Buddhism Key Terms Flashcards

1
Q

Amaitabha

A

heavenly Buddha who presides over the Pure Land Buddha realm

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2
Q

arhat

A

“worthy one”, a perfected saint who has reached nirvana and will be released from samsara at death

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3
Q

Ashoka

A

great Buddhist kind in India, the “second founder” of Buddhism

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4
Q

bhikkhu, bhikkuni

A

Pali terms for Buddhist monk and nun

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5
Q

Birthday of the Buddha

A

joyful festival usually celebrated in May

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6
Q

Bodha Gaya

A

the place where Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment

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7
Q

bodhisattva

A

being who is intent on becoming fully enlightened; in Mahayana Buddhism, one who reaches enlightenment but vows to continue rebirths in samsara to assist others

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8
Q

Buddha

A

“Enlightened one”; Siddhartha Gautama became the Buddha for our present age

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9
Q

Chan

A

school of meditation Buddhism in China, Korea, Vietnam, and Japan (Zen in Japan), influential in the arts

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10
Q

Dalai Lama

A

head of the Geluk Tibetan Buddhist school, traditionally recognized as spiritual and political leader of Tibetans; the current Dalai Lama is the 14th

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11
Q

dependent co-arising (pratitya-samutpada)

A

central Buddhist teaching that everything is conditioned by something else, that all reality is interdependent

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12
Q

Dharma

A

in Buddhist usage, the truth; the teaching of the Buddha

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13
Q

dharmas

A

the most basic constituents of all phenomena

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14
Q

Dukkha

A

“sorrow”, characteristic of all conditioned reality as stated in the First Noble Truth of Buddhism

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15
Q

Eightfold Path

A

the fundamental path toward nirvana as taught by the Buddha, involving eight interrelated practices: right views, right resolve, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration

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16
Q

emptiness

A

See Shunyata

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17
Q

First Council of Buddhism

A

held at Rajagriha shortly after the Buddha’s parinirvana, where according to tradition, the Buddha’s sayings were recited and compiled

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18
Q

Five Precepts

A

the basic Buddhist moral precepts: to refrain from destroying life, from taking what is not given, from wrongful sexual behavior, from wrongful speech, and from drugs and liquor

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19
Q

Four Noble Truths

A

basic teachings presented in the Buddha’s first sermon: the truths of sorrow, and of the cause of sorrow, of the overcoming of sorrow, and of the path to follow

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20
Q

Four Sights

A

sickness, old age, death, and a wandering hermit; seeing these motivated Siddhartha Gautama to seek enlightenment

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21
Q

Hinayana

A

See Theravada

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22
Q

Huayan

A

a Chinese school of Mahayana Buddhism based on the Garland Sutra

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23
Q

impermanence

A

basic Buddhist doctrine that change is characteristic of everything that arises

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24
Q

karma

A

“action”, law that all deeds and thoughts, according to one’s intentions, will have set consequences, including rebirth

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25
Q

karuna

A

Buddhist ideal of compassion

26
Q

lama

A

“master” or spiritual leader in Tibetan Buddhism

27
Q

Lotus Sutra

A

important early scripture of Mahayana Buddhism

28
Q

Madhyamika

A

early school of Mahayana Buddhism that emphasized shunyata (empitness)

29
Q

Mahavairoshana

A

the great sun Buddha

30
Q

Mahayana

A

the “great vehicle”, form of Buddhism that arose in India beginning in the second century and eventually spread to East Asia

31
Q

mandala

A

painting of cosmic Buddhas or a symbolic cosmos, used especially in Vajrayana Buddhist ritual and meditation

32
Q

mantra

A

powerful sacred words, formula, or verse chanted as a focus for meditation and devotion

33
Q

mudra

A

hand gesture or pose with symbolic meaning

34
Q

Nagarjuna

A

important philosopher of the Madhyamika school of Buddhism

35
Q

nirvana

A

“blowing out” the fires of life, liberation from suffering and rebirth, the spiritual goal of Buddhist practice

36
Q

no-self (an-atman)

A

the basic Buddhist doctrine that there is no permanent, absolute self

37
Q

ordination

A

See upasampada

38
Q

parinirvana

A

full nirvana; complete liberation attained at the death if a Buddha

39
Q

Pure Land

A

Mahayana school of Buddhism focusing on worship of Amitabha Buddha, with hope of rebirth in the Pure Land Buddha realm

40
Q

Rain Retreat (Vassa)

A

important three-month time of study and discipline for Theravada Buddhist monks and nuns, when lay people also make offerings and perform service for the monastics

41
Q

rebirth

A

belief that after a person’s death, the accumulated karma will cause another rebirth to take place

42
Q

samsara

A

the rebirth cycle of existence

43
Q

sangha

A

the communities of Buddhist monks and nuns

44
Q

Shakyamuni

A

a title of Siddhartha Gautama the Buddha: the wise one of the Shakya clan

45
Q

shunyata

A

“emptiness,” Mahayana Buddhist teaching that all things are devoid of any substantial or independent reality

46
Q

skandhas

A

“heaps” or aggregates; the Buddhist teaching that a person is really a changing process in five aggregated: physical matter, sensations, perceptual activities, impulses to action, and bits of consciousness

47
Q

stupa

A

memorial Buddhist shrine or reliquary

48
Q

Tantrism

A

See Vajrayana

49
Q

Tathagata

A

title for the Buddha meaning the “Thus Come One,” that is, the perfected one

50
Q

Theravada

A

“teaching of the elders,” term for the early Buddhist tradition and practice still followed in South and Southeast Asia. Theravada is generally used in place of the term Hinayana, “lesser vehicle,” a pejorative term that Mahayana Buddhists applied to the early Buddhist sects

51
Q

Three Body Teaching

A

Mahayana teaching of three dimensions of Buddha: Dharma Body (universal Buddha essence), Bliss Body (heavenly Buddhas), and Transformation Body (human manifestations of Buddha)

52
Q

Three Refuges

A

the ritual formula, “I take refuge in the Buddha, I take refuge in the Dharma, I take refuge in the Sangha”

53
Q

Tiantai (Tendai in Japan)

A

a school of Mahayana Buddhism in China and Japan, based on the Lotus Sutra

54
Q

Tipitaka

A

See Tripitaka

55
Q

Tripitaka

A

the scripture of the Pali Canon of Buddhism, meaning “Three Baskets; they include the Vinaya Pitaka, the Sutra Pitaka, and the Abhidharma Pitaka

56
Q

upasampada

A

ordination, important Buddhist ritual marking the beginning of life as a monk or nun

57
Q

uposatha

A

fortnightly Buddhist holy day when temple meetings for teaching, ritual, and meditation are held

58
Q

Vajrayana

A

Diamond Vehicle, the Tantric tradition of Buddhism especially in Tibet and Japan, using initiation, rituals, imagination, and sexual symbolism as spiritual practices leading toward liberation

59
Q

Vesakha

A

in Theravada communities, a grand festival in May celebrating the Buddhas birth, enlightenment, and parinirvana

60
Q

Vinaya

A

texts containing rules for Buddhist monastic life and discipline

61
Q

vipassana

A

central Buddhist meditation practice focusing on calming the mind seeing true reality

62
Q

Zen

A

See Chan