Buddhism Midterm Study Guide

abhidharma

higher teaching/category of teachings that analyze constituents of people, perception, nature of enlightenment, etc.

amitabha

buddha who rules land of bliss (Sukhavati)

• his name means infinite light

arhat

• “one who is worthy”

• someone who will enter nirvana upon death

• in mahayana tradition arhat isn’t as worthy of praise as buddha

avolokitesvata

• bodhisattva of compassion

• male in india and tibet but female in east asia

• dalai lamas of tibet considered to be human forms of them

anatman

• doctrine of non-self

• no unchanging permanent self exists

bodhisattva

• one with intent to achieve enlightenment

• presented as the ideal in mahayana

dharma

• teachings/doctrine of buddha

• phenomena/basic constituents of mind and matter

emptiness

• nothing has a permanent definitive essence

• this is different than nihilism, it just means that everything changes and is dependent

gautama

• family name of historical buddha aka siddhartha/he who achieves his goal

• siddharta gautama=the buddha

heart sutra

• foundational text in mahayana buddhism

• recognizing that there is no self anatman and reognizing empitness=perfection of wisdom

• 
  

hinayana

• “low vehicle”

• those who follow hinayana seek to become arhats instead of bodhisattvas in mahayana texts so its considered a low blow

• now could just refer to non-mahayana school of buddhism

jataka

• birth

• also the story of one of the buddha’s previous lives as bodhisattva where he’s an animal and doing virtuous deeds ofc

karma

• “action”

• virtuous deeds result in happiness and nonvirtuous ones result in suffering

• plays out over large scale and multiple lifetimes

Madhyamaka

• middle path

• between existence and nonexistence

• according to madhyamaka the ulimate reality is emptiness?

Mahayana

• “great vehicle”

• can also be used as term for forms of buddhism in tibet, china, korea, japan

meru

• mountain in center of universe in buddhist cosmology

• gods inhabit it

method/upaya

• how the buddha leads beings to enlightenment

• this happens by him teaching them what isn’t ultimately true, practices like giving/ethics/patience, and thereby the students gain enough merit to hopefully achieve buddhahood

mudra

• “mark"/gesture”

• symbolic/ritual pose/gesture performed with hands and fingers

• used in rituals, dances, doctrines, etc.

• holding robe means someone is about to get enlightened

• teaching one with forefinger and thumb touching

• touching earth= earth as my witness mother earth comes out of the ground

Nagarjuna

• indian monk of 2nd century

• chief proponent of doctrine of emptiness

• founder of Madhyamaka school

• systemized the sutras

• philosopher defending 4 noble truths

nirvana

• “blowing out”

• cessation of suffering

• distinction between vision of nirvana (destroys seeds of future rebirth) and nirvana upon death

• nirvana is also different for arhat vs buddha

pure land

• buddha field

• ideal setting for the practice of dharma

• rebirth here was focus of buddhist practice in east asia

relics

physical remains of the buddha found in the stupa like bone fragments and jewels

• seen as living symbols of wisdom

• sharira=both bones and jewels

• piprahwa jewels

sakyamuni

• sage of the sakya clan (epithet of historical buddha)

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samsara

• “wandering”

• endless cycle of death and rebirth

• composed of realms of gods, demigods, humans, animals, ghosts, and hell-beings

sangha

• “community”

• refers to order of buddhist monks and nuns but also just buddhist communities

skandhas

• “aggregates”=physical and mental components of person among which there is NO self

• the 5 aggregates= form, feeling, perception, concept, and consciousness

stupa

• funeral mound containing remains/possessions of buddha/buddhist saint

• variety of architectural forms across asia

• serve as important places of pilgrimage

sutra

• “aphorism”

• discourse traditionally said to have been spoken by the buddha/spoken with his sanction

sastra

• manual/commentary written by indian master to expand upon the historical buddha’s teachings

• so these aren’t records of the buddha’s direct teachings; they’re post canonical

sukhavati

• land of bliss

• western paradise presided over by amitabha

• aka the pure land

theravada

• school of the elders

• not a synonym for hinayana

• dominant form of buddhism in 11th century in sri lanka and southeast asia

three jewels

• the buddha

• the dharma

• the sangha (whom buddha goes to for refuge from sufferings of samsara)

three poisons

• ignorance

• attachment

• aversion

• these keep beings trapped in samsara

• pig, bird, and snake

tripitaka

• three baskets

• organization of buddhist discourses into sutra, vinaya, and abhidharma

veda

• ancient sacred scriptures of hinduism

• sanskrit for knowledge

vinaya

• “taming”

• code of monastic conduct

4 noble truths

1. truth of nature of suffering (discomfort/change)

2. truth of nature of cause of suffering (thirst/desire)

3. truth of the nature of cessation of suffering (letting go)

4. truth of nature of path leading to cessation (noble eightfold path)

relative truth=form

ultimate truth=emptiness