Hinduism/Buddhism Test

Rig-Veda

oldest of the four Vedas and has 1028 hymns

Yajur-Veda

used as a handbook by priests performing Vedic sacrifices

Sama-Veda

similar to book of Psalms and consists of songs for sacrifices

Atharva-Veda

consists of spells, charms, and magical formulas

Upanishads

holy writings that came later, means "sitting near devotedly"

Bhagavad Gita

"the song of the blessed lord," famous story about prince Arjuna and god Krishna where Krishna teaches Arjuna about duty and how death does not destroy the soul

Margas

yoga and way for people to perfect their union

Samadhi

a trance-like state where self-consciousness is lost and the mind is absorbed into the ultimate reality, the culmination of the eight steps of yoga

Bhakti Marga

"the path of devotion," the most popular of the three Hindu paths to salvation, emphasizing loving devotion to a god or goddess

Jnana Marga

"the path of knowledge," one of the three Hindu paths to salvation, emphasizing knowing the true nature of reality through learning and meditation

Sankhya

a system of Hindu philosophy, one approach within jnana marga, reality is two distinct categories: matter and eternal selves

Vedanta

a system of Hindu philosophy, one approach within jnana marga, all reality is essentially Brahman, Hindu philosopher Shankara is most notable advocate

Karma Marga

"the path of works," one of the three Hindu paths to salvation, emphasizing performing right actions according to dharma

Brahman

the one divine reality we are all part of

Atman

the all which is you and Brahman is just the all, part of Brahman (e.g. Brahman is the ocean and we are drops of water)

Maya

the everyday world that is not real

Karma

"action," decides how you live your life and comes back to you in the next life, not immediate, fulfill your dharma

Samsara (Hinduism)

we reincarnate into our next life depending on how we live this one

Ahimsa

concept of non-violence, vegetarianism

Sanyasa

giving up everything that is important in this world to become more like Brahman

Caste System

the societal system within maya that decides our dharma

Brahmin

priests and highest caste members

Kshatriya

warriors and nobles and second highest cast members

Vaishya

middle working class and third highest caste members

Shudra

servants and laborers and fourth highest caste members

Dalit

outcasts and not part of the system and lowest rank

Student

first stage of life and training

Householder

second stage of life and raising new generation

Retiree

third stage of life and living with family

Renunciate

last stage of life and trying to live up to religion by giving up everything and living in a place like a monastery

Artha

material success and social prestige, one of the four goals of life

Kama

pleasure especially of sensual love, one of the four goals of life

Dharma (Hinduism)

duty that you fulfill by doing what people expect of you, one of the four goals of life

Moksha

figuring out that you are in Brahman and being free, one of the four goals of life

Ascetic

one who renounces physical pleasures and worldly attachments for spiritual advancement

Sannyasin

a wandering ascetic who has advanced to the fourth highest stage of life

Avatar

the living embodiment of a deity, usually vishnu, who is sent to accomplish a divine purpose

Most Popular Avatars

Krishna and Rama

Sati

the traditional practice of burning a widow on her husband's funeral pyre, outlawed in 1829

Hindu Trimurti

gods: Brahma, Shiva, Vishnu, creation-> preservation-> destruction

Brahma

creator god, four arms, omnipresent, wears manufactured clothes and beard

Shiva

destroyer god, has trident and cobra, hermit god, living in wilderness, blue because of royal lineage

Vishnu

preserver god, most popular god, blue because of royal lineage, four arms, standing on lotus

Krishna

god of love, 14,000 wives, god of music and cows and cow herders

Kali

goddess of destruction, married to shiva, came out of the blood of a demon, four arms, blue because of royal lineage

Ganesh

elephant head god, shiva cut off head on accident then replaced it with an elephant head, god of writers, bankers, and overcoming obstacles

Lakshimi

goddess of fortune, gold comes out of hand of blessing

Saraswati

goddess of learning

Significance of Goddesses

mother of earth and symbols of fertility, do what the males say

Theories of How Hinduism Started

aryans could have migrated or invaded india, aryans could be native to india, it was a homegrown religion and not imported

India and Pakistan Conflict

india broke into three pieces in exchange for freedom from england (pakistan, india, bangladesh), pakistan wants kashmir because there are many muslims but india refuses because of access to trade routes

Festival of Lights

lakshimi is honored, five days, idea of good overcoming evil, people exchange gifts, use fireworks, and decorate their houses with lights

Sidartha Gautama

the first Buddha, lived in india 2500 years ago, born in jumini, nepal

Dream About the Buddha

gautama's mother had a dream before he was born about an elephant giving her a lotus flower then going into the side of her body, dream interpreters concluded she was pregnant with a future ruler or enlightened being, died 7 days after giving birth

Buddha's Father's Gift

three ponds: one with red lotuses, one with white, one with blue, father wanted gautama to become a ruler so he gave him everything he wanted

Buddha's Four Signs

an old man, a sick man, a dead man, a holy man at peace, sparked something in gautama for him to want to become enlightened

Buddha's Main Question

why do human beings suffer endlessly?

Bodhi Tree

fig tree in a holy city in nepal where buddha is believed to have meditated after eating something real for the first time in 6 years

Nirvana

"blow out," you are the flame of the candle that is blown out, release from samsara

Samsara (Buddhism)

the cycle of death and rebirth

Anicca

one of the three marks of reality, change

Anatta

one of the three marks of reality, no permanent identity and nothing underlines this existence like brahman

Dukkha

one of the three marks of reality, suffering

Four Noble Truths

to live is to suffer, suffering comes from desire, to stop suffering stop desire, 8-fold path is solution

Tanha

"desire," "thirst," "craving," second of the four noble truths, selfish desire

8-Fold Path

solution to suffering, right: understanding, though, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, concentration

Three Jewels

Buddha (the ideal person), dharma, sangha

Dharma (Buddhism)

the total sum of buddhist teaching

Sangha

"assemblage," the community of monks and nuns

Five Precepts

refrain from taking life, taking what is not given, the misuse of the sense, wrong speech, intoxicants that cloud the mind

Mantras

phrases or syllables chanted to evoke a deity, especially used in Vajrayana Buddhism

Middle Way

basic Buddhist teaching that rejects pleasures of sensual indulgence and self-denial of asceticism, focuses on a practical approach to spiritual attainment

King Ashoka

the great Buddhist missionary, king of bangladesh, india, pakistan, 200-250 BC, was conquering then saw a battle so bloody that he started to follow Buddha, sent missionaries to london and greece and translated buddhist works

Theravada Buddhism

"way of the elders," oldest school of Buddhism, promote monasteries sometimes at 7 y/o, most conservative, humanity of Buddha, acheive enlightenment through efforts, no omnipotent god because it causes stress trying to answer this question

Pali

an ancient language of India similar to Sanskrit but used in earlier Buddhist texts, important for Theravada Buddhism

Arhat

one who has become enlightened in theravada Buddhism

Pali Canon

oldest records of what the Buddha said, used by theravada buddhism, sutta pitaka, vinaya pitaka, abidhamma pitaka

Mahayana Buddhism

"great vehicle," split from theravada, believes in cosmic reality similar to Brahman, add to Buddhist scriptures, everyone can become a Buddha, postpone salvation to help others reach enlightenment

Bodhisattvas

future Buddhas, experienced enlightenment but stopped short of entering nirvana to help others achieve it in mahayan Buddhism

Trikaya Doctrine

three aspects of Buddhahood according to mahayana Buddhism

Dharmakaya

Brahman, the absolute state of knowledge, body of essence, mahayana Buddhism

Sambhogakaya

the heavenly realm, body of enjoyment, mahayana Buddhism

Nirmanakaya

earthly mode, Buddha being on earth, body of transformation, mahayana Buddhism

Zen Buddhism

subschool of mahayana Buddhism, no reincarnation, found in Japanese Buddhism

Sator

enlightenment in a flash, achieve enlightenment with Zazen, zen Buddhism

Zazen

sitting meditation, zen Buddhism

Koan

public discussion, words are meaningless because of interpretations, Manuel Labor, zen Buddhism

Ikebana

meditation that encourages mindfulness and a deeper connection to the present moment, zen Buddhism

Open O

the o is reality and at the heart of everything is nothing

Vajrayana Buddhism

a school of Buddhism that contains tibetan Buddhism

Mandalahs

"circle," patterned icons that visually excite, used in Vajrayana Buddhism to enhance meditation

Mudras

choreographed hand movements used in the Vajrayana Buddhism

Tibetan Buddhism

a subschool of vajrayana Buddhism, natives worshipped the powers of nature, animal sacrifice with bones to control demons, emerged when Buddhism moved to India and Tibet, monks were doctors, shaman, control weather, and magically protect worshippers

Dalai Lama

leader of tibetan Buddhism, reincarnated and the next reincarnation is next Dalai Lama, spiritual leader is just a lama, first Dalai Lama was Gedun Drub, gave up authority as a political leader and now lives in Nepal because living in Tibet would give him no real freedom because of China (two people claim to be Dalai Lama because of this)

Tsong Khapa

demanded celibacy from monks so that they could no longer hand down monasteries to their sons, tibetan Buddhism

Tantric Buddhism

opposed the detachment from the world, tantras taught to unite opposites to reach enlightenment, challenged other Buddhism