World Religions Buddhism and Eastern Religions Test

What are the 3 marks of existence in both Pali and Enlish?

1) Anatta: No-Self → karmic energy passing from one life to the next

2) Anicca: Impermanence → nothing lasts forever

3) Dukkha: Suffering/discomfort → to live is to experience suffering

• happens as a result of anatta and anicca

What questions of religion do the 3 marks of existence each address?

1) Anatta: What is the ultimate reality?

2) Anicca: What is the nature of the universe

3) Dukkha: What is the human condition?

What are the 4 Noble Truths

1) To live is to experience suffering (Dukkha)

2) Suffering is caused by desire (Tanha)

3) Suffering can be brought to an end 

4) The solution to suffering is the Noble Eightfold Path

What is the Noble Eightfold Path?

1) Right Views

2) Right intention

3) Right speech

4) Right conduct

5) Right livelihood

6) Right effort

7) Right mindfulness

8) Right meditation

What are the 4 passing sights?

1) An old man

2) A diseased man 

3) A corpse

4) An ascetic

Why are the 4 passing sights important?

Began saddhartan’s conversion, showed his reality as he had been living lavishly

Buddhism: Doctrine

Middle Way

Buddhism: Experiential

Enlightenment

Buddhism: Mythic

Siddhartha Gautama → the Buddha

Buddhism: Material

Meditation bell

Buddhism: Ethical

Noble Eightfold Path

Buddhism: Ritual

Meditation, Zen.. or Creation of Mandala

Buddhism: Social

Sanga → Buddhist community of monks and nuns

Sects of Buddhism: Theraveda

Where: Cambodia, Burma, Sri Lanka, Thailand

Theology: Buddha teaches enlightenment, not within reach of humans. Dharma is more important than Buddha

Culture: Arhat, ideal person. Strives to reach Nirvana 

Organization: Emphasis on monastic life → Monks and Nuns

Rituals: Meditation, men join monastic life (3 months) 

Goal: Nirvana

Sects of Buddhism: Mahayana (Largest Division of Buddhism)

Where: China, Japan, Korea majority 

Theology: Buddha is the divine savior. Devotion, prayer, and salvation offered through infinite grace of compassionate Buddha

Culture: Bodhisattva → Buddhas in the making, dedicated to attaining enlightenment. Able to enter Nirvana but stop short in order to help others

Organization: The Great Vehicle → Monks, nuns, and priests. 

Rituals: Devotional activity, prayers, rituals to Buddha or Bodhisattvas. Compassion is embodied

Goal: Nirvana 

Sects of Buddhism: Tibetan (Vajrayana)

Where: Tibet. Exile in India previously, in high mountain plateaus

Theology: Buddha is not god, rather a knowledgable and respectable teacher. Still savior 

Culture: Bodhisattva. Follows steps towards enlightenment, Bodhisattva reincarnation is Dalai Lama himself 

Organization: Dalai Lama: the head of the clergy of lamas. Institution of lamas that oversee ceremonies and work as spiritual teachers 

Rituals: Mandalas, mutras, and montras 

Mantras: practices for the spiritual mind to help people on the path of enlightenment 

Montra: resonating chant 

Mandalas: geometric design or coloring that is later destroyed 

Mudras: choreographed hand dance 

Goal: Nirvana 

Sects of Buddhism: Zen

Where: Japan, originated in China

Theology: Less emphasis on Buddha, more about direct, individual experience

Culture: Bodhisattvas part of tradition but individually more emphasized, not as important and aren’t devoted to

Organization: Master to student relationships are emphasized.

Rituals: Zazen: a core meditation in Zen that involves breathing and sitting in an upright position while focusing on the body, seated meditation

Goal: Nirvana

Why is compassion the central virtue of Buddhism?

Com + Passio means “to suffer”. Meaning we are all suffering creatures so we should suffer together. Compassion in a response to suffering (Dukkha). Buddha was a good example of compassion as per the 4 passing sights.

How is Nirvana described in Buddhism?

The extinction of desire and any sense of individual self, resulting in liberation from samsara. Means “blowing out”

Hinduism vs Buddhism: Dharma

Hinduism: Ethical duty, standard for determining right and wrong of a persons actions

Buddhism: The teachings of the Buddha and one of the three jewels of buddhism. Born from insight gained from a profound meditative experience

Hinduism vs Buddhism: Understanding of the Universe

Hinduism: Time is cyclical. Monism: reality is made up on same essense, that is Brahman

Buddhism: Time is cyclical and universe is eternal. Gautuma not first and not last Buddha many came before and many will come after. Many worlds exist within the universe, middle realm is animals and humans

Hinduism vs Buddhism: Samsara

Hinduism: Wheel of rebirth and reincarnation

Buddhism: Wheel of life, holds inhabitants of all realms, destined to be born in one realm or another

Hinduism vs Buddhism: Liberation from Samsara

Hinduism: Moksha → release, never reincarnated and united forever with Brahman

Buddhism: Nirvana → liberation from samsara, end result of spiritual fulfillment. Direct inward observation of the human condition

Hinduism vs Buddhism: Deities

Hinduism: 330 million deities. Brahman is one ultimate reality with gods and goddesses being extensions of that reality 

Buddhism: Accepts deities, more emphasis on human minds ability to attain salvation. Buddha rejected Hindu caste system making texts widely available to everyone. 

Hinduism vs Buddhism: Atman

Hinduism: Brahman within each person, reincarnated

Buddhism: Three Marks of Existence

Anatta: no permanent self, no essense

Anicca: impermanence

Dukkha: suffering, a result of anicca and anatta

Little bit of energy passes on to next life

Hinduism vs Buddhism: What is reincarnated

Hinduism: Soul → atman. Comes from positive and negative karma

Buddhism: Transference of a bundle of energy according to one’s karma. One body to the next.

Hinduism vs Buddhism: Karma

Hinduism: Action. The moral law of cause and effect of actions. Karma reincarnates

Buddhism: Moral law of cause and effect. Hand in hand with samsara, nature of a rebirth comes from someones karma. Continues after death, bringing about rebirth eventually.

Life of Siddhartha Gautama

Born around 550 BCE in North India. Had a 10 year long honeymoon and indulged himself for 29 years. 4 encounters, one old man, one sick man, one corpse, and one who practiced asceticism. Wife gave birth to Rahula, Siddhartha named him fetter and abandoned both of them. Starved himself and lived in extreme asceticism for 6 years, ended up meditating underneath a tree, bringing himself to Enlightenment. Found the Middle Way, mindfulness.

Middle Way

A Buddhist doctrine which rejects both pleasures of sensual indulgence and the self-denial of asceticism, focusing instead on a practical approach to spiritual attainment

• A healthy spiritual life depends upon a healthy physical life

Tanha

One of the 4 Noble Truths → Suffering is caused by desire (Selfish desire)

Dukka

One of the 4 Noble Truths → To live is to experience suffering

Anatta

One of the 3 Marks of Existence: No-Self

• No permanent self, nothing enduring, nothing divine, no ultimate reality within self

• Karmic energy just passing from one life to the next

Anicca

One of the 3 Marks of Existence: Impermanence 

• All existent things are constantly changing 

  • Nothing lasts forever 

Samsara

Wheel of life, only liberated through Nirvana

Karma

Moral law of cause and effect. Hand in hand with samsara, nature of a rebirth comes from someones karma

Asceticism

A lifestyle that rejects physical pleasures in order to attain spiritual perfection

Dalai Lama

The head clergy of lamas in Tibetan Buddhism

Mandala

Good example of Anicca, Impermanence. Take hours to create something only to destroy it.

Enlightenment

Awakening through meditation

Nirvana

The extinction of desire and any sense of individual self, resulting in liberation from samsara

Dharma

One of the Three Jewels of Buddhism, Teachings of the Buddha

Arhats

Ideal person in Theraveda Buddhism.

Bodhisattvas

Buddhas in the making, can reach Nirvana but choose not to to help others achieve it. Transfer merit of karma to devotees

Buddha

Someone who, by their own insight, has attained perfect enlightenment; an awakened one

Sangha

the Buddhist community of monks and nuns

Yin

Not superior to Yang, represents dark and negative, balances with Yang

Yang

Not superior to Yin, positive and bright, balances with Yin

Tao

The way of Balance and Harmony

• Unseen

• Beyond creation of earth and universe

• Orders the world and is not a personal creator god

Taoism

About living in harmony and balance with nature / the Tao in the here ad now, emphasis on spiritual perfection and the nature of the universe

Wu-Wei

non-action, creative quietude, actionless activity. To be perfectly in harmony with nature and its energy

Tao Te Ching

Foundation of Taoism, Techings of Tao Wu Wei, Yin and Yang

The Analects

Collection of Confucius’ sayings

Jen

goodness, love, benevolence. Primary virtue

Li

Proper behavior in a given circumstance. Depends on social status, gender, job, etc.

Shu

the Golden Rule