Buddhist practices

Temple

Place where Buddhistsbcome together to practise

Shrine/altar

An area with a stature ir inage of a Buddha or Boddhisattva to be a focal point of meditation

Monastery

Place where a community of monks/nuns live

Chanting

Reciting from Buddhist scriptures

Mantra

Short sequence if sacred syllables

Puja

Expressions of honour and worship

Malas

Prayer beads ti count how many times a mantra has been recites or breaths while meditating

What is the purpose of making offerings?

Express generosity and practice detachment

Meditation

Technique for mindfulness, concentration and insight

Quote about meditation

“Even the Gods envy thise awakened and mindful ones who are intent on meditation”

What is Samatha meditation?

Focus on one of the 10 kasinas (earth ,fire etc)

• Create calm concentrated mind

• Help prepare for vipassana meditation

What is Vipassana meditation?

Gain insight into true nature of reality

• reflect on 3 marks of existence (anatta ,anicca, dukkha)

• may change focus ti emotion/things more personal to themselves

What is loving kindness meditation?

Cultivating unconditional kindness to everyone (including yourself)

• more compassion=right action(8 fold path)

• more positive emotions

What is Tibetan meditation?

Shamatha(long lasting calmness)

• concentrate on a single point

Vipashyana(insight)

• examine experiences + thoughts for wisdom

Visualisation

The process if imagining or ‘seeing’ an object with one’s mind

What do Buddhists visualise and why?

A deity to grow their qualities in yourself

Thangkas

detailed painting of a Buddha/Bodhisattva

Mandala

An intricate circular shaped artwork made of coloured sand that must be destroyed at the end

Quote that shows that life comes into and out of existence like all other things

“Impermanent alas are formations, subject to rise and fall”

Quote that shows life is fleeting

“Regard this phantom world as…..a bubble in a stream, a flash of lightning”

Therevada death rituals

• little money spent on funeral, donated instead to inc karmic merit of the dead person

• shrine: dead person’s portrait,flowers,candles

• monks give a sermon/read rites

• cremation🔥

Tibetan death rituals

• ‘sky burial’= body taken to mountains for vultures to eat (compassion)

• revered teachers: cremated, placed in a stupa to become a place of worship

• every week for 49 days, prayers + yakbutter lamps offered in worship

Japanese death rituals

• coffin head faces West (towards pure land)

• readings from lotus sutra

• cremated, relatives pick out bones with chopsticks(kept for 49 days - Bardot state)

Bardot state

Period of time the deceased person may be held between this life and the next

Festival

Day or period of celebration for religious reasons

Retreat

Period of time spent away from everyday life to focus on meditation (1-2 wks)

Wesak

Commemorates birth ,life and death of the Buddha

• lots of lights to represent overcoming evil and hope of enlightenment

• Celebrated by Therevada and Mahayana Buddhists

Parinirvana day

reflection on the Buddha’s death ,your own future death and to remember loved ones who have died

• brings annica to focus (meditate)

• may go on pilgrimage to Kushinagar, India (where the Buddha died)

Karma

our actions either positively or negatively affect our future

• natural law (eg. gravity)

• is NOT a punishment / award given by an external force (eg. God)

Metaphor for karma

sowing good or bad deeds will result in good or bad fruit

How was the Buddha affected by karma?

• past life: tried to kill his stepbrother

• later life: cousin tried to kill him by dropping a boulder on him, foot injured

6 skilful actions leading to good karma

Generosity, compassion, kindness, mindfulness, wisdom, sympathy

3 unskilful actions leading to bad karma

Greed, hatred (aversion), delusion

How to break karmic habits?

• don’t act on negative thoughts/impulses

• once they arise they will depart naturally if you allow them to

Karuna

Compassion (one of 4 sublime states) , urge to help others (action)

Metta

Loving kindness (one of 4 sublime states), feeling/attitude of warmth towards others

Karuna quote

“ I believe that at every level of society the key to a happier world is the growth of compassion” - Dalai Lama

Precept

General rule intended to regulate behaviour/thought

5 moral precepts definition

5 principles Buddhists follow to live ethically and morally

5 moral precepts

1) avoid the killing of living beings

2) avoid theft and dishonesty

3) avoid sexual misconduct

4) avoid false speech (gossip, lies, words that hurt others)

5) avoid intoxication