Ilana Warner's World Religion Notes :Into, Hinduism, Buddhism

One of the main characteristics for Indigenous sacred ways is that "spirits, conscious energies, or life forces are present in the mountains, forest, pools, streams, and many plants and animals." This belief belongs to _____________

animism

Where and when did Hinduism begin?

around Indus Valley from about 2500 BCE.

Kshatriyas

The military class or administrators of the caste system. (Purusha's hands)

Religion" (in Latin) literally means "the separation between the human world and the sacred."

False

How Vivekanada address Religious pluralism (i.e., the divine reality as the one and the many)

"Truth or God is One. Our real nature is divine. The purpose of our life is to realize the One in our own soul. There are innumerable spiritual paths, all leading to this realization of divinity." Hindu

Ramakrishna Movement (developed by Vivekananda)

"Truth or God is One. Our real nature is divine. The purpose of our life is to realize the One in our own soul. There are innumerable spiritual paths, all leading to this realization of divinity." hindu

Zen Buddhism emphasizes

"direct experience"

Atheism

"not believing" in any divine reality

Durga

"one of the names of Shiva's consort, rides a lion, and in her eight arms, representing the eight directions, she holds weapons to destroy evil and protect her devotees. Durga ("awe-inspiring) vanquishes the demons

8 consciousnesses (Yogacara Buddhism)

(1) sight (2) sound (3) smell (4) taste (5) feel (6) thought (7) subject-object separation (dualistic), imagination, dream, fantasy -- defiled consciousness. Alaya (underlies the other kinds and functions of consciousness.): the awareness that constitutes enlightenment.à Everything is indivisible; there is no subject-object separation. The Buddha consciousness is identical to the storehouse consciousness. The Buddhist enlightenment is to embody the storehouse consciousness (subject-object unity, no discrete self) in life.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

(1869-1948), better known as Mahatma ("Great Soul"). emphasized the significance of Hindu beliefs—the unity of Brahman and Atman. One's ultimate aim is the realization of God, and all one's activities have to be guided by the ultimate aim of the vision of God. important terms related to him are: key term Ahimsa:respect for all living things and avoidance of violence toward others. Satyagraha:the power of Truth. Satya: being, reality, that which alone truly is, the ultimate. hindu

Bhagavad Gita (Hinduism)

(Divine Songs, 400 BCE-400 CE), the most influential and popular Hindu scripture. (generally appreciated)

Veda

(body of knowledge) represent the oldest scriptures of India. [the most ancient Hindu scriptures, written in early Sanskrit and containing hymns, philosophy, and guidance on ritual for the priests of Vedic religion.]

bodhisattva

(in Mahayana Buddhism) one who, out of compassion, dedicates one's life to the welfare of humankind by delaying his entry into nirvana

Koan

(questions beyond human intellect): to see the world and everything in it undistorted by our concepts and judgments.-> Look closely at it experiencing it directly. China Buddhist

Zazen

(sitting meditation): Introduced by Huineng: A central way of directly experiencing the underlying unity. -When the mind is calmed, action becomes spontaneous and natural. Spontaneity is linked with intense, disciplined concentration. China Buddhist

Theravadins

(the people of Theravada) believes that Gautama Siddhartha as the first person who attained salvation by his own efforts and who passed his knowledge of the Eight-fold paths on to his people. In the same manner, each individual can attain the same salvation by her own effort. -They believes that one should renounce worldly pursuits and interests, join the "homeless" state of a monk, and strive to reach nirvana. Such an ideal person is regarded as an arhat (a perfect being, a person who has reached nirvana). -They are also called "the Doctrine of Elders" key term :Arhat Buddhist

Alaya

(underlies the other kinds and functions of consciousness.): the awareness that constitutes enlightenment.à Everything is indivisible; there is no subject-object separation. The Buddha consciousness is identical to the storehouse consciousness. The Buddhist enlightenment is to embody the storehouse consciousness (subject-object unity, no discrete self) in life. 8) the Store Consciousnes Buddhist

Mahayana and Theravada (Hinayana) Buddhism and their differences

-Theravada: Teaching of the Elders. Also referred to as Hinayana [Small Vehicle] by Mahayana Buddhists; staying close to the Tripitaka. - Mahayana: Great Vehicle. More freely interpreting and adapting the Buddhist truth. Buddhist

Buddhism focuses on places a heavy emphasis on liberation from three habits that give rise to distorted human perceptions. what are those three habits?

1 desire 2 anger 3 ignorance.

Siddhartha Gautama confronted what 4 sights

1) agony of old age 2) tragedy of disease 3) corpse- sorrow of death 4) monk of gave up earthy pelsures Buddhist

The Four Noble Truths

1)Life is suffering. 2)Suffering has a cause: craving, desire, or attachment: the cause of suffering is tanha ["selfish craving, desire, attachment"] which leads to rebirth. 3)Attachment and desire can be overcome. The cessation of suffering: non-attachment, the cessation without a residue of selfish-desire. 4)The way that leads to the cessation of suffering: The Eightfold Path.

Which of the Hindu deities belong to Trimurti?

1. Brahma (the deity of creation), 2. Vishnu (the deity of preservation), 3. Shiva (the deity of destruction).

What is the Rig Veda about

1. Explaining the origin of the universe created by "Purusa." 2. Praising gods and asking for blessing. 3. Various gods and goddesses including the sun, dawn, and so on

Zen (Chan) Buddhism [One of the Mahayanist Sects] in China

50 CE from India. Bodhidharma (Indian monk)-> Hui-ko -> Hing-jen -> Hui-neng: the southern school of sudden enlightenment Shen-hsiu: the northern school of gradual enlightenment Preserves the essence of the Buddha's teachings through direct experience, triggered by mind-to-mind transmission of the Dharma. Dismisses all scriptures in favor of training for direct intuition of cosmic unity, known as the Buddha-nature.-> Influenced by Yogacara + Daoism

TIBETAIN VAJRAYANA: Short cut to the Palace of Unity

A complex path with three stages (yanas). 1) Hinayana(Theravada) 2) Mahayana 3) Vajrayana ("the indestructible diamond vehicle") or Tantrayana (using all secular means to see the sacred [Buddha nature]) Vajrayana or Tantrayana: the speeded-up path that allows enlightenment within a single lifetime. Buddhist

Agnosticism

Agnosticism literally means not knowing the divine reality. (Agnostics could believe in God, but the key issue is that God can be neither known nor proven by human knowledge.)

How Ramakrishna address Religious pluralism (i.e., the divine reality as the one and the many)

All human religious experiences are manifestations of the one God. What Ramakrishna insisted on is that God is served not only in the worship of Kali, Vishnu, and Shiva: God can be found through any religion." According to Ramakrishna, "Do not care for doctrines, do not care for dogmas, or sects, or churches, or temples; they count for little compared with the essence of existence in each [person], which is spirituality... Earn that first, acquire that, and criticize no one, for all doctrines and creeds have some good in them." (1836-1886)'a devotee of the Divine Mother in the form of Kali. In ritual, he emphasized "communication" with the Divine through "intense love." hindu

Moksha

Becoming liberated for the cycle of reincarnation in Hinduism.

The Upanishads also gave rise to the

Bhagavad Gita (Divine Songs, 400 BCE-400 CE), the most influential and popular Hindu scripture. (generally appreciated)

Chan Buddhism (Zen)

Bodhidharma (Indian monk) -> Hui-ko -> Hing-jen -> Hui-neng: the southern school of sudden enlightenment Shen-hsiu: the northern school of gradual enlightenment

The essential nature of the Hindu deities is the full personification of

Brahman

The System of Hindu Castes

Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shudra

The triple confession of faith in Buddhism

Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama as the Enlightened Being)-Sangha (the Monastic Order)-Dharma (Siddhartha's teaching, the Universal Principle) "I take refuge in the Buddha; I take refuge in the Dharma (the Truth); I take refuge in the Sangha (the Monastic Order)."

founder of Son [zen] Buddhism

Chinul (1158-1210), the Korean tradition of Zen

Kali

Dripping with blood and skulls symbolizing her aspect as the destroyer of evil.

Hindu goddesses

Durga, Kali, Devi

Ahimsa, which means nonviolence, is the core of Ramakrishna's Hindu principle

False

Yogacara Buddhism

Founders: Maitreyanatha (270-350 CE), Asanga (300-370 CE), Vasubandhu (320-390 CE) Two kinds of knowledge or truth: conditional or (relative) truth and transcendental (or absolute) truth. The goal is to attain the Absolute Truth or Knowledge.

Satyagraha

Gandhi coined this term meaning the power of Truth. He believed that a policy of non-aggression in the face of aggression. hindu

Pantheism

God is identical to the world. God is not outside the physical world. (In this view, God is nature per se and vice versa)

Vaishyas

Hindu caste of cultivators, artisans, and merchants. (Purusha's thighs)

Eightfold Path (Buddhism)

In Buddhism, the basic rules of behavior and belief leading to an end of suffering The Eightfold Path is the right understanding, the right intention, the right speech, the right action, the right livelihood, the right effort, the right meditation, and the right contemplation. This Eightfold Path leads its devoted followers to successfully practice non- attachment.

The difference from the Hindu concept of atman and an-atman in Buddhism

In Hinduism, atman, the individual soul (self) means eternal and immortal, moving from one material form to another until it is united with Brahman. Buddhism, however, denies the idea of atman. Buddhism proposes the idea of an-atman (no atman) referring to "no individual self."

Arhat

In Theravada, a person who has practiced monastic disciplines and reached nirvana, the ideal. Buddhist

Anatman

In the Buddhist view, your belief in "permanent individual soul" is a delusion. ________means no individual self.

In Hinduism, _______ yoga means the path to the divine reality through knowledge and wisdom

Jnana

The successful development of Buddhism under Ashoka's (273-232 BCE) care

King Ashoka converted himself to Buddhism and protected Buddhists with his political power. discusses many philosophical issues such as the causation of all living things, was added to the Buddhist canon. -Buddhism was successfully growing throughout India and transmitted to other countries as well. -The expansion of the Buddha's teachings-> many Buddhist sects adapted to different cultures in different areas.

Atharva Veda

Knowledge from the teacher Atharva

Pure Land Buddhism

Mahayanist sect. Calling on Amida Buddha (divine savior) Cannot attainenlightenment through people's own efforts.-> turn to Amida Buddha (of Boundless Light) for them to be saved. "Namu Amida Buddha" (Imperfect myself, I take refuge in the immeasurable light, in the immeasurable life.")

Meaning of Upanishads

Means the devoted disciples sitting down by the teacher to receive private spiritual instruction about the ultimate reality, destroying all ignorance

Nirvana

Nirvana is the ultimate goal of Buddhism. Nirvana Literally means "nothingness" "emptiness," "extinction" or "going out." - the extinction of all selfish desires, attachments called tanhas.

Ramanuja

Philosipher who states:Both the physical world and the Ultimate Reality are real. •Makes a qualitative distinction between the Ultimate and the physical world unlike Shankara. hinduism

Mahayana Buddhism

Regards Siddhartha Gautama as more than the human being; as the manifestation of the Divine in human form.

Krishna Conscious Movement

Renounces all material society, wear the orange robes, study all the literature about Krishna. hindu

The most ancient division of the Vedic scriptures is __________ Veda.

Rig

what the oldest Vedic scripture is.

Rig

Vedanta philosophy was greatly developed by

Shankara (788-820), Ramanuja (1017-1137), Madhva (1197-1280). Hinduism

Shaivites worship

Shiva

The founder of Buddhism

Siddhartha (given name, 563 to 483 BCE) Gautama (family name).

Chinul (1158-1210)

Son [zen] Buddhism in Korean Combines "sudden enlightenment" with "gradual enlightenment" for practicing the Buddha nature. -Even after the initial sudden awakening to his or her fundamental Buddhist-nature, the student must learn to apply his or her understanding in the ordinary world and transform his or her knowledge into useful and proper action.

Theravada Buddhism

Teaching of the Elders. Also referred to as Hinayana [Small Vehicle] by Mahayana Buddhists; staying close to the Tripitaka.

Shiva

The "bringer of disease and death" for new forms of life (the deity of destruction)

Devi

The Great Goddesses, The Female Creative Power

Vishnu

The Preserver, a benevolent God (the deity of preservation)

Zen Buddhism

The aim of ______ practice: enlightenment-> directly experiencing the unity of all existence, recognizing that nothing is separated from oneself (emphasizing "direct experience"

zen buddism

The aim of practice: enlightenment-> directly experiencing the unity of all existence, recognizing that nothing is separated from oneself

Brahma

The creator of all worlds

Shudras

The landless peasants and serfs of the caste system. (Purusha's feet)

Upanishads turning point from the traditional Vedas.

The other division, Uapanishads, was added at the end of the Vedic period (700-400 BCE) and focuses on the inner spirit, giving rise to philosophical concepts and terms. The Upanishads still belong to the Vedas, but they differ from traditional Vedas in that the Upanishads concentrate on the spiritual world and the individual seeking the ultimate reality with less of an emphasis on the ritual system.

Gandhi

The place where he saw God, was in responding to the needs of the poor, the downtrodden, the marginalized, the outcastes. __________ says, "It is no exaggeration to say that in this meeting with peasants I was face to face with God and Truth." In the Truth, there is no distinction between one's own salvation and that of others.

The International Vedanta Society

The pure devotion and universal spiritual wisdom that Ramakrishna emphasized inspired what is now known as the ___________ Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902) greatly contributed to the establishment of this Ramakrishna Movement, introducing Hinduism to America.

Trikaya

The three ways of Buddha nature called ________ ("three body") doctrine. 1) Dharmakaya (the law body): 2) Sambhogakaya (perfect-bliss-body): communicating the Dharma (the true nature, the Buddha nature) to our everyday life. 3) Nirmanakaya (transformation body): Siddhartha's physical body is considered an incarnation of divine reality. Relates to :Mahayana Buddhism

The difference between arhat for Thervada and bodhisattva for Mahayana

The two main distinctions between the Theravadin (strict: Doctrine of Elders,"- monks ) and the Mahayanist (liberal ) lie in their view of an ideal person and their interpretation of the Buddha. It is the universality of the Bodhisattva's (Mahayana) aspiration that is contrasted with the Arhat's (Theravada ) more personal inspiration. Buddhist

The origin of the names India and Hindu?

These words originate from Indus.

Tripitaka

Three Baskets, The earliest collection of sacred books of Buddhism) 1) Vinaya Pitaka 2) Sutra Pitaka 3) Abhidharma Pitaka Buddhist

Buddha means the Enlightened Being or the Enlightened One.

True

Major Hindu Ritual Groups:

Vaishnavites/ Shaivites/ Saktas

Vaishnavites worship

Vishnu

Rinzai

Zen Buddhism in Japan Uses both zazen and the koan-> Liberation would not come about by reading or chanting. - founded by Eisai (1141-1215) and developed by Hakuin Ekaku (1685-1768).

Samkya

a Indian philosophical schools thought hindu

Samkhya

a dualistic understanding of life -> the eternal self and the temporal self The physical world is temporal and subject to change. The eternal world is invisible according to our sensory perceptions. the true reality goes beyond the physical world. In this manner, the physical and the sacred are two independent realms. hinduism

Madhva's daulity

asserts that the divine reality and everyday world are completely separated from each other.Thus, his school of thought is labeled "Dvaita" (Dual) Vedanta. According to __________, Brahman and the individual self are separable in essence. Hinduism

kundalini yoga

attempts to bring the mind and body to a state of deep consciousness and to bring them into a state of unity, whereby everything is indivisible

Monotheism

belief in one and only God

Yajur Veda

ceremonial knowledge

Sama Veda

chant knowledge

Raja Yoga

concentrates on mental discipline in order to reach the divine

Purusha had to destroy himself to generate the human world, which created the

different castes : are different parts of his body head, hand, thigh, and feet

Amida Buddha

divine savior)

What are the main characteristics of Krishna?

divine wisdom, selflessness, love, and devotion.

Advaita Vedanta

emphasized meditation, good karma, and knowing Brahman. hinduism

Shankara's Advaita Vedanta

emphasizes a single reality by claiming that Brahman is the only reality, which represents non dualism in Hindu religious thought. Advaita literally means "non-dual." [ the physical world and eternal reality do not exist separately; they are, in reality, not different. Everything except Brahman is transitory and impure, and each of these things is a product of the illusions created through sensory perception. Therefore, Shankara's interpretation of Vedanta, called monism, focuses on only One Reality.]

Saktas worship

female goddesses

Hatha Yoga

focuses on bodily practices, which are often used for the purpose of physical exercise

Five Skandhas

form, sensation, perception, disposition, consciousness Buddhist

who brought Soto Zen to Japan

founded by Eisai Dogen (1200-53) Buddhist

Ahimsa

gondhi's nonviolence non-violence: All life is ultimately one and that there is a divine element in every person. In inuring others we are injuring the whole of which we are part, and injuring the ultimate Truth or Reality which we call God. [hinduism]

Nagarjuna's (100-200 CE) School of Negation, Madhyamika, and sunyata (emptiness) as his main notion

greatly contributed to the foundation of Mahayana Buddhism. The distinction between the opposites is, ________________, nothing but a human concept that is devoid of reality. All value judgments -good and evil, true and false, right and wrong, this and that—are human conceptual constructions. Every value judgment should be negated. So this school is also referred to as the School of Middle Path (to avoid absolute one-sidedness). Buddhist

Shankara's Advaita Vedanta holds that

he physical world and the true/eternal reality do not exist separately and are in reality "not different" (not two, A-dvaita). Only Brahman is Eternal, Indescribable and impersonal. So, Advaita Vedanta claims "monism," emphasizing oneness with Brahman.

Soto Zen ( Japan) focuses on

intensive sitting meditation and the belief that we all are actually Buddha. With Zazen, all things are in the same world; there is no distinction between this-world and that world. Everything is undivided in the Zazen version of practice and enlightenment. Japanese

Samsara

is a term frequently coupled with karma. _______refers to a "cycle of birth and rebirth." According to the Katha-Upanishad, the human spirit continues through a series of life cycles until it is completely united with Brahman. Hindu

Karma

literally means "action." One's past actions determine one's current status. __________ relates directly to the principle of causality. Hindu ethics underscore ________; the best way to attain good _________ is to perform a selfless act derived from Atman. ________ is a law of retribution by which one's actions determine one's future punishment or reward.

Anitya

means "change" or "impermanence." Everything in life is transitory and passing, in constant change. Everything is in process; nothing is fixed or permanent. The world is in an endless process of change and transformation. All existence is_________; everything is subject to change. Buddism

Maya

means an illusion. _______ indicates the phenomenal world as captured by sense perception but to be held as distinct from true reality. hindu

Satya

means being, reality, that which alone truly is, the ultimate. God is not a Person but is beyond thepersonal/impersonal distinction as the ultimate reality underlying everything Gandhi hindu

Samkya, Yoga, and Advaita Vedanta emphasized

meditation, good karma, and knowing Brahman. Hindu

Several Ways to Understand the Sacred Reality (the Divine)

monotheism, pantheism, pan-en-theism polytheism, atheism, agnosticism.

What does "an-atman" mean?

no discrete self Buddhism

What does yoga mean?

otherwise known as marga, way to the divine reality

marga

otherwise known as yoga

Pan-en-theism

refers to a belief that God is beyond the world and in the world. ("everything is in God." For everything to be included in God, God should be more than the world.)

Vedanta

refers to a trend in thought that focused on the Upanishad and was formed in the end of the Vedas

The meaning of Puja

ritual practice of Hinduism: Sacred presence through devotions with their senses: The sounds of mantras and ringing bells/ fragrances with incense and flowers Hindu

According to Siddhartha, suffering is caused by ______________.

self-desire or attachment Buddhism

Hinayana/Theravada

the 1st step of [Tibetan VAJRAYANA] path of these is called by the Tibetans: quieting of the mind and relinquishing of attachments through meditation practices. Buddhist

Mahayana

the 2nd step of [Tibetan VAJRAYANA] of these is called 2) The second is __________ training in compassion and loving-kindness. Buddhist

Vajrayana

the 3rd step of [Tibetan VAJRAYANA]of these is called is an advanced esoteric path called ____________ ("the indestructible diamond vehicle") or Tantrayana, said to be the speeded-up path that allows enlightenment within a single lifetime. It includes extremely rigorous practices and rituals derived from the tantric yoga of India. The highest stage of ___________ is the use of the subtle vital energies of the body to transform the mind. Buddhist

The meaning of Buddha

the Enlightened Being or the Enlightened One.

Genesha

the elephant headed god, the god of wisdom

tanhas

the extinction of all selfish desires, attachments ["selfish craving, desire, attachment"] which leads to rebirth prevent one from reaching Nirvana buddist

Brahman is defined as

the sacred foundation of the universe

Brahman

the sacred source and foundation of everything

Brahmin

the highest of the four classes of the caste system, traditionally made up of priests (Purusha's head.)

arhat

the ideal person of Theravada, realizes such an ultimate goal and finally becomes a "perfect being." a person who has reached nirvana buddhist

Atman

the individual self experiencing Brahman. •Brahman-Atman unity

Ramanuja asserted that

the physical world makes up the "body" of the Ultimate Reality. (hinduism)

Shunyata

the realization of nothingness or emptiness. Although things in the phenomenal world appear to be real and substantial outside, they are actually empty within. Nagarjuna's School of Negation (Madhyamika) buddhist

bhakti yoga

the way to the divine reality through devotion (Devotion)

Jnana Yoga

the way to the divine reality through knowledge and wisdom (Knowing)

karma yoga

the way to the divine reality through action or willingness (Action) [moral behavior]

Ahimsa, which means nonviolence, is the core of Gandhi's Hindu principle

true