buddhist practices

what are the three main places of worship

* temple
* shrine
* monastery

temple (term)

a place where buddhists come together and practice

shrine (term)

an are with a statue of a buddha or bodhisattva which provides buddhists with a focal point for meditation and devotion

monastery (term)

a place where buddhist monks and nuns live

why are temples important for buddhists

* buddhists can study, meditate and practice together
* there are shrines dedicated to the buddha
* there is a stud hall for buddhists to meet and have lectures
* there is a meditation hall for buddhists to meditate in quiet

what offerings do you put in a shrine

* light (candle)
* flowers
* insence

why do buddhists give an offering of light in a shrine

it symbolises wisdom, the light of the candle drives away the darkness of ignorance

why do buddhists give an offering of flowers

they will wilt and decay. it reminds buddhists that all things are impermenant

why do buddhists give an offering of incense

it symbolises purity, reminding buddhists of the importance of practicing pure thoughts, speech and conduct

what is a quote about shrines

“the time and effort required to keep the shrine clean and replenished with flowers and other offerings is considered a skilful activity to focus one’s mind in the spiritual practices” - Tibetan buddhist monk

what is a lay person

a person who is part of the faith but is not ordained

Gompa (term)

a hall or building where Tibetan buddhists meditate

Stupa (term)

a small building in a monastery that sometimes contains holy relics

buddha rupa (term)

a statue of the Buddha, often sitting cross legged in a meditation pose

puja (term)

an act of worship

chanting (term)

in Buddhism, reciting from the buddhist scriptures

mantra (term)

a short sequence of sacred syllables

mala (term)

prayer beads that are used to count the number of recitations in mantra

what are all the ways buddhists worship

* meditation
* making offerings
* chanting
* reciting mantras
* bowing

why did buddhists chant innitially

to learn and remember them. and then pass it on

how do buddhists chant today

they chant from scared texts: written records of what the Buddha taught. examples might include chanting the three refuges, the five moral precepts or the Bodhisattva vows.

what is mantra recitation

a sequence of sacred syllables that is usually chanted over and over, sometimes spoken, or experienced silently in the mind

what is the meaning behind chanting

to calm and concentrate the mind

what is an example of the mantra recitation

om mani padme hum

meditation (term)

a practice of calming and focusing the mind, and reflecting deeply on specific teachings to penetrate their true meaning

what are the aims of meditation for buddhists

* to focus the mind
* to gain insight into religious truths
* to gain merit
* to achieve enlightenment
* to improve health

what is a quote that suggests that meditation will lead to knowledge of life and the universe and if you do not the knowledge will deminish

“to contemplate life leads to wisdom, without contemplation wisdom wanes”

what is a quote that says that meditation will ultimately control the mind and lead to happiness

“hard to restrain, unstable is this mind, it flits whenever it likes. Good it is to control the mind. A controlled mind means happiness

why is meditation important

* the buddha meditated and he is the role model to follow
* meditation is part of the noble eightfold path - part of the path to enlightenment
* meditation stills the mind, so that deep insight can be achieved
* Samatha is one strand of the threefold way
* every form of buddhism recommends it as a practice, so it is a central part of being buddhist

what are three forms of meditation

* samatha
* vipasana
* zazen
* visualisation

what are the two main types of meditation for Therevada buddhism

* vipassana
* samatha

samatha meditation (term)

‘calming meditation’ a type of meditation that invlolves calming the mind and developing deeper concentration

mindfulness of breathing

meditation practice focusing on the experience of breathing

what is Samatha meditation

* calming meditation
* usually the technique of mindfulness of breathing
* focusing on the sensation of breathing and stopping your mind from being divided.

what ten kasinas did the buddha mention (samatha meditation)

* earth
* water
* fire
* wind
* blue
* yellow
* red
* white
* space
* consciousness

what is a quote about mindfulness of breathing

“breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts. whenever your mind becomes scattered, use breath as the means to take hold of your mind again” - Thich Nhat Hanh (Vietnamese buddhist monk)

Vipassana meditation (term)

‘insight meditation’; a type of meditation that involves developing understanding of the nature of reality

zazen meditation (term)

a type of meditation in zen buddhism that requires awareness of the present moment

how does zazen meditation take place

* begins with sitting, relaxing and a period of mindfulness of breathing
* the meditator then simply sits with awareness of the present moment.
* thoughts and experiences come and go, and the meditator returns again and again to the present moment

what is vipassana meditation commonly refered to

insight meditation

what is Samatha meditation often referred to

calming meditation

what do you focus on in vipassana meditation

* everything can be explored objectively, including things that are more personal to the meditator
* for example, they might reflect on the body and how people can become attached to their bodies.
* they might meditate on the more unattractive aspects of the body to help develop a detachment from their body
* the meditator may switch between lots of different things on after another

what is different about the way you focus in vipassana and samatha meditation

Samatha → focus solely on one object for an extended period of time

Vipassana → might switch attention between lots of different things one after another

what does vipassana meditation help buddhists

they understand how all things are characterised by the three marks of existence, and to develop greater wisdom and awareness about the world

what is the aim of Samatha meditation

to be more tranquil and settled. to have a restful mind, enabling concentration

what is the aim of Vipassana meditation

to develop and understanding of the truth

what is the aim of Zazen meditation

to get a deeper understanding of existence

visualisation (term)

imagining or ‘seeing’ an object in one’s mind

thangka (term)

a detailed painting of a Buddha or bodhisattva

mandala (term)

an intricate, circle-shaped pattern that is used for meditation

what kind of buddhism is visualisation common in

Tibetan buddhism

how is visualisation different to using a kasina

when buddhists meditate with a Kasina, it is physically present in front of them , but visualisation involves imagining the object in your mind

what is the process of visualisation

they may first look at an image of the object to gain inspiration. they will then get rid of the image and imagine the object in their mind. they will try to imagine the object in as much detail as possible, and examine in their mind all the intricacies of the object. they will try to hold the detailed picture of the object in their mind for as long as possible

what do buddhists do when visualising deities

they will not just focus on what the deity looks like but also its qualities and character

what are the three buddhas/Bodhisattvas a buddha may focus on in visualisation

* the medicine buddha
* Avalokiteshvara
* buddha Amitabha

what is Avalokiteshvara

one of the most popular Bodhissatvas, who is related to compassion. it helps buddhists to develop their own sense of compassion, which is an important quality for enlightenment

what is Buddha Amitabha

pure land buddhism - they worship him in the hope that he will help them to be reborn in the pure land.

what is the use of thanhkas or mandalas

sometimes buddhists use paintings or patterns to help them visualise a deity. mandalas can symbolise different things, some symbolise the universe and some the buddha.

what special belief do therevada buddhists have about Karma and the dead

rituals can take place to transfer merit to the dead

what is the process of Theravada funerals

* special aims-giving for the monks for the benefit of the deceased
* the coffin is pulled the short distance to the cremation platform. the thick cotton thread is connected to the corpse inside the coffin
* before cremation they open the coffin one last time and the face of the deceased is washed
* the next day the family comes back, collects the pieces of the bones in a bucket and wash and sprinkle them with perfume

what happens in the aims-giving ceremony

offering robes or a white piece of cloth to monks, the chanting of the funeral verse “impermanent are conditioned things” and the giving of merit to the dead constitute the core of the ceremony

what is the contrasting belief of when reincarnation happens after death

Theravada → it happens immediately after death

Mahayana → it happens up to 49 days after death

what happens when a Mahayana buddhist is dying

someone will whisper the name of the buddha into their ear so it is the last thing that they will hear before they die.

what happens at Therevada funerals

at the funeral the family will give cloth for making new robes to the monks. the funeral ceremony will include chanting of verses about impermanence. about a week after the person died, monks will come to the family home to deliver a sermon. thereafter, at three months and one year, there will be a special merit-making ceremonies for the benefit of the deceased person

what happens at Mahayana funerals

after death, relatives wash the body. they then place the body in a coffin surrounded by wreaths and candles. the funeral often takes place a few days after the death to allow the first bardo state to happen. this is the time when the dead person becomes conscious of being dead and the next form of rebirth is decided.

why might a sky funeral happen in tibet

it is mountainous and not easy to bury a corpse

who celebrates parinirvana day

mahayana buddhists

who celebrates Wesak

all buddhists

overview of pirinirvana day

* mahayana
* about the death of the buddha
* reflective (of the fact of your future death)
* traditional day for pilgrimage - Kushinagar, India
* happens in februrary
* passages from the Mahaparinirvana are read
* reminder of the true goal → eightfold path
* reminder of anicca
* visit graves of loved ones

when does pirinirvna day take place

februrary

what is the Mahaparinirvana

an important buddhist scripture that describes the Buddha’s last days. passages from it are often read on Parinirvana day

what do people do on Parinirvana day

buddhists might spend the day reading the text of Mahaparinirvana and meditating at home, or joining others in temples and monasteries for puja and meditation

retreat (term)

a period of time spent away from everyday life in order to focus on meditation practice

Wesak (term)

a Theravada festival that celebrates the Buddhas birth, elnightenment and passing away

Parinirvana Day (term)

a Mahayana festival that commemorates the buddhas passing away

wesak summary

* celebratory → birth, enlightenment, passing away
* widely celebrated by all buddhists
* symbols: light → wisdom
* his birth → start of buddhism

what is chanted at therevada funerals

“impermanent are conditioned things”

when is Wesak celebrated

on the full moon during the month or Vesak (which is usually in may)

why does wesak happen on a full moon

his birth, enlightenment and heath were said to have all happened on a full moon.

how long has Wesak been celebrated

since the early twentieth century, which became a public holiday in the 1950s

what do buddhists do to celebrate Wesak

* light up their homes with candles, lamps or paper lanterns and decorations
* make offerings to the buddha
* give gifts such as food, candles and flowers to the monks in the local monastery

what is an important symbol of Wesak

light

tibetan wheel of life

good/contented people → upwards

bad/ unhappy people → downwards

skilful

good actions, good karma

unskillfull

bad actions, bad karma

what are skillful actions

* generosity
* compassion
* understanding

what are unskillful actions

* craving
* hatred
* ignorance

Karuna (term)

compassion; feeling concerned for the suffering of other people and wanting to relieve their suffering

the four sublime states (term)

the four qualities of love, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity which the buddha taught that buddhists should develop

metta (term)

loving-kindness; showing a benevolent, kind, friendly attitude towards other people

what are the five steps of loving-kindness meditation

cultivate loving-kindness towards:


1. yourself
2. a good friend
3. a ‘neutral’ person
4. a ‘difficult’ person
5. all four of these people, gradually followed by everyone else in the world

why is metta important

greed and hatred are two of the three poisons, so driving that away is good as it drives away suffering

kamma (term)

a person’s actions; the idea that skilful actions result in happiness and unskilful ones in suffering

skilful (term)

good, ethical actions and behaviour

unskilful (term)

bad, unethical actions or behaviour

what is an example of how repeated actions can develop habits

a person who regularly acts with anger will become an angry person

* state of mind leads to action → angry person may be violent
* then no one will want to me around them
* kamma

why may the idea of kamma be empowering

* they can change the future through their own actions
* 8 fold path

what are three actions that bring good kamma

* generosity
* service to the community
* meditation

what are three action that bring bad kamma

* lying
* ill will
* stealing

what did buddha do after he reached enlightenment

he decided to teach others about it despite knowing that people would be skeptical, as he wanted to help others