buddhist practices Flashcards
Q: What is puja in Buddhism?
A: A devotional ritual or prayer performed to show respect and honour to the Buddha.
Q: What are the types of puja?
A: Chanting, meditation, making offerings, and devotional rituals.
Q: What is samatha meditation?
A: Calming meditation that helps develop concentration and mindfulness.
Q: What is vipassana meditation?
A: Insight meditation that leads to wisdom and understanding of the nature of reality.
Q: What is zazen?
A: Seated meditation practiced in Zen Buddhism, emphasizing mindfulness and presence.
Q: What are mantras in Buddhism?
A: Sacred sounds or phrases chanted to aid concentration and spiritual development.
Q: What is the significance of visualisation of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in Buddhism?
A: Practitioners visualize enlightened beings to help develop their own qualities and focus in meditation.
Q: What are the key features of a Buddhist temple?
A: Main hall (gompa), meditation hall, and a shrine containing a Buddha rupa.
Q: What is a stupa?
A: A dome-shaped structure representing the Buddha’s mind, often used for meditation and pilgrimage
Q: What is Wesak?
A: A festival celebrating the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and death.
Q: What is Parinirvana Day?
A: A Mahayana festival marking the Buddha’s death and his attainment of final nirvana.
Q: What are offerings in Buddhist worship and what do they represent?
A: Light (wisdom), flowers (impermanence), incense (purity), etc.
Q: What is the purpose of chanting in Buddhism?
A: To aid concentration and internalize teachings
Q: Why do Buddhists engage in meditation?
A: To develop concentration, mindfulness, insight, and reduce suffering.
Q: What is Buddhist funerary practice for Theravada Buddhists?
A: Transfer of merit to the deceased, rituals like cremation, and offering to monks
Q: What is the Buddhist attitude toward death?
A: It’s a natural part of life and a step in the cycle of samsara.
Q: What are some common practices in Buddhist funerals in Japan and Tibet?
A: In Tibet: Sky burial; in Japan: cremation, chanting, and family rituals.
Q: What is the role of engaged Buddhism?
A: Applying Buddhist teachings to social, political, and environmental issues.
Q: What is Dhamma (Dharma) in Buddhism?
A: The teachings and universal truths taught by the Buddha.
Q: What are the Three Jewels (Refuges) in Buddhism?
A: 1. The Buddha, 2. The Dhamma, 3. The Sangha.
Q: Why are the Three Jewels important?
A: They are the foundation of the Buddhist path and help guide practitioners toward enlightenment.
Q: What are the Three Marks of Existence?
A: 1. Anicca (impermanence), 2. Dukkha (suffering), 3. Anatta (no fixed self).
Q: What is Anicca?
A: The idea that all things are impermanent and constantly changing.
Q: What is Dukkha?
A: Suffering is a part of life; it has causes and can be overcome.
Q: What is Anatta?
A: The belief that there is no permanent, unchanging self or soul.
Q: What is the Story of Kisa Gotami used to illustrate?
A: The concept of Anicca (impermanence).
Q: What are the Four Noble Truths?
A: 1. Dukkha, 2. Samudaya (cause of suffering), 3. Nirodha (end of suffering), 4. Magga (path to end suffering).
Q: What is the cause of suffering according to the Second Noble Truth (Samudaya)?
A: Craving (tanha), ignorance, and attachment.
Q: What is Tanha?
A: Craving or desire which leads to suffering.
Q: What is the solution to suffering according to Buddhism?
A: Following the Eightfold Path to reach Nibbana (Nirvana).
Q: What is the Eightfold Path?
A: A set of principles divided into three sections: Wisdom (Right View, Intention), Morality (Right Speech, Action, Livelihood), and Meditation (Right Effort, Mindfulness, Concentration).
Q: What is the Threefold Way?
A: The grouping of the Eightfold Path into: Wisdom, Morality, and Meditation.
Q: What is Dependent Arising (Paticcasamuppada)?
A: The idea that everything arises in dependence upon conditions; nothing exists independently.
Q: What is Nibbana (Nirvana)?
A: A state of liberation from suffering and the cycle of rebirth.
Q: What is Samsara in Buddhism?
A: The cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.
Q: What is Kamma (Karma)?
A: The law of moral cause and effect – actions have consequences.
Q: What is the importance of Buddhahood?
A: The goal of becoming a Buddha – fully enlightened and free from suffering.
Q: Who is Arhat in Theravada Buddhism?
A: Someone who has achieved enlightenment by following the Buddha’s teachings.
Q: What is a Bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism?
A: Someone who delays enlightenment to help others achieve it.
Q: What is Sunyata?
A: Emptiness – the absence of independent existence in all things.
Q: What is Tathagatagarbha?
A: The belief that everyone has the potential to become a Buddha.
Q: What is Pure Land Buddhism?
A: A Mahayana tradition where followers aim to be reborn in a pure land created by Amitabha Buddha.
