C50 Final

Indus Valley Civilization (2600-1900 BC)

An ancient civilization located in the northwestern region of South Asia, known for its advanced urban planning, architecture, and social organization, as well as its thriving trade networks.; sets the cultural background before Buddhism.

Harappa (Mohenjo)

one of the major urban centers of the Indus Valley Civilization, known for its advanced architecture and planning.

A major urban city of the Indus Valley; Early religious and ritual traditions developed here.

Siva

• General: Hindu god of destruction and transformation

• Buddhist context: Deity linked to asceticism and meditation. Represents ideas Buddhism reacted against

• Significance: Highlights Buddhism’s break from Hindu deity worship. Represents Hindu traditions Buddha rejected

• Some Indus Valley Pottery may have figures of this on it

Dravidian

Indigenous South Indian people/languages; their culture, mixed with Aryan Indo-Aryan ideas, shaped Indian religions and part of the cultural mix Buddhism emerged from.

• General definition: Indigenous South Indian people/language family.

• Specific definition (Buddhism): Influenced early Indian culture where Buddhism arose.

• Significance: Cultural background for Buddhism’s spread

Indo-European (Indo-Aryan)

Language/cultural groups that migrated into India, Groups bringing Sanskrit & Vedic religion; Brought Sanskrit and Vedic religion, which Buddhism reacted against.

Shaped early Hinduism

Sanskrit

Classical Indian language; used in many Buddhist texts.

Belongs to the Indo-European group of languages 

Pali

An Indic language, closely related to Sanskrit, in which the sacred texts of Theravada Buddhism are written. Developed in northern India in the 5th–2nd centuries BC. 

Vedas

The corpus of sacred brahmanical texts

Ancient hymns/rituals of early Indian religion; Buddhism grew partly in opposition to Vedic ritualism.

Upanisads

a set of sacred brahmanical texts included in the Veda

a set of sacred brahmanical texts included in the Veda, teaching inner realization and Brahman; the Source of ideas (karma, rebirth, liberation) that Buddhism reinterprets.

sruti

• General: “That which is heard” from the gods

• Specific: Revealed Vedic texts are believed to be divinely given

• Significance: Buddhism rejects śruti authority

• Memory: sacred sounds heard

smrti

• General: “That which is remembered.”

• Buddhism context: What humans have written down. Human-authored texts like epics and moral stories.

• Significance: Shows difference between revealed texts (Śruti) and practical teachings.

• Memory: memorized teachings.”

Agni

• General: The Vedic Fire god.

• Buddhism context: From Vedic tradition; symbolizes purification and offerings.

• Significance: Shows Buddhism’s cultural roots and contrast with Vedic rituals.

Mantra

(originally in Hinduism and Buddhism) a word or sound repeated to aid concentration in meditation

• General: Sacred word or phrase.

• Buddhism context: Repeated for meditation, protection, or focus.

• Significance: Tool for mindfulness and spiritual power.

Soma

An intoxicating drink prepared from a plant and used in Vedic ritual, believed to be the drink of the gods.

Buddhism shifted from Vedic rituals to the Dharma (teachings) as the path to awakening, emphasizing ethical living, meditation, and wisdom.

Represents ecstatic religious experience, replaced by meditation in Buddhism

Brahman

(in Hinduism) the ultimate reality underlying all phenomena.

• General: Ultimate reality or world soul.

• Buddhism context: Concept in Hinduism that Buddhism responds to/contrasts with.

• Significance: Understanding Brahman helps explain Buddhist focus on non-self

Ultimate reality; Buddhism rejects the idea of a permanent Brahman.

Brahmanism

priestly religion; Buddhism rejects their permanence and ritualism, Buddhism challenged priestly authority and ritual sacrifice.

• General: Early Vedic religion focused on priests (Brahmins) and rituals.

• Buddhism context: Predecessor religion that Buddhism reacted against.

• Significance: Buddhism rejects ritualism and caste-based privilege

Sramana

Wandering ascetic seeking liberation; Buddha was part of this renunciant movement

Group of renunciants practicing meditation, self-discipline, and spiritual liberation.

Samsara

The round of rebirth

Buddhism context: Continuous cycle driven by karma and desire.

Significance: The goal of Buddhism is to escape this. Goal is liberation from…

Rebirth

the process of being reincarnated or born again

• Buddhism context: Continuation of consciousness influenced by karma.

• Significance: Explains suffering and the need for liberation (nirvana). Continuation after death; explains why karma matters beyond this life

Karma

good and bad actions of body, speech, and mind, whose pleasant and unpleasant results are experienced in this and subsequent lives

Intentional action causing results; Moral cause-and-effect shaping rebirth and awakening.

• General: Action and its consequences.

• Buddhism context: Intentional deeds (good or bad) shape future rebirths.

• Significance: Central to understanding suffering and ethical living.

Moksa

• General: Liberation from the cycle of rebirth.

• Buddhism context: Equivalent to nirvana; freedom from samsara and suffering.

• Significance: Ultimate spiritual goal; shows focus on release, not rituals.

Liberation from rebirth/samsara; The ultimate goal of Indian religions; for Buddhism, it’s nirvāṇa

Renunciation

giving up worldly life; the start of the Buddhist path.

the formal rejection of something, typically a belief, claim, or course of action

The practice of letting go of attachments and desires to find freedom from suffering

• General: Giving up worldly pleasures.

• Buddhism context: Letting go of attachments to pursue spiritual liberation.

• Significance: Key practice for monks and path to nirvana.

Asceticism

• General: Person who practices severe self-discipline.

• Buddhism context: Renounces comforts and indulgences to focus on spiritual growth.

• Significance: Buddha practiced this before finding the Middle Way.

Internalization of the sacrifice

• General: Making a ritual symbolic rather than literal.

• Buddhism context: Instead of offering to gods (like Vedic fire rituals), focus is on self-discipline, meditation, and inner transformation.

• Significance: Shows shift from external rituals to inner spiritual practice.

Yoga

• General: Spiritual discipline or practice.

• Buddhism context: Mental and physical practices (meditation, breath control) to attain insight and liberation.

• Significance: Helps cultivate concentration, mindfulness, and path to nirvana

• Memory: “training mind and body for awakening.”

Siddhartha Gautama

• General definition: Historical founder of Buddhism.

• Specific definition (Buddhism): Prince who renounced his royal life, attained enlightenment, and became the Buddha.

• Significance: His life and teachings are the foundation of Buddhism.

Queen Maya

Mother of the Buddha

Dreamt that a white elephant carrying a lotus flower entered her side, and the Buddha came out the other side. She had a painless pregnancy. Gave birth under the Bodhi tree. She died after giving birth and was reborn in heaven (deva realm)

Mara

• General definition: Demon or tempter.

• Specific definition (Buddhism): Represents desire, fear, and death; tried to distract Siddhartha during his meditation before enlightenment.

• Significance: Symbolizes internal obstacles to awakening.

2 Bodies of a Buddha

• General definition: Two aspects of a Buddha’s existence.

• Specific definition (Buddhism):

  • Rūpakāya: Physical or manifested body of a Buddha.

  • Dharmakāya: Ultimate, formless truth or cosmic body of a Buddha.

• Significance: Explains how a Buddha can be both a historical figure and an eternal, transcendent truth.

First Council

• General definition: Early Buddhist gathering after Buddha’s death.

• Specific definition (Buddhism): Held at Rajgir (or Rajagaha) to recite and preserve the Buddha’s teachings (Dharma) and monastic rules (Vinaya).

• Significance: Ensured the Buddha’s teachings were accurately transmitted and standardized.

• Memory hook: “Buddha’s teachings go official.”

Ananda

• General definition: Buddha’s cousin and close disciple.

• Specific definition (Buddhism): Personal attendant of the Buddha; remembered for his exceptional memory of the Buddha’s sermons.

• Significance: Played a key role in reciting and preserving the Dharma at the First Council.

Tripitaka (3 baskets)

Sutra

Vinaya

Abhidharma

• General definition: Buddhist canon or collection of teachings.

• Specific definition (Buddhism):

  • Sūtra: Discourses of the Buddha.

  • Vinaya: Monastic rules and discipline.

  • Abhidharma: Philosophical and doctrinal analysis.

• Significance: Foundation of Buddhist study, practice, and monastic life.

• Memory hook: words, rules, philosophy

3 marks

Impermanence

Suffering

Non-self

• General definition: Core characteristics of all phenomena.

• Specific definition (Buddhism):

  • Impermanence (Anicca): Everything changes; nothing lasts forever.

  • Suffering (Dukkha): Life is unsatisfactory due to attachment and change.

  • Non-Self (Anatta): No permanent, unchanging self or soul exists.

• Significance: Understanding these is key to insight and liberation (nirvana)

4 noble truths

Suffering

Origin of suffering

Cessation of suffering

Path

• General definition: Core teachings of Buddhism on suffering and liberation.

• Specific definition (Buddhism):

  1. Suffering (Duḥkha): Life involves dissatisfaction and pain.

  2. Origin of suffering: Caused by craving and attachment.

  3. Cessation of suffering (Nirodha): Liberation from suffering is possible.

  4. Path (Mārga): Eightfold Path leads to the end of suffering.

• Significance: Provides the framework for understanding life and achieving nirvana.

eightfold path

conduct

wisdom

concentration

• General definition: Buddha’s guide to end suffering.

• Specific definition (Buddhism): Three core categories:

  1. Conduct (Śīla / Sīla): Ethical behavior and moral discipline.

  2. Concentration (Samādhi): Meditation and mental focus.

  3. Wisdom (Prajñā / Paññā): Insight into reality and non-self.

• Significance: Practical method to achieve nirvana and liberation from samsara.

3 defilements

Greed

Hatred

Delusion

• General definition: Mental states that cause suffering.

• Specific definition (Buddhism):

  1. Greed (Desire/Craving): Attachment to things or experiences.

  2. Aversion (Hatred): Anger or repulsion toward things.

  3. Delusion (Ignorance): Misunderstanding reality, not seeing impermanence or non-self.

• Significance: Eliminating these is essential for liberation and awakening.

Roots of suffering

Karma

Intention

Result

• General definition: Action and its consequences.

• Specific definition (Buddhism):

  1. Intention (Cetanā): Mental will behind an action.

  2. Result (Vipāka): The effect or outcome of that action, influencing future rebirths.

• Significance: Shows ethical responsibility; intentional actions shape samsara.

Dharma

• General definition: Law, truth, or teaching.

• Specific definition (Buddhism): The Buddha’s teachings and the universal truth about reality.

• Significance: Guides ethical conduct, meditation, and understanding of life; essential for liberation.

• Memory hook: “the Buddha’s roadmap to freedom.”

dharmas

• General definition: Fundamental phenomena or elements of existence.

• Specific definition (Buddhism): The basic building blocks of reality; everything that exists can be analyzed as dharmas.

• Significance: Understanding dharmas helps in insight meditation and realizing impermanence, suffering, and non-self.

• Memory hook: “pieces of reality to study and understand.”

Conditioned dharmas

• General definition: Things that arise due to causes and conditions.

• Specific definition (Buddhism): Phenomena that exist dependently, shaped by other factors; they are impermanent and interconnected.

• Significance: Key to understanding dependent origination (pratītyasamutpāda) and the nature of suffering.

• Memory hook: “reality’s dominoes.”

Unconditioned dharmas

• General definition: Things that are not caused by anything else.

• Specific definition (Buddhism): Ultimate realities that exist independently, like nirvana, which is beyond cause and effect.

• Significance: Shows the goal of liberation; unlike conditioned dharmas, unconditioned dharmas are permanent and free from suffering.

• Memory hook: “ultimate, cause-free reality.”

Nirvana with remainder

• General definition: State of liberation while still alive.

• Specific definition (Buddhism): The Buddha or an enlightened being has extinguished defilements but still experiences the body and its needs until death.

• Significance: Shows that enlightenment can occur in life, not only after death.

Nirvana without remainder

• General definition: Complete liberation after death.

• Specific definition (Buddhism): The state reached when an enlightened being dies and is fully freed from the cycle of rebirth, with no remaining karma or physical existence.

• Significance: Represents ultimate goal of Buddhism—final release from samsara.

4 stages of enlightenment / awakening

stream-attainer

once-returner

never-returner

ahat

• General definition: Progressive levels of spiritual awakening in Buddhism.

• Specific definition (Buddhism):

  1. Stream-Enterer: First stage; will reach nirvana within 7 lifetimes.

  2. Once-Returner: Second stage; will be reborn at most once more.

  3. Never-Returner: Third stage; will not return to the human realm.

  4. Arhat: Fourth stage; fully enlightened, liberated from samsara.

• Significance: Shows gradual path to full liberation; highlights achievable milestones for practitioners.

solitary buddha

• General definition: Buddha who attains enlightenment alone.

• Specific definition (Buddhism): Achieves awakening without a teacher and does not teach others; appears in times when the Dharma is lost.

• Significance: Contrasts with a fully enlightened teacher like Siddhartha Gautama’s Buddha, and shows different types of spiritual attainment. Signifies independent enlightenment, realizing nirvana through personal insight into dependent origination without a teacher

bodhisattva

• General definition: Enlightened being who postpones nirvana.

• Specific definition (Buddhism): Someone who seeks full enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings, practicing compassion and the six perfections (pāramitās).

• Significance: Central ideal in Mahayana Buddhism; embodies selfless service and universal liberation.

• Memory hook: “stays behind to help everyone wake up.”

Buddha

• General definition: “Awakened one.”

• Specific definition (Buddhism): Someone who has attained full enlightenment, fully understands the nature of reality, and is free from all defilements.

• Significance: Founder and teacher of Buddhism; shows the possibility of liberation for all beings.

3 refuges

Buddha

dharma

samgha

• General definition: Core commitments or sources of guidance in Buddhism.

• Specific definition (Buddhism):

  1. Buddha: The fully enlightened teacher.

  2. Dharma: The teachings of the Buddha.

  3. Saṃgha: The monastic community preserving and practicing the Dharma.

• Significance: Taking refuge expresses trust and commitment; central to Buddhist practice.

Four-fold assembly

Monk

Nun

Laymen

Laywomen

• General definition: Main groups of Buddhist followers.

• Specific definition (Buddhism):

  1. Monk (Bhikṣu): Male ordained practitioner.

  2. Nun (Bhikṣunī): Female ordained practitioner.

  3. Laymen: Male householders practicing Buddhism.

  4. Laywomen: Female householders practicing Buddhism.

• Significance: Represents the full Buddhist community (Saṃgha) and supports the preservation and practice of the Dharma.

3 realms

Sensual / Desire Realm

Form realm

Formless realm

• General definition: Levels of existence in Buddhist cosmology.

• Specific definition (Buddhism):

  1. Sensual Realm (Desire Realm): Beings driven by desire and attachment.

  2. Form Realm: Beings with subtle form, mostly meditative existence.

  3. Formless Realm: Beings without physical form, purely mental or spiritual.

• Significance: Shows the scope of samsara and levels of spiritual refinement.

6 destinies of rebirth

hell

hungry ghost

animal

human

asura (demigods)

deva (gods)

• General definition: Possible realms where beings are reborn.

• Specific definition (Buddhism):

  1. Hell: Realm of intense suffering.

  2. Hungry Ghost (Preta): Realm of insatiable desire.

  3. Animal: Realm dominated by instinct and survival.

  4. Human: Realm with balance, opportunity for enlightenment.

  5. Asura (Demigods): Realm of jealousy, conflict, and ambition.

  6. Deva (Gods): Realm of pleasure and long life, but not permanent liberation.

• Significance: Illustrates karma’s effects and the urgency of pursuing liberation.

Mount Meru

• General definition: Sacred cosmic mountain.

• Specific definition (Buddhism): Center of the universe in Buddhist cosmology, surrounded by continents and realms of existence.

• Significance: Symbolizes the structure of the cosmos and the centrality of spiritual order.

• Memory hook: “cosmic center of everything.”

Kalpa

• General definition: Extremely long period of time.

• Specific definition (Buddhism): A cosmic cycle or age used to measure the lifespan of the universe, often incomprehensibly long.

• Significance: Shows the vastness of time in Buddhist cosmology and the impermanence of all things.General definition: Self or soul.

• Specific definition (Buddhism): Buddhism rejects a permanent, unchanging ātman; emphasizes anatta (non-self).

• Significance: Understanding the non-existence of ātman is central to Buddhist insight and liberation.

Atman

• General definition: Self or soul.

• Specific definition (Buddhism): Buddhism rejects a permanent, unchanging self; emphasizes anatta (non-self).

• Significance: Understanding the non-existence of __ is central to Buddhist insight and liberation.

Anatman

• General definition: non-self. Absence of a permanent self.

• Specific definition (Buddhism): All phenomena, including persons, lack a fixed, independent identity; self is a collection of changing elements.

• Significance: Core Buddhist insight; realizing this leads to liberation from attachment and suffering.

Dependent arising (dependent origination)

• General definition: Things arise based on causes and conditions.

• Specific definition (Buddhism): All phenomena exist interdependently; nothing exists independently, and suffering arises from ignorance of this.

• Significance: Explains the cycle of samsara and guides the path to liberation.

• Memory hook: “cause-and-effect web of life.”

5 aggregates

Form

Sensation / Feeling

Recognition

Metal formations

Cognition

• General definition: Components that make up a person.

• Specific definition (Buddhism):

  1. Form/Materiality (Rūpa): Physical body and matter.

  2. Sensation (Vedanā): Feelings or experiences (pleasant, unpleasant, neutral).

  3. Recognition (Saṃjñā): Perception and identification of objects. Knowing what stuff is.

  4. Mental Formations (Saṃskāra): Thoughts, habits, intentions, and volitions.

  5. Cognition/Consciousness (Vijñāna): Awareness of experiences.

• Significance: Understanding these parts of the self shows that there is no permanent self. When you recognize these parts are empty, you can start to let go to reach nirvana.

Samatha

• General definition: Calm or tranquility meditation.

• Specific definition (Buddhism): Meditation practice that cultivates concentration and mental stillness.

• Significance: Prepares the mind for insight (vipassanā) and deeper understanding of reality.

Vipassana

• General definition: Insight meditation.

• Specific definition (Buddhism): Meditation practice that develops clear awareness and understanding of impermanence, suffering, and non-self.

• Significance: Leads to wisdom and liberation by seeing reality as it truly is.

8 dhyanas

• General definition: Levels of deep meditation.

• Specific definition (Buddhism):

  • Four Dhyānas of Form: Meditative states with physical form and subtle concentration.

  • Four Formless Dhyānas: Meditative states beyond physical form, focusing on infinite space, consciousness, nothingness, and neither perception nor non-perception.

• Significance: Cultivates deep concentration (samādhi) and supports insight leading to liberation.

Meditations on impurity

• General definition: Reflection on the body’s unclean or impermanent aspects.

• Specific definition (Buddhism): Contemplating the parts of the body (e.g., hair, nails, organs) to reduce attachment and desire.

• Significance: Helps overcome lust, craving, and attachment, supporting ethical conduct and insight.

• Memory hook: “Meditate on gross = mind detaches from desire.”

Corpse meditations

• General definition: Contemplation of death.

• Specific definition (Buddhism): Meditating on a corpse’s decay to understand impermanence, suffering, and non-self.

• Significance: Cultivates mindfulness of mortality and reduces attachment to the body and worldly life.

• Memory hook: “face death, free the mind.”

Supernatural powers

Magic powers

Divine Ear

Divine eye

Remembering past lives

Liberation

• General definition: Extraordinary abilities attained through meditation.

• Specific definition (Buddhism): Includes abilities like psychic powers, clairvoyance, recollection of past lives, and other mind-based feats developed through deep concentration.

• Significance: Seen as by-products of meditation, but not the ultimate goal; Buddha emphasized liberation over powers.

• Memory hook: “meditation perks, not the prize.”

Hinayana

• General definition: “Lesser vehicle” (older form of Buddhism).

• Specific definition (Buddhism): Early schools of Buddhism focusing on individual liberation (nirvana) through monastic discipline and meditation; often contrasted with Mahāyāna.

• Significance: Emphasizes personal enlightenment and strict adherence to the original teachings.

• Memory hook: “solo path to nirvana.”

Mahayana

• General definition: “Great vehicle” (later Buddhist tradition).

• Specific definition (Buddhism): School of Buddhism emphasizing universal salvation, the bodhisattva ideal, and compassion for all beings.

• Significance: Expands the goal from individual liberation to helping all sentient beings achieve enlightenment.

• Memory hook: “big path, save everyone.”

Theravada

• General definition: “Teaching of the Elders.”

• Specific definition (Buddhism): Oldest surviving Buddhist school; focuses on the Pāli Canon, monastic discipline, and individual enlightenment (arahant ideal).

• Significance: Preserves early Buddhist teachings; emphasizes meditation, ethics, and personal liberation.

• Memory hook: “elders’ path to personal nirvana.”

Bodhisattva path

• General definition: Spiritual path focused on helping others.

• Specific definition (Buddhism): Practice of cultivating wisdom, compassion, and the six perfections (pāramitās) to achieve full enlightenment for the benefit of all beings.

• Significance: Central in Mahāyāna Buddhism; emphasizes selflessness over personal liberation.

• Memory hook: “wake up, bring everyone along.”

6 perfections

• General definition: Virtues to cultivate on the bodhisattva path.

• Specific definition (Buddhism):

  1. Generosity (Dāna) – giving without attachment.

  2. Ethics (Śīla) – moral conduct.

  3. Patience (Kṣānti) – tolerance and forbearance.

  4. Effort / Diligence (Vīrya) – persistent practice.

  5. Concentration (Dhyāna / Samādhi) – mental focus and meditation.

  6. Wisdom (Prajñā) – insight into reality.

• Significance: Guides bodhisattvas to full enlightenment while helping others.

• Memory hook: “Give, behave, endure, strive, focus, see

Madhyamaka

• General definition: “Middle Way” school of Mahāyāna philosophy.

• Specific definition (Buddhism): Founded by Nāgārjuna; teaches emptiness (śūnyatā)—all phenomena lack inherent existence, avoiding extremes of existence and non-existence.

• Significance: Core Mahāyāna philosophical system; supports insight into non-self and dependent origination.

• Memory hook: “middle path, nothing has fixed essence.”

Emptiness

• General definition: Lack of inherent existence.

• Specific definition (Buddhism): All phenomena are empty of independent, permanent essence; everything arises dependently.

• Significance: Central concept in Mahāyāna; realizing emptiness leads to wisdom and liberation.

Own Being

• General definition: Inherent, independent essence.

• Specific definition (Buddhism): The idea that things have an unchanging, self-existent nature; Buddhism denies this, teaching all is empty (śūnyatā).

• Significance: Understanding the absence of _ is key to insight into non-self and dependent origination.

Expedient means / skillful means

• General definition: Practical method to achieve a goal.

• Specific definition (Buddhism): Teaching or practice adapted to the capacity of learners to help them progress toward enlightenment.

• Significance: Shows flexibility in Mahāyāna teaching; emphasizes compassion and effectiveness over strict rules.

the ability to tailor a teaching or action to an individual's needs. The ability of a Buddha or bodhisattva to adapt their teachings to the audience's level of understanding to help them overcome suffering; Allows flexibility and compassion in teaching Dharma, and help others achieve liberation.

2 truths

Conventional truth

ultimate truth / absolute truth

Conventional (skillful means and compassion) = (the world as we conventionally experience it)

ultimate (wisdom) = (the true nature of reality, which is empty and non-dual)

• General definition: Levels of understanding reality.

• Specific definition (Buddhism):

  1. Conventional Truth (Saṃvṛti-satya): How things appear and function in everyday life.

  2. Ultimate Truth (Paramārtha-satya): Reality as it truly is; all phenomena are empty of inherent existence.

• Significance: Helps balance practical living with deep insight; core in Madhyamaka philosophy.

• Memory hook: “everyday and how things really are.”

it explains how everyday and ultimate realities coexist. Both are necessary: conventional truth is how we navigate daily life, while ultimate truth is key to liberation from suffering by seeing through illusions like inherent existence, as explained in the teachings of scholars like Nāgārjuna

Tantric Buddhism (Vajrayana, Esoteric Buddhism)

• General definition: Buddhist path using rituals and symbolism.

• Specific definition (Buddhism): Mahāyāna tradition emphasizing mantras, mudras, mandalas, and guru devotion to accelerate enlightenment.

• Significance: Offers a faster, experiential path to awakening; integrates body, speech, and mind in practice.

• Memory hook: “ritual + meditation + lightning-fast path to Buddha.”

3 “secrets” or mysteries

body/mudra

speech/mantra

mind/mandala

• General definition: Core components of tantric practice.

• Specific definition (Buddhism):

  1. Body (Mūdra): Sacred gestures or postures.

  2. Speech (Mantra): Sacred sounds or recitations.

  3. Mind (Maṇḍala / Visualization): Mental imagery and meditation on enlightened forms.

• Significance: Central in Vajrayāna practice; unites body, speech, and mind to transform ordinary experience into the path to enlightenment.

• Memory hook: “Body, Speech, Mind = three keys to tantric awakening.”

deity yoga

• General definition: Meditation involving a divine figure.

• Specific definition (Buddhism): tantric Buddhism practice of visualizing oneself as a deity to cultivate enlightened qualities and realize the nature of mind.

• Significance: Central method in tantric Buddhism for transforming perception and accelerating enlightenment.

• Memory hook: “become the divine in your mind.”

Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD)

• General definition: Major Chinese imperial dynasty.

• Specific definition (Buddhism): Period when Buddhism first entered China from India via the Silk Road; early translations and adaptations began.

• Significance: Marks the beginning of Chinese Buddhist history and cultural integration.

• Memory hook: “Buddhism arrives in China.”

Tang Dynasty (618 - 907)

• General definition: Golden age of Chinese civilization.

• Specific definition (Buddhism): Buddhism flourished, with major schools established, extensive translation of texts, and integration into Chinese culture.

• Significance: Period of peak influence for Buddhism in China; arts, literature, and philosophy thrived.

• Memory hook: “Buddhism’s golden age in China.”

ancestor worship

• General definition: Honoring deceased family members.

• Specific definition (Buddhism/China): Rituals and offerings to ancestors, integrated with Buddhist practices in China to maintain family and social harmony.

• Significance: Shows how Buddhism adapted to Chinese culture and local traditions.

• Memory hook: “respect + ritual for family spirits.”

oracle bones

• General definition: Ancient Chinese divination tools.

• Specific definition (Buddhism/China context): Used during the Shang dynasty to communicate with ancestors; not Buddhist, but part of early Chinese religious practice that Buddhism later encountered.

• Significance: Illustrates China’s pre-Buddhist spiritual landscape.

• Memory hook: “Shang dynasty messages to ancestors.”

3 realms

Heaven

Earth

Humankind

• General definition: Levels of existence in early Chinese cosmology.

• Specific definition (Buddhism/China context):

  1. Heaven: Realm of gods and celestial beings.

  2. Earth: Realm of humans and nature.

  3. Humankind: Mortal human existence (sometimes overlapping with Earth).

• Significance: Shows how Buddhist cosmology merged with Chinese ideas of the cosmos.

3 traditions in China

Confucianism

Daoism

Buddhism

• General definition: Major philosophical and religious systems in China.

• Specific definition (Buddhism context):

  1. Confucianism: Focus on ethics, family, and social order.

  2. Daoism: Emphasis on harmony with nature and the Dao.

  3. Buddhism: Spiritual liberation, meditation, and ethical conduct.

• Significance: Buddhism adapted to coexist with Confucian and Daoist ideas, creating a unique Chinese religious culture.

Confucius (5th century BC)

• General definition: Chinese philosopher and teacher.

• Specific definition (Buddhism context): Emphasized ethics, proper conduct, family loyalty, and social harmony; Buddhism later interacted with his teachings in China.

• Significance: Confucian values influenced how Buddhism was received, practiced, and interpreted in Chinese society.

• Memory hook: “ethics and social order teacher.”

Analects

• General definition: Collection of sayings and ideas.

• Specific definition (Buddhism/China context): Compilation of Confucius’ teachings on ethics, governance, and personal conduct.

• Significance: Guided moral behavior in Chinese society; influenced Buddhist engagement with ethics and social norms.

• Memory hook: “Confucius’ words for right living.”

Filial piety

• General definition: Respect and devotion to one’s parents and ancestors.

• Specific definition (Buddhism/China context): Core Confucian value that shaped family ethics; Buddhism incorporated and adapted this ideal in China.

• Significance: Helped Buddhism gain acceptance in Chinese culture by aligning with existing social values.

• Memory hook: “honor your parents, gain social harmony.”

Laozi (5th century BC?)

• General definition: Founder of Daoism.

• Specific definition (Buddhism/China context): Taught living in harmony with the Dao (the Way), simplicity, and naturalness; Buddhist thinkers later engaged with Daoist ideas.

• Significance: Daoist concepts influenced Chinese Buddhism, especially meditation, cosmology, and the integration of nature.

• Memory hook: “flow with the Way, keep it simple.”

Zhuangzi (3rd century BC?)

• General definition: Daoist philosopher and writer.

• Specific definition (Buddhism/China context): Emphasized spontaneity, relativity of values, and freedom from worldly concerns; his ideas influenced Chinese Buddhist thought on non-attachment and naturalness.

• Significance: Helped shape Chinese Buddhist meditation and philosophy by blending Daoist perspectives.

• Memory hook: “go with the flow, embrace freedom.”

Dao (Way)

• General definition: Fundamental principle or path in Daoism.

• Specific definition (Buddhism/China context): The natural, underlying order of the universe; Buddhism in China sometimes linked the Dao with the path to enlightenment.

• Significance: Shows integration of Buddhist practice with Chinese philosophical ideas of harmony and natural order.

• Memory hook: “the ultimate flow or path.”

Mulian (Maudgalyayana)

• General definition: Disciple of the Buddha.

• Specific definition (Buddhism/China context): Buddhist monk famous for saving his deceased mother from suffering in the afterlife through filial devotion and ritual offerings.

• Significance: Central figure in Chinese Buddhism / Ghost Festival; illustrates the blending of filial piety with Buddhist practice.

• Memory hook: “devoted son saves his mom.”

Chan

• General definition: School of Buddhism emphasizing meditation.

• Specific definition (Buddhism/China context): Focuses on direct insight, meditation (dhyāna), and realizing one’s true nature beyond words and scriptures.

• Significance: Became a major Chinese Buddhist tradition; later transmitted to Japan as Zen.

• Memory hook: “sit, meditate, see your true mind.”

Zen

• General definition: Japanese school of meditation-focused Buddhism.

• Specific definition (Buddhism): Emphasizes sitting meditation, direct insight, and experiential understanding over textual study.

• Significance: Derived from Chinese Chán; widely influential in East Asia and modern global Buddhism.

• Memory hook: “sit, breathe, awaken directly.”

Dhyana

• a meditation attainment

• (in Hindu and Buddhist practice) profound meditation which is the penultimate stage of yoga.

• General definition: Meditation or mental absorption.

• Specific definition (Buddhism): Deep states of concentration used to calm the mind and cultivate insight; foundation of Chán/Zen practice.

• Significance: Core practice for achieving mindfulness, concentration, and ultimately enlightenment.

• Memory hook: “deep, focused meditation.”

Prajna

• General definition: Insight or understanding.

• Specific definition (Buddhism): Deep, experiential understanding of the true nature of reality, including impermanence, suffering, and non-self.

• Significance: Essential for liberation; complements ethical conduct and meditation in the Buddhist path.

• Memory hook: “see reality clearly, gain wisdom.”

28 Indian patriarchs

• General definition: Lineage of early Buddhist teachers.

• Specific definition (Buddhism/Chan context): Teachers starting from the Buddha and continuing through 28 generations in India, transmitting the Dharma (especially meditation and insight) to preserve the lineage.

• Significance: Establishes the historical and spiritual foundation for the Chan/Zen lineage in China.

• Memory hook: “chain of Indian teachers keeping the Dharma alive.”

6 Chinese patriarchs

• General definition: Key early Chinese Chan (Zen) masters.

• Specific definition (Buddhism/China context): Six successive masters in China who transmitted Chan teachings from Bodhidharma onward, preserving meditation and direct insight practices.

• Significance: Formed the foundation of Chinese Chan/Zen lineage and practice.

• Memory hook: “first Chan teachers in China.”

Bodhidharma

• General definition: Legendary Indian monk.

• Specific definition (Buddhism/China context): Credited as the first Chinese Chan (Zen) patriarch; emphasized meditation (dhyāna) and direct insight over scriptures.

• Significance: Introduced Chan to China; foundational figure in Zen lineage.

• Memory hook: “first Zen master in China.”

Huineng (Hui-neng, 8th century)

• General definition: Sixth Chinese Chan (Zen) patriarch.

• Specific definition (Buddhism/China context): Promoted sudden enlightenment, emphasizing direct insight into one’s true nature over gradual meditation or scriptural study.

• Significance: Central figure in Chan; his teachings shaped Southern Chan and modern Zen practice.

• Memory hook: “sudden awakening, see your true mind instantly.”

Shenxiu (8th century)

• General definition: Prominent Chinese Chan (Zen) master.

• Specific definition (Buddhism/China context): Advocated gradual enlightenment, emphasizing continuous practice and meditation to attain awakening.

• Significance: Leader of the Northern Chan school; contrasted with Huineng’s sudden enlightenment approach.

• Memory hook: “slow and steady path to awakening.”

Koan

• General definition: Paradoxical question or statement.

• Specific definition (Buddhism/Zen context): A tool in Zen practice designed to transcend rational thought and provoke direct insight into reality.

• Significance: Helps students break conceptual thinking and experience sudden awakening (kenshō).

• Memory hook: “mind puzzle to spark enlightenment.”

Finger pointing at the moon

• General definition: Zen metaphor for teaching.

• Specific definition (Buddhism/Zen context): The _ symbolizes the teacher’s guidance, and the _ represents ultimate reality or enlightenment; the _ is not the goal.

• Significance: Emphasizes direct experience over attachment to words or symbols.

• Memory hook: “Don’t stare at the _ look at the _.”