote:
“Not until I attain supreme enlightenment will I give up this seat of meditation”
Temptations of Mara and what they respresent:
- Sent his daughters (lust)
- Sent his army (battles)
- Mara himself tries to attack him
Importance of conquer of Mara
- Shows the importance of discipline and how Siddhartha was able to focus
- Shows if you don’t give in to temptations and distractions, you’ll be happy (arrows turning to flowers)
Earth is Siddhartha’s witness
Shows he is honest and fair
The 3 refuges/ jewels
-Buddha
-Dhamma
-Sangha
What is the dhamma?
- Passed down word of moth from Buddha to his students and from students to their students…
-Eventually written into sutras
-Buddha did not invent Dhamma, always existed but he was the first to be awakened by it
-Has to be studied and practised, cannot be taught to you
What does the dhamma contain
-Truth about nature of existence
-Path of training needed to reach point where you are ready for enlightenment
-Practical tips
-Rules
-Reminder that reality is our greatest teacher and every difficult experience you have to face in life is a lesson to be learnt
Point of the 3 refuges
Places to take comfort in, things that will offer safety from suffering
Sangha
Monastic communities of monks and nuns across the world
-Encouraging to know that ordinary people have reached wisdom and compassion, not just the Buddha
-Sangha can provide support, encouragement and friendship
Dependent arising
-Paticcasamupada
Everything is dependent on other things
Nothing is permanent and everything is always changing
- When this is, that is
-From the arising of this comes from the arising of that
It is a cycle as a future effect could become a cause of another future effect
Tibetan wheel of life
An image that symbolises samsara, found in Tibetan Buddhist monasteries.
- Illustrates the process of dependant arising in relation to human life, death and rebirth
Letting go quote Buddha:
“letting go was important to reaching enlightenment”
Three things Siddhartha gives up
- Hair/ possessions
- His family/ life
- Food
Enlightenment definition
Awareness which frees a person from the cycle of rebirth
three key things about Siddhartha
- Holy
- Curious and questioned life
- Empathetic- gave up riches trying to find solution to suffering
12 links around outside the wheel
- Buddhists reaching about rebirth. 12th link (old age +death) leads directly into first link (ignorance)
Link between craving and feeling
When someone has unpleasant feeling, need to escape, when have pleasant feeling, want to be attached to it
Three Marks of Existence
How did Buddha come to see this
- Buddha sat under a tree and meditated
- Saw the circle of life around hi. Everything seemed beautiful.
-Despite all of this there was so much suffering.
Three marks of existence 1. Dukkha
- Suffering.
- Suffering is a part of the nature of reality
Some of the 7 stages of suffering
- Birth
- Old age
- Sickness
- Death
- Sorrow and despair
- Contact with unpleasant things.
Three marks of existence 2. Anicca
- Impermanence.
- We will never stay the same.
- Living things die. Non living things break. Our minds change and grow.
Potential 4 marker How Anicca could help Buddhists suffer less in their lives
- Anicca helps remind Buddhists during tough times that everything is impermanent and they will get past it.
- It is normal to experience changes.
Three marks of existence. 3. Anatta
- No self. No soul
- The self (you) is not fixed or permanent, there is nothing of you that does not change.
- There is no (you) that moves onto next life, just kammic energy
- Self is just an illusion we give because it is convenient.
3 marks of existence (Potential 4 marker) What anatta teaches Buddhists
- Anatta means Buddhists have no ego
- They cannot be selfish/desire anything for themselves.
Dhamma and Arising
Three things about Siddhartha:
- Holy
-Curious and questioned life
- Empathetic- gave up riches trying to understand suffering
3 refuges. Recitation
- To the Buddha for refuge I go
- To the Dhamma for refuge I go
- To the Sangha for refuge I go
Why do Buddhists follow the Three marks
- Following the truths and path of training would give lasting safety from suffering
- When Buddhists go for “refuge”
What are the four noble truths
- Dukka
- Samudaya
- Nirodha
- Magga
Four noble truths quote:
“I teach suffering, its origin, cessation and path. That’s all I teach”
4 noble truths: Dukka meaning
- The truth to suffering
- Old man, dead man, sick man
- Samsara and Dukkha Link: Repeated cycle of life after death and is eternal suffering as life never ends
AND again… 3 types of Dukkha:
- Dukkha: physical, emotional pain
- Anicca: Mental growth/ physical growth/ death
- Anatta: No soul
4 noble truths. Samudaya:
- Cause of suffering
- “Tanha” craving
- Tanha + Anicca: Never crave things as everything is impermanent and will be lost forever. craving= expectance to last.
4 noble truths: Nirodha
- End of suffering
- Can only achieve happiness through actions and efforts.
- Let go of cravings= stop feeling dissatisfied with life.
- People should not avoid things they crave= might lead to more craving
- Enjoy pleasure of things recognising it won’t last.
4th noble truth: Magga
- The Noble Eightfold Path
- The “cure” to the end of suffering.
Magga: Three types
- Ethics (silia)- Having good morals and behaviour.
Right speech, action, livelihood - Panna- Understanding nature of reality.
Right intention, understanding - Samadhi- Meditation in role of spiritual development.
Right effort, mindfulness, concentration.
Why magga presented as wheel?
- Emphasises fact that different steps do not need to be followed in a linear sequence
- Can be practised at the same time
- Each step supports the other
Magga quote
“To avoid evil, cultivate good, cleanse one’s mind- this is the teaching of Buddha’s”
Tanha craving quote
“sensual pleasures give little satisfaction and much pain”
Theravada Buddhism beliefs:
- Classical orthodox approach in teaching.
- Full ordination is reserved for men
- Strict rules and devote their whole life to following the path of enlightenment.
- Do not break the rules just follow them
- Transfer of merit: It is possible to share good fortune with other people by transferring merit gained to someone else. Help dead person have a favourable death
Theravada Buddhism rules:
- Do not own anything
- No sexual relationships
- Never be offensive to anyone
The 5 Skandhas (aggregates)
- Form (body)
- Mental formations (thoughts)
- Sensation (feeling)
- Perception (recognition)
- Consciousness (awareness)
Point of 5 Aggregates?
-
Mahayana Buddhism beliefs:
- Progressive and encouraging. Very accepting and nature inclined. Independent but also united.
- Believe Buddha is already inside of us and everyone is already enlghtened
- They have simple, easy rules. Understand nature of themselves and reality around them
Mahayana Buddhism: Sunyata
- Restatement of anatta. Everything does not have a fixed, independent unchanging nature.
- Interdependent nature of all things.
Mahayana Buddha nature:
- The belief that everyone has the seed, the essence of a Buddha already inside of them
Mahayana Buddhahood:
- To become a Buddha, everyone has the potential to do this and to become a Buddha
- Because of their inherent Buddha nature
Point of sunyata/ dependent arising
- For Buddhists believing everything depends on and interlinks with everything else can lead to trust, compassion and selflessness.
Arhat
Random…enlightenment defintion
State of perfect freedom and happiness
