Phil: Buddhism exam

Middle way

siddhartha guatama came to the conclusion that neither sensual indulgence not self denial is helpful to understanding and liberation from suffering so he chose the path in between them

lama

spiritual teachers

Jataka tales

stories of the previous lives of Buddha.

S.N. Goenka

teacher of vipassana meditation

Sangha

the buddhist monastic order of the 5 ascetics

Buddha

the enlightened one, many different buddhas

Siddhartha Guatama

the man who left his family after seeing the four sights to pursue the life to find out what leads to suffering. He reaches enlightenment and teaches in to other ascetics in the Sangha

Tipitaka / Tripitaka

the sacred bible of the Buddhists, composed of three main scrolls: sutra, abhidhamma, vinaya

Dalai Lama

the spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhism and, until the establishment of Chinese communist rule, the spiritual and temporal ruler of Tibet.

nirvana

the state of pure equanimity, unmoved bliss

Dhamma / dharma

the teaching of the buddha

anatta / anatman (no-self)

there is no static self that remains the same, our greatest attachment is to our notion of self

mantra

verse uttered ("OM")

Vajrayana

views itself as being traced back to buddha himself and combines elements of Mahayana with secret teachings in the Tantras. Believes that the material world is a manifestation of divine energy and to reach control of that energy is to reach enlightenment

Theravada: ("way of elders")

views itself as representing the original and authentic teaching of the Buddha. Emphasizes own efforts to reach nirvana; those who attain it are arhats

Mahayana

views itself as the tradition that penetrates the teachings of buddha more deeply than Theravada; sees buddha as the earthly expression of ultimate reality

Four sights

1: frail old man (sidd had never seen old age) 2: man with disease (sidd had never seen disease/suffering before) 3: a corpse (no one can escape death) 4: wandering ascetic (gave sidd hope because the man was homeless and without possessions but still happy)

Four noble truths

1: suffering is inherit in life 2: the cause of suffering is desire 3: there is a way to end desire and suffering 4: follow the noble eightfold path

vesak

A celebration of Buddha's birth, enlightenment and death. Dancing and celebrating in the streets.

pali

An ancient language of India, similar to Sanskrit but more commonly understood, and used in the writing of the earliest Buddhist texts; most important for Theravada Buddhism

hinayana

Branch of Buddhism known as the "lesser vehicle," also known as Theravada Buddhism; its beliefs include strict, individual path to enlightenment, and it is popular in south and southeast Asia.

Amitabha

Buddha of the Pure Land

stupa

Buddhist shrine that is shaped like a dome or mound

Lotus Sutra

Culminating discourse deliverance at the end of Shakyamuni's life. Eternality of the Buddha (Doctrine of the Trikaya) buddha existed as a heavenly being before a human and was a heavenly being afterwards. He isn't just a man but an eternal being. Shakyamuni's choice to remain in samsara to teach the dharma. Extremely self-referential. Said there were three different types of buddhas

right speech, right action, right livelihood (eightfold path)

Cultivate ethical conduct

Samsara (Buddhism)

Cycle of existence and suffering

sutta/suttra

Dhamma teachings from the Buddha's sermons

Chan (Mahayana)

Foundation not scripture or imitation, but direct insight into one's own mind achieved through zazen (sitting meditation)

magha puja

It celebrates a gathering that was held between the Buddha and 1,250 of his first disciples, which, according to tradition, preceded the custom of periodic recitation of discipline by monks. On the day, Buddhists celebrate the creation of an ideal and exemplary community, which is why it is sometimes called Saṅgha Day

shunyata: ("emptiness")

Teaching that all compounded things have no independent existence or eternal real

Shakya clan

The Shakya were a clan of late Vedic India and the later so-called second urbanisation period in the Indian subcontinent. The Shakyas formed an independent oligarchic republican state known as the Śākya Gaṇarājya

Buddhist transtheism

The buddha seems to have rejected Bhakti as a way of salvation. Believed that the world had non-human gods, goddesses, demons, etc., but all are finite. Did not espouse ritual sacrifice and prayer. Rather, it focused on human suffering (a "symptom")

buddha-nature

The idea that everyone has the essence of a Buddha inside them

Karma (Buddhism)

The moral law of cause and effect of actions; determines the nature of one's rebirth

right view and right intention (eightfold path)

Wisdom: Understand and Accept the Three Marks: - Annica (impermanence) - Dukkha (suffering) - Anatta (no self)

Maitreya

a Buddha (or bodhisattva) expected to appear on earth in the future

pratyekabudha

achieves same insight without a teacher (Shadowy) someone not a part of the Sangha and reaches nirvana on their own

anicca (impermanence)

all things are always changing. All things are always in a state of becoming

bodhisattva

aspiring to become a future Buddha, liberate all beings

Deer park

buddha's first teaching which he spoke of the middle way, the four noble truths, and the noble eightfold path to the first 5 ascetics and when the sangha was formed

genre

category of composition marked by a particular form, style, and subject matter

dukkha (suffering)

central to the dharma, suffering is the desire to hold on to something when nothing can be held

deity yoga

concept involves visualizing oneself as a deity

tanha

desire, thirst, or craving. It is what suffering stems from

bhakti

devotion to a deity or guru

"three marks"

dukkha (suffering), anicca (impermanence), anatta / anatman (no-self)

Ashoka

emperor of India's Mauryan dynasty who imposed violence and suffering and then regretted it and turned to buddhism

Zen (Mahayana)

emphasizes practice over doctrine. total control over the mind rather than devotion to a figure. it's the most radically self reliant form

satori

flash of insight

Bodhidharma

founder of Zen Buddhism

mudra

hand positions believed to channel contact with deities and can also ward of evil spirits or demons

Pure Land (Mahayana)

infinite compassion of the Amitabha Buddha and recites the Buddha's name in order to guarantee his path to the Pure Land after his death. No rebirth or samsara just eternal heaven for helping Buddha reach the pure land

abhidhamma

learned discourse, doctrinal interpretation

parinivana

moment of physical death and transition of Nirvana

Vipassana

one of the two types of meditation. begins with a focus on breath and gain insight into the workings if compulsive and restless thought and to get past the suffering they cause

Samatha

one of the two types of meditation. cultivates the ability to focus awareness on a single object of concentration. Stabilizes the mind

arhat / arhant

one who has reached enlightenment

sharvaka

path of the arhat seeking nirvana (Theravada) a member in the Sangha

koan

puzzle intended to stymie the mind, bring new insight

eightfold path

right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration

vinaya

rules of monastic discipline

mandala

("frame") picture form depicting celestial deities

puja

("offering") of prayers, confessions of sins, or sacrifices

skandhas

"heaps," "clusters," the five impermanent aggregates (form, feeling, conception, karmic dispositions, and consciousness); by their collocation, they give rise to the mistaken sense of "self"

Shakyamuni

"sage of the Shakyas," one of the titles applied to Gautama Siddhartha as a historical personage

three refuges / jewels

"I take refuge in the Buddha, I take refuge in the Dharma, I take refuge in the Sangha"

upaya

"Skillful Means" was developed into a form of Buddhist practice that encourages imaginatively applying wisdom to whatever circumstances one is in to assist in easing suffering or cultivating insight

bhikkus / bhikkhunis

Monks

ekayana

One vehicle; notion in the Lotus Sutra that refers to the essence or true practice behind all forms of Buddhism

festival of the tooth

This historical procession is held annually to pay homage to the Sacred Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha, which is housed at the Sri Dalada Maligawa in Kandy. A unique symbol of Sri Lanka, the procession consists of many traditional local dances such as fire-dances, whip-dances, Kandyan dances and various other cultural dances, in addition to the elephants who are usually adorned with lavish garments.