Reading...
Play button
Play button
Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
65 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
|
Dogma
|
A principle or belief or a group of them held authoritatively.
|
|
|
Religion
|
A set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, generally derived from one’s culture and which directly informs one’s moral responsibilities.
|
|
|
Monotheism
|
Belief in one god
|
|
|
Polytheism
|
Belief in many gods
|
|
|
Pantheism
|
Belief in god as a transcendent reality; god as nature; many expressions of the same universal nature of god
|
|
|
Deism
|
Belief in the existence of god through reason; god as a non-personal creator that is indifferent to humanity.
|
|
|
Atheism
|
Belief that there is no God whatsoever, and that the concept of a God(s) is simply construct of our imagination in place as a coping mechanism or a matter of culture.
|
|
|
Agnosticism
|
Belief that the existence of god is a question that, at this point cannot be answered with any certainty, and so the position of the matter ought to be one of ignorance.
|
|
|
Eschatology
|
Doctrine concerning final matters such as death, afterlife, rebirth, etc.
|
|
|
Yoga
|
A method of training to lead to integration/ union with God.
|
|
|
4 Basic Yogas
|
Jnana- intellectual, knowledge based practice and habit forming though reason.
Bhakti: Devotion, love adoration of a personified aspect of Brahman to aid in revelation. Karma: work, cause and effect, action-based that can be practiced as jnana or bhakti. Raja: royal path, psycho-physical exercises provide the path to reintegration. |
|
|
Samadhi
|
Mind absorbed into God; synthesis with God.
|
|
|
Moksha
|
Liberation from finite being and experience.
|
|
|
Godhead
|
Abstract, essential divine nature of God
|
|
|
Brahman
|
God as all-pervading oneness (pantheistic notion)
|
|
|
Atman
|
God within; God/Omniscient self (Atman-Brahman)
|
|
|
Karma
|
Moral law of cause and effect
|
|
|
Brahmin
|
priestly class
|
|
|
Brahma
|
Hindu god
|
|
|
The 4 stages of life and their roles
|
• The first stage is that of the student. Traditionally began after the rite of initiation, between the ages of 8 and 12, and lasted for 12 years, during which the student typically lived in the home of the teacher, rendering service for instruction received. Student’s prime responsibility was to learn.
• The second stage beginning with marriage was that of the householder. Here during life’s noonday, with physical powers at a zenith, interests and energies naturally turn outward. Three fronts on which they will focus their energies on- family, vocation, and the community they belong to. Normally attention and energy divided between the 3. This is the time to satisfy the first 3 human wants: pleasure, through marriage and family primarily; success, through vocation; and duty, through civic participation. • The third stage is the stage of retirement- whenever you have fulfilled all of life’s duties and have satisfied life’s goals and needs you may move on onto the retirement stage. It’s time to begin life’s true adult education, to discover who one is and what life is all about. What is the secret of the ”I” with which one has been on such intimate terms with all these years, yet which remains a stranger, full of inexplicable quirks, baffling surds, and irrational impulses. Retirement looks beyond the stars, not to the village streets. • Beyond retirement lies the final stage wherein the goal is actually reached is the state of sannyasin, defined by the Bhagavad-Gita as “one who neither hates nor loves anything”- A state that is available to all classes. |
|
|
The castes and their roles
|
o The first group India called Brahmins or seers. Civilizations intellectual and spiritual leaders- philosophers, artists, religious leaders, and teachers. In honor and psychological power they were supreme.
o The second group- Kshatriyas, born administrators- In salary and social power they stood supreme. o Third group- vaishyas- Producers, artisans and farmers, skillful in creating the material things life demands. o Fourth group- shudras- followers or servants or unskilled laborers. Could do no wrong because they were regarded as children and not much should be expected from them. |
|
|
Nirguna Brahman
|
god-without-attributes, infinite, undifferentiated, faceless God, the truth. Beyond the description of God.
|
|
|
Saguna Brahman
|
God-with-attributes, such as the Trimurti. Way for worshippers to worship something.
|
|
|
Trimurti
|
Hindu trinity of Gods, Creator (Brahma), Preserver (Vishnu), and Destroyer (Shiva), representations of Hindu gods come from these three.
|
|
|
Maya
|
World as it appears to yogis who have achieved a higher sense, Illusion of the material world, the ability to create illusion, what we see everyday. Our perception of our world. We experience our world through our apparatus. We naturally only see a portion of our reality.
|
|
|
Avidya
|
Ignorance, mental capacity, ability of our brain to understand things is limited in its capacity because we don’t have all of the things we need to really understand the world. We are limited in our subjectivity. Our capacity to understand the world is limited by our ignorance.
|
|
|
Lila
|
God’s play, cosmic dance. Used to discuss creation
|
|
|
Metaphysical structure of Hinduism
|
Nirguna Brahman
(God without/ beyond attributes; infinite being) • Avidya(Ignorance) Veil of subjectivity Maya (Illusion) • Saguna Brahman o • (God with attributes; finite conception) o o Trimurti • Brahma (Creator) Vishnu (Preserver) Shiva (Destroyer) |
|
|
4 Signs of Buddhism
|
an old man, a sick man, a dead man, and a beggar or monk
|
|
|
The 4 Noble Truths of Buddhism
|
1. Dukkha- life is suffering- accept the fact that it’s a fundamental part of human nature.
2. Tanha- caused by selfish craving- 3. Moksha- liberation is possible 4. Nirvana- 8-fold path- Buddha’s proven method for reaching nirvana. Manifestation of the concept of the middle way. |
|
|
The Three marks of existence
|
Impermanence (anicca)- everything changes.Nothing is permanent.
Unsatisfactoriness (dukkha)- there is no goodness or beauty. Insubstantiality (anatta)- there is no permanent essence, self or soul (in contrast to the Hindu concept of the soul "atman." |
|
|
The Middle Way
|
it implies a balanced approach to life and the regulation of one's impulses and behavior, Middle Way refers to the correct view of life that the Buddha teaches, and to the actions or attitudes that will create happiness for oneself and others.
|
|
|
Anatta
|
no self
|
|
|
Anicca
|
impermanence, everything changes, because its supposed to. Its nature. When you understand this you can understand dukkha.
|
|
|
Dukkha
|
suffering
|
|
|
Tanha
|
desire caused by selfish craving
|
|
|
Nirvana
|
the word Buddha used to name life’s goals as he saw it. Etymologically means to “blow out”, or “to extinguish” not transitively, but as fire ceases to draw. Deprived of fuel, the fire goes out, and this is Nirvana. Nirvana is not necessarily death or the extinguishing of life, but the extinguishing of the boundaries of the finite self.
|
|
|
Dharma
|
The teachings of a Buddha (the word dharma in this meaning is capitalized in English); (2) law; (3) anything (mental, physical, event); (4) a mental object of consciousness, such as a thought.
|
|
|
Sangha
|
(Buddhist monastic order) is at the heart of Theravada Buddhism.
|
|
|
Buddha
|
means the “enlightened one” or the “Awakened one”
|
|
|
Bodhi
|
In Theravada Buddhism the prime attribute of enlightenment is wisdom (Bodhi), meaning profound insight into the mature of reality, the causes of anxiety and suffering, and the absence of a separate core of selfhood.
|
|
|
Karuna
|
Mahayana perspective karuna (compassion) cannot be counted on to be an automatic fruit.
|
|
|
Arhat
|
holy one who has extinguished all such desires.For the Theravadas the ideal was the Arhat, the perfected disciple who, wandering like the lone rhino, strikes out alone for nirvana and, with prodigious concentration, proceeds unswervingly toward that goal.
|
|
|
Godhead
|
Abstract, essential divine nature of God.
|
|
|
Zen
|
entering Zen is like stepping through Alice’s looking glass. One finds oneself in a topsy-turvy wonderland where everything is quite mad- charmingly mad for the most part, but mad all the same.
|
|
|
Zazen
|
literally means “seated meditation”
|
|
|
Koan
|
generally means problem
|
|
|
Sanzen
|
consultation with Zen master concerning meditation
|
|
|
Kensho or Satori
|
what the first important breakthrough is an intuitive experience is called, satori is Zen’s version of the mystical experience
|
|
|
Vajra
|
the thunderbolt of Indra, the Indian thunder god who is mentioned often in the early Pali Buddhist texts; but when Mahayana turned the Buddha into a cosmic figure, indra’s thunderbolt was transformed into the Buddhas diamond scepter.
|
|
|
Tantra
|
a Hindu or Buddhist mystical or ritual text, dating from the 6th to the 13th centuries.
|
|
|
Mantra
|
a word or sound repeated to aid concentration in meditation.
|
|
|
The 8 Fold Path
|
1. Right views- make up our minds as to what life’s problem basically is
2. Right intent- make up our hearts as to what we really want. When people seek liberation with single-mindedness of this order, they may expect their steps to turn form sliding sandbank scrambles into ground griping strides. 3. Right speech- become aware of our speech and what it reveals about our character. 4. Right conduct- involves a call to understand one’s behavior more objectively before trying to improve it. Reflect on your actions with an eye to the motives that prompted them. 5. Right livelihood- for the layperson it calls for engaging in occupations that promote life instead of destroying it. Decide on an occupation that was conducive to spiritual progress rather than one that impedes it. 6. Right effort- reaching the goal requires immense exertion; there are virtues to be developed, passions to be curbed, and destructive mind states to be expunged so compassion and detachment can have a chance. 7. Right mindfulness- “all we are is the result of what we have thought”, “All things can be mastered by mindfulness”. Spinoza’s dictum- “to understand something is to be delivered of it” 8. Right concentration- involves substantially the techniques of the Hindu Raja yoga and leads to substantially the same goal. |
|
|
Characteristics of Theravada (Hinayanas) Buddhism
|
Human beings are emancipated by self effort, without supernatural aid.
Key virtue: wisdom Attainment requires constant commitment and is primarily for monks and nuns. Ideal: the Arhat who remains in nirvana after death. Buddha a saint, supreme teacher and inspirer. Minimizes metaphysics. Minimizes ritual. Practice centers on meditation. |
|
|
Characteristics of Mahayana Buddhism
|
Human aspirations are supported by divine powers and the grace they bestow.
Key virtue: Compassion Religious practice is relevant to life in the world, and therefore to lay people. Ideal: The bodhisattva Buddha a savior Elaborates metaphysics Emphasizes ritual Includes petitionary prayer. |
|
|
3 Ways of Taoism
|
)Tao... ‘The Way of Ultimate Reality’
· Tao is transcendent · in this, it exceeds the reach of the senses · to reveal itself to man would be unbearable for him · the fact of it exceeds the reach of thought and imagination · it cannot be described or defined because it is boundless · “Ultimate Tao” is the basis of all existence · Tao is the womb and the grave of all life · the Tao can only be known by mystical insight (untranslatable) · “Those who know, don’t say. Those who say, don’t know.” 2)Tao... ‘The Way of the Universe’ · Tao is immanent · it is the norm, the rhythm, the driving power of all things · Tao is the ordering principle behind all life · in the universal phase of Tao, it “assumes flesh” (i.e. form) · since it is spirit, rather than matter, it cannot be exhausted · it is “the integrating principle of the whole- the Spirit” · it is nature 3)Tao... ‘The Way of Life’ · Tao is the rules by which to live · it is how to adjust your way with that of the universe |
|
|
3 Approaches of Taoism
|
Three Meanings of ‘Power’ From Te
-just as Tao, Te has three possible meanings -from the three interpretations of Te arise three types of Taoism -though they arise from the same roots, the fruits are hardly similar - ‘Te’ literally means power -the three types of Taoism arise from the supposed seat of that power 1) Popular Taoism · this is the Taoism of the masses · it is a misinterpretation of something that is, in itself, essentially uninterpretable · its approach to power is through magic · in it, mysticism becomes mystification and religion becomes sorcery · it is wholly perverse and little worth mentioning 2) Esoteric Taoism · its approach to power is through the mystical · due to its brief lifespan (500 years) it left little mark on history · some consider it to be the basic premise behind and most true of the spirit of the Tao Te Ching · it disagreed with Confucius’ assertion that power came through moral example · it maintained that power was psychic in nature · it advocated the practice of internal ‘stillness’ · its fascination was with the inner man -the inner man has its focus in self-consciousness or being -the outer man has its focus in appearance, word, and action or doing · esoteric Tao says that man’s soul is covered in toil and worry -we must work back through the ‘packed’ layers -at the core is pure consciousness and “man as he was meant to be” · pure consciousness is found by selflessness, cleanliness and emotional calm · the key to esoteric Taoism is through deep meditation -postures -breathing exercises · they left very few and very abstruse records in order to avoid mockery 3) Philosophical Taoism · asserts that power is neither magical nor mystical, but philosophical · power enters a life that is reflectively and intuitively geared towards the way of the universe · this type is the main focus of Taoism |
|
|
Yin/Yang
|
two opposing types of energy or contrasting forces. Yin is described as yielding, passive, negative, dark, and female. Yang is dynamic, assertive, positive, light, and male. The two energies are opposite and yet mutually dependent. Yin may become yang and vice versa, just as day becomes night, cold becomes hot, and the reverse. The behavior of yin and yang describes the structure of any event or thing. It may be said that their dynamic relationship describes the operation of the Tao in its cycles of creation, and that their alternating movement underlies the structure of everything in the universe. The concept of yin and yang is conveyed by the tiger and dragon and by the Taiji symbol (see also Taiji diagram).
|
|
|
Tao
|
The word "tao" is usually translated as "way", "road", "method", "technique" or "principle". As a concept, Tao is the most important topic in the philosophical Taoism (tao-chia).
|
|
|
Te
|
The word "te" is without any doubt one of the most mysterious in the Taoist vocabulary. It appears in the title of Lao-tzu's book: Tao-te ching . Legge translates this title as: The Classic about Tao and its Characteristics so "te" should be rendered as "characteristics" or "features". These characteristics are seen in relation with the Tao.
Julian Pass wrote that Te "is the inner and outer power bestowed on each being by Tao, or all the qualities for action inherent in the nature of each being, which gives each being a way to maintain itself, to grow and flourish." (Historical Dictionary of Taoism, Scarecrow Press). Te also means "virtue", that is, the moral virtue of beings. This virtue is not the inner one but something that was given from outside (lit. "power" or "virtue"). Means through which the Tao becomes manifest and actualized. |
|
|
Chi'
|
(lit. "air, "breath, "strength"). Life energy that flows throughout the human body and the universe.
|
|
|
Wu-wei
|
(lit. "non-action.") The ideal for rulers as set out in the Tao te Ching.
basic quality of a life that is in tune with the universe -it combines supreme action with supreme inaction -shuns creation through calculated directives of the conscious mind -seeks genuine creation through bypassing the conscious mind -goes against Confucius idea where all responses were ideal preprogrammed idea -attempts to allow space for spontaneous being by letting go of the private ego - “the way to do is to be” |
|
|
Analogy of Taoism
|
That the Dao is depicted as a wheel, as the wheel of a cart, shows right away that the Dao is not static, that it is not something that eternally stands still, but rather something that moves – even though it does not change its shape. The wheel is not merely a thing, it is a kind of event, it is rotation and motion. The wheel is a running, it is a “pro-ceeding,” a “pro-cess” (i.e., literally a “going forwards”).
|
|
|
Wu-Wei Metaphors
|
Wu-wei is metaphorized by water
water supports objects effortlessly · water is the basic sustaining life force · water is the manifestation of Tao in the natural world · water adapts itself to all places · water seeks lowest spot, most common are · water streamlines edges and softens brittleness · water is infinitely supple while incomparably strong · water attains clarity though stillness |
|
|
Samsara
|
the cycle of death and rebirth to which life in the material world is bound.
|
