Buddhist Beliefs Flashcards
What are features of the Buddha’s early life?
- The Buddha lived in Nepal and he was Lumbini. He was a Hindu
- Siddhartha’s mother dreamt that a white elephant, the symbol of wisdom, entered her womb before he was born
- Siddhartha took 7 steps in all 4 directions when he was born, showing he was special
- His father did not want him to be a holy man
- He was the Son of Kind Suddhodana and was brought up shielded from the suffering of the world
- He lived in luxury in a royal palace until the age of 29
- He married Yashodhara and has a son Rahula
What were the 4 sights which changed his life?
- Old age
- Sickness
- Death
- Holy Man
What were features of the Buddha’s renunciation ?
- he left the palace with his charioteer Chana
- He got off his horse and cut his hair
- He swapped royal clothes with simple clothes
- He crossed the river into the forest
- He joined a group of Holy Hindu men
What are features of the Buddha’s and his time as an ascetic?
- He learnt how to meditate
- He starved himself, denied his body
- He slept on a bed of thorns
- He slept in a forest where it was very cold at night and there were wild animals
- Gave up when a milk maid offered him milk and rice
- Influenced by a man teaching his son how to play the sitar-> if the strings are too tight it will break, if they are too lose, it won’t work= MIDDLE WAY
How did the 4 sights and the Buddha’s early life lead to his enlightenment?
- Four sights made him want to search for the answer to suffering and why people change (anatta and dukkha)
- He realised old age, sickness and death were inescapable
- The Holy Man made him realise happiness is not linked to material goods
- Being a Hindu ascetic and living a life of luxury as a price made him realise you need to live a middle path to be enlightened (middle way)
- He meditated as a boy and this helped him find peace. He knew this would help him be enlightened
What are features of Buddha’s enlightenment?
- He was thrown into doubt by Mara who tried to take his spot
- He was tempted by Mara’s daughters who represented Greed, Ignorance and Anger- the 3 poisons
- He saw all of his past lives (showing rebirths)
- He saw conditionality
- He was liberated in the end and found peace- He saw the world as it really was and was no longer deluded. He achieved Nirvana (the end of suffering)
What are the 3 Marks of Existence/Lakshanas?
Anicca- the world is impermanent
Anatta- no soul/fixed self
Dukkha- all life is unsatisfactory
Why are the 3 Marks of Existence/Lakshanas important?
- Help Buddhists see the world as it really is-> unsatisfactory + changing
- Helps them to realise they are not fixed and suffering will pass
- Helps them to realise that ALL life is unsatisfactory-> no one is alone in suffering
What are the 4 noble truths?
The Buddha used an analogy of a patient and a doctor
1. Dukkha- Life is unsatisfactory (the illness)
2. Samudaya- (the cause of the illness)-> Dukkha is caused by tanha= attachment, which causes the 3 poisons
3. Nirodha- Suffering can end (it can be treated)
4. Magga- 8 fold path, suffering can end by following the Middle Way (the cure)
What are the 8 parts of the 8 fold path?
Right view
Right intention
Right speech
Right action
Right Livelihood
Right Mindfulness
Right concentration
Right effort
What is the 3 fold way?
(3 sections of the 8 fold path)
- Wisdom- view and intention
- Morality- speech, action and livelihood
- Meditation- mindfulness, concentration and effort
Why are the 4 noble truths important to Buddhists?
- They help to see the world as it really is-> Dukkha + its causes
- Help Buddhists achieve enlightenment-> they know the cause of suffering and how to overcome it (tanha + magga)
- They help Buddhists behave morally-> Morality is part of the 8 fold path
- They are the teaching of the Buddha who was an enlightened being-> “our mind is everything, what we think, we become” (8 fold path)
What is Conditionality/Pratitya Samutpada ?
- The law of conditionality that says for every event, there is a cause
- This is a law so it works for anywhere in the universe for all of time
- There is a web of conditionality, so chains of cause and effect link together-> 1 event can send a rippling effect across the whole of nature
IE burning fossil fuels-> pollutes with greenhouse gases, leading to global warming, so icebergs melt and sea levels rise, causing flooding
Why is Conditionality/Pratitya Samutpada important?
- If Buddhists understand conditionality, they will follow the Dharma-> ie 8 fold path, will set up right conditions to end suffering
- Understanding conditionality helps Buddhists realise all their actions have a long standing effect, so they must always act skilfully without the 3 poisons
- “If a man speaks or acts with an impure mind, suffering will follow”-> illustrates law of cause and effect
- “All conditioned things are impermanent, when one sees this with wisdom, one turns away from suffering”-> conditioned things change, so all things change
What is Samsara?
- the IMPERMANENT world we live in
- Buddhists aim to break out of the world of Samsara because it is unsatisfactory
- They can do this with good Karma
