Religions Midterm Buddhism Flashcards
buddhism Pali Canon/Tripitaka
a collection of Buddhist scriptures that is the foundation of Theravada Buddhism. It is the oldest Buddhist text and is considered to contain the exact words of the Buddha.
Buddhism Therevada
claims to adhere most closely to the original doctrines and practices taught by the Buddha. Theravada Buddhists believe in self-liberation, meditation, and concentration
Buddhism Mahayana
a branch of Buddhism that originated in ancient India. It’s known for its emphasis on compassion and spreading happiness to all beings. The term “Mahayana” translates to “great vehicle” in Sanskrit. Mahayana Buddhists believe that awakening one being awakens all beings.
Buddhism Vajrayana
a branch of Buddhism that emphasizes rituals and practices to quickly achieve enlightenment. It’s also known as Tantric Buddhism, Mantrayana, and Esoteric Buddhism. The goal of Vajrayana Buddhism is to achieve nirvana, a state of peace and liberation.
Buddhism Chan/Zen
related schools of Buddhism that originated in China and spread to Japan and other parts of East Asia. Chan is the Chinese name for the school, and Zen is the Japanese name. Chan Buddhism emphasizes meditation and direct insight into reality.
Buddhism Shinran
vow to create a religious path whereby all living beings can escape the sufferings of the world and attain enlightenment by being born into a miraculous and transcendent Pure Land.
Buddhism Pure Land
primarily focused on achieving rebirth in a Buddha’s “pure land”, a superior place to spiritually train for full Buddhahood, where one can meet a Buddha face to face and study under them without any of the distractions or fears of our world.
Buddhism Four Noble Truths
-The truth of suffering
(dukkha) The idea that life is full of suffering, including illness, displeasure, and death
-The truth of the cause of suffering
(samudaya) The idea that suffering is caused by craving or grasping (taṇhā)
-The truth of the end of suffering
(nirodha) The idea that suffering can end through the cessation of craving
-The truth of the path to the end of suffering
(magga) The idea that there is a path to end suffering, known as the Noble Eightfold Path
Buddhism Dukkha
the concept of suffering or unsatisfactoriness that permeates life. It’s a fundamental teaching of Buddhism and one of the most difficult to fully understand
Buddhism Eightfold Path
one of the main summaries of Buddhist teachings. It’s believed to lead to the cessation of suffering and the attainment of enlightenment, or Nirvana.
-Right view: Understanding the nature of things, including the Four Noble Truths
-Right intention: Avoiding harmful thoughts like hatred and attachment
-Right speech: Avoiding verbal misdeeds like lying and harsh speech
-Right action: Avoiding physical misdeeds like killing and stealing
-Right livelihood: Avoiding trades that harm others, like selling weapons and intoxicants
-Right effort: Abandoning negative states of mind and sustaining positive ones
-Right mindfulness: Being aware of body, feelings, thoughts, and phenomena
Right concentration: Single-mindedness
Buddhism Middle Way
a spiritual practice that avoids extremes and aims to achieve enlightenment. It’s a core teaching of the Buddha, and is also known as Majjhimāpaṭipadā in Pali and Madhyamāpratipada in Sanskrit.
Buddhism mandala
a sacred symbol and ritual object that represents the universe and the path to enlightenment. Mandalas are often geometric in design and are used in meditation.
Buddhism bodhisattva
a being who has vowed to help others achieve enlightenment, even though they could achieve it themselves. The word “bodhisattva” comes from the Sanskrit words bodhi, meaning “awakening,” and sattva, meaning “being”.
Buddhism anatman/anatta
the idea that there is no permanent self or essence. It’s often translated as “no self” or “no soul”. It’s a strategy to achieve non-attachment by recognizing that everything is impermanent.
Buddhism Impermanence
the idea that all things are in a constant state of flux and that nothing is permanent. It’s a fundamental concept in Buddhism and a key part of the path to enlightenment. It’s a fact of reality that cannot be changed.
Buddhism Conditionality
the principle that all things are dependent on conditions and causes. It’s a fundamental teaching that helps explain how suffering arises and how to end it. Conditionality explains that things can only happen because of conditions that already exist.
Buddhism Interdependence
All things are connected and arise from the interaction of causes and conditions. It’s also known as “dependent origination” or “dependent arising”. The idea that nothing exists in isolation.
Buddhism Mantra
sacred words, phrases, or syllables used for meditation or invocation. They are a way to focus the mind and transform it.
Buddhism Nirvana
the state of enlightenment and the end of suffering and rebirth. It’s the ultimate goal of many Buddhist paths. Eliminate greed, hatred, and ignorance: Buddhists believe that nirvana is only attainable by eliminating these “three poisons”.
Buddhism tulku
a being who is spiritually advanced enough to choose to be reborn and guide others to find their next reincarnation
Buddhism Dalai Lama
spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism and the Tibetan people. The current Dalai Lama is Tenzin Gyatso, who was born in 1935
Buddhism Koan
a riddle, question, or statement used in Zen Buddhism to help practitioners see their true nature. are used to help practitioners let go of binary thinking and embrace ambiguity.
Buddhism Avalokiteśvara
a bodhisattva, or enlightened being, in Buddhism who embodies compassion. He is also known as Guanyin in Chinese Buddhism.
Buddhism Forms of meditation
Samatha, Vipassana, Zen, and compassion meditation.. Samatha
A central Buddhist tradition that focuses on developing concentration and tranquility
Vipassana
Also known as insight meditation, this practice involves observing the mind and body without judgment
Zen
Involves living in the present with complete awareness
Compassion meditation
Involves meditating on compassion, loving-kindness, sympathetic joy, and equanimity
