lecture 5

Question 1

what mad siddartha realize maybe ascetic practices weren’t necessary

Answer 1

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

Question 2

explain the event of sumatra’s offering

Answer 2

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

Question 3

what does siddartha do once he leaves the asetics

Answer 3

he decides to sit under a tree until he figures everything out

Question 4

explain mara’s attack

Answer 4

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

Question 5

define budhi

Answer 5

when siddartha achieves awakening

in this moment he calls to the earth goddess to witness his awakening (touches the earth to do this)

Question 6

define Bhumisparsa Mudra

Answer 6

earth touching gesture

Question 7

Define nirvana

Answer 7

extinction

• NOT happy/bliss
• the experience of nirvana is the absence of the 3 afflictions
• not something from he outside, just absence of pain

Question 8

what are the three afflictions

Answer 8

ignorance, anger/hatred, desire/greed

Question 9

who does buddha decide to teach/share his knowledge with

Answer 9

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

Question 10

what does buddha teach the asetics

Answer 10

karma

4 noble truths

Question 11

define dharmacakra mudra

Answer 11

the hand gesture of a wheel– thumb touching forefinger

Question 12

why is the wheel symbolic of buddha

Answer 12

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

Question 13

how long did the buddha teach for

Answer 13

45 years, died at 80, became enlightened at 35?

Question 14

were women permitted to be his deciples

Answer 14

yes

Question 15

define and explain parinirvana

Answer 15

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

Question 16

how did buddha die

Answer 16

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

Question 17

where was buddha put to rest

Answer 17

cremated, remains put into a stupa

Question 18

what is a stupa

Answer 18

heap/pile/mound

Question 19

explain what happens at a stup

Answer 19

people walk around it clockwise bc rich side faces the stupa and this is seen as the more pure/clean side