Buddhist beliefs and teachings Flashcards
What is Buddhism
A religion foudned around 2500 years ago by Siddhartha Gautama .
-Born around 500 BCE in Lumbini in Southern pal and he ws a prince .
Birth of Siddhartha
Queen Maya had a dream that wife elephant vsmfr foen from heaven and give birth to a holy child ahieve perfect widsom .
Significance of Siddharthas berth
- when Siddhartha was born , he immediately walked seven steps each time lotus flower appered .
- He then stopped nd said @No further rebirthsI have to endre for this is my last ody @ his quote REAFFIRMS IN THE BELIEF IN RE-INCARNTION .
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-after his birth there wad a porphecy he would become a great king or holy man .
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Buddha grew up in a palace surrounded by lxuury . The father wanted to make sure that siddhartha becme only a king so decded to protect Siddhartha from any suffering as he didn’t want him being a holy man .
-he thought if he got attachd to luxuryhe wouldnt elave the palace .
How did the four sights occur ?
Siddharhta grew curious about res of the world so leaft the palace grounds with channa his driver .
What are the Jakata tales ?
-Popular stories about the lives of the Buddha .
What was the first sight that Siddhartha saw and hat is its significance ?
- He saw an old man
- he was shocken and this was his first experience of old age .
What was the second sight that Siddhartha saw and hat is its significance ?
- Saw a sick man
- distrubed him as he had never seen sickness or illness before and he began to understand that illess was a reality of life .
What was the third sight that Siddhartha saw and hat is its significance ?
He saw a dead man
-struck him a he realised death came to everyone even if they wre a king , everyone is born , gor , suffer and die .
What was the foruth sight that Siddhartha saw and hat is its significance ?
He saw a holy man .
-The peaceful expression on he hol mans face impressed Siddhartha and he waned o become a wandeing truh seeker .
Beggining of Siddharthas request to find turth of suffering .
-A SADHU showed him you can be content and happy with life without material belongings .
the four sights led the Buddha to leave the life of luxury in the palace .
. Also is evidence for the INEVITABILITY OF SUFFERING which is evidence for IMPERNANCE - three of the four sights represents impermanence and the cause of suffering .
Leaving the palace signifiance
-when leaving to find the answer to the porblem of suffering ,
siddhartha gae up his possesions and he symbols of his pervious life , by doing this , it shows siddhartha was letting fo of the things he hught were keeping him ignorant and thus resulting in suffering .
Meaning of ascetic ?
-Living a simple and strict lifestyle with few pleasures or possesions ; someone who follows ascetic pracicies .
Ascetic life of the Buddha
sddhartha was inspired by the holy man and therefore , became an ascetic , he rejected anythign that would give him pleasure and pracicsed extreme self discipline .
- In particular he began to practise meditaition .
- It is said hat meditiation only gave siddhartha a feeling of bliss , but did not offer him a permanent solution ot hthe suffering that people had experienced .
What is meditiation ?
-A practise of calming and focusing the midn , and reflecting deeply on specific teachings to penenetrate their true meaning .
How did the buddha turn away from asceticism ?
- When SIddhartha finished bathing he met a girl who offerened sddharha a bowl of milk and rice shwoed karuna .
- He accepted the food because he had become , by this point , to weak o meditate .
How did the buddha turn away from asceticism ? (2)
The meeting was important as the food restored his strength so he decided to stop his ascetic practices as he ws no closer to the turh about suffering .
How did the buddha turn away from asceticism ? (3)
- The ascetic life is imporant as it shows that neither luxury nor an ascetic life can allow you to reach enlightenment - the MIDDLE WAY is the best .
What happened after the ascetic life ?
After rejecting this lfiestyle , SIddhartha wondered if meditation might be a way of atainign the wisdom and compassion of enlightenmen t.
buddha syas
“Until I attain supreme enlightenment i will not give up this seat of meditation.”
What happened when Siddhartha began to meiditaite .
-Mara the evil one appeared to try to stop him form chieving enlightenment . Mara tried many different tactics .
What are the four tactics
- He sent his daughters to seduce Siddhartha .
- He sent his armies to attack Siddheha .
- He offered Siddhartha control of his kingdom .
- Mara himslef tried to attack Siddhartha .
Who is mara ?
A demon that represens spirtual obstacle , especially temptation .
Throughout it all Siddhartha stayed focusedo n his meditation and ignored the temprations of Mara’s daghter , Mar cliamed hat he needed someone sit as witness of the englightenment of Buddha so siddhartha touched round made peepul tre .
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during the night that siddhrth became enlightened , he experienced the hree watches .
the three realisaoins hat the Buddha made in order to achieve enlightenment.
what was the first watch
-He gained knowledge of all his previous lives .
what is the second watch
-Secondly , he came to understand he repeating cycle of life , deah and rebirth . He understood that beings were born depending on their kamma (their actions ) , and he realised the importance of anatta (there is no fixed self )/
what is the third watch
-Thirdly , he came to undersand why suffering happens and hwo to overcome it .
after the three watches he became the enlightenedone
-then he went to hsi five ascetics and asked anyone woh would follow him and reject a life of extremism.
What is the Dhamma ?
The Buddha’s teachings
What does the dhamma mean ?
-It means the ‘truth’ about the nature of existence , as understood by the Buddha when he became enlightened . (Hhis four noble ttruths and three marks of existence are examples of this . .
Key thing about the Buddha’s teachings ?
-These teachings are not forced upon anyoene he said his teachis is ‘ a mean of practise not something to hoold onto or worship’
-You can also try different beliefs as well .
THIS IS A CONTRATS FROM CHRISTIANITY THERE IS NO RULE TO FOLLOW MOE LIKE A GUIDE TO HELP OU ACHIEVE HAPPINESS AND RELIEF FROM SUFFERING .
What do the Buddha’s teachings actuallyd o ?
- Many Buddhists say that following the Buddh’as teachings has relived them of muchs ufferign and they have found the greater emeaning and happiness in life .
- More aware and compassionate for others
Disadvantages of questioninh the Budddha ?
- uddhism starts to loose its ‘natre’ people start to question it .
- Easier to follow if there were rules @security’ people might feel overwhelemed ude to lack of guidance possibly leading them to quesiton faith ./
What are the three refuges ?
They all help to relieve suffering in a way .
- THE BUDDHA
- All those who have become enlightened following the Buddha’s techings . The DHAMMA
- The community of all those who follow the Buddha’s eachings whther ordained or lay .
The importance of the three refuges ?
- To go or refuge is to seek safety . For Buddhists it means looking for safety from suffering .
- When buddhsits take refuge from suffering by following hree refuges , they trust these things as LASTING SOURCES OF SAFETY from suffering . sking them to guide them in wisdom and karuna .
- MOREOVER , they are also expressing their longing for enlighenment and commitment in following the path leading to enlightenment .
IF 12 MARKER - why is the Buddha most imporant of the three refuges
- He provides an example for Buddhistd to follow .
- If he had not discoevred the Dhamma and taught it , buddhits imght never have been able to undertand he way out of suffering .
IF 12 MARKER - why is he Dhamma the most important of the three refuges
- -The Dhamma is the most important as it describes the way things are .
- This ‘truth’ exited long befor the buddha recognised it ( like how gravity always exited whether anyone discovered it or not ).
IF 12 MARKER - why is the sangha he most important of the three refuges .
- For an oridnary person o follow the Buddha’s teachings it is very encourgaing to know other ordinary people have reached wisdom and compassion of enlightenmen not jus the Buddha .
- Nuns and moks are essential a guides to less pexperienced Buddhists .
- Sangha in a buddhists every day life can proivde support , encouragement and friendship .
What is paiccsamuppada (dependant arising )
- he idea ha all things arise in dependence upon conditons .
- BASICALLY , nothing is permanent and unchaging . everything is interdependent on everything .
What is the tibetan wheel of life \/
- An image that symbolises samsara .
- on outer circle has 12 niddanas
- many buddhiss believe that when they die , their consciousness transfers o a ne body . Wheel shows continual cycle of life , death and rebirth (cycle of samsara)
What are nidanas ?
12 factors hat illustrate the process of birth , death and rebirth .
what determines what a buddhist is reborn into ?
Their actions kama , good intentions good actions , bad actions conseqeunces .
-KARMA IS A SPECIFIC EXAMPLE OF DEPENDENT ARISING SHOWING HOW A PERSONA CTIONS CREATES THE CONDITIONS OF SOMEONES FUTURE HAPPINESS OR SUFFERING .