Ch. 5 Buddhism

How did Buddhism become recognized in the Western world?

1. Initial Chinese immigrants, most of whom were Buddhist, came to the western United States during the Gold Rush of 1849. Eventually settling down, they established monasteries and shrines. 2. The influence of the Dalai Lama has provoked a greater understanding and familiarization of Buddhism as well as the history of Tibet.

"Taking refuge" in the Buddja, dharma, and sangha

"Taking refuge" means participating and practicing;modeling your life after the Buddha's. When you take refuge in the dharma, you use the Buddha's doctrine as a guide by which to live. For monks, this means taking the vow of poverty and becoming an ordained monk. For lay Buddhists, it can mean giving to the monastery

Anatman

"not self"

Theravada

"teaching of the elders" and refers to the oldest Buddhist tradition

Mahayana

"the great vehicle", a branch of Buddhism that developed after Theraveda

Three Jewels

Buddha, dharma, and sangha

Goal of meditation

Leads to greater enlightenment. Must be totally clear and pure so that the "cankers" (sexual desire, desire to live, false views, ignorance) can be eliminated.

Daily alms- begging

Represents a monk's quest to rid himself of desire. If he receives food, he will eat, but if he receives nothing, then he eats nothing. Monks rely on donations for their food supply because the monks have provided an opportunity to build good karma by performing an act of charity.

How does the Eightfold Path relate to anatman?

The Eightfold Path offers a series of steps to help Buddhists change their lives. Because Buddhists do not believe in an unchangeable soul, they say that the Eightfold Path will help them to develop a better anatman, or aggregation of characteristics of self.

Three differences between the Theravada and Mahayana forms of Buddhism.

Theravada Buddhism is more conservative and traditional than the Mahayana branch. In Theravada Buddhism, the goal is to become arhats, "worthy ones" who are enlightened. In Mahayana Buddhism, human beings strive to become bodhisattvas. A bodhisattva is also one who has reached enlightenment, but who chooses to help human beings reach enlightenment rather than making the final step away from samsara. A third difference between the two groups is their sacred texts. For the Theravadas, the Tripitaka is the sacred text. For the Mahayana Buddhists, the sacred texts are the sutras, shastras, and tantras.

Anjali

a gesture of greeting one makes by putting the palms together at the chest

Bodhisattva

a person who has achieved enlightenment but chooses to stay on Earth to help others reach enlightenment rather than entering nirvana

Arhat

a person who has achieved enlightenment, a "worthy one"

Bodhisattva tradition of Mahayana Buddhism

a tradition in which an enlightened person purposefully chooses to be reincarnated, coming back to this world to help others achieve enlightenment, as illustrated in representations of the Five Buddhas, the historical Buddha and four bodhasittvas who became buddhas.

Samana

a wandering religious beggar

Prostration

an act of bowing down to the ground.

Nirvana

enlightenment, the ultimate goal of Buddhism

Skandhas

five elements that combine to form an individual

Mandalas

geometric designs symbolic of the universe, act as spiritual maps leading one to a world beyond suffering

Devas

gods who live in the highest realms of existence in Buddhism

Mantra

sacred verbal formula repeated in prayer and meditation.

Tantra

set of instructions said to be given by the Buddha to a group of his students. These teachings are widely used in Tibetan Buddhism.

Lama

someone who has achieved a certain level of spirituality and has the authority to teach others.

Duhka

the Sanskrit word for suffering, which Buddhism states the primary condition of life

Karma

the effects of a person's actions that determine his destiny in his next incarnation

Four Noble Truths

the essence of Buddhist dharma; they state that life is suffering; suffering is caused by desire; it is possible to end suffering; and there is a path to follow to end suffering

Sangha

the name for the monastic order created by the Buddha

Tripitaka

the sacred texts of the Theraveda

Dharma

the teachings of the Buddha, and the natural law that the universe follows

Samsara

the wheel of time, the cyclic life of all beings