intro to buddhism vocab words

Three Buddhist Refuges

1. Buddha, 2. Dharma, 3. Sangha. - represents englightened one, teachings, and spiritual community - is core practice in buddhism and framework to live a meaningful life

Dharma/Dhamma

1. a truth discovered by the buddha - Buddhist doctrinal views, beliefs, rational inquires, and practices 2. one of the 3 types of Buddhist refuge

Buddha

person who has achieved enlightenment, anyone can reach enlightenment

Sangha

community: usually monks and nuns that practice the Dharma; acts as supportive group for teaching/meditating and helps to navigate challenges

Bodhi

enlightenment or awakening

Sasana

Buddhist instruction/teaching

Nirvana

liberation from the cycle of death of rebirth; a cessation of all suffering

Samsara

the endless cycle of rebirth that is caused by ignorance, craving, and attatchment --> caused by suffering

Sraddha

trust, faith, confidence

Vedas

foundational and anciet scriptures of Hinduism that has hymns, chants, philosophiical texts; BUDDHISM REJECTS VEDAS bc of caste system and strict rituals

Caste System

rigid social hiearchy where someone's status is determined by their birth

Sramana/Samana

a wandering ascetic (someone who lives a very simple, disciplined life, often giving up worldly pleasures and material comforts for religious or spiritual reasons)

Karma

an "action" (INTENT MATTERS) / moral force of volitional action

Three Realms of Samsara

1. Desire realm 2. Form Realm: has subtle, pure physical forms, accessible through deep meditative states and have transcended gross sensory desires but bound by subtle attatchments 3. Formless Realm: highest realm, has formless beings w just mental existences and have strong concentration and connects beings to samsara

Desire Realm

for sensory experience and craving - for lower realms (humans, animals, and lower classes of gods) and suffering here is intense bc of strong desires

Realms of Rebirth

Gods (deva), demigods (asura), humans (manusa), animals (tiryak), hungry ghosts (preta), hell beings (naraka)

Asuras

Demigod; 2nd highest realm but have intense jealousy, pride, & hostility

Pretas

Hungry ghosts; have insatiable desire, extreme hunger/thirst bc of their past greed, stinginess, or jealousy

Volition/Motivation

a determining factor of the moral quality of an action/INTENT

Three Moral Qualities of Karma

mental volition - INTENTION, ethical casuality - cause and effect (virtue --> happiness, unwholesome actions --> suffering), personal accountabilty - karma is never lost and one must face consequences of their actions

Propulsive karma

determines a type of one's birth (form of life or species)

Accomplishing karma

determines the circumstances of one's life (family, gender, health, talent, mental states, experiences, region, social conditions, etc)

Satya

the truth of knowing reality of : one's own condition (suffering), its source, its end, a method of achieving that end

The Four Noble Truths

1. All composite phenomena are unsatisfactory 2. The cause of suffering is insatiable desire/thirst that stems from ignorance 3. There is freedom suffering - nirvana or bodhi (awakening) 4. A path leading to freedom from suffering is eightfold noble path

Eightfold Noble Path

practices to liberate oneself; middle way between extreme asceticism and hedonism; done through virtue, meditative concentration, and wisdom that sees reality

Middle Path/Way

Buddha wanted to avoid extremes and took middle path where liberation could be reached through meditation and ethical conduct

Dukka/duhkha

SUFFERING

Manifest Suffering

direct physical and mental pain (recognized by everyone, including animals)

Suffering of Change

pain and anxiety that comes when pleasant circumstances change

All-Pervasive Suffering

suffering that is underlying, neutral and rooted in us; called all-pervasive because it affects every aspect of our life and is all experienced in different degrees

Hedonic pleasures/happiness

derived from the pleasant stimuli and sense pleasure; immediate satisfaction from experiences, consumption, or activities like eating or sex

Authentic happiness

geniune happiness; the sense of contentment coming from a virtuous way of life, mental balance, and wisdom

Ignorance

1. mistaking the impermanent of the permanent or 2. ignorance about reincarnation or rebirth - if unaware or doesn't accept it they are ignorant

Gross Impermanence

manifest change that takes place over a long period of time - easy to observe

Subtle Impermanence

change that takes place within a very short period of time - not easy to observe

Craving

a compulsive or insatiable drive for self-gratificiation - leads to disappointment and frustration

Highest caste

Bhramin - priests

2nd highest caste

Kshatriyas - Warriors

3rd highest caste

Vaishyas - Farmers

Lowest caste

Shudras - Laborers

Right View

comprehending the four noble truths, & nature of suffering and cessation; recognize karma & impermanence

right intention

commit to ethical and mental self-improvement

right speech

abstaining from lying, harsh language, and truthful communication

right action

not killing, or committing sexual misconduct; ACTING w compassion

righth livelihood

earning a living in peaceful way that doesn’t cause harm

right effort

having a positive balanced mental state

right mindfulness

developing awareness in body, feelings, mind, and phenomena to observe and control thoughts

right concentration

focusing mind on wholesome thoughts and actions, done thru meditation