Rels 204 Buddhism Key Terms Flashcards

1
Q

Amitabha

A

heavenly Buddha who presides over the Pure Land Buddha realm

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2
Q

arhat

A

(Pali: arahant) “worthy one,” a perfected saint who has reached nirvana and will be released from samsara at death.

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3
Q

Ashoka

A

great Buddhist king in India (r. ca. 272-236 B.C.E.), the “second founder” of Buddhism

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4
Q

bhikku, bhikkuni

A

Pali terms for Buddhist monk and nun (Sanskrit, bhikshu, bhikshuni)

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5
Q

Birthday of the Buddha

A

joyful festival usually celebrated in May (in April in Japan). See also Vesakha

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6
Q

Bodh Gaya

A

The place where Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment

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7
Q

Bodhisattva

A

being who is intent on becoming fully enlightened; in Mahayana Buddhism, one who reaches enlightenment but vows to continue rebirths in samsara to assist others.

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8
Q

Buddha

A

“Enlightened one”; Siddhartha Gautama (ca. 536-483 B.C.E.) became the Buddha for our present age

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9
Q

Chan

A

school of meditation Buddhism in China, Korea, Vietnam, and Japan (Zen in Japan), influential in the arts

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10
Q

Dalai Lama

A

head of the Geluk Tibetan Buddhist school, traditionally recognized as spiritual and political leader of Tibetans; the current Dalai Lama (b. 1935) is the fourteenth.

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11
Q

dependent co-arising (pratiya-samutpada)

A

central Buddhist teaching that everything is conditioned by something else, that all reality is interdependent

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12
Q

Dharma

A

in Buddhist usage, the truth; the teaching of the Buddha

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13
Q

dharmas

A

the most basic constituents of all phenomena

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14
Q

Dukkha

A

“sorrow,” characteristic of all conditioned reality as stated in the First Noble Truth of Buddhism

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15
Q

Eightfold path

A

the fundamental path toward nirvana as taught by the Buddha, involving eight interrelated practices: right views, right resolve, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.

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16
Q

emptiness

A

See shunyata (“emptiness,” Mahayana Buddhist teaching that all things are devoid of any substantial or independent reality

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17
Q

First Council of Buddhism

A

held at Rajagriha shortly after the Buddha’s parinirvana, where, according to tradition, the Buddha’s sayings were recited and compiled

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18
Q

Five Precepts

A

the basic Buddhist moral precepts: to refrain from destroying life, from taking what is not given, from wrongful sexual behaviour, from wrongful speech, and from drugs and liquor.

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19
Q

Four Noble Truths

A

basic teachings presented in the Buddha’s first sermon: the truths of sorrow, of the cause of sorrow, of the overcoming of sorrow, and of the path to follow.

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20
Q

Four Sights

A

sickness, old age, death, and a wandering hermit; seeing these motivated Siddhartha Gautama to seek enlightenment.

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21
Q

Hinayana

A

See Theravada - “lesser vehicle,” a pejorative term that Mahayana Buddhists applied to the early Buddhist sects.

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22
Q

Huayan

A

A Chinese school of Mahayana Buddhism based on the Garland Sutra

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23
Q

impermanence

A

basic Buddhist doctrine that change is characteristic of everything that arise

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24
Q

karma

A

“action,” law that all deeds and thoughts, according to one’s intentions, will have set consequences, including rebirth

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25
Q

Karuna

A

Buddhist ideal of compassion

26
Q

lama

A

“master” or spiritual leader in Tibetan Buddhism

27
Q

Lotus Sutra

A

important early scripture of Mahayana Buddhism

28
Q

Madhyamika

A

early school of Mahayana Buddhism that emphasized shunyata (emptiness)

29
Q

Mahavairochana

A

the great sun Buddha

30
Q

Mahayana

A

the “great vehicle,” form of Buddhism that arose in India beginning in the second century B.C.E. and eventually spread to East Asia

31
Q

mandala

A

painting of cosmic Buddhas or a symbolic cosmos, used especially in Vajrayana Buddhist ritual and meditation

32
Q

mantra

A

powerful sacred words, formula, or verse chanted as a focus for meditation and devotion

33
Q

mudra

A

hand gesture or pose with symbolic meaning

34
Q

Nagarjuna

A

important philosopher (ca.150-250 C.E.) of the Madhyamika school of Buddhism

35
Q

nirvana

A

“blowing out” the fires of life, liberation from suffering and rebirth, the spiritual goal of Buddhist practice

36
Q

no-self (an-atman)

A

the basic Buddhist doctrine that there is no permanent, absolute self

37
Q

ordination

A

See upasampada (ordination) important Buddhist ritual marking the beginning of life as a monk or nun.

38
Q

parinirvana

A

full nirvana; complete liberation attained at the death of a Buddha

39
Q

Pure Land

A

Mahayana school of Buddhism focusing on worship of Amitabha Buddha, with hope of rebirth in the Pure Land Buddha realm

40
Q

Rain Retreat (Vassa)

A

important three-month time of study and discipline for Theravada Buddhist monks and nuns, when lay people also make offering and perform service for the monastics

41
Q

rebirth

A

belief that after a person’s death, the accumulated karma will cause another rebirth to take place

42
Q

samsara

A

the rebirth cycle of existence

43
Q

sangha

A

the communities of Buddhist monks and nuns

44
Q

Shakyamuni

A

a title of Siddhartha Gautama the Buddha: the wise one of the Shakya clan

45
Q

shunyata

A

“emptiness,” Mahayana Buddhist teaching that all things are devoid of any substantial or independent reality

46
Q

skandhas

A

“heaps” or aggregates; the Buddhist teaching that a person is really a changing process in five aggregates: physical matter, sensations, perceptual activities, impulses to action, and bits of consciousness

47
Q

stupa

A

memorial Buddhist shrine or reliquary

48
Q

Tantrism

A

See Vajrayana (Diamon Vehicle), the Tantric tradition of Buddhism especially in Tibet and Japan, using initiation, rituals, imagination, and sexual symbolism as spiritual practices leading toward liberation

49
Q

Tathagata

A

title for the Buddha meaning the “Thus Come one,” that is, the perfected one.

50
Q

Theravada

A

“teaching of the elders,” term for the early Buddhist tradition and practice still followed in South and Southeast Asia. Theravada is generally used in place of the term Hinayana, “lesser vehicle,” a pejorative term that Mahayana Buddhists applied to the early Buddhist sects.

51
Q

Three Body Teaching

A

Mahayana teaching of three dimensions of Buddha: Dharma Body (universal Buddha essence), Bliss Body (heavenly Buddhas), and Transformation Body (human manifestations of Buddha)

52
Q

Three Refuges

A

the ritual formula, “I take refuge in the Buddha, I take refuge in the Dharma, I take refuge in the Sangha”

53
Q

Tiantai (Tendai in Japan)

A

a school of Mahayana Buddhism in China and Japan, based on the Lotus Sutra

54
Q

Tripitaka

A

(Pali: Tipitaka) the scriptures of the Pali Canon of Buddhism, meaning “Three Baskets; they include the Vinaya Pitaka, the Sutra Pitaka, and the Abhidharma Pitaka

55
Q

upasampada

A

ordination, important Buddhist ritual marking the beginning of life as a monk or nun

56
Q

uposatha

A

fortnightly Buddhist holy day when temple meetings for teaching, ritual, and meditation are held

57
Q

Vajrayana

A

Diamond Vehicle, the Tantric tradition of Buddhism especially in Tibet and Japan, using initiation, rituals, imagination, and sexual symbolism as spiritual practices leading toward liberation

58
Q

Vesakha

A

in Theravada communities, a grand festival in May celebrating the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and parinirvana

59
Q

Vinaya

A

texts containing rules for Buddhist monastic life and discipline

60
Q

vipassana

A

central Buddhist meditation practice focusing on calming the mind and seeing true reality

61
Q

Zen

A

See Chan - school of meditation in Buddhism in China, Korea, Vietnam, and Japan (called Zen in Japan), influential in the arts.

62
Q

Ullambana

A

All Souls’ Day, important in China and Japan