Buddhism Practices Flashcards
What features in a temple?
Main hall
-shrine dedicated to Buddha or Bodhisattva
-candle, flowers, insense
Meditation room
Pagoda or stupa
-containing holy relics
Study hall
-meetings and lectures
Where do nuns and monks live?
Monastery (vihara)
Where is the Temple located?
Heart of a Buddhist community
What does worship allow Buddhists to do?
Express their gratitude to Buddha for his example and teaching or dhamma
What do Buddhas do during worship?
-make offerings
-chant from the text of teachings or the 3 refuges
-recite mantras
- speak to the rupa ( statue of Buddha )
What is meditation?
A spiritual exercise that teaches you to calm your mind and control your thoughts
What’s the importance of meditation?
To gain a deep compassion for others and reduce suffering which will eventually lead to enlightenment
-it develops mindfulness and increases concentration, (3 stages of the Eightfold path)
Before meditation what do Buddhists do?
Chant verses praising the 3 jewels
-Theravada Buddhists may chant the 5 moral precepts too
What’s Samatha meditation?
Focusing on mindfulness of the body and breath
-aim is to calm the mind
What’s vipassana meditation?
Mind is focused entirely on the present
-aim is to give your full attention to whatever is going on in your mind at the time
What a Buddhist retreat?
Buddhists will retreat to a monastery for a weekend of few days to live with people to live a simple life and practice meditation and rituals
-aim to to gain a deeper understanding of Buddha’s teachings
What happens to Theravada Buddhists at a retreat?
Monks observe Vassa which is an annual retreat lasting 3 months (rainy season)
What’s Wesak and how is it celebrated?
Festival
-Buddhists decorate their homes with candles and paper lanterns
-in Singapore birds are released as a symbol of liberation
What’s Parinirvana Day and how is it celebrated?
Mahayana Buddhist festival to celebrate the Buddha passing into parinirvana
-chance to reflect and remember loved ones who have died
What’s karma?
Idea that Buddhists actions can lead to happiness or suffering
-skilful actions result in good karma
Unskillful actions result in bad karma and suffering
What happenes when a person is reborn ?
Their new life will be affected by their karma from last lives
What’s karuna?
Compassion
-one of the four sublime states that Buddha taught Buddhists should develop
-aim to recognise the suffering of others and do something to make their lives better
What’s metta?
Loving-kindness
-another of the four sublime states
-means desiring other people to be happy
What are the 5 moral precepts?
- to abstain from taking life
- to abstain from taking what is not given
- to abstain from sexual misconduct
- to abstain from wrong speech
- to abstain from intoxicants
What are the 6 perfections?
generosity, morality, patience, energy, meditation and wisdom
