Buddhism: Foundations, Beliefs, Healthcare & Environment

Vocabulary flashcards reviewing core Buddhist terminology, foundational teachings, major traditions, healthcare considerations, and ecological principles.

Buddha

A title meaning "awakened one," referring to Siddhartha Gautama, who founded Buddhism in Northern India approximately 2,500 years ago.

The Middle Way

The Buddhist principle of avoiding harmful extremes—such as luxury and extreme deprivation—and following a balanced path.

Four Passing Sights

The four encounters that led Siddhartha Gautama to seek an answer to suffering: an old person (aging), a sick person (illness), a dead person (death), and a religious seeker (a path beyond suffering).

Dukkha

The First Noble Truth and one of the Three Marks of Existence, defined as suffering, dissatisfaction, and impermanence in life.

Samudaya

The Second Noble Truth: the teaching that craving and attachment cause and contribute to suffering.

Nirodha

The Third Noble Truth: the teaching that suffering can end when craving ends.

Magga

The Fourth Noble Truth: the principle that the Noble Eightfold Path leads toward the cessation of suffering.

Noble Eightfold Path

The practical guide to living wisely and ethically, divided into Wisdom (Right Understanding/View, Right Intention), Ethical conduct (Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood), and Mental discipline (Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration).

Three Jewels

The core refuges of Buddhism consisting of the Buddha (the awakened teacher), the Dharma (the Buddha's teachings), and the Sangha (the Buddhist community, especially the monastic community).

Anicca

One of the Three Marks of Existence, signifying impermanence and the reality that everything changes.

Anatta

One of the Three Marks of Existence, meaning that there is no permanent, unchanging self.

Five Precepts

Ethical training guidelines in Buddhism directing followers to refrain from killing living beings, taking what is not given, sexual misconduct, false speech, and intoxicants that impair mindfulness.

Theravada

A major Buddhist tradition that emphasizes early teachings, strict monastic discipline, and the ideal of the arhat.

Mahayana

A major Buddhist tradition emphasizing compassion and the bodhisattva ideal of helping all beings attain liberation.

Vajrayana

A major Buddhist tradition utilizing specialized rituals, mantras, and meditation practices, strongly associated with Tibetan Buddhism.

Bodhisattva

In Mahayana Buddhism, someone dedicated to awakening who actively helps other beings attain liberation.

Koan

A question or paradox used in Zen Buddhist practice to challenge ordinary thinking.

Nirvana

Liberation from craving and suffering, marking ultimate spiritual release.

Karma

Intentional actions and their moral consequences, rather than mere fate or external punishment.

Samsara

The continuous cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.

Ahimsa

The principle of nonviolence or avoiding harm toward living beings.

Pali Canon

The major primary collection of Theravada Buddhist scriptures.

Buddha Day

A festival celebrated approximately in May that honors the Buddha's life and enlightenment.

Dharma Day

A festival observed approximately in July that commemorates the Buddha's first teaching.

Sangha Day

A festival occurring approximately in November celebrating the Buddhist community.

Parinirvana Day

A festival celebrated approximately in February commemorating the Buddha's death and final nirvana.

Utu-niyama

One of the Five Niyamas representing natural physical or environmental processes.

Bija-niyama

One of the Five Niyamas referring to biological processes and heredity.

Kamma-niyama

One of the Five Niyamas governing the moral consequences of intentional actions.

Citta-niyama

One of the Five Niyamas describing the processes and functions of the mind.

Dhamma-niyama

One of the Five Niyamas encompassing broader universal patterns or principles of reality.

Tree Ordination

An environmental practice, notably in Thailand, where monks wrap trees in saffron-colored robes to symbolically ordain them and protect forests from destruction.

Interbeing

A term associated with Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh expressing that nothing exists completely independently and all things are interconnected.

Engaged Buddhism

A movement connecting Buddhist spiritual practice with real-world action to address social and environmental problems.

Universal Responsibility

The recognition that personal actions impact living beings beyond one's immediate community, including future generations, animals, ecosystems, and other global populations.