Fundamentals Flashcards
How long and where did Buddha attain enlightenment?
During 7 weeks under the Bodhi Tree
What is the Abhidharma?
Systematic and detailed explanation of all realities / Stripped down, essential, concentrated Buddhist doctrine.
What happened to Buddha after attaining enlightenment?
Several years passed, ascended to the heavenly abode of the 33 gods, taught doctrine, returned to earth and taught for 45 years.
What does “Abhi” “Dharma” mean in Pali?
“Abhi”: higher or further
“Dharma”: elemental truth
What does “Buddha” mean?
Title translated as “the one who has woken up” or “enlightened one.”
What was Buddha’s main goal?
To relieve human suffering.
What was Buddha’s primary answer to suffering?
Awareness. Not ignorance, which intensifies the problem.
What does the process for becoming aware seek?
Simultaneously seeks the mind’s interaction and misinterpretation of the universe.
How many systems of the Abhidharma are there?
Two: one from the original Pali, the other from Sanskrit & Chinese translations.
What is “The Wheel of Life and Death?”
Buddhas only visual aid in a lifetime of teaching people: system of explaining the laws of physical & psychic cause and effect, encompassed in 12 circular links of “interdependent origination.”
In the W.O.L.A.D, what is the scale of time it represents?
Indeterminate; could be a moment, lifetime, or more.
What is the outer rim of the W.O.L.A.D?
Links of causation: ignorance -> reality construction efforts -> reactivity & grasping -> creates certain phenomena -> destruction of said phenomena -> ignorance
In the W.O.L.A.D what are the 6 realms?
States of existence ranging from exultation to Hell
In the W.O.L.A.D, what does the hub of the wheel contain?
Driving forces of human misery: greed, hate, and delusion (ignorance)
What does the W.O.L.A.D start with and emphasize?
Starts with interactive elements of the wheel and emphasizes the process and implications of human consciousness.
