Beliefs and Teachings of Buddhism

Who is the Buddha?

• someone who is awakened or enlightened. someone who truly understands the nature of reality

• Siddharta Gautama founded Buddhism

What was significant about the birth of Siddharta Gautama buddha

• born without causing pain to his mother

• born for a purpose

What was Buddha’s life in the palace like?

• He was showered with great gifts, e.g gems,gold,silver,animals

• spent all his time inside the palace being looked after by women

What were the four sights?

• illness

• old age

• death

• a holy man

What was the impact of the sick person?

• He became aware that everybody suffers due to illness

What was the impact of the elderly man?

• He became aware that everybody becomes old: youth doesn’t last forever

What was the impact of the funeral?

• He realised physical life on earth in its current form is not everlasting

What was the impact of the holy man?

• He was encouraged by a holy man to leave his life of luxury and search for enlightenment

What was Buddha’s Ascetic life like?

• Abandoned worldly pleasures to focus on spirituality and attaining enlightenment

• he had little food and became extremely emaciated: some scripts even suggest he changed colour

• many teachers taught him important practices leading to great insights

What did Buddha realise through living an ascetic life?

• neither extreme luxury nor extreme poverty, helped achieve spiritual goals; he abandoned the ascetic life and discovered the Middle Way

What were the 3 watches?

• gained knowledge of all his previous lifes

• understood the repeated cycle of life,death and rebirth. things are born based on Kamma and there is no fixed self (annatta)

• understood why suffering happens and how to over come it

What happened during Buddha’s enlightenment?

• undertook meditation to overcome temptation and desire,symbolised by the demon Mara

How does Buddhas birth still influence Buddhists today?

• pilgrimage, e.g to Lumbini to visit the Buddha’s birth site

• Celebrate festivals such as Wesak, also known as Buddha day

How do the four sights impact buddhists today?

• actively help to reduce dukkha in the modern world e.g by volunteering

• engage in buddhist practices

How does buddha’s life of luxury impact buddhists today?

• encourages buddhists not to strive to become extremely wealthy

• Live a life guided by the principle of the Middle Way

How does buddha’s ascetic life impact buddhists today?

• encourages a lifestyle which cultivates the middle way and reflects the four noble truths

• engages in buddhist practices

How does Buddha’s enlightenment impact buddhists today?

• pilgrimage e.g to Bodh Gaya to visit the place the Buddha became enlightenment

• Celebrate Wesak

What are the Three Marks of Existence?

• dukkha

• anicca

• anatta

What is the meaning of dukkha?

• suffering or dissatisfaction with life

What does Dukkha-dukkhata mean?

• ordinary suffering

• arises from physical or mental pain

• e.g injury or seperation

What is viparinama-dukkha?

• change

• arising from nothing being permanent

• e.g clouds appearing on a sunny day or growing old

What is samkhara-dukkha?

• attachment and dissatisfaction

• arising from subtle dissatisfaction with life

• e.g unhappiness due to change or craving the impossible

Quote on dukkha

“Now this bikkhus …is suffering…birth…ageing…illness…death..and separation is suffering” Buddha, Pali Canon

What does dukkha encourage Buddhists to do?

• develop resilience and understand suffering is a universal condition for all

• respond to suffering e.g Buddhists may support a charity

• develop key qualities of compassion and wisdom

What is anicca?

• impermanence,everything is continually changing

What does Anicca encourage?

• buddhists away from materialism (attatchment to material items cannot bring long term and sustained fulfillment)

• Puja practices e.g Buddhists may use flowers to remind them of the ever changing state of life

What are the ways anicca affects the world?

• affects living things e.g a seed will turn into a tree

• all non-living things e.g rust-free nail will turn to rust

• our minds e.g our thoughts, feeling and morals

Quote on anicca

“All conditioned things are impermanent” Buddha, Dhammapada

What is anatta?

• No fixed self or soul. No aspect of the human personality that remains constant or lives forever

What does anatta encourage?

• eschatological beliefs and practices e.g belief in rebirth as opposed to reincarnation or resurrection

• death rites to highlight the empty nature of the material body

Quote on anatta

“all things are not-self” Buddha, Dhammapada

What is the chariot analogy for anatta?

• a chariot is merely a collection of parts that come together

• nothing separate or independent that is known as a chariot, its existence is empty (sunyata)

• this is the same for people

What is paticcasamupada?

• buddhist vision of the nature of reality summarised by the idea that all things exist because of other things

• interconnectedness of reality — everything is affected by something else

What is an example of paticcasamupada?

• the sun => gases

• rain => clouds

• soil => organic matter and minerals

How does paticcasamupada affect Buddhist conduct?

• may be grounded in compassion(karuna) and love(metta) because they will be aware of the consequences of positive actions

• may be more ecologically aware because they will consider the impact of environmental damage due to the interconnectedness of Earth

What is dhamma?

• path of training recommended by the Buddha

• universal law; an explanation of the way things are

• the truth about the nature of existence as understood by the Buddha after enlightenment

• a collection of the Buddha’s teachings

What are the three refuges?

• Buddha

• Dhamma

• Sangha

What do the three refuges mean to buddhists?

• helps them relieve suffering

• give life meaning,purpose and satisfaction

What is the Buddha refuge?

• the one who is awakened

• a role model

• respective figure

What is the Dhamma refuge?

• a collection of teachings

• a guide for living, e.g ethical conduct

• a guide for practice

What is the sangha refuge?

• a community that follows the Dhamma

• a monastic community involved in training and learning

• a community of those who are enlightened

• can refer to both monastic and lay persons in some buddhist communities

Quote about the dhamma

“The gift of the Dhamma excels all gifts; the taste of the Dhamma excels all tastes”

What happened after the Buddha died?

• 500 enlightened monks formed a council to agree on the content of the Buddha’s teaching and the codes that the monastic Sangha should follow

• over time different groups interpreted the buddha’s teaching differently

What are the different buddhist schools formed?

• theravada

• mahayana

• vajrayana

What are the key aspects of theravada buddhism?

• buddha is a historical figure

• no longer possible to meet or interact with him

• pali canon

• the human personailty is made up from the five aggregates

• becoming an arhat is the goal

What are the five aggregates in theravada buddhism?

• consciousness; general awareness of the world around them

• mental formations; peoples thoughs & opinions e.g likes,dislikes attitudes

• perception; how people recognise what things are based on previous experience

• sensation; feelings when someone comes into contact with things

• form; material, physical objects

What are the key aspects of Mahayana buddhism?

• buddha as a divine figure, he is active and can be interacted with in the world today

• Lotus sutra

• The human personality is made from sunyata, buddha-nature and buddhahood

• human destiny is bodhisattva

What is sunyata?

• emptiness

• nothing has a fixed unchanging nature or personality

• everything exists only in relation to, and because of, other things

What is buddha-nature?

• everybody has the seed or essence of a buddha in them

• buddha-nature is obscured by ignorange like the moon by the clouds as said by Huineng

What is Buddhahood?

• when someone becomes a buddha by achieving enlightenment

What is an ahrat?

• a perfected person or worthy one

• overcome the main cause of suffering and achieved enlightenment

What happens after death according to theravada buddhism?

• not reborn

• escape the cycle of samsara

• attain nibbana

what are examples of ahrats?

• Suddhodana; buddha’s father

• Kaundinya - one of the five earliest buddhist monks

What is a bodhisattva?

• somebody who has become enlightened but choose to help others achieve enlightenment

What is the Bodhisattva vow?

‘however innumerable sentient beings are; i vow to save them’

What happens after death in Mahayana buddhism?

• Reborn

• Earthly Bodhisattvas enter bad into the world of samsara to help others

• Transcendent Bodhisattvas remain in a region between earth and nibbanna and remain active in the world to help lead others to enlightenment

What are examples of Bodhisattvas?

• Avalokiteshvara - Bodhisattva of compassion

• Manjushri - Bodhisattva of Wisdom

What are the six perfections?

• generosity — to be charitable and generous in all that is done

• morality — to live with good morals and ethical behaviour

• patience — to practise being patient in all things

• energy — to cultivate the energy and perseverance needed to keep going even when things get difficult

• meditation — to develop concentration awareness

• wisdom — to obtain wisdom and understanding

What is pure land buddhism?

• mahayana buddhism based on belief in amitabha buddha

Who is amitabha buddha?

• the buddha worshiped by pure land buddhists

What is sukhavati?

• the paradise where amitabha buddha lives and where pure land buddhists aimto be reborn

What is pure land buddhism?

• for people who cant handle the subtleties of meditation,endure long rituals or just live especially good lives

• it add mystical elements to the basic buddhist teachings which make those teachings easier and more comforting to work with

What are the elements added to buddhism by pure land buddhism?

• faith

• trust

• personal relationship with amitabha buddha (regarded as a saviour)

• belief in the pure land

What is the essential practice in pure land buddhism?

• chanting the name of amitabha buddha with total concentration trusting that one will be reborn in the pure land

What is the Pure Land?

• A place where it is much easier for a being to work towards enlightenment

Where did Pure Land buddhism begin?

• it began in china (second century) via t’an-luan

• and is now the main type of buddhism practiced in japan

What five practices aid in helping followers of pure land buddhism to get into sukhavati?

• reciting scripture

• worshiping amitabha

• meditating on amitabha

• making praise and offerings to amitabha

• changing the name of (most important)

Quote on the four noble truths

“the very foundation of Buddhist teaching, and that is why they are so important” The Dalai Lama

What is the first noble truth?

• there is suffering (dukkha)

• linked to dharma, the three marks of existence

What are the different types of suffering?

• birth

• illness

• separation

• unfulfilled wishes

• ageing

• death

• despair

• contact with unpleasant things

What is the second Noble Truth?

• There is an origin of suffering

• one of the main origins of suffering is craving

• The three poisons cause suffering

• ignorance

• greed and desire

• anger and hatred

Quote on the second noble truth

“Greed is a root of what is unskilful, aversion is a root of what is unskilful,delusion is a root of what is unskilful”

What is the third Noble truth?

• there is an end to suffering

• buddhists can end their suffering through their own actions and efforts

• goal of buddhism is enlightenment (the end of suffering) or nibbana which means extinction

What does it mean to ‘extinguish’ the three fires?

• overcoming ignorant, realising the nature of reality

• no longer feeling greed, there is an inner sense of satisfaction and appreciation

• no longer feeling anger and hatred

What are the different interpretations of nibbana?

• Nibbana with remainder (when a buddhist realises nibbana during this life)

• the physical body remains, continues to live in this world but a different stage of consciousness is attained

• Nibbana without remainder(nibbana attained after this life)

• the physical body dies, the buddhist leaves this world

What is the fourth noble truth?

• the way to end or cure suffering

• It is known as magga (eightfold path) and is the middle way

• avoids extremes in decisions

What is Right Concentration?

• developing a focus

What is Right Mindfulness?

• developing an awareness of the world and yourself

What is Right Effort?

• engaging and attempting buddhist practice

What is Right Livelihood?

• earning a living by not harming others

What is Right Understanding?

• knowledge of the Buddha’s teachings

What is Right Intention?

• having the right outlook and attitude

What is Right Speech?

• speaking truthfully and positively

What is Right Action?

• behaving in any way that reduces suffering and promotes peace