Rels 204 Buddhism Key Terms Flashcards
Amitabha
heavenly Buddha who presides over the Pure Land Buddha realm
arhat
(Pali: arahant) “worthy one,” a perfected saint who has reached nirvana and will be released from samsara at death.
Ashoka
great Buddhist king in India (r. ca. 272-236 B.C.E.), the “second founder” of Buddhism
bhikku, bhikkuni
Pali terms for Buddhist monk and nun (Sanskrit, bhikshu, bhikshuni)
Birthday of the Buddha
joyful festival usually celebrated in May (in April in Japan). See also Vesakha
Bodh Gaya
The place where Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment
Bodhisattva
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.
Buddha
“Enlightened one”; Siddhartha Gautama (ca. 536-483 B.C.E.) became the Buddha for our present age
Chan
school of meditation Buddhism in China, Korea, Vietnam, and Japan (Zen in Japan), influential in the arts
Dalai Lama
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.
dependent co-arising (pratiya-samutpada)
central Buddhist teaching that everything is conditioned by something else, that all reality is interdependent
Dharma
in Buddhist usage, the truth; the teaching of the Buddha
dharmas
the most basic constituents of all phenomena
Dukkha
“sorrow,” characteristic of all conditioned reality as stated in the First Noble Truth of Buddhism
Eightfold path
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.
emptiness
See shunyata (“emptiness,” Mahayana Buddhist teaching that all things are devoid of any substantial or independent reality
First Council of Buddhism
held at Rajagriha shortly after the Buddha’s parinirvana, where, according to tradition, the Buddha’s sayings were recited and compiled
Five Precepts
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.
Four Noble Truths
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.
Four Sights
sickness, old age, death, and a wandering hermit; seeing these motivated Siddhartha Gautama to seek enlightenment.
Hinayana
See Theravada - “lesser vehicle,” a pejorative term that Mahayana Buddhists applied to the early Buddhist sects.
Huayan
A Chinese school of Mahayana Buddhism based on the Garland Sutra
impermanence
basic Buddhist doctrine that change is characteristic of everything that arise
karma
“action,” law that all deeds and thoughts, according to one’s intentions, will have set consequences, including rebirth
Karuna
Buddhist ideal of compassion
lama
“master” or spiritual leader in Tibetan Buddhism
Lotus Sutra
important early scripture of Mahayana Buddhism
Madhyamika
early school of Mahayana Buddhism that emphasized shunyata (emptiness)
Mahavairochana
the great sun Buddha
Mahayana
the “great vehicle,” form of Buddhism that arose in India beginning in the second century B.C.E. and eventually spread to East Asia
mandala
painting of cosmic Buddhas or a symbolic cosmos, used especially in Vajrayana Buddhist ritual and meditation
mantra
powerful sacred words, formula, or verse chanted as a focus for meditation and devotion
mudra
hand gesture or pose with symbolic meaning
Nagarjuna
important philosopher (ca.150-250 C.E.) of the Madhyamika school of Buddhism
nirvana
“blowing out” the fires of life, liberation from suffering and rebirth, the spiritual goal of Buddhist practice
no-self (an-atman)
the basic Buddhist doctrine that there is no permanent, absolute self
ordination
See upasampada (ordination) important Buddhist ritual marking the beginning of life as a monk or nun.
parinirvana
full nirvana; complete liberation attained at the death of a Buddha
Pure Land
Mahayana school of Buddhism focusing on worship of Amitabha Buddha, with hope of rebirth in the Pure Land Buddha realm
Rain Retreat (Vassa)
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
rebirth
belief that after a person’s death, the accumulated karma will cause another rebirth to take place
samsara
the rebirth cycle of existence
sangha
the communities of Buddhist monks and nuns
Shakyamuni
a title of Siddhartha Gautama the Buddha: the wise one of the Shakya clan
shunyata
“emptiness,” Mahayana Buddhist teaching that all things are devoid of any substantial or independent reality
skandhas
“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
stupa
memorial Buddhist shrine or reliquary
Tantrism
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
Tathagata
title for the Buddha meaning the “Thus Come one,” that is, the perfected one.
Theravada
“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.
Three Body Teaching
Mahayana teaching of three dimensions of Buddha: Dharma Body (universal Buddha essence), Bliss Body (heavenly Buddhas), and Transformation Body (human manifestations of Buddha)
Three Refuges
the ritual formula, “I take refuge in the Buddha, I take refuge in the Dharma, I take refuge in the Sangha”
Tiantai (Tendai in Japan)
a school of Mahayana Buddhism in China and Japan, based on the Lotus Sutra
Tripitaka
(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
upasampada
ordination, important Buddhist ritual marking the beginning of life as a monk or nun
uposatha
fortnightly Buddhist holy day when temple meetings for teaching, ritual, and meditation are held
Vajrayana
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
Vesakha
in Theravada communities, a grand festival in May celebrating the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and parinirvana
Vinaya
texts containing rules for Buddhist monastic life and discipline
vipassana
central Buddhist meditation practice focusing on calming the mind and seeing true reality
Zen
See Chan - school of meditation in Buddhism in China, Korea, Vietnam, and Japan (called Zen in Japan), influential in the arts.
Ullambana
All Souls’ Day, important in China and Japan
