MT 1

Question 1

Three Realms (Tridhatu)

Answer 1

The 3 realms in Buddhist Cosmology that the 31 levels of existence in samsara can be grouped into. A being in samsara is constantly rebirthed within these realms.

The form realm, formless realm and the sense realm

Sense Realm –> kamadhatu

Form Realm –> rupadhatu,

Formless Realm –> arupadhatu

The 4 form dhyanas and the 4 formless dhyanas corresp to the form and formless realms respectively as the realms not only describe levels of existence but also meditative states of mind that can be attained

Question 2

Six destines of rebirth

Answer 2

The 6 types of rebirths that can be obtained within the sense (desire) realm

1) Devas
- Multiple Emotions
2) Asuras (demigods or jealous gods), low level gods
- Jealousy
3) Humans
- Multiple Emotions
4) Animals
- Ignorance
5) Hungry Ghosts –> cannot eat food but are dominated by the desire to eat food
- Greed
6) Hell –> in constant pain and punishment, hence feel anger
- Anger

Best to be born as human cause perfect balance

Question 3

Mount Meru

Answer 3

Center of world systems, each containing the 31 realms

There are 4 great continents surrounding mount meru

The increase in heavenliness up the mountain with the formless realms at the top

Question 4

kalpa

Answer 4

an almost incomprehensible long time

Aeon, used by the Buddha in answering how long we have been stuck in samsara

Definition of a kalpa given by the Buddha is via the analogy of the man that brushes a great mountain rock, 7 miles across and high, with a soft benares cloth every 100 years. The time it takes for the rock to fully erode is a kalpa

Question 5

atman

Answer 5

atman is the idea of the self as the soul within an individual that is enduring and unchanging that existed in certain traditions like Brahmanism.

Buddhism claims that there is no atman or no-self as the self is just the product of the interaction of the dharmas, the constituents of reality, that make up the universe which can be grouped into the 5 skandhas

hence the self or what we perceive as self is simply the interdependent casuualy linked events or processes (known as the dharmas) that, given our ignorance, are imagined as the self

Question 6

dependent arising

Question 7

five aggregates

Answer 7

the 5 skandhas or 5 categories of dharmas that are irreductible and causal but create the sensations of a material self. Hence, this is an arguement for non-self. This is a Theravada interpretation

1) form (rupa) which comprises the 4 great elements: earth (rep the feeling of solidity), water (that of wetness), air (that of movement, fire (that of heat) –> these dharmas create the material senses

2) feeling which can be pleasant, unpleasant and neutral

3) Recognition: ability to tell what that object of sense is or putting labels to concepts/ideas

4) volitions/mental formations or samskara –> they arise based on past karmas as a response to a particular stimuli

5) Cognition/Consciousness, consisting of the 5 senses + the mind –> gives you simply the awareness of an object. e.g. you can see it is blue but cannot recognise that it is blue yet.

Form + the cognition dharmas lead to feelings which lead to recognition which leads to the arising of samskaras, hence producing real emotions and intent which thus produce karma. The production of karma perpetuates this causal cycle, giving rise to the concepts we see and call objects.

Question 8

samatha

Answer 8

Meditative practice of calming which leads to the 8 dhyanas (the different meditative states) as concentration achieved increases

They can be seen as different techniques in overcoming the 5 hinderances to insight meditation:
1) sensory desire
2) anger and ill will
3) sloth and torpor (laziness and dullness)
4) restlessness, worry and agitation
5) doubt

However this form of meditation alone is not enough to attain nirvana, need to pair with cultivation of insight

Question 9

vipasyana

Answer 9

cultivation of insight, its the meditative practices that lead to enlightenment.

Question 10

eight dhyanas

Answer 10

a dhyana is a meditation attainment.

4 form dhyanas:
1) characterised by movement of mind onto object, retention of the object, joy, happiness and one-pointedness
2) joy, happiness and one pointedness
3) happiness and one pointedness
4) equanimity and one pointedness

4 formless dhyanas
1) infinite space
2) Infinite consciousness
3) Nothingness
4) Neither perception nor non-perception

the 4 formless dhyanas lead to superpowers

Question 11

meditations on impurity

Answer 11

its the practices of reflecting on desire and to understand the true nature of objects. One is meant to gaze upon human imperfections, ugliness and reflect on the digustingness of the human body to reduce attachment to objects and let go of desires for vanity for example

Question 12

corpse meditations

Answer 12

a samatha meditative practice of meditating on 10 different types of corpses. It is meant to help sever attachement to the human body and discard lust

Question 13

supernatural powers

Answer 13

Abhijna
the 6 superpowers that Buddhists claim to be able to attain through calm meditation and achieving the 4 formless dhyanas.

1) Unimpeded bodily action
2) divine eye
3) divine ear
4) mind reading
5) Recollection of past lives
6) extinction of defilements –> elim of affle tions of the 3 realms and end of rebirth

Question 14

Hinayana

Answer 14

perjorative term used by the mahayana buddhists to refer to the other schools of buddhism

literally means the small vehicle, paints them as selfish for only wanting to attain arhatship rather than aspiring to become a bodhisattva and hence one day the Buddha to help further others along the path of enlightenment

Question 15

Mahayana

Answer 15

A type of buddhism that emerged somewhere between the 1st century BC and 1st century AD

One of the major schools who’s central texts is Madhyamaka by Nagarjuna, talking about the middle way which introduces the idea of the 2 truths and of emptiness as an attempt to answer to paradoxial desire of attaining enlightenment through letting go of all desires

Shifts the aspiration of the monastic community to want to become bodhisattvas instead of arhats for arhatship was seen as an inferior form of enlightenment

Involves the cultivation of perfections

Introduces the bodhisattva path to replace the path of the sravakas (the scholars deemed more polite way to address the Hinayanas, which was what the Mahayana buddhists painted the rest to be)

Question 16

Theravada

Answer 16

The elder tradition

The oldest form of Buddhism that in contrast to Mahayana, has an abhidharmic theory that what the Buddha meant by depedent origination is that everything arises from the casually interactions of the dharmas, the constituent elements of the world

Question 17

bodhisattva path

Answer 17

cultivation of the 6 perfections

the 2 wings of the bodhisattva, compassion and wisdom/insight. Cannot bear the weight of compassion without insight

Question 18

six perfections

Answer 18

The perfections that must be cultivated in order to attain enlightenment, part of the bodhisattva path that replaces the 8 fold path in theravadan traditions

1) Perfection of generosity
2) Perfection of virtue
3) Patience
4) energy
5) concentration
6) wisdom/insight

Must perfect these perfections through many lives as you go down the bodhisattva path

Question 19

Madhyamaka

Answer 19

One of the major Mahayana philosophical teachings. The middle way, it is the doctrine of emptiness coined by Nagarjuna

it describes the middle path between affirming existence and non existence

Question 20

emptiness (sunyata)

Answer 20

Emptiness is a critique of there being an inherent self which is extended to all dharmas

It explains that everything is hence a concept that proliferate further more concepts, leading to a cycle of causally dependent concepts that we perceive as reality

Question 21

own being (svabhava)

Answer 21

the attribute that something has its own intrinsic existence. That it does not exist in relational to other conditions

Question 22

expedient means/skillful means (upaya)

Answer 22

it refers to the teachings of the Buddhas in as refereed to in the earlier Buddhist texts (and employed by the Bodhisattvas later in Mahayana Buddhism) which may not necessarily be the truth that they are trying to guide others to realise in order to attain enlightenment and hence may seem contradictory in nature but is just a vehicle for them to start on the journey towards the higher truth. Parable of the raft and the sea

In order to unds emptiness, one must use skillful means. Explains why you can use concepts without having an attachment to them

Question 23

2 truths

Answer 23

Introduces in response to claim that emptiness implies that Buddhist teachings do not exist. Conventional and Unconventional truth. Without a foundation in conventional truth, one cannot understand the significance of the ultimate truth

Conventional truth refers to the ordinary common understanding of reality. It is what we have to use to understand absolute truth (or at least the idea of it) as it still is a concept and uses concepts like words and symbols to explain the ultimate truth. It hence can be seen as a skillful means

Ultimate truth is the absolute truth that the Buddha realised under the Bodhi tree but is incomprehensible and hence Buddha must use conventional means to explain it

Question 24

Kivalya Upanisad

Answer 24

Name: Kivalya Upanisad

Author: Unknown but written about 6th century BCE

Predates Buddhism and was a commentary on the Vedas. Talks about everything being a part of Brahman, shifting the polytheistic perspective in the Vedas to monism. It introduced the idea that everything was Brahma, including ourselves and hence focuses on internal sacrifices instead of external scarifices in the Vedas

first introduces idea of rebirth and samsara

Question 25

The Fruits of the Contemplative Life

Answer 25

Name: Fruits of the Contemplative Life

Where:

Tradition: Theravada, in Pali canon

Tells us of the story of a great king who had committed many atrocities in life and wanted to repent and seek out the contemplative life. He asked different sramanical teachers on what the benefits were from meditation and he was unsatisfied with all the answers until he met the Buddha.

The text serves to reject the Sramanical teachings and glorify the Buddha’s teachings. Ultimately the king confesses his sin of patricide to the Dharmas and becomes destined for awakening after rebirth in hell

Tells that despite attrocities being committed, one did not necessarily become destined for hell forever and could one day come out of samsara.

Question 26

Path of Purification

Answer 26

Name: Path of Purification

Author: Buddhaghosa in Sri Lanka, 5th century CE

Tradition: Theravada

A manual for monks to practice samatha or the medications to cultivate calmness. Includes the meditation on corpses. Helps to curtail strong senses of desire,

Knowledge as apperance as terror –> tells us that through experiencing terror or horific things, or through refelecting about it, one can start to leet go of the idea of happiness being possible in samsara, to hence begin to let go of everything

Question 27

Verses on the Middle Way

Answer 27

Name: Written by Nagarjuna

Where: India btwn 150 to 250 CE.

Tradition: Mahayana

Introduces the idea of Emptiness, a critique of the idea of an inherent self or atman but is extended to all dharmas, hence changing the way Theravadan traditions view dependent origination

It refutes swabhava or intrinsic existence, calling it a concept as everything exists relationally

It also takes an analytical approach to emptiness. According to Nagarjuna, emptiness itself is another concept or linguistic construction (not a statement about the world but a statement about statements about the world). He hence brings up the idea of the 2 truths to explain the paradoxial nature of the Buddha’s teachings. His teachings is meant to create a convential understnading of reality, a conventional truth as a means to get people on the path to realise the ultimate truth

He claims its a method, rather than him expressing a view. He employs a negatory method in his verses to refute both the ideas of existence and non existence . He claims he is not doing anything new but rather providing a clearer interpretation of what the Buddha meant.