Buddhist concepts Flashcards
What is Nirvana?
Nirvana is the distinguishing of he three things that cause suffering
What are the three poisons that Nirvana aims to extinguish?
- Greed/lust
- anger/hatred
- ignorance
What is the turning of the wheel of dharma representing?
The Dharma wheel is the weapon used to destroy the bad parts of human desire
What is the Buddhas teaching on the cause of misery?
The cause of our misery is not desire, but our desire to rid life of all things bad in order to have ultimate pleasure
What do they call someone that becomes enlightened through a Buddhas teaching?
Arhat
What does buddhism suggest about devotion vs intentionality?
Buddhism suggests that its the intention with which you do something that matters
What is the concept of Upaya?
Skilfulness- the buddha will adjust his teachings with skill to the person he’s teaching
Whats the buddhas first teaching?
All things are conditioned - everything’s always changing
What are the three marks
- Impermanence
- Non- self
- Unsatisfactoriness
What is the concept of impermanence?
everything on earth changes and never stays the same
Whats the concept of non-self?
nothing has a permanent essence, soul or self - reality is characterised by processes that we can change
What is the concept of disatisfactoriness?
Nothing brings lasting happiness
What is parinirvana?
An ultimate form of nirvana – achieved only at the end of ones lifetime (when the body dies)
What are the five aggregates?
Form
Sensation
Perception
Conception
Consciousness
What are the four noble truths?
⁃ all of life entails a particular kind of misery or dissatisfaction
⁃ The cause of that misery is clinging
⁃ The end or lessening of misery is the removal/ ceasing of clinging
⁃ The way to end one’s misery is by following the noble eight-fold path
What are the five vows for monks and nuns?
⁃ refrain from killing
⁃ From stealing
⁃ Sexual misconduct
⁃ Lying
⁃ Intoxicants
Whats the noble eightfold path (VISALEMC)
V- right vision
I- right intention
s- right speech
A- right action
L- right livlihood
E- right effort
M- right mindfulness
C- right concentration
What does the buddha teach in his first sermon?
The middle path- one should avoid both extremes of sensual happiness and self destruction. One must find the middle way which is the way of the eightfold path
What are the four mindfulnesses?
- Ones body (breath and other physical sensations)
- Ones feelings (emotions, impulses, thoughts, and mental sensations)
- Ones ideas or views
- The true nature of all things (i.e. their impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, and non-substantiality)
What does right concentration suggest?
- The buddha taught specific techniques for the cultivation of right concentration or mental culture, which can be divided into two types
- Samatha – tranquillity
- Vipasyana – insight – to really look directly into what you’ve chosen to focus on d
What does Right view or understanding suggest?
- Clear understanding of the three marks of existence – that all existence is characterised by impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, and non self
- Understanding of how conceptions of a permanent self-influence our thoughts and actions and bind us to unsatisfactory existence
- Understanding of how skilfulness is key to changing ourselves
Right intention (or right thought)
- Freedom from unwholesome states of mind, such as the three poisons: greed, anger, and ignorance
- Cultivation of wholesome states of mind, such as the four ‘heavenly abodes’ or ‘four immeasurables’
- Loving kindness (maitri)
- Compassion (karuna)
- Joy (mudita)
- Equanimity (upeksa)
What are the 6 realms in the wheel of becoming?
- Devas (celestial beings)
- Anit- gods or angry gods (demons)
- Human beings (the only ones that can become enlightened)
- Animals
- Hungry ghosts
- Hell
What is the concept of Dependent origination?
explains how all phenomena arise and cease based on conditions. It is a core teaching that describes the cycle of existence (samsara) and how suffering (dukkha) is perpetuated.
In the 12 linked chain of dependent origination- where does the buddha believe humans can change their cycle of samsara?
Desire or craving – THIS IS WHERE U BREAK IT
