Buddhism Key Beliefs Flashcards
What are the 3 sacred jewels
Buddha
Dhamma
Sangha (path to enlightenment)
What is dhamma
Dhamma is the whole of the pali canon, containing the Tripitaka (three baskets) of
Vinyasa pitaka- the rules of discipline for the monastic sangha
Sutta pitaka- the teachings from the life of Buddha
AbhiDhamma pitaka- the later philosophical section
What is the paticca-samuppada
A law of causation and conditionality for Buddhists
Teaches everything is connected through a web of condition
Everything ends once that web ends
Existence is a process of change and conditionality, it extends from the physical world to the human mind
What are the three marks of existence
Anicca- the idea of impermanence (nothing being permanent)
Anatta- the not physical self
Dukkha- the concept of suffering
What is the story of nagasena and the chariot
It represents anatta and anicca
Nagasena asks what makes up the chariot (eg the wheels, axels, frame, a combination of the elements) the king answered no to all, so nagasena exclaimed ‘there is no chariot’
What are the five skandhas??
They are what constitute a person
- Form
- Feeling
- Perception
- Mental formations
- Consciousness
How do you purify the five skandhas
Through meditation and practicing virtues
You must understand these to understand the 4 noble truths
Name the 3 aspects of human life
Sunatta
Buddha-nature
Buddhahood
Describe sunyata
Translates to emptiness
Theravada Buddhism Use it to refer to the non self or the meditative state and experience of an individual
Mayahana budddhism refers to the idea everything is empty of intrinsic existence
Describe Buddhism-nature
Tathagatagharba
All sentient beings contain the ability to achieve enlightenment or the potential to become Buddha
Describe buddhahood
In Mahayana Buddhism it is the status of being a Buddha or ‘the awakened one’
What is an Arahant??
Someone who has achieved enlightenment (nirvana/nirbana) in Theravada Buddhism
What was the Buddhas first name??
Siddhartha guatama
Describe siddarthas early life
At the moment of his conception there was said to be great light and earthquakes
While his mother was pregnant with him, she had a vision where she was told by asita the sage he would become either a great king or great spiritual leader
At his birth, a white elephant entered her side and siddartha was birthed from her right side
Two jets of water, one hot, one cold were said to wash the baby, he stood and took a step in each direction of the compass
He was well mannered and smart
What were the four sights siddartha saw outside the palace
An old person
A sick person
A corpse
A monk.
What’s the correct name for his life of suffering
Ascetic life
How long did the Buddha live an ascetic life
6 years
What did the Buddha do during his 6 years of ascetic life
He tried to find enlightenment through punishing his body and making it suffer
He would starve himself, put himself through agonising cold and heat, sleep on a bed of nails etc
All while meditating and trying to find enlightenment
What happened once he stopped his ascetic lifestyle
He realised he hadn’t achieved enlightenment and wouldn’t find the answers so he began to search for other ways
He was found and nursed back to life
After this he found a bodhi tree and meditated under it meanwhile he was visited by a demon, Mara (not the first time, the other time was when he was leaving the castle) who tried to tempt him out of his meditation eg his path to enlightenment
He ignored Mara and touched the ground with his right hand, causing the earth to shake
He had meditated to the point of enlightenment
What was the threefold knowledge the Buddha found??
He had three previous lives (this was his final bc he reached enlightenment and broke the cycle of samsara)
He understood the causes of life and death
He reached omniscience and became knowledgeable on all things
What did Buddha do once he achieved enlightenment
He first went to try and teach his 5 ascetic friends, who rejected him at first but after he taught his formed mentors as well they listened this was the beginning of sangha
He then spent 45 years spreading his knowledge
