Topic 26 & 27 Ultimate Reality (no god) Flashcards
1
Q
What is Ultimate Reality for Buddhists?
A
A transcendent truth that governs the universe and human life
No personal god
2
Q
What are the three marks of existence?
A
- Anicca - impermanence + interconnected ness
- Anatta - no permanent self, soul or atman (constantly changing)
- Dukkha- suffering (because we are constantly wanting)
3
Q
What is Anicca?
A
- constant flux
- one change affects another, nothing is in isolation - ppl depends on other things for existence
4
Q
What is Anatta?
A
- you change from birth to death - body changes + mind develops
- there is no permanent soul, just 5 skandhas:
Physical body
Feelings or sensations
An awareness of things around us
Thoughts,ideas, wishes
Our consciousness
- when a person dies, skandhas break apart + karmic energy unites w fertilised egg to make human
- karmic energy more like positive / negative ‘charge’ from ur life
5
Q
What is Dukkha?
A
- suffering is unavoidable
- life never satisfies us completely
- even if we had everything we wanted we we would look for what we wanted next
6
Q
What are the 4 noble truths?
A
- Dukkha - to live = to suffer
- Tanha- suffering caused by desire
- Niroda- suffering caused by craving - stop suffering stop craving
- Magga - control craving -> follow middle way between luxury + poverty (8fold path helps Buddhists with this)
7
Q
Why do Buddhists follow the 8 fold path?
A
- hope to attain enlightenment + escape cycle of samsara + escape suffering
- nirvana = state of being + is ultimate goal for Buddhists
8
Q
What are non religious attitudes to ultimate reality?
A
- No god given purpose or meaning = no God (no empirical evidence) (humanist pov, don’t believe in ultimate reality -> only human experiences)
- Richard Dawkins = human beings product of evolution + natural selection -> we aren’t special , ultimate reality = science (purpose = reproduce + survive as we are animals)
- Come about by accident via evolution and have no special place in world, no ultimate reality
- No spiritual realm - only what can be seen by science (particles) - but empirical evidence can be flawed and perhaps there is more to universe than just physical
