Self, Death, and the Afterlife

Question 1

What is meant by samsara?

Answer 1

‘wandering on’; the aimless wandering we experience from birth to death and from life to life - the cycle of rebirth

Question 2

What is the mandala which represents Samsara?

Answer 2

The Tibetan Wheel of Life

Question 3

What are the six realms of samsara?

Answer 3

Gods
Angry Gods
Humans
Animals
Hungry Ghosts
Hell

Question 4

Whose research on past life memories has been used as evidence for reincarnation?

Answer 4

Dr Ian Stevenson

Question 5

What are the three interpretations you need to know of samsara?

Answer 5

Literal, metaphorical, psychological

Question 6

What is meant by a literal interpretation of samsara? Give an example

Answer 6

Samsara as described as samsara should be taken at face value e.g. hell is an actual place, the gods really live long lives, Hungry Ghosts really have long necks and breathe fire

Question 7

What is meant by a psychological interpretation of samsara? Give an example

Answer 7

Samsara is a way of understanding our everyday psychological experiences as individuals e.g. Hell is the psychological state of depression, rebirth represents the ability to change our perspectives through mindfulness

Question 8

What is meant by a metaphorical interpretation of samsara? Give an example

Answer 8

Samsara is a metaphor for the real world, in which the realms represent social or economic groups, e.g. Hell is the prison system, the gods are the rich, Hungry Ghosts are addicts/homeless

Question 9

What question does the Buddha use karma to explain?

Answer 9

Why we find such variety among humankind, e.g. healthy and sick, rich and poor, ugly and beautiful

Question 10

Why is karma like a seed?

Answer 10

It is planted and takes time to ripen

Question 11

How can the idea of stolen mangoes be used to explain the link between anatta and karma? (Nagasena)

Answer 11

If a man stole another man’s mangoes he would deserve a thrashing, even though the mangoes he arrives home with are not the same as the ones stolen. Continuity of identity = responsibility

Question 12

What do the 12 links show us?

Answer 12

How we become trapped in cycles of behaviour which generate bad karma and keep us locked in samsara

Question 13

What are the four types of attachment recognised by Buddhists?

Answer 13

Attachment to sense-objects
Attachment to opinions
Attachment to rites and rituals
Attachment to the idea of selfhood

Question 14

Give an example of a definition of karma which scientists would support

Answer 14

Karma means ‘action’ and shows that all events have consequences which reverberate into the future

Question 15

Give an example of a definition of karma which scientists would not support

Answer 15

Karma is a moral law which dictates whether you will experience a good or bad rebirth

Question 16

What is anatta?

Answer 16

No self: the belief that we have no fixed self or personal identity

Question 17

Who uses the example of the chariot to explain the concept of anatta to King Milinda?

Answer 17

Nagasena

Question 18

How does Nagasena’s chariot illustrate the concept of anatta?

Answer 18

The chariot has no essential part which makes it a chariot, but is a chariot because the parts taken together are commonly recognised as a chariot. No chariot = no self

Question 19

If we have no self, what are we made up of?

Answer 19

32 body parts and five skandhas

Question 20

What are the skandhas? (Define, don’t list)

Answer 20

The five mental aggregates which shape our experience

Question 21

What are the skandhas? (List!)

Answer 21

Form
Sensations
Perceptions
Mental Formations
Consciousness

Question 22

What is the difference between conventional and ultimate truth?

Answer 22

Conventional truth: things which are useful to believe because they are of everyday use (e.g. self, chariot)
Ultimate truth: the way things really are (e.g. no-self, no-chariot)

Question 23

Which Buddhists would believe that achievement of nirvana is the goal of life?

Answer 23

Theravada

Question 24

Which Buddhists would belief that a better rebirth is the goal of life?

Answer 24

Pure Land

Question 25

Why do Pure Land Buddhists believe that better rebirth is the goal of life?

Answer 25

It is too hard to achieve Nirvana in this life so you should aim to be reborn in the Pure Lands where it is easier to study the Dharma

Question 26

What is an arhat?

Answer 26

A perfected saint in Theravada Buddhism; the ideal which monks should aim for - someone who has ended the cycle of rebirth and gone to Nirvana

Question 27

Why do Theravada Buddhists believe in aiming to become an arhat?

Answer 27

It is not feasible for humans to achieve full Buddhahood

Question 28

What is a bodhisattva?

Answer 28

One whose essence is enlightenment; the goal of life for Mahayana Buddhists - a being who has chosen to be reborn in order to help others achieve nirvana

Question 29

Why do Mahayana Buddhists believe in aiming to become a Bodhisattva?

Answer 29

They do not view the arhat goal as sufficient and think that Buddhists should aim towards the more selfless aim of being reborn for the sake of others

Question 30

Who is Avalokitesvara?

Answer 30

The Bodhisattva of Compassion, who is now expressed in the form of the Dalai Lama

Question 31

Give an example of how the Dalai Lama shows an expression of compassion

Answer 31

His three commitments:
- Religious harmony
- Human values
- The Tibetan Cause

Question 32

How are Dalai Lamas identified?

Answer 32

Clues given by previous Dalai Lamas / signs e.g. child able to recognise possessions of previous Dalai Lama

Question 33

Who is the current Dalai Lama?

Answer 33

Tenzin Gyatso