The Life of the Buddha

Flashcards about the birth of the Buddha, his life of luxury, the four sights, ascetic life, enlightenment, the Dhamma, dependent arising, the three marks of existence, Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism, Pure Land Buddhism.

What does the title 'Buddha' mean?

'The enlightened one' or 'the awakened one'.

What does it mean to be 'enlightened'?

To have attained great wisdom and understanding.

Where was Siddhartha Gautama born?

Lumbini, in southern Nepal.

What was Queen Maya told in her dream?

She would give birth to a holy child who would achieve perfect wisdom.

Where did Queen Maya give birth to Siddhartha?

In the Lumbini Gardens.

What sprang up from the earth beneath Siddhartha's feet with each step?

A lotus flower.

What does Siddhartha mean?

'Perfect fulfillment'.

What prophecy was made shortly after Siddhartha's birth?

He would become either a great king or a revered holy man.

Why is knowing about the extent of the luxury that the Buddha experienced while growing up important?

For understanding his later teachings.

What are the four sights?

Old age, illness, death, and a holy man.

What was Siddhartha's first real experience of when seeing the old man?

Old age.

What did Siddhartha see someone lying in the road in?

Agony.

What was Siddhartha being carried through the streets in?

A funeral procession.

What was the fourth sight that Siddhartha saw?

A holy man dressed in rags and carrying an alms bowl.

What inspired Siddhartha about the holy man?

His peaceful expression.

What became the most important thing in Siddhartha's life?

Finding the answer to the problem of suffering.

On what night did Siddhartha leave the palace for good?

The night his own son Rahula was born.

What did Siddhartha do at the edge of the river?

Cut off his hair and swapped his rich clothes for the clothes of a beggar.

What did Siddhartha give to Channa to take back to his father?

All his rings and bracelets.

What did Siddhartha teach was important in reaching enlightenment?

Renunciation, a 'letting go'.

What did Siddhartha try to learn how to overcome after he left the palace?

The problem of suffering.

Who did Siddhartha decide to follow after being impressed by meeting a holy man?

Ascetic Practices.

For how many years did Siddhartha follow ascetic practices?

Six.

What did Siddhartha reject when living as an ascetic?

Anything that would give him pleasure.

Who did Siddhartha begin to practice meditation with?

Alara Kalama and Uddaka Ramaputra.

What did Siddhartha and his teachers use to discipline their minds?

Pain and hardship.

What did Siddhartha begin to ignore as an ascetic?

His appetite.

What river was Siddhartha bathing in when a girl offered him a bowl of milk and rice?

The River Nairanjana.

Why did Siddhartha accept the food?

He had become too weak even to meditate.

What did Siddhartha decide to stop after his strength was restored?

His ascetic practices.

What did Siddhartha develop after neither luxury nor an ascetic lifestyle gave him any real answers?

A 'middle way' between the two extremes.

After rejecting his ascetic lifestyle, what did Siddhartha wonder if might be a way of attaining the wisdom and compassion of enlightenment?

Meditation.

Underneath what type of tree did Siddhartha sit down to meditate?

A peepul tree.

With his face to what direction did Siddhartha sit?

The east.

Who appeared to try to stop Siddhartha from achieving enlightenment?

Mara, the evil one.

What did Mara send to seduce Siddhartha?

His daughters.

What happened to the arrows directed at Siddhartha from the armies?

They turned to flowers.

What did Mara claim that only he had the right to?

Sit in the place of enlightenment.

How did Siddhartha call to witness his right to sit under the peepul tree?

He touched the earth.

What are the three watches of the night?

The three realisations that the Buddha made in order to achieve enlightenment.

What was the first realisation Siddhartha gained?

Knowledge of all of his previous lives.

What was the second realisation Siddhartha gained?

Understanding the repeating cycle of life, death and rebirth.

What did Siddhartha understand about beings and their birth?

Beings were born depending on their kamma (their actions).

What did Siddhartha come to understand about suffering?

Why suffering happens and how to overcome it.

After his enlightenment, what did Siddhartha become known as?

'The Buddha', which means 'the enlightened one' or 'the fully awakened one'.

Where did the Buddha wander back to after leaving the peepul tree?

The place where he had previously left the five ascetics.

How did the Buddha ask anyone to live who would follow him?

To reject a life of extremism.

What does 'Dhamma' mean?

The 'truth' about the nature of existence, as understood by the Buddha when he became enlightened.

What does Dhamma also mean?

The path of training that was recommended by the Buddha for anyone who wishes to understand what he understood.

What are the three refuges in Buddhism?

The Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha.

What does 'to go for refuge' mean?

To seek safety.

What does dependent arising express?

The Buddhist vision of the nature of reality.

What does dependent arising say?

Everything arises, and continues, dependent upon conditions. Nothing is permanent and unchanging.

What does the principle of kamma say?

Intentions lead to actions, which in turn lead to consequences. In the cycle of life, good intentions lead to good actions.

What is the ultimate aim for Buddhists?

To break free of the cycle of samsara, because this is what causes suffering.

What are the three characteristics that are fundamental to all things, according to Buddhism?

Suffering (dukkha), impermanence (anicca), and having no permanent, fixed self or soul (anatta).

What is dukkha best translated as?

Suffering, dissatisfaction, or unsatisfactoriness.

What did the Buddha speak of in the Deer Park at Sarnath?

The seven states of suffering.

What are the first four states of suffering?

birth, old age, sickness, and death.

According to Buddhism, what does the third type of dukkha, samkhara-dukkha, linked to?

The idea of attachment.

What is anicca usually translated as?

Impermanence.

What is often translated as 'no self'?

Anatta.

What are the five aggregates?

The five aspects that make up a person

What are the Four Noble Truths?

The four truths that the Buddha taught about suffering.

What is magga the fourth noble truth?

The way to stop suffering, the Eightfold Path