Buddhist practices

Question 1

What is a temple?

Answer 1

A place where Buddhists come together to worship.

Question 2

What is a shrine?

Answer 2

An area with a statue or image of a Buddha or Bodhisattva. It provides a focal point for meditation.

Question 3

What is a monastery?

Answer 3

It is a place where a community of Buddhist monks or nuns live.

Question 4

What does a temple consist of?

Answer 4

A main hall- where Buddhists practice together. It usually contains a statue of the Buddha (Buddha Rupa).
A meditation hall where they can meditate.
A study hall for meetings or lectures.
A shrine dedicated to the Buddha.
A stupa

Question 5

What is a stupa?

Answer 5

A small building or tower in the monastery that contains relics.

Question 6

What do Buddhists offer to shrines?

Answer 6

Light/candle- symbolise the Buddha, wisdom and enlightenment.
Flowers- as flowers decay they remind Buddhists of anicca.
Incense- symbolises purity, reminding Buddhists of practicing pure thoughts.

Question 7

What are examples of ways Buddhists worship?

Answer 7

Reciting mantras. Making offerings. Meditation. Chanting sacred texts. Bowing. Rituals and ceremonies.

Question 8

Why do Buddhists worship?

Answer 8

They worship to express their gratitude towards the Buddha.
Deepen their understanding of the Buddhas teachings.
Move closer to the Buddha and what he symbolises.

Question 9

Why do Buddhists chant?

Answer 9

Chanting calms and focuses the mind.

It is a devotional practice that increases receptivity towards the Buddha and his teachings.

Question 10

What are mantras?

Answer 10

It is a sequence of sacred syllables that is chanted out loud or in the mind over and over.
It helps to concentrate the mind and is a form of meditation.

Question 11

What is Samatha meditation?

Answer 11

A type of meditation that involves calming the mind and leads to the development of the insight of nature.

Question 12

How do Buddhists practice Samatha meditation?

Answer 12

In Samatha meditation the breath can be used to become more mindful. They focus on their breathing, helping to calm them and make them more present and aware.
Using Kasinas helps them to concentrate on an object.

Question 13

What is Vipassana meditation?

Answer 13

‘Insight meditation’. A type of meditation that involves developing an understanding of the nature of reality.

Question 14

What is the aim of Vipassana meditation?

Answer 14

To understand how all things are characterised by the 3 marks of existence.
Achieve enlightenment
Develop greater wisdom about the world.
Gain insight into the nature of reality.

Question 15

What do Buddhists do during Vipassana meditation?

Answer 15

They change their focus between different objects, emotions and experiences. The aim of focusing on the object is to understand its true nature and how it is characterised by the 3 marks of existence.

Question 16

What is visualisation?

Answer 16

The meditator imagines an object in their mind. They will try to imagine the object in great detail. They also focus on its spiritual qualities.

Question 17

Explain some ways Buddhists practice visualisation?

Answer 17

Tibetan Buddhists visualise a deity (Buddha or Bodhisattva). They imagine themselves as that deity to absorb its spiritual qualities.
Some Buddhists may use a Thangka or Mandala to help them visualise a deity.

Question 18

What is a thangka and mandala.

Answer 18

Thangka= a detailed painting of a Buddha or Bodhisattva.
Mandala= an intricate, colourful circle that represents the Buddhist teachings or principles. In Tibetan monasteries they use sand to show anicca.

Question 19

What are some examples of Buddhas or Bodhisattvas meditators might try to visualise?

Answer 19

The medicine Buddha: Visualising it may reduce suffering and promote healing powers.
Buddha Amitabha: Pure land Buddhists visualise the Buddha Amitabha in the hope it will help them be reborn in the pure land.

Question 20

What are some ways Buddhists treat the dead?

Answer 20

Theravada Buddhists: little money is spent on the funeral. Family and friends donate to a worthy cause to transfer good karma to the dead person. A shrine may display the deceased picture. The person is cremated and the mourners contemplate anicca.
Tibetan Buddhists; Sky burial. Vultures eat the body.

Question 21

Describe a Theravada festival? Not needed

Answer 21

Wesak: It commemorates the Buddhas life in 3 parts- birth, enlightenment and death.
People light up their homes with candles, attend worship in a local temple and make offerings to the Buddha.

Question 22

Describe a Mahayana festival? Not needed

Answer 22

Parinirvana day: Celebrated to remember the Buddhas passing into parinirvana (the final state of nivarna). They remember the teaching of anicca.
They will meditate and worship at home or with others or go on a retreat and meditate.

Question 23

What are the 6 realms?

Answer 23

Animals, angry gods, gods, humans, hungry ghosts and tormented beings.

Question 24

What is Karuna?

Answer 24

Compassion: feeling concerned for the suffering of others. Karuna is one of the 4 sublime states. It is very important for Mahayana Buddhists to develop this quality to become a Bodhisattva.

Question 25

How do beliefs in Karuna influence a Buddha?

Answer 25

They will try to relieve others from suffering. Donating to a charity such as ROKPA which provides education to children to help them out of poverty. Mahayana Buddhists stay in the cycle of samsara to help others.

Question 26

What is Metta? Not needed

Answer 26

Loving Kindness: it is the desire for others to be happy. It can be developed through loving kindness meditation. Buddhists have this attitude to help them overcome the 3 poisons.

Question 27

What is loving kindness meditation?

Not really needed but good to have as a backup.

Answer 27

Meditation where Buddhists think of 4 different people and imagine the people looking happy. They reflect on the positive qualities of each person. They imagine themselves, good friend, neutral person and a difficult person.

Question 28

What are the 5 moral precepts? Not needed

Answer 28

Refrain from taking life. Not killing any living being. .
Refrain from taking what is not given. Not stealing from anyone.
Refrain from the misuse of the senses. Not having too much sensual pleasure. .
Refrain from wrong speech. Don’t gossip of lie.
Refrain from intoxicants that cloud the mind

Question 29

What are the 6 perfections used for? Not needed

Answer 29

6 qualities that Mahayana Buddhists try to develop in order to become a Bodhisattva.

Question 30

What are the 6 perfections? Not needed

Answer 30

Generosity, morality, patience, energy, meditation, wisdom.

Question 31

What is Zazen meditation?

Answer 31

It is seated meditation which originates from Japan.
It begins with mindfulness breathing. The meditator sits, aware of the current moment.
Thoughts come and go and the meditator returns again to the present moment.
It leads to a deeper understanding of the nature of existence.

Question 32

Describe a funeral in Japan for Japanese Pure land Buddhism.

Answer 32

The coffin is placed with the head pointing towards the west, towards Sukhavati. They chant Amitabha’s name around the coffin.
After the cremation the relatives will pick out the bones with chopsticks. These remains will be kept for 49 days and prayers will be offered every 7th day.