lecture 5 Flashcards
what mad siddartha realize maybe ascetic practices weren’t necessary
overheard a music lesson and heard the teacher say that is the string is too lose there is no sound and if too tight it will break
he thought that a great metaphor– he was pushing his body too hard, the best practice is the middle practice and avoiding extremes
explain the event of sumatra’s offering
very young woman prepared an offering for a diety and she sees suddatha, he looks very inhuman (bc he is an ascetic), she goes and offers him the food (some kind of rice pudding)and he eats it and feels so good that his mind immediately ad naturally settles into a harmonious/kind state
-the other ascetics see him accept the offer and then reject him
what does siddartha do once he leaves the asetics
he decides to sit under a tree until he figures everything out
explain mara’s attack
mara represents all naughty things (kind of like the devil)
- he is upset by siddartha trying to be perfect and send his daughters to try and tempt him along with music and wine but nothing works
- then mara gets even moree angry and sends demonic soldiers to fire arrows at siddartha who is about to become the buddha as he is generating a sense of peace around him
- the soldiers fire flaming arrows at him but when they get close to him they turn to flowers! maya can’t defeat him
define budhi
when siddartha achieves awakening
in this moment he calls to the earth goddess to witness his awakening (touches the earth to do this)
define Bhumisparsa Mudra
earth touching gesture
Define nirvana
extinction
- NOT happy/bliss
- the experience of nirvana is the absence of the 3 afflictions
- not something from he outside, just absence of pain
what are the three afflictions
ignorance, anger/hatred, desire/greed
who does buddha decide to teach/share his knowledge with
wants to go to his past teachers but knows that they are dead
they he goes to the ascetics, they want ignore him at first but then they cant because it is clear there is something different about him and they are compelled to talk and learn from him
what does buddha teach the asetics
karma
4 noble truths
define dharmacakra mudra
the hand gesture of a wheel– thumb touching forefinger
why is the wheel symbolic of buddha
wheels are symbolic of buddha’s spiritual power
buddhists say buddha turned the wheel of dharma, putting something into motion by starting this his teachings
how long did the buddha teach for
45 years, died at 80, became enlightened at 35?
were women permitted to be his deciples
yes
define and explain parinirvana
complete extinction
int he first nirvana his body was still there just absence of the other min things (afflictions?)
this is the nirvana is about the extinction of his body
how did buddha die
food poisoning
Buddha and community of followers developed a pattern of wandering, begged for food and people that gave food aquired all kinds of merit
once a year they gathered in one place to receive teachings
one day they went to the home of the buddha
He KNEW that id he accepted a certain offering of food he would die so he asked the maker of the food to bury it after she ate it and not give it to anyone else
buddha’s process of dying is him entering phases of absorptions and dies
where was buddha put to rest
cremated, remains put into a stupa
what is a stupa
heap/pile/mound
explain what happens at a stup
people walk around it clockwise bc rich side faces the stupa and this is seen as the more pure/clean side
