Mahayana exam Flashcards
Talk briefly about the Four Councils that were held after the Buddha’s parinirvana. What
were their approximate dates, where were they held, who was present, and what was the
major “happening” at each? (Exam Q # 35)
First Council: (483 BC) was called by Mahakashyapa during the first rainy season after
the Buddha’s parinirvana and held in Rajgir with 500 Arhats present. At this time,
Ananda recited all of the Sutras (the Discourses of the Buddha); Upali recited the rules of
the sangha (the Vinaya), and Mahakashyapa recited the psychological and philosophical
analyses of the teachings (the Abhidharma).
Second Council: (383 BC) was held in Vaishali with 700 Arhats. Differences have begun
to emerge between groups in the sanghas and some were criticized during this council for
being too lax in their discipline. The division into three main schools began at this time
(the Sthaviravadans, Sarvastivadans, and the Mahasanghikas).
Third Council: approximately 200 years after the death of the Buddha was called by King
Ashoka (276-232 BC) who declared that the Sthaviravadan School was the “correct” one.
He facilitated the spread of this school to the South and in reaction, the Sarvastivadans
migrated west and the Mahasanghika school began its continuing development into the
Mahayana.
Fourth Council: was under the patronage of the “Second Ashoka” King Kanishka
sometime between 1st and 2nd century AD. It was led by the Arhat Parshva and the
Bodhisattva Vasumitra. Here we see that the Mahayana School has fully appeared.
(The “Other” Fourth Council: Was held in Sri Lanka under the patronage of King
Vattagamani (r. 103-77 BCE), it was at this time the Tipiṭaka (in Pali), Tripiṭaka in
Sanskrit, was written down for the first time. The Venerable Maharakkhita and five
hundred monks recited the words of the Buddha and then wrote them down on palm
leaves. After the Council, palm leaves books were made and were taken to other
countries, such as Burma, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos
What were the forces, dates, geographies, and schools that led to the development of the
Mahayana? (Exam Q #1)
200 years after the death of the Buddha, the Third Council was called by King Ashoka. It
was at that time that Buddhism split into the two schools of the Sthaviravadan
(Theravadin) and the Mahayana (rooted in the Mahasanghikas).
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After unsuccessfully trying to modify the Vinaya, a small group of “elderly members”,
i.e. sthaviras, broke away from the majority Mahāsāṃghika during the Second Buddhist
council, giving rise to the Sthavira sect.
Also at this time, King Ashoka declared that the Sthaviravadan School was the “true”
doctrine of the Buddha, and they added 10 more vows than were originally taught. This
led to the other schools, the Sarvastivadan Schools and the Mahāsāṃghika School
moving into other geographical regions.
The Sthaviravadan School (later to become the “Theravadin” School) moved SOUTH to
Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Thailand - basically South and Southeast
Asia.
The Sarvastivadan Schools moved WEST to Kashmir, Afghanistan, and some parts of
Central Asia.
The Mahāsāṃghika School moved NORTH and NORTHWEST to Japan, China, Korea,
Mongolia, and Tibet.
The Sutrayana Schools were mostly gone from India by the 7th century AD.
It was the influence of the Mahāsāṃghika School that led to the division in the sangha as
they were seeking to strengthen the lay community and believed in the fallibility of the
Arhats. They also did not want to add new vows. They are the historical root of the
Mahayana.
There was a shift from the ideal of the Arhat (one who has realized the emptiness of self
and has achieved personal liberation) to the ideal of the Bodhisattva (one who realizes
emptiness of self and of phenomena, becomes awakened in order to help others awake,
and takes a vow to stay in samsara until all sentient beings have awakened).
The Mahayana emphasized compassion and held a vision of spiritual life beyond the
monastic. This tradition spread north and northwest and with King Kanishka’s help in the
1st and 2nd centuries AD, it spread even further – all the way along the Silk Route
toward China. (He was called the “second Ashoka”)
The two main Mahayana Schools that developed were: Madhyamaka (The Middle Way) -
led by Nagarjuna, and Yogācāra (Yoga Practice) or Citta Matra (Mind-Only School) - led
by Asanga. (We will discuss these two main schools in more depth in the coming classes).
Mahayana Buddhism developed strongly until 600 AD when it was largely destroyed by
a militaristic King. However, it revived and flourished again around the 8th century AD
until it was destroyed in India during the 12th-century invasion of the Muslims
What does “bodhicitta” mean in Sanskrit and Tibetan and what is your personal
understanding of it? (Exam Q #15)
Sanskrit - Bodhicitta Bodhi – enlightened, awakened Citta – Mind/Heart Tibetan – Jang chub sem Jang – means to purify or gain Chub – all the good qualities are present Sem – mind
What aspect of bodhicitta do the Six Paramitas come from and what are the Six Paramitas?
hey come from the category of Relative Bodhicitta of Action. They are:
- Generosity (Dana/Jingpa)
- Discipline (Sila/Tsultrim)
- Patience (Shanti/Tsog Pa)
- Diligence (Virya/Tsoundru)
- Meditation/Concentration (Dhyana/Samten)
- Wisdom (Prajna/Sherab)
How do you understand the immeasurable of impartiality (equanimity), and what
traditional story of the Bodhisattva relates to it? How has this practice been important to
you? (Exam Q #17)
Equanimity is a practice of developing a sense of impartiality through understanding that
everyone is ultimately equal because they all have Buddha Nature and they all have the
nature of emptiness. Also, one develops equanimity by releasing grasping, aversion, and
cutting through ignorance.
Bodhisattva Katyayana was watching a scene:
He eats a fish - fish was his father
He kicks the dog - dog was his mother
Plays with child - child was his enemy
Wife gnaws on bones - bones were her husband
“I laugh to see samsara’s show!”
Who was Asanga and what philosophy did he develop? (Exam Q # 12)
Asanga — one of the most famous Indian saints, he lived in the fourth century and was the elder
half brother of Vasubandhu. He received teachings from Maitreya and transcribed them as the
‘Five Treatises of Maitreya’. Together with Asanga’s own commentaries, these texts became the
basis for the philosophical schools known as Yogachara, or Chittamatra.
Asanga was the son of a Buddhist nun who gave up her vows in order to marry and have sons.
She did this because she was worried that the Dharma, particularly the teachings of the
Abhidharma, would not survive and she felt that as a woman she did not have the power to save
it.
Asanga went into a Maitreya retreat for 12 years and through an act of compassion for an injured
dog he attained realization.
He developed the Yogacara School, also called the Cittamatra (Mind-Only) school.
How is Tonglen different from other meditations on love or compassion? How has it
impacted you? (Exam Q #1
Tonglen requires you to actually be willing to take on the suffering of others and is deeply based
on the understanding of emptiness; i.e., there is no taker, no taking, and no suffering. And,
ultimately, there is nothing that needs to be suffered and no cause of suffering.
What is the purpose of meditation on sympathetic joy and how does this connect with the
life of the Buddha? (Exam Q #31)
The purpose of this meditation is to cut through jealousy and envy. Jealousy and envy even affect
great beings like the Buddha. His own cousin Devadatta tried to harm and even kill him out of
jealousy and there were other people as well who tried to kill, harm, and slander him. (As seen in
the story of those who bribed a nun to say that the Buddha had slept with her and then killed this
nun when she recanted.)
How are loving kindness, sympathetic joy, and compassion different in terms of whom we
apply them to? (Exam Q#18)
Loving Kindness – to those in situations/conditions equal to ours
Sympathetic Joy – to those in situations/conditions better than ours
Compassion – to those in situations/conditions worse than ours
What are the categories of Relative Bodhicitta and what practices are connected to them?
Bodhicitta of Aspiration or Wish: The Four Immeasurables
Bodhicitta of Action: The Six Paramitas (Generosity, Discipline, Patience, Diligence,
Meditation/concentration, and Wisdom)
What did Atisha say instead of: ‘How are you?’ (Exam Q #23)
Has your heart been kind?
What are the three categories of a bodhisattva? (Exam Q #24)
Courage of a King - takes care of himself, then cares for others – Leads others to
awakening.
● Courage of a Boatman - crosses the river with people, everyone is in the same boat
together.
● Courage of a Shepherd - care for others, then for self. The herd goes first. The shepherd is
the last one through the gate.
What are the three categories of generosity? (Exam Q# 25)
Gift of material things, teachings, and freedom from fear.
What are the four categories of patience? (Exam Q# 26)
Doing good in the face of bad
● Facing hardship to receive the teachings
● Not being afraid when faced with the teachings of emptiness
● Engaging in bodhisattva conduct
- What are the three categories of meditative stability? (Exam Q# 27)
Childlike concentration – when you are attached to the experiences (Tib. nyams) of
bliss, clarity and absence of thought (Tib. de, sel, mitog pa) in meditation and
intentionally seek them. Your practice is colored by any affinity for experiences.
● Clearly discerning concentration – When you are free from any attachment to
meditative experiences and are no longer fascinated by concentration, but still cling to the
concept of emptiness as an antidote.
● The Excellent concentration of the Tathagatas – when you no longer have any concept
of emptiness as an antidote but remain in a concept-free concentration on the nature of
reality. You find yourself in contemplation of the ultimate nature of phenomena utterly
beyond thought. This is the state practitioners must seek to integrate within.
