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46 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What are the steps of the Eightfold Path? |
1. Right views 2. Right thought 3. Right speech 4. Right action 5. Right livelihood 6. Right effort 7. Right mindfulness 8. Right concentration Very Thoughtful Speech Acts Lively in an Effort to be Mindful and Concentrate |
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What 3 groups are the eightfold path steps broken up into? |
1, 2 = Wisdom 3, 4, 5 = Morality 6, 7, 8 = Meditiation |
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All factors of human existence are fluctuating. - Impermanent None by itself is a permanent self; taken together, they are not a permanent self. The root cause of suffering is when we wrongly assume a sense of self. |
Repeat |
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The 5 Aggregates |
1. Form (physical body) 2. Sensation (feelings) 3. Perceptions (ideas) 4. Karmic constructions (psychological faculties of the individual) 5. Consciousness (arises from interplay of other factors) Aggravated frog Forms Sensations to Perceive Karma and Consciousness |
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Dependent Origination |
Things come into existence depending on previous conditions/causes; nothing stands alone or is independent. |
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3 characteristics of existence |
1. Suffering 2. Impermanence 3. No Soul |
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3 refuges (jewels) |
I take refuge in Buddha I take refuge in Dharma I take refuge in Sangha |
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3 poisons |
1. Attachment (lust, greed, envy, passion) 2. Aversion (hatred, violence, jealousy, anger, negativity) 3. Delusion (having profound misconception of the nature of things) The self is the cause of lust, greed, and envy. Meaning the self is the cause of suffering. From self comes selfishness, from selfishness comes suffering, from suffering to rebirth. |
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5 precepts |
1. Not to kill 2. Not to steal 3. Not to engage in adultery 4. Not to lie 5. Not to take intoxicants Kill people to Steal their Intoxicants, Lie about it, and go have Sex. |
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The 4 noble truths |
1. Life is suffering. 2. The cause of suffering is desire. 3. There is a way to end desire and suffering. 4. The way is the noble eightfold path. |
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No soul doctrine 1 |
Once our minds construct the notion of "I" it becomes our central reference point. I do this, I do that, I want this, I want that. |
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No soul doctrine 2 |
When we construct an "I" or "self", we inevitably attempt to advance our interests (what we think we are), to defend it against threats, and to look for ego-affirmation at every turn such as confirmation that we exist, we are important, we are valued. This will relentlessly be frustrating, because not only do we create a fundamental dualism which pits us against each other and the universe; we cannot control the universe in order to reinforce our sense of self. Hence, this self is the root cause of such frustration or suffering. |
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No soul doctrine 3 |
Moreover, just as we (wrongly) suppose there is something called 'chair' that exists over and above its materials and parts, so we suppose there is something essential to us that exists over and above our 'parts'. We call that 'self' or 'soul'. |
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What characterized Vedic religion (Brahmanism)? |
-religion of the Indo-Aryans of northern India -authoritative -believed in sacrifice -caste system |
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How did the rise of urban civilization impact the religious landscape? |
-individualism became encouraged when Hinduism is more about the group -voluntary organizations began to increase meaning you could choose rather than being born into groups -bigger urban cities created more diversity -people began challenging the traditional Vedic religion |
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Who were the Shramanas? |
They were anti-veda and developed their own scriptures. Consisted of: -materialists: only matter exists -ajivaka: everything is predetermined -jain: dualistic, intense asceticism -skeptic: doubt everything, don't commit -buddha |
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What did Buddha not agree with for each group of the shramanas? |
-materialists: they don't take full responsibility and create bad karma -ajivaka: things are not permanent, you can change and improve, also don't take responsibility -jain: intense asceticism, better to take middle way -skeptic: absence of commitment means you get no where |
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What did Buddha find value in for each group (Shramanas & Brahmanas)? |
-materialists: no permanent entity that endures -ajivaka: nothing -jain: nothing (maybe asceticism kind of) -skeptic: nothing |
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Similarities between Shramanas & Brahmanas? |
-fear of suffering -importance of knowledge to transcend something -most believed in karma and samsara -developed philosophy: reasoned analysis of the goal we're trying to attain practice some form of asceticism -meditation |
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What marks the key moments in life of Siddhartha? |
-father was a king who was afraid siddhartha would be drawn to the spiritual life so he kept him sheltered in his palace, he wanted him to follow in his foot steps -he had 32 auspicious marks on his body meaning he was destined to conquer the world -at 29 he left the palace and encountered the four sights which was an old man, a diseased man, a corpse, and a man practicing asceticism -after seeing these he left his family in the middle of the night -he cut off his hair and practiced extreme asceticism for 5 years before finding the middle way -he then sat under a fig tree for 49 days until he found enlightenment -he first saw all of his past lives, then saw how karma had been working throughout time, then realized the cause of suffering is desire |
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What does it mean to be a Buddha? |
-to renounce the world: shave head -to take refuge in Buddha, dharma, and the sangha -to pledge the 5 precepts -to follow noble truths and eightfold path to find enlightenment -to help others to the same -not to eat past noon -no soft beds -not to decorate oneself -no parties or shows -not to handle money -no sex |
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Why can't one say the Buddha exists not that the Buddha does not exist? |
-because he is not considered human since he is not psychologically conflicted and isn't a part of samsara, doesn't suffer errors -but is an embodiment of dharma, doesn't pertain to a physical form "he who sees dharma sees me" |
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What is the dharma body of the buddha? |
embodiment of wisdom, compassion, and brahma |
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How is nirvana characterized negatively and positively? |
Negatively: the destruction of poisons and the ending of samsara Positively: the extinguishing of desire and suffering, reaching enlightenment |
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What is a 'person' in buddhism if there is no permanent self? |
A person is the interrelationship of the five skandhas and exists only for as long as they function together in such a way to give rise to that sense of self. When they separate at death the sense of self ceases to exist. |
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If there is no self or soul, no enduring substrate of personality, how can there be reincarnation if there is no soul? |
only the karmic and character-related elements of the previous life pass from one life to the next, which shape a new life in some ways consistent with the old. when one candle is used to light another, a light appears where one hadn't existed before, and yet nothing passed over other than the energy generated by the first candle. |
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Explain, in detail, the four noble truths |
Structured as if suffering were a medical diagnosis to treat illness (identify symptom, find the cause, determine way to remove the cause, prescribe therapy as a cure) 1. Life is suffering: -suffering in life is inevitable -there are good moments in life but they don't last -amount of investment=amount of pain 2. The cause of suffering is desire: -when we desire to hold onto things that cannot be held, we will always be disappointed. -essential desires, desire to be, desire not to be, desire for views (see note book) 3. There is a way to put an end to suffering: -by minimizing desire and ending the suffering it causes. 4. The way is the noble eightfold path: -eradicates aversion, attachment, and ignorance. -puts an end to desire -wisdom, morailty, meditation -achieves enlightenment and nirvana |
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3 kinds of suffering |
1. physical 2. change 3. condition: born in conditional reality, meaning we were born to suffer, we think we're free but we're not completely Karmic conditions shape us immediately. We are aware of difficulty but try not to give attention to it. |
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Sexism in Buddhism |
-nuns did not have much of a place in the preservation and transmission of the dharma in mainstream monasteries -they took on more central roles outside of monasteries as lay Buddhists and as wandering ascetics -several important female spiritual leaders emerged early on in buddhism |
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What is the triple world? |
3 realms of rebirth made up of 32 levels: Realm of sense desire: -hell beings, animals, humans, hungry ghosts, angry gods -the human realm -ranges of desire -all beings here are driven by desire Realm of pure form: -only seeing and hearing -not governed by desire -holy special beings, Brahma deities -very morally pure Formless: -pure mental intelligence -4 stations Conditional reality: -dependent origination |
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Buddhas night of awakening |
Coming to realization he found 3 knowledges: 1. karmalogical truth - knowledge of all past lives, truth of karma directly 2. cosmologial truth - cosmic truth of karma, truth of cause and effect on a grand scale, dependent origination 3. toxic mental states - gains definite knowledge of the ending of his impurities |
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Stupas |
reliquary mounds, large and impressive hemispherical structures that resemble the original mounds built on the sites where they stand |
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Paritta chants |
Short verses that originate from Pali literature that are recited for protection against afflictions -safety, peace, and well being to a community -inauguration of a new home or temple -funerals |
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Pali canon or Tripitaka |
-collection of scriptures in the theravadan buddhist tradition written in pali language -most complete, earliest buddhist canon -written 4 centuries after buddhas death by 500 monks to commit his teachings to writing for the first time 3 baskets: 1. discipline basket - monastic rules and how they originated 2. basket of discourses - teachings of the buddha 3. the basket of that which is above or about the dharma - systematize the teaching in the sutra pitaka while also elaborating on them, exploring the nature on consciousness, epistemology, cosmology, and meditation |
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Sutra |
buddhist text, or Sutra Pitaka (basket of discourses) |
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Main concerns of Sanga |
1. unity and cohesion of community 2. moral purity of members 3. relationship of sanga with lay people (mutually supportive) 4. image of sanga in the eyes of the laity 5. increase number of believers 6. do good to all people |
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3 bodies of the buddha |
1. truth/dharma body -ultimate nature of reality -transcendent state, not given a form 2. celestial body -cosmic buddha mind condenses into heavenly form 3. transformation body (historical buddha) -expression of buddha nature |
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Three turnings of the dharma wheel |
1st: buddhas first sermon 2nd: emptiness doctrine 3rd: tantra - tibetans |
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Emptiness doctrine |
-empty of independence -extension of dependent origination -interdependent nature of reality |
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Tantra |
-numerous scriptures pertaining to traditions in Vajrayana Buddhism -teach knowledge about special methods to attain enlightenment -system of thought based on the idea that the material world is a manifestation of divine energy -secret knowledge -powerful means for shattering the illusion of self |
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Characteristics of Theravada |
-represents the original and authentic teaching of the buddha -made up of the 3 baskets -longest continual expression of buddhism -southern buddhism -focused on individual effort to achieve nirvana, 'muscle up' -stupa -emphasizes sangha -paritta chants -arhat (supreme architype) -hierarchy: monks and nuns from laity -pali canon/tripitaka |
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Characteristics of Mahayana |
-great vehicle -'theres a lot of help out there' -2nd turning of the wheel -emptiness doctrine -anything can 'trip/turn unto' nirvana -arts used to trigger nirvana -proliferation of spiritual beings -earliest sutras -penetrates teachings of the buddha more deeply than Theravada -understands everyone as being capable of reaching nirvana -liberating others is higher than liberation oneself -buddha bodies -build upon pali canon/tripitaka -sutras -pure land and zen |
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Characteristics of Vajrayana |
-extension of mahayana -diamond and thunderbolt vehicle -third turning of the wheel -tibet: community -mudras -mantras -mandalas -diety yoga -combines elements of mahayana with secret teachings found in tantras -originally concieved as a spiritual method of such intese power that it could catapult an ordinary person to the level of advanced bodhisattva |
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Pure land |
-most important school in mahayana tradition -practice 'reciting the buddhas name' as a way of guaranteeing entry into his pure land at death -no more samsara when you join in his pure land -possibility of attaining enlightenment in his pure land -amitabha buddha |
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Zen |
-emphasizes practice over doctrine -satori: spontaneous enlightenment -any form of attachment is an obstacle -use artistic mediums to find articulation outside of the constraints of language -radically self-reliant tradition |
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Mantras vs. mandalas vs. mudras |
mandala: circular diagram representing the entire universe used as an aid in meditation mantra: sacred sound or syllable used as a focus for meditation mudra: symbolic or ritual gesture |
