Intro to Buddhism 1 (part 2) Flashcards
who is Mara?
the God of death or darkness
what were Mara’s three figures he sent to Siddhartha?
- his 5 daughters
- an army
- himself
how did Mara’s daughters challenge Siddartha?
- they were sent to tempt him away from his goal of enlightenment
- they dressed provocatively, tried to seduce him
what 5 spirits did Mara’s daughters represent?
- greed
- pride
- fear
- ignorance
- desire
how did the army challenge Siddhartha?
they fired flaming arrows at him, but they didn’t make it
- they turned into flower petals when they reached the Bodhi tree
(represented using his mind to turn negative thoughts into positive ones)
how did Mara himself challenge Siddartha?
presented as Siddartha’s ego (attachment to themselves)
- represented his self-doubt
what is the significance of the Earth Mudra?
Siddartha touches the ground (called the Earth Mudra) and declares that he is worthy
what does the Earth represent?
the Earth Goddess, who witnessed all of Siddartha’s good deeds in all of his past lives
what is the meaning of Nirvana?
it is the Sanskrit word for enlightenment
what dilemma did Siddartha have after reaching enlightenment?
he wasn’t sure if he should teach what he learned, because he didn’t know if anyone else would understand his message
what did Brahma tell Siddartha?
Brahma (Hindu creator God) told him to use his wisdom eyes and observe who would understand him
- he realized the 5 ascetics would
why did the Buddha choose to eat the spoiled dishes?
- he wanted to demonstrate he overcame his fears of sickness and death
- he was taking on the negative karma of his disciples
what discovery was recently made at Lumbini park?
a wooden altar that was carbon dated back to 6th century BCE
what type of tree is the Bodhi tree?
a fig tree
what happened at Deer Park?
it is where the Buddha gave his first sermon to the 5 ascetics
what is a stupa/pagoda?
they bury Sariras (relics) in stupas, which are like a tomb or a grave
what are Sariras?
relics that appear in the ashes of a body of an enlightened person
what happened to the Buddha’s sariras?
they were distributed to the 8 kingdoms, fulfilling the prediction he would be a wheel turning king
what is the difference between Stupas and Pagodas?
Stupas -> India, can’t go inside
Pagoda -> China, can go inside, stores scripture
