Buddhist Beliefs Flashcards
What word is used to describe an enlightend persn who chooses to remain in samsara?
Bodhisattva
Which type of Buddhists attempt to become Bodhisattvas
Mahayana Buddhists
What is dependant arising?
Dependant arising is the idea that everything happens depending on certain conditions
What is Dhamma?
Dhamma is the buddhists doctrine that includes to the teaching of the buddha about the nature of existence.
What is anicca?
Anicca means impermanence and encourages buddhists to accept death and suffering as part of life. T he cycle of birth, life death and rebirth is called samsara.
Explain what is meant by Buddha nature?
the idea that everyone can attain Buddhahood
What is samara?
Samsara is the buddhist belief in the cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth.
Which word describes the Buddhist belief that the soul doesn’t have a physical existence?
anatta
List three events that happen in the Buddhas life
He grew up in a life of luxury as the son of a Queen. He was inspired to leave this life by the Four Sights.
After this he lived an ascetic life of self-denial and pain but wasn’t able to become enlightened so left it for the Middle Way between pain and luxury.
Give three of the four noble truths
There is suffering
Suffering has a cause
Suffering can come to an end
There is a path to end suffering.
List the 3 poisons
a pig, a snake and a cockerel, they represent ignorance, hatred and greed
List three aspects of the eightfold path
Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right effort, Right mindfulness, Right concentration, Right understanding, Right intention
List four of the sights Siddartha saw on his trip out the palace?
An old man - everyone ages
An ill man – everyone becomes ill
A dead man – all things die
A holy man – the only answer to these problems
Define Anatta?
The idea of no self. We don’t have a fixed soul.
What is the term for the immaterial part of you that gets transferred from life to life.
Atman
In which country is Pure Land Buddhism the most commonly practised form of Buddhism?
Japan
Give three examples of the five aggregates.
The Five Aggregates are form, mental formation, perception, consciousness and sensation.
What is dependant arising?
Dependent arising is the idea that everything happens depending on certain conditions.
What is dharma?
Dhamma is the buddhist doctrine that includes the teaching of the buddha about the nature of existences.
What text contains the life of the buddha?
Jakarta tales.
Why did the buddha reject his life of wealth? Give two reasons
- He saw the 4 sights
- He wanted to find the path to enlightenment
What is anicca?
impermanence
How does learning about the life of the buddha influence buddhists today?
- He set the path to enlightenment- e.g follow the eightfold path- leads to meditation
- The buddha is not a God - he was also normal - we too can be enlightened - give up 3 poisons
What are teachings about Nirvana?
- Achieved enlightenment - finding end to suffering - the four noble truths
- Out of cycle of Samsara - no longer in the cycle of life death and rebirth
What are the three marks of existence and why are they important?
Anicca - Tis means instability, or a lack of permanence.
Dukkha - means that everything leads to suffering.
Anatta - This means no soul and is the idea that people can and do change in life.
Who is the buddha?
An Indian prince named Siddhartha Gautama, who renounced his wealth and social position
What is nirvana?
liberation from samsara and its limiting conditions.
What is samsara?
the endless cycle of birth and suffering and death and rebirth
What is budhi?
to awaken
What are the four sights?
- an old man
- a dead man
- a sick man
- a holy man
What does ascetic mean?
A person who renounces material comforts to live a self-disciplined live
What is the bodhi tree?
The tree under which Sidartha Gautama achieved enlightenment
What is the middle way?
rejects both the pleasures of sensual indulgence and the self-denial of asceticism
What is sangha?
the Buddhist community of monks and nuns; one of the Three Jewels of Buddhism.
What are relics?
items of religious devotion, especially a piece of the body
What is the dharma?
the teachings of the Buddha.
What is mahayana buddhist?
branch of Buddhism followed in China, Japan, and Central Asia. The focus is on reverence for Buddha and for bodhisattvas
What is theravada buddhism?
Buddhism followed in Sri Lanka and much of Southeast Asia. Therevada remains close to the original principles set forth by the Buddha
Who is King Ashoka?
He spread Buddhism across Asia and established monuments to Gautama Buddha
What is Vajrayana Buddhism?
branch of Buddhism prevalent in Tibet, emphasizes the harnessing of sensual energies to attain nirvana
What is a Bodhisattva?
anyone who is motivated by compassion and seeks enlightenment not only for him/herself but also for everyone
What is a lama?
In Tibetan Buddhism, teachers and heads of monasteries
Who is the Dalai Lama
The head lama of Tibetan Buddhism, the spiritual and political leader of Tibet until 1959
What is the Tripitaka?
“Three Baskets,” the Pali Canon, Vinaya Pitaka, Sutra Pitaka and Abidharrna Pitaka.
What is Vinaya Pitaka?
Code of monastic discipline for monks and nuns.
What is Sutra Pitaka?
Discourses or teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama
What is Pali Canon?
Authoritative scripture of Theravada Buddhists
What is Abidharma Pitaka?
An in-depth analysis of Buddhist doctrine
What is Dhammapada?
“Sayings of the Buddha”
What is Lotus Sutra?
A Mahayana Buddhist text emphasizing a universal message of compassion
What is mandala?
Buddhist diagram of the cosmos using sand
