Buddhist Practices Flashcards
What do Buddhists normally have a room in their home reserved for
Worship
Can contain thinks like Buddha statues, incense, candles, paintings etc
What are the two main places of worship??
Temples
Viharas
What is a vihara
A Buddhist monastery
What is a stupa
A sealed cone shaped shrine, containing relics
People will often walk around them
What is a ‘wat’
A sacred area containing a temple, vihara and a large painting of Buddha and three resident bhikkhus
What is a gompa
A remote place in Tibet contains a vihara, university and fortifications
What are some characteristics of a Buddhist temple??
Always facing the east for the rising sun
Designed to symbolise air, fire, water earth and wisdom (the five elements)
Learning is very important in Buddhism so most contain a library
What are three main Buddhist objects of devotion
Offerings (preparation for meditation, often candles, incense, food drink etc)
Buddharupas- statues of those who have reached enlightenment, sometimes with symbolic items
Bodhi tree- the direct descendant of the tree Buddha sat under is at the mahabodhi temple
When is bodhi day
8th of December
The greeting shared that day is ‘may the peace of Buddha be yours’
What is the triple gem
Things offerings are made to
What are common features of Buddharupas
Long ears Long fingers and toes A bump on the top of the head (represents wisdom) Broad shoulders Long slim nose
What does puja refer to
It refers to as honour, worship and devotion
What are the two different types of puja
In Theravada Buddhism it is focused on gaining merit and peoples personal benefit from it
In Mahayana Buddhism the focus is more on others and asking Buddhas to keep teaching for the good of the world
What are the features of puja
It’s seen as a way to prepare for the path of enlightenment
It can be expressed through the body, mind and speech
It is a giving in order to help others and themselves
It is an example of inner devotion
What is more important than any ritual for Buddhists
Puja
What are the different forms of puja
Pilgrimage, blessing, prostration, merit- making, offering, recitation and meditation
What is the pinnacle of all devotion seen as in Buddhism
Puja in a pilgrimage
Where did Buddha recommend all Buddhists should go on a pilgrimage to??
Bodh gaya
How many offerings does Mahayana Buddhism practice giving
7: 2 for hospitality, 5 for the senses
What offerings are given to represent the end of the darkness of ignorance
Candles and lights
Offerings are usually made to a Buddha image
What’s an example of a traditional text that’s recited
The Three refuges
What are meant to provide a blessing and how
Ceremonies, by asking Buddha for a blessing or repentance to be free from kamma
What is merit and how do you gain it
It is a gained form of energy, through merit making practices targeted at a certain person or deity
What is prostration
An act of humility done for the three jewels (Buddha, sangha and dhamma) usually done three times
Name two importances of puja
It allows Buddhists to express gratitude towards the Buddha
It allows Buddhists to overcome suffering in their life, supported by the three jewels ‘to the Buddha for refuge i go’
What is a mantra
A sacred sound Buddhists believe to have spiritual power
They guard the spiritual life.
What are Mala beads
They are beads consisting of 18, 27, 54 or 108 beads used to keep count during mantras
Made from either bodhi wood or rattan seeds
What is the meaning of mala beads
They remind people it is possible to break the cycle of life and death
What are the aims of meditation
To practice transforming one’s mind for clearer vision and ultimate peace
What is meditation based on
The experience of the Buddha
What is samatha
Concentration performed in order to clear the mind
What are the two types of necessary meditation
Samatha meditation- known as the calming meditation, supposed to lead to a calmer and settled mind
Vipassana, insight into the true nature of reality
What are some other forms of meditation
Mindfulness breathing
Zazen, a seated meditation as means of insight into the nature of existence
A quote to support meditation
‘Those on the meditative path will be released from Maras fetter’
What are the nine levels of rebirth
There is the highest, middle and lowest grade and within those are the high, middle and low levels
What does the Buddha describe to the imprisoned queen vaidehi
The thirteen visualisation methods in correspondence to the level of rebirth
A quote for the mind
‘Mind proceeds all knowables, mind’s their chief, mind made are they’
What is chanting
A spiritual means to prepare one’s mind for meditation.
What does death mean for Buddhists
It’s the end of this life and the beginning of the next
It reminds people of the Buddhas teaching of impermanence
It is the accumulation of all a persons kamma to determine their next life
What will happen a week after a Buddhists death in Theravada Buddhism
A monk will visit the family and close friends to give a sermon
Death rates are one of the only life cycle rituals monks will play a role in
What almost always happens to bodies after death
Cremation.
What is the time between death and rebirth in Buddhist tradition
49 days
What do Mahayana Buddhists do in the 49 days after death
Perform multiple ceremonies
Recite the amithaba sutra
What to Tibetan Buddhists do during the 49 days after death
Read the book of the Dead
What is an annual retreat in Theravada Buddhism and how long does it last??
Vassa is a three month long retreat (July-October)
What is another way of observing vassa
Giving up meat or smoking
Where do monks stay during vassa
Temples or monasteries.
What is Wesak day??
A day celebrating the birth, enlightenment and death of siddartha Gautama
What happens on wesak day
People only eat vegetarian food
Offerings of flowers, candles and incense are made
Buddhists arrive at their temple before sunrise to rise the Buddha flag and sing hymns
Some stay in the temple all day, wearing white to practice the noble eightfold path
Monks recite the verses of Buddha for peace
What ends vassa
Kathina
What festival do Mahayana Buddhist used to celebrate the Buddha
Parinirvana
This is used to celebrate the Buddha reaching nirvana or passing into parinirvana (dying)
What are different ways people celebrate parinirvana
Some see it as a solemn occasion and reflect on the impermanence of life
Others use it as a day for pilgrimage and perform puja
What days in Theravada Buddhism are used to ‘cleans the mind’
Uposatha days
