Quiz 1 Flashcards
Indus Valley Civilization
People residing in the Indus Valley region along the Indus river in India, speaking Dravidian languages
Harappa
One of the major city centers of the Indus Valley Civilization
Siva
One of the lead gods of the pantheon from the Indus Valley Civilization
Dravidian
Vernacular language in the Indus Valley
Indo-European
Indo-Aryans who migrated into the Indus Valley region, bringing with them the Sanskritic languages
Sanskrit
A family of languages adopted by the Indo-Aryans
Includes Vedic, led to Classical Sanskrit, Prakrit, Hindi, Urdu (not needed)
Prakrit
Language used by the Buddha in his teachings, used to challange the authority of Brahmanism
Vedas
knowledge or wisdom, oldest scriptures of Brahmanism. Focuses on external rituals, including the sacrifice of animals, to worship gods. Considered sruti rather than smrti
Upanisads
texts that reinterpret the Vedas, focus on internal practices like faith, devotion, prayer, meditation and renunciation rather than external sacrifices (impt)
introduces renunciation and asceticism aimed at attaining moksa through yoga (add. info)
idea of rebirth first appeared here (add.info)
Sruti
“What which is heard” - refers to the Vedic hymns being heard from the gods themselves by the sages
smrti
“that which has been remembered” - teachings passed down by sages to their students
mantra
essential to Vedic rituals as they were believed to contain the power to transform reality, even change the identity of something into a god
Agni
“God of fire” acts as a messenger for the gods
soma
the power behind soma, some kind of hallucinogen
Brahman/Brahma
Absolute reality, productive power of speech
Brahmanism
(Vedicism) religion that predates Hinduism, centered around Brahman
Brahma (with special a)
The creator god
Brahmin
The priestly caste
sramana
“one who strives” one who gives up traditional life and devotes themself to religion
rejects authority of the vedas (heterodox school)
samsara
continuous rebirth
rebirth
all beings are born, live, die and are reborn again and again in a variety of different circumstances
karma
Action, law of cause and effect, causality, actions and intentions of the body, speech and mind determine the pleasantries/unpleasantness experienced in the next life
moksa
“liberation” to be freed from rebirth and achieving Nirvana
renunciation
to give up their normal role in life in order to devote themselves to some form of religious or spiritual life
asceticism
severe self-discipline and avoidance of all forms of indulgence
internalisation of the sacrifice
turning your entire being into sacrifice, giving up things internally for spiritual
yoga
a mental and physical practice to attain moksha in asceticism
in Buddhism, it refers to spiritual practice
Kaivalya Upanisad
These texts reinterpret the Vedas and focus on internal practices like faith, devotion, prayer, meditation, and renunciation rather than external sacrifices. The Upaniṣads introduce concepts of renunciation and asceticism aimed at attaining mokṣa (liberation) through yoga, which refers to the practice and discipline of both mental and physical aspects. The idea of rebirth first appeared in the Upaniṣads
Search for power of Brahman
Siddhartha Gautama
future Buddha, son of local chieftain in Kapilavastu, enjoyed relatively privileged and wealthy family
Queen Maya
Mother of the Siddhartha Gautama
Mara
like Satan, an idea/influence of temptation
2 bodies of Buddha (rupakaya and dharmakaya)
Dharmakaya - Buddha as the embodiment of Dharma and the collection of perfect qualities
Rupakaya - physical body, the one you would see if you met the Buddha, endowed with the 32 marks of a great man
first council
Recitation of cannon after the death of the Buddha led by Upali and Ananda in the presence of 500 awakened individuals. 2 classes of teachings were discussed, sutras (teachings from Buddha) and the Vinaya (monastic rules/discipline)
Ananda
Buddha’s attendant who introduces each discourse from the Buddha at the first communal recitation
Tripitaka
The Three Baskets, canonical collections of Buddhist scriptures - sūtras, vinaya, abhidharma
Sutra- “thread” oral teachings or sermons of the Buddha
Vinaya- rules of the monastic order
Abhidharma - “Higher Teachings”
Asoka
Mauryan King who reigned c.268-232 BCE and was a patron of Buddhism
three marks
impermanence, suffering, non-self
impermanence - nothing remains unchanged, idea of the single moments made of the 5 aggregates that happen so quickly that you are disillusioned into thinking its the same unchanged object or a continuation
non-self - you are always changing
suffering - everything is suffering, and its cause greed (craving, aversion (hatred) and delusion (ignorance)
four noble truths
suffering (duḥkha), origin of suffering, cessation of suffering (nirodha), path (mārga)
1) Truth of the nature of suffering/unsatisfactoriness - as pain, change and as conditions
2) Truth of the nature of its cause - attachment (craving), aversion and delusion
Not the object itself but our attachment to the object, 3 fundamental defilements of the mind, thirst for repeated rebirths
3) Truth of cessation of suffering (or achieving nirvana) - the 3 defilements weeded out, weeding out this thirst
4) Truth of the path leading to the cessation of suffering: 8-fold path
eightfold path
Path to the cessation of suffering
conduct (śīla, P. sīla, ethics), concentration (samādhi, meditation), wisdom (prajñā, P.
paññā)
conduct
Right conduct - right speech, action and livelihood, in a sense leading a life that did not cause harm to others
concentration
right effort, meditation, concentration -
wisdom
right view (seeing the 4 truths), right intention (desirelessness, friendliness, compassion)
three defilements
greed (desire, craving), aversion (hatred), delusion (ignorance)
Dharma
the nature of all things, underlying law of reality, the Buddha’s teachings
dharmas
mental and physical phenomena, elements, or the teachings, that constitute Dharma and are considered to be inherently existent or unconditioned in early buddhism
nirvana with remainder
condition of having extinguished the 3 defilements of the mind but having a physical body as a “remainder of life”
nirvana without remainder
nirvana that comes from ending the occurrence of the aggregates of physical and mental phenomena that constitute a being
nirvana
“blowing out” of the fires of greed, hatred and delusion (elimination of defilements), ultimate goal of Buddhist practice
four stages of awakening
The 4 states before one is awakened
stream-attainer, once-returner, never-returner, arhat
Stream-attainer - one who has attained the first four of the noble paths culminating in arhatship (attain nirvana within next 7 lives), elims some of the defilements
once-returner - only 1 more rebirth
non-returner - rebirthed in the god realm
arhat - “worthy one” an awakened Buddhist saint
solitary buddha
one whom attains awakening without being exposed to Buddhist teachings, and who does not teach others upon attaining nirvana
bodhisattva
One who will attain Buddhahood in this lifetime
buddha
one who has achieved awakening
four-fold assembly
monk (bhikṣu, P. bhikkhu), nun (bhikṣunī, P. bhikkhunī), laymen, laywomen
three refuges
Buddha, Dharma (P. dhamma) His teachings, saṃgha (monastic community)
polytheism
belief in many gods
monotheism
belief in only 1 god
monism
belief that everything is one and the same, only 1 god and everything is that 1 god
ontology
Study involving the nature of existence and what is real
epistemology
Theory of knowledge, dealing with questions of what is knowledge and justifications of our beliefs
skepticism
no certainty when it comes to what we think we know
