Buddhist Practices Flashcards
What are Buddhist places of worship?
Temple, monastery and shrine
What is a temple?
A place where Buddhist come together to practice
Often at the heart of a Buddhist community
What is shrine?
An area with a statue of a Buddha or Bodhisattva, which provides Buddhists with a focal point for meditation and devotion
What is a monastery (vihara)?
A place where Buddhist monks and nuns live
What is the purpose of worship?
Allows Buddhists to express their gratitude and respect for the Buddha and his teachings
Engaging with the mind
Contemplating and reflecting
How do Buddhists worship?
Chanting Offerings Meditation Bowing Sacred text
Uses of the monastery (vihara)
A place where Buddhist monks and nuns can live
They have chosen to dedicate their lives to spiritual practice
Spend their days studying, practicing and meditating
They live a simple lifestyle
Their needs ; eat, study and sleep
What is a stupa and why is it important?
A small building in a monastery that contains holy relics
When the Buddha died his body was cremated - stupas built to hold his ashes
Different types of mediation
Samatha
Vipassana
Zazen
Visualisation
What is meditation?
A practice of calming and focussing the mind, reflecting deeply on specific teachings to penetrate their true meanings
What is samatha meditation?
“Calming meditation”
A type of meditation that involves calming the mind and developing deeper concentration
Focus on mindfulness of breathing
Purpose of samatha meditation
Learning to focus on one object helps to develop a calm concentrated mind
What is vipassana meditation?
“Insight meditation”
A type of meditation that involves developing understanding of the nature of reality
What is zazen meditation?
A type of meditation in Zen Buddhism that requires awareness of the present moment
What is visualisation (meditation)?
Imagining or “seeing” an object in one’s mind
Theravada funerals
Little money is spent
Families/friends donate to a worthy cause instead
Rituals may be performed that transfer merit to the deceased
A shrine is set up
Offerings for the Buddha
Ceremonies/rituals in Tibet and Japan
“Sky burial” - body left in high place as gift to vultures
Customary now to burn the body
In Japanese Pure Land may place head pointing west
What is Wesak?
A Theravada festival that celebrates the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and death
How do Buddhists celebrate Wesak?
Light up homes with candles, lamps or lanterns and decorate
Make offerings to the Buddha
Give food, candles and flowers to monks
In Sri Lanka they release caged birds to represent liberation
In Indonesia lanterns are lit to float into night sky
Light used to overcome the darkness or ignorance as symbol of hope
What is Parinirvana Day?
Mahayana festival that commemorates the Buddha’s passing into Paranirvana
Also can reflect on own death or death of a loved one
How do Buddhists celebrate Paranirvana Day?
Celebrated to remember Buddha passing into Paranirvana
It’s a chance to reflect on the fact of their own future death and remember friends/relatives who have passed away
Buddhists spend time in temples and monasteries
Meditation is done to remind Buddhists nothing is permanent
Pilgrimage to Kushinger in India (where Buddha passed away)
What is an example of a chant Buddhists do and what does it mean?
Om mani padme hum - hail to the jewel of the lotus
Believe it will bring great blessing to them
