Buddhism: Buddha’s Teachings Flashcards
4 Noble Truths
- First teachings and foundation of all beliefs
- Dukkha: Life is suffering
- Samudaya: Suffering is caused by desire
- Nirodha: There is a way to stop suffering, stop suffering
- Magga: Following the 8 fold path will end suffering (Nibbana)
- Buddha is the doctor diagnosing us and giving us the medicine
Analysis of 4 Noble Truths
Significance:
- First teachings and foundation about the human condition
- Shows path to enlightenment
- Shows importance of 8 Fold Path
Links:
- Dukkha
- 8 Fold Path
- Enlightenment
Three Marks of Existence: Dukkha
- Suffering/Unsatisfactoriness
- Suffering is desire
- Even when you get what you want, it can end or change leading to suffering
Analysis of Dukkha
Significance:
- Understanding that suffering is desire can help enlightenment
- Understanding why we suffer helps us avoid it
Links:
- Anicca
- Samsara
- 4 Noble truths
- Human condition
Three Marks of Existence: Anicca
- Impermanence, everything changes
- Story of Kisa Gotami - Buddha said he’d save her son if she could get a misstated seed from a house nobody had ever died in, she realised death is everywhere and she was selfish thinking she was special.
- Anicca in Buddhas life is his mother dying, 4 sights, his death.
Analysis of Anicca
Significance:
- Not understanding change leads to suffering
- Need to accept change to become enlightened
Links:
- Dukkha
- Anatta
- Human condition
Three Marks of Existence: Anatta
- No permanent soul as everything changes
- No ‘Self’
- Made up of 5 Skandhas
Analysis of Anatta
Significance:
- Leads to unselfishness
- Need to understand for enlightenment
Links:
- 5 Skandha’s
- Anicca
- Rebirth
- Human condition
5 Skandha’s
- They constantly change and the only thing that stays permanent is our label
- Body, physical elements of body
- Feelings, the senses through which we experience world
- Perceptions, awareness of information senses give us
- Mental formations, our reactions to that information
- Consciousness, thoughts and feelings that make us aware we exist
Analysis of 5 Skandha’s
Significance:
- Understanding makes less ignorant important in path to enlightenment
- Understanding no self can make less selfish
Links:
- Anatta
- Anicca
Samsara
- Cycle of suffering. Life to death to rebirth.
- fuelled by root poisons
- Only way to leave is enlightenment
Analysis of Samsara
Significance:
- Can’t achieve enlightenment while stuck on the wheel
Links:
- Kamma
- Root poisons
- Rebirth
- Nibbana
Nibbana
- Not a place but a state of mind
- Compared to wind, can’t be seen or touched but still know its there
- Ending of suffering
- Enlightenment
Analysis of Nibbana
Significance:
- Main goal of Buddhism
- No more suffering or desire
Links:
- Enlightenment
- Samsara
- 4 Noble truths
- 8 Fold Path
Kamma
- Cause and effect
- We can always control our actions
- Good Kamma gained through 5 precepts
- Impacts our next life and rebirth
