Buddhist : Beliefs And Teachings Flashcards
When was Buddhism created ?
2500 years ago in Nepal
What’s the real name of Buddha ?
Sidartha Gautama
What are Theravadan Buddhists beliefs ?
Strong monastic community
Main focus is on three refuges
Embrace the five aggregates
Only men can be enlightened
What’s the name for an enlightened Theravadan buddhist ?
Arhat
What’s an arhat ?
An arhat has overcome suffering
An arhat escapes the cycle of samsara
What are the beliefs of an Mahayana buddhist ?
Believe that the Buddha remains an active influence on the world
They believe everyone has the ability to become enlightened
What is the name for an enlightened Mahayana buddhist ?
Bodhisattva
What are a bodhisattvan beliefs ?
They stay in the cycle of samsara out of compassion (good heart)
They overcome six perfections
What do the six perfections teach ?
The six attributes a mahayanan will perfect to become a bodhisattva
Name the six perfections ?
Generosity
Morality
Patience
Energy
Meditation
Wisdom
What does the sunyata translate to ?
Emptiness
What is the meaning of sunyata ?
Everything is empty of independent existence
What tradition of Buddhism understand the concept of sunyata ?
Mahayana
What is pure land Buddhism ?
A part of Mahayana Buddhism based on the Buddha
What is the overall concept of pure land ?
The pure land contains no suffering
If you enter pure land you are enlightened
What are the four noble truths ?
The buddhist teachings about suffering
What are the three types of suffering ?
Dukkha - ordinary suffering
Viparinhama - suffering because of change
Samskara- unsatisfaction
What is the second noble truth ?
Explains why we suffer due to craving
What is sensory craving ?
Craving things that please senses
What are the three poisons ?
Greed, ignorance, hatred
They cause all suffering
What is the third noble truth ?
Nirohda- the end of suffering
What is metta ?
Loving kindness
What does the third noble truth teach ?
By giving up craving suffering can be defeated (nirohda)
What’s the fourth noble truth ?
The eightfold path (magga) which leads to the end of the cycle of samsara
What is the eightfold path ?
The king of right action the end samsara
Right - conduct, speech, action, livelihood, discipline, effort, mindfulness
What does the Dharma wheel represent ?
The eightfold path and cycle of life and rebirth and how to escape it through action (samsara)
What does the lotus flower represent ?
The journey to enlightenment / buddhist end goal
What do Buddhists use meditation (worship) for ?
To focus their mind of the teachings of Buddha
Difference between Theravada and Mahayana Buddhists ?
Theravada Buddhists strive to become Arhats and gain freedom from the cycle of samsara, Mahayana Buddhists may choose to stay in the cycle of samsara out of compassion for others.
What are the four sights ?
Old age, holy man, illness, death
And part of Jataka
What is the jataka ?
As series of tales
What does annica mean ?
Impermanence
What does Anatta mean ?
No fixed self
Buddhists believe in the soul
Explain the concept of dependant arising ?
This means that everything mental or physical exists due to the dependence of other things
What is nibbana ?
The realisation for Buddhists when they have broken away from the cycle of samsara
What are the five aggregates/ skandas ?
The human personality :
Form
Consciousness
Sensation
Mental formations
Perception
What do the 5 aggregates teach ?
The way we interpret things due the 5 parts of our body
What did Buddhas ascetic life teach him ?
The middle way is the path the enlightenment and that temptation can be overcome
What is the Dhammapada ?
Verses of wisdom said to be spoken from the Buddha himself
What three things do you overcome in Buddhahood ?
The three marks of existence (anicca), (dukkha), (anatta).
What are the three marks of existence and explain them
Dukkha - suffering is everywhere
Anicca - constantly changing
Anatta - no fixed self
