Chapter 6 - Buddhism - World Religion
Quiz (10 Nov 17) - What do Catholics believe about suffering?
- Catholics believe suffering can be used for good - Catholics understand suffering as a part of the finite human condition - Some suffering is through no fault of one's own - Other suffering we bring upon others and ourselves
Five Precepts
1. Do not take the life of any creature 2. Do not take anything not freely given 3. Abstain from sexual misconduct and sexual overindulgence 4. Refrain from untrue or deceitful speech 5. Avoid intoxicants
Quiz (10 Nov 17) - What are some characteristics of Buddha?
1. Hindu 2. Sheltered 3. Price/Royalty
How does a pagoda differ from an ordinary stupa?
Basically, stupas are simple, small mounds, whereas, pagodas are large, elaborately decorated domes. Both are used to house relics of the historical Buddha. Pagodas are towers in eastern Asia, usually with roofs curving upward at the division of each of several stories and erected as temples or memorials. Stupas were mall mounds made of stone or brick that housed the relics of the historical Buddha and were usually located near a temple.
Briefly describe Mindfulness of Breathing meditation?
Mindfulness of Breath is one of the first forms of meditation Buddhists learn. Mindfulness of Breath focuses on breathing as the person learns to pay close attention tot he ebb and flow of breath. The person who persists in practicing this form of meditation over a long period of time finds that the power of concentration becomes stronger, and that inner calm enters not only the mind, but the whole person.
Quiz (10 Nov 17) - Name some similarities and some differences between Jesus and Siddhartha?
Similarities: 1. Both had miracles associated with their respective births. 2. Both were tempted before they began their public life. 3. Both had world religions 4. Both spoke about compassion Differences: 1. Siddhartha never claimed to be divine while Jesus was both human and divine. 2. Jesus was born of humble means while Siddhartha was born into royalty.
What is the most popular Mahayana sacred text?
The Lotus of the True Law (Lotus Sutra). Mahayana Buddhists believe the Lotus Sutra contains the final teachings of the Buddha.
pagodas
Towers in eastern Asia, usually with roofs curving upward at the division of each of several stories and erected as temples or memorials
Quiz (10 Nov 17) - Dalai Lama
The head lama pf Tibetan Buddhism who was the spiritual and political leader of Tibet until its takeover by Chinese communist leaders and a forced exile to India.
How is compassion manifested?
Through loving one another and showing kindness.
Sangha
At first just the Buddhist monastic community, later it came to describe the entire community of monks, nuns, and lay persons
Quiz (10 Nov 17) - Name and explain the Four Noble Truths?
1. Life is filled with suffering: Suffering refers not only to physical suffering, but also mental suffering that comes with facing the various traumas of life. 2. The cause of suffering is desire: Because people believe the individual self is real, they have cravings. 3. To cease suffering, one must cease desiring: To end suffering is to end samsara and achieve Nirvana. 4. The path to the end of suffering is the Noble Eightfold Path: This the Middle Way between indulgence and self-denial. The Noble Eightfold Path is the moral standard of Buddhism.
Name the four major sites of pilgrimage related to the life of Siddhartha Gautama. Why are these significant?
1. Lumbini Gardens: Traditional site of the birth of Siddhartha Gautama. 2. Bodh Gaya: The bodhi tree under which the Buddha meditated and gained his enlightenment was located at Bodh Gaya. 3. Sarnath: It was the Deer Park near Varanasi where Siddhartha Gautama preached his first sermon about the Four Noble Truths. This was also the place where he gained his first disciples. 4. Kushinara: Is the traditional place of the death of Gautama.
Quiz (10 Nov 17) - What are the three types of Buddhists?
1. Mahayana Buddhism - Literally means "the Great Ox Cart." This branch of Buddhism differs from Theravada Buddhism because it accommodates a greater number of people from all walks of life. 2. Theravada Buddhism - The main branch of Buddhism 3. Vajrayana Buddhism - Literally "Diamond Vehicle", it is the prominent branch of Buddhism in Tibet
List three major categories of the Noble Eightfold Path?
1. Right Understanding 2. Right Thought 3. Right Speech 4. Right Conduct 5. Right Livelihood 6. Right Effort 7. Right Mindfulness 8. Right Concentration
Gupta dynasty
240-550 CE, when the Gupta Empire ruled India with political peace and prosperity
Bodhisattva
A being that compassionately refrains from entering nirvana in order and is worshiped as a deity in Mahayana Buddhism
anatma
A permanent unchanging, independent self does not exist.
Ascetic
A person who renounces material comforts to live a self-disciplined life, especially in the area of religious devotion
Why is meditation important for Buddhists?
Meditation is central to every branch of Buddhism. For Buddhists, meditation is a means of heightened awareness. Meditation helps people cultivate the awareness of their dreams, goals,and self-identities and the means to engage in good karma.
Pali Canon
Another name for Tripitaka
Why were the Japanese attracted to Zen Buddhism?
Because of the early Buddhists scriptures. Also, Japanese rulers readily patronized Buddhism.
Quiz (10 Nov 17) - Why would Buddhists say there is no such thing as pure pleasure?
Buddhists would say that suffering comes when one possesses the illusion that something or someone will bring pleasure, and that, in reality, it is illusory.
List countries in Asia where Buddhism took hold, at least for some time?
Central Asia, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan as well as Pakistan and parts of Iran.
Dharma
From the Sanskrit, meaning uphold, in Hinduism it is that which is in accordance with the laws of the cosmos and of nature such as righteous acts.
Quiz (10 Nov 17) - Briefly summarize the birth, Enlightenment, and death of Siddhartha Gautama
He was born a Hindu, meditating for hours each day only eating enough to stay alive, and died of food poisoning. Summarize the birth: BIRTH - Born a Hindu of the warrior caste - Father was king of a small village - Mother dreamed of his birth, was told her son would either be a great king or a great holy man - He emerged from her mother right side, took seven steps, stopped and said "No more births for me ENLIGHTMENT - At age nineteen, he saw the Four Sights (old man, very sick man, a corpse, and a wandering holy man without any possessions) - Each of the Four Sights made a dramatic impression on him - For six years, he took up the life of a wandering ascetic - In his meditations about suffering and the cycle of rebirth, he finally reached the enlightenment he sought - He delivered many sermons on the Middle Way DEATH - Died of food poisoning at the age of 80
Quiz (10 Nov 17) - Tantric
Hindu literature written in Sanskrit and concerned with rituals acts of body, speech, and mind Three Baskets. Early Buddhist scriptures. The Three Baskets are: 1. Vinaya Pitaka 2. Sutra Pitaka 3. Abidharrna Pitaka The Tripitaka is the authoritative scripture for Theravada Buddhists.
Quiz (10 Nov 17) - lamas
In Tibetan Buddhism, teachers and often heads of monasteries
Name a difference between a Theravadan temple and a Mahayanan temple?
In a Theravadan temple, there are usually images of the Buddha and stories about the life of the Buddha depicted in paintings or statues, whereas, in Mahayanan temples are likely to have a number of enshrined images of many people from the past who have become enlightened and thus are called buddhas (with a lower-case "b") Monasteries are often connected to Buddhists temples. Mahayana temples include images of other buddhas and bodhisattvas besides images of Shakyamuni.
Quiz (10 Nov 17) - Tripitaka
Means, "Three Baskets", the compilation of three collections of early Buddhist texts.
Relics
Items of religious devotion, especially a piece of the body or personal items of an important religious figure.
Quiz (10 Nov 17) - Vajrayana Buddhism
One of the three types of Buddhist, Literally Diamond Vehicle, it is the prominent branch of Buddhism in Tibet
Quiz (10 Nov 17) - Mahayana Buddhism
One of the three types of Buddhist, Literally the Great Ox Cart. Accommodates a greater number of people from all walks of life
What attracted King Ashoka to Buddhism?
The Buddhist ideals of moral living and pacifism. After carry out various military campaigns, he became disenchanted with the military and the devastation war left on people, communities, and the environment.
Middle Way
The Buddhists teaching that liberation from samsura comes neither through severe ascetical practices nor through wild indulgences, but in the middle of the spectrum between those two opposites.
Quiz (10 Nov 17) - Who is the Dalai Lama?
The head lama of Tibetan Buddhism who is the spiritual and political leader of Tibet until its takeover by Chinese communist leaders and a forced exile to India.
Quiz (10 Nov 17) - What are the Three Jewels of Buddhism?
The Three Jewels (Sangha, Buddha, Dharma) are considered the core of Buddhism. In becoming a Buddhist, one proclaims refuge in these Three Jewels. 1. Sangha (I take refuge in the Sangha) At first just the Buddhist monastic community, later it came to describe the entire community of monks, nuns, and lay people 2. Buddha (I take refuge in the Buddha) 3. Dharma (I take refuge in the Dharma) Ethical rules from Buddha, teachings of the Buddha
How did the rise of communism in Asia affect Buddhism?
The decline of Buddhism in one region sees a rise of Buddhism in another.
What is an opportunity for dialogue between Catholic and Buddhists monastics?
The discussion of suffering, as it is a common theme between Catholics and Buddhists. Both Christianity and Buddhism have strong, vibrant monastic traditions.
Pala dynasty
The empire that controlled the Indian subcontinent from the eighth to twelfth centuries. The word pala means protector
Four Sights
The inspiration to become a monk for Siddhartha the Buddha, the four sights were an old crippled man, a diseased man, a decaying corpse, and finally an ascetic that Siddhartha encountered on an unannounced journey outside of the palace.
Bodhi Tree
The large, sacred fig tree at the Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya where Siddhartha the Buddha arrived at enlightenment.
What is the origin of the Rains Retreat?
The sangha began as a mendicant ("begging") order of monks. They wandered, preaching the Dharma during all but the three months of the monsoon season. The three-month period became known as the "Rains Retreat." Though a monastic retreat, lay Buddhists also consider the Rains Retreat to be a time of great holiness.
What is the most popular Vajrayana sacred text? Why?
Tibetan Book of the Dead. It is so popular because it is read while someone is dying, if possible, or when a person has recently died.
Nirvana
The spiritual goal for all Buddhists
How do Theravada and Mahayana Buddhists celebrate the birth of Buddha?
Theravada Buddhists celebrate the birth of Buddha on one day, the full moon day of May. Theravada Buddhists light colorful lanterns and candles around monasteries where the celebrations occur. Mahayana Buddhists celebrate the birth of Buddha on three separate days throughout the year. For Mahayanans, the celebration of the life of the Buddha may entail a bathing of the sacred image followed by a procession.
What were the main issues addressed by each of the Buddhists councils?
There were Four Buddhists Councils. The First Council - concerned with the purity of the Buddha's (Siddhartha) teachings. Tried to come to some agreement on Siddhartha's teachings. The Second Council - this council was held to address questionable practices of some "liberal" monks who sought a relaxation of monastic discipline, including permission to store salt, eat after noon, drink palm wine, and to accept silver and good. The Third Council - The Third Council came about upon the conversion of King Ashoka of the Mauryan dynasty of India in the third century BCE, The Fourth Council - Buddhist tradition relates that King Ashoka called for a Fourth Council to purify the sangha of its various irregularities.
Quiz (11 Nov 17) - In English, what does the term Tripitaka mean?
Three Baskets. Early Buddhist scriptures. The Three Baskets are: 1. Vinaya Pitaka 2. Sutra Pitaka 3. Abidharrna Pitaka The Tripitaka is the authoritative scripture for Theravada Buddhists.
Lotus Sutra
Where Enlightenment is made available to all because of the great compassion of bodhisattvas
Arhat
Worthy one, refers to one who has attained Nirvana in their present life time, thus, liberated from the cycle of rebirth