Buddhist Beliefs Flashcards
What was Queen Maya’s dream
That she would give birth to a Holy child
What does the name Siddartha mean?
Perfect fulfilment
What was the prophecy about Siddartha?
That he would become a great ruler or a holy man
Describe Siddartha’s early life
The king wanted to make sure he was shielded from suffering so that he would become a great ruler instead of a holy man, so everything he could want was provided in the castle
What were the four sights
- An old man
- An ill person
- A dead person
- A holy man
Why did Siddartha live an ascetic lifestyle, and what did this involve?
He wanted to find out why people suffer. He gave up all his possessions, fasted for long periods until you could see his spine from his stomach, meditated and avoided anything pleasurable.
What did Buddha find was the best way to live?
The ‘middle way’ - somewhere between his life in the palace and his ascetic life.
Describe the enlightenment of the Buddha
He meditated under the Bodhi tree for 3 days and 3 nights. A demon called Mara attempted to distract him by sending beautiful women and an army of monsters, and even questioning what authority he had to become enlightened. Siddartha responded by touching the earth, which said “I bear you witness”. During this time he gained knowledge of his past lives, understood the cycle of samsara, understood why suffering happens and how to escape it.
What is the Deer Park sermon?
The Buddhas first sermon where he taught about the middle way, 4 noble truths and 8 fold path.
What are the 4 noble truths?
Dukkha: life is suffering
Samudaya: caused by craving
Nirohda: there is an escape
Magga: the escape is the 8 fold path
What does Tanha mean?
Cravings
What are the 3 poisons?
Greed, hatred and ignorance
Causes of all suffering
What are the wisdom aspects of the 8 fold path?
View and intention
What are the morality aspects of the 8 fold path?
Speech, action and livelihood
What are the meditation/mental training aspects of the 8 fold path?
Effort, mindfulness and concentration
What does anicca mean?
Everything is constantly changing
What does anatta mean?
There is no fixed self
What is dukkha?
Suffering
What are the 3 marks of existence?
Anicca, anatta, dukkha
Three characteristics which are common over all aspects of life
What are the 5 precepts
Refrain from taking life
Refrain from taking what is not freely given
Refrain from misuse of the senses (sexual misconduct)
Refrain from wrong speech (lies and gossip)
Refrain from intoxicants
What is the wheel of life
A visual representation of Buddhist philosophy
Wheel represents continuous cycle of rebirth
Poisons are on the first layer to represent the suffering which is intrinsic to life
Buddha represents the escape from samsara
What is samsara
The indefinite cycle of rebirth and misery
What is karma
Consequences of actions which determine what you will be reborn as. Cause and effect. Generated by ethically significant actions which reflect attitudes and beliefs. Good karma is gained by loving kindness (metta) and compassion (karuna)
What is nirvana
The escape from samsara, and the ultimate goal of all Buddhists
What are the 5 skandhas
The aspects which make up the human personality
Sensation, perception, mental formation, consciousness and form
These are all a person is - there is no soul because there is no fixed self
What is pratiyasumatpada?
Dependent origination; everything exists because of an infinite number of variables. A complex web of cause and effect.
What is mettabhavana?
The development of loving kindness through meditation
What is the moral of the story of Nagasena and the chariot?
A human is just the total of their parts - the 5 skandhas, sensation, perception, mental formation, conciousness and form. There is no permanent soul.
What does the term tathagatagharba mean?
It is the Mahayana belief that all people have the potential to achieve enlightenment
What is the dharma/dhamma?
Translates to truth, often refers to the Bhudda’s teachings. It contains practical teachings and guidance to help Bhuddists.
What is the mahayana interpretation of sunyata?
Everything is formed by everything else, so it has no intrinsic value. As it has no substance of itself, it must be empty.
What is the Theravada interpretation of sunyata?
The self is empty because it has no fixed qualities - anatta.
What is an arhat in Theravada Buddhism?
A person who becomes enlightened in their lifetime by following Bhuddist teachings through listening, study and daily practices. They have perfected wisdom and compassion. There is only one Bhudda per age.
What is a bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism?
Someone who takes a vow in front of a Buddhist master. Anyone can become one. They seek enlightenment for the sake of others, and vow to not enter Nirvana until all beings can. They try to keep the 6 perfection ‘paramitas’, whcih are giving, morality, energy, patience, meditation and wisdom.
