Zen Buddhism Midterm

Caste system

Indian system. #1 Brahmin, #2 Royalty and warriors  #3 Farmworkers, landowners, and merchants #4 Sudras (servants) #5 Untouchables

Karma

Certain conduct (can be good or bad) that leads to particular rebirths

Samsara

Multiple rebirths and cyclic existence

Moksa

liberation from rebirth

The Buddha

The primary religious figure. Primarily known as Siddhartha Gautama

Tapas

Ascetic Practices (ex. Bed of nails)

Dipankara Buddha

buddha from millions of years ago that prophesied Gautama Buddha when he laid his hair down

Jataka

a collection of stories detailing the previous lives of the Buddha, both in human and animal form, the path of enlightenment. Tigress and five cubs

Maya

the Buddha’s mother, and the concept of illusion

Mara

a personification of temptation, and attachment,  often depicted as a demon who challenged the Buddha's enlightenment.

The Four Sights

#1 old man, #2 sick man, #3 dead person, #4 holy man

Sangha

community of Buddhist practitioners (monks and nuns)

The Eightfold Path

 #1 Right Understanding (Samma Ditthi): involves understanding the 4 Noble Truths, #2 Right Thought/Intention (Samma Sankappa): Cultivating thoughts that are free from greed, hatred, and harmful intent, and instead focused on kindness, compassion, and well-being. #3 Right Speech (Samma Vaca): Refraining from lying, gossiping, harsh language, and instead speaking truthfully, kindly, and constructively. #4 Right Action (Samma Kammanta): Avoiding harmful actions like killing, stealing, and engaging in sexual misconduct, and instead acting ethically and compassionately. #5 Right Livelihood (Samma Ajiva): Choosing a profession that does not cause harm to oneself or others, such as avoiding trades that involve weapons, slavery or intoxicating substances. #6 Right Effort (Samma Vayama): Making an effort to abandon negative states of mind that have already arisen, preventing negative states from arising, and cultivating and maintaining positive states. #7 Right Mindfulness (Samma Sati): Being present and aware of one’s thoughts, feelings, and actions, without judgment, and cultivating a state of balanced awareness. #8 Right Concentration/Meditation (Samma Samadhi): Developing the ability to focus the mind and achieve a state of deep concentration, which can lead to insight and enlightenment. 

No-self/Anatman

core concept, meaning there's no permanent, unchanging self or soul, and that everything is in constant flux and interconnected.

5 realms of rebirth

• Gods

  • Heaven

  • Jealous Gods

• Animal realm

• Hell

• Realm of Hungry Ghosts

• Humans

Dharma

• the teachings of Buddha, the path to enlightenment, and the nature of reality. Includes the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, and other core doctrines in the Buddha’s teachings

The four Noble Truths

The Truth of Suffering (Dukkha), The Truth of the Cause of Suffering (Samudaya), The Truth of Cessation of Suffering (Nirodha), The Truth of the Path to the Cessation of Suffering (Magga)

The Truth of Suffering (Dukkha)

• Life is inherently marked by suffering, dissatisfaction, and impermanence

The Truth of the Cause of Suffering (Samudaya)

• Suffering arises from attachment, craving, and ignorance

The Truth of Cessation of Suffering (Nirodha)

• It is possible to end suffering by overcoming attachment and craving

The Truth of the Path to the Cessation of Suffering (Magga)

• The Eightfold path, which is a way of thinking, acting, and meditating leads to the end of suffering

Arhat

• a perfected person, one who has gained true insight into the nature of existence and has achieved nirvana (spiritual enlightenment). Worthy one

5 Aggregates / Skandhas

• The 5 Skandhas make up the physical and mental existence of each person. They include form (matter), feeling (sensations), perception, mental formations, and consciousness 

Mahayana

The largest branch of Buddhism in the world, practiced in many Asian countries

Three Afflictions (Poisons)

In Zen, the root of suffering—greed (rāga), hatred (dveṣa), and delusion (moha)—are seen as mental defilements obscuring true nature, to be dissolved through zazen and direct insight.

Yogacara school

A Mahayana school influencing Zen, Yogacara teaches that perception is constructed by consciousness, emphasizing mental formations and the transformation of consciousness through meditative practice.

Upaya (Skillful Means)

A central Mahayana and Zen principle: teaching and action adapted to a student's capacity, even if seemingly unorthodox, aiming to awaken insight beyond literal doctrine.

Tathagata-garbha

 The "womb" or "embryo" of the Buddha within all beings—Zen views it not as a self, but as a poetic expression of innate Buddha-nature, obscured by delusion but revealed through awakening.

Sunyata (Emptiness)

A key Zen insight from Madhyamaka thought: all phenomena are empty of inherent existence, pointing practitioners to direct, non-conceptual experience beyond attachment to form or self.

Sutras

Canonical texts in Mahayana Buddhism; Zen regards them with reverence but often de-emphasizes textual study, stressing instead the direct transmission of wisdom "outside the scriptures."

Bodhisattva

One who vows to awaken not only for self-liberation but for all beings; Zen sees the Bodhisattva ideal as embodying compassionate presence and fearless engagement in the world.

Consciousness Model

Informed by Yogacara, Zen accepts eight layers of consciousness (including storehouse or ālayavijñāna), but often reduces them in practice to direct awareness unclouded by conceptualization.

Daoism

Though a separate tradition, Daoist thought—especially spontaneity, naturalness, and non-duality—deeply influenced early Chinese Zen (Chan), shaping its style, aesthetics, and paradoxical language.

Bodhidharma

A semi-legendary Indian monk who brought Chan to China; Zen venerates him as the first patriarch, embodying fierce dedication to meditation and awakening through "wall gazing."

Wall-Gazing (Biguan)

Bodhidharma's intense, motionless meditation facing a wall, symbolizing Zen's emphasis on direct, inward awakening free from distraction, doctrine, or worldly attachment.