Society Flashcards
what school of buddhism is Zen
Mahayana
what is the meditation practise of Zen Buddhism
Zazen
what is the most difficult bit of Zazen meditation for people to comprehend
is sitting with no goals or expectation of ‘getting enlightened’
what is the flower sermon
the buddha taught the dharma by holding up a flower, on of his disciples understood the message and smiled. this shows the direct grasp of reality transferred from pastor to pupil
according to Denise Cush what are the main ideas of Zen Buddhists
- Buddha nature is within all beings
- the truth cannot be put into words rather passed from mind to mind
why is attainment of nirvana different for Zen than Mahayana
One believe you can attain enlightenment in the here and now, unlike Mahayana that teaches it is only possible after a lifetime
what do Zen buddhists compare enlightenment to
Boredom
why do Zen Buddhist see words as damaging
they prevent you from using the dharma, the only real way to see the dharma is though mind to mind transmission.
what are the key features of Rinzai
-emphasised teaching methods such as shouting and beating disciples
this was attractive for Chinese warriors
key features of Soto
-emphasises a quiet approach with decent moral behaviour, as Rinzai may be a form of showing off
what do Rinzai and Soto have in common
they both believe the Dharma is passed mind to mind
what is the most practised buddhism in Japan
Pure land Buddhism
what is Pure land based on
the hope to reborn in the paradise where Amitbha Buddha lives
why do Pure land buddhist want to be born in Amitbhas paradise
so they will be taught by the Amitbha buddha and have improved chances of becoming enlightened. there is no suffering.
why do Pure lands Chant
they chant Amibhas name to show appreciation so they will be reborn in the pure lands
why is chanting important to pure lands
it does not require extensive temples or arts, as a result the sect has lasted over persecutions
how does chanting develop perfection
the recitation of the buddha name is an extension of his passion, allowing generosity
views of Jodo shu
teaches that the only hope for people is the Amida vow
views of Jodo Shinshu
argued that people who earn good merit leads to false self importance, humans are entirely sinful and unable to earn their own salvation
what is the comparison of reaching pure lands by Jodo shu and Jodo shinshu
for Shu it is the next stepping stone in reaching enlightenmen, whereas for shinshu it is the final goal and is equivalent to nirvana
what are the main reasons for the spread of Buddhist to the West
- many buddhists migrated to the USA
- European officials would collect large amount of Mahayana Manuscripts
Known arguments for the popularity of Buddhist ideas on the West
- it keeps up with both science and secular liberalism
- meditation has a strong appeal
- Buddhism holds rational ethical principles
what are some media stereotypes of buddhists
- all buddhists are vegetarian, the Dalai Lama is.
- Buddhism can be enhanced through drugs
- they do not believe in heaven
how is the Dalai Lama portrayed by the West
- admirable due to his open mindset, this is attractive as it connects with modern audiences
how is the Dalai Lama understood in the east
Tibetans are entirely devoted to him, the place faith in him to restore tibet to its former glory
examples of Western inculturation
- there is an attitude of cherry picking, such as stripping Buddhism of its ‘superstitious’ teachings
- Buddhist ideas are applied to secular life such as meditation
why does Stephen Batchelor advocate for secular Buddhism
the dharma is a way of life rather than a religious belief, all the buddha did was teach the dharma.
what evidence there shows that buddhism is secular rather than religious
the buddhas first teachings were simple, only after death did Buddhism become and ritualistic and have monastic life
what did Paul Knitter argue of dual belonging
that it is possible to be part of two different religions
What does knit see as similarities between christianity and Buddhism
- taking refuge in the buddha vs the trinity
- heaven/rebirth
how can points from the Dalai Lama support dual belonging
he emphasised the idea that there are many points one can learn from other religions, and there are no religions that teach anger or Hate
how has dual belonging helped Knitter
he can criticise his own language, ideas he did not like in one religion he was able to find in the other.
how does Thich Nhat support dual belonging
‘I do not think there is that much difference between christianity and buddhism.’
what is Enzo in Zen Buddhism
is the sacred symbol and represents emptiness and fullness. masters use it for meditation
what are Koans
Joanna re paradoxical and are riddle like saying hat cannot be solved through logic. e.g. what is the sound of hand clapping
what is the use of koans
you are not meant to be able to explain koans rather that are to help us understand that we impose words on concepts in reality. especially used in rinzai
zazen mediation cannot be used alone to achieve enlightenment
Jan suggests that zen monks only use Samatha meditation, not vipassana. this os because it doesn’t give the insight into the dharma. therefore, zazen cannot be used alone.
what is the criticism of the flower sermon
even if the flower sermon is correct, that doesn’t mean wordless transmission is the only superior method
what does Batchelor reject of Buddhism and why
he did not believe in karma and rebirth, rather they were a product of the buddhas time to be able to be moral
what supports bachelor’s rejection of Kamma and rebirth
the deer sermon was simple and did not contain mysticism
how does Brahmali critic Batchelor
he argues that the buddhas teachings in the Nikayas taught rebirth and buddhism is defined as what the Buddha taught. so Batchelore cannot be a buddhist
what defends Batchelor when it comes to Brahmali
many ideas in the nikaya are now rejected. many things band in the nikayas are now central to a training enlightenment in different forms of buddhism
how can secular buddhism be upaya
the buddhist teachings re meant to be adapted
how is dual belonging an issue for buddhist teachings and how does Knitter get past this
belief in God can be an issue of ideas such as Annica and anatto. however, for Knitter God is an experience.
