The Study of Religions Buddhism: Beliefs and Teachings Flashcards
Amitabha Buddha
The Buddha worshipped by Pure Land Buddhists
Anatta
The idea that people do not have a permanent, fixed self or soul
Anicca
Impermanence; the idea that everything changes
Arhat
For Theravada Buddhists, someone who has become enlightened
Ascetic
Living a simple, strict lifestyle
Bodhisattva
For Mahayana Buddhists, someone who has become enlightened but chooses to remain in the cycle of samsara
Buddha
A title given to someone who has achieved enlightenment, usually referred to Siddhartha Gautama
Buddha Rupa
A statue of the Buddha, often sitting cross-legged in a mediation pose
Buddhahood
When someone achieves enlightenment and becomes a Buddha
Buddha-nature
The idea that everyone has the essence of a Buddha inside them
Chanting
Reciting from the Buddhist scriptures
Dependent Arising
The idea that all things arise in dependence upon conditions - nothing exists that hasn’t already been made
Dhamma/Dharma
The Buddhas teachings / the truth of reality
Dukkha
The first noble truth: there is suffering
Engaged Buddhism
A movement in Buddhism that is particularly concerned with applying the Buddhas teachings to matters of social and environmental injustice
Enlightenment
The gaining of true knowledge about self or the nature of reality, usually through meditation or self discipline
Ethics (sila)
A section of the threshold way that emphasises the importance of skilful action as the basis for spiritual progress
Festival
A day or period of celebration for religious reasons
Gompa
A hall or building where Tibetan Buddhists meditate
Greed
Selfish desire for something
Jataka
The Jataka Tales are popular stories about the lives of a Buddha
Kamma/Karma
Consequences to your actions
Karuna
Compassion
Magga
The fourth noble truth; the way to stop suffering
Mahayana Buddhism
Umbrella term - Pure Land Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism, Zen Buddhism
