Buddhism Midterm

1) Seven dimensions of religion and how Buddhism addresses these dimensions

1) Ritual dimension – monastic ordination ritual

• Meditation, chanting, monastic rituals

2) Experiential dimension

• meditative experience = enlightenment

3) Mythological dimension

•  stories of Buddhist past lives (jakata tales)

• Buddhism has rich literary sources about buddhist saints

• life story of buddha

4) Philosophical dimension 

• buddhist ideas about truth

• What we mostly associate buddhism with

5) Ethical dimension

• Moral precepts

• Monastic vows

6) Social dimension

• monastic community (the sangha) and laity

• Often leave society behind to pursue individual, spiritual practice

7) Material dimension

• statues, paintings, temples, relics

• Leave material stuff behind

• Buddha leaves behind material world in life of buddha story

• material aspects that are used as a medium for harnessing spiritual practice

2) Definition of a traditional Buddhist

• A traditional buddhist takes refuge in the Three Jewels:

  • 1) Buddha (enlightened teacher)

  • 2) Dharma (the teachings)

  • 3) Sangha (monastic community)

3) Life story of the Buddha

• Siddhartha Gautama (prince in Sayka clan)

  • Left luxurious life seeing four sight:

    • Old age, sickness, death, and a renunciant figure

  • Leaves family behind and practices austerity, contemplation, and knowledge  before attaining enlightenment under the Bodhi tree

  • Spent life teaching the dharma

  • follows what the tradition calls the middle path (avoiding extremes of overindulgence in

  • sensorial pleasures and extreme ascetic practice) since the severe austere practice did not result

  • into any awakening state

  • realizes the state of awakening following the practice of the middle path

  • - teaches for 45 years and dies at the age of 80 in India

4) Candraprabha’s story

• A princely bodhisattva known for his practice of generosity gives

away material gifts such as elephants, horses, jewelry, and so forth and later gives away the internal gift of his own head to someone who personifies evil in order to achieve

• Buddhahood for the well being of all sentient beings and as a result of his altruistic act, he passes away

5) Differences between the Buddha and arhats in three ways as discussed in class

1. Buddha attains enlightenment on his own

   1. Vs. arhats (rely on Buddha’s teachings)

2. Buddha has omniscience

3. Buddha’s enlightenment is for all beings 

   1. Arhats attain enlightenment for personal liberation

6) Three marks of reality in Buddhism

1. Suffering (duhkha) = existence is characterized by suffering

2. Impermanence (anitya) = everything changes constantly

   1. Coarse form: birth, death rebirth

   2. Subtle form: moment-to-moment changes

3. No-self (anatman) = soul isn’t permanent. The self = collection of aggregates

7) Four noble truths – 3 types of suffering, eightfold path (3 practices/trainings)

1. Duḥkha – Life is suffering.

2. Tŗșņā – Suffering arises from craving.

3. Nirvāņa – Cessation of suffering is possible.

4. Eightfold Path

   1. Samsaric feature: cycle of birth, death, rebirth

   2. Nirvanic feature: liberation of the cycle of suffering is possible

8) How the Saṅgha community should uphold the Dharma

• Preserving and transmitting teachings.

• Following monastic discipline.

• Serving as an example for lay followers.

9) 4 major precepts of Buddhist monastics

• No killing.

• No stealing.

• No sexual misconduct.

• No false speech.

10) Prajāpatī’s role in instituting the female ordination

• Mahāprajāpatī Gautamī, the Buddha’s aunt, requested female ordination.

• Established Bhikkhunī Saṅgha (nun’s order), though under additional rules.

11) Three ways of accumulating puņya – generosity, ethical conduct, and meditation

• Generosity (dāna)

• Ethical conduct (śīla)

• Meditation (bhāvana)

12) Aṅgulimāla’s life story

• A former murderer turned monk.

  • Killed 999 people aiming for 1000, then meeting buddha and wanted to change

• Transformation symbolizes the power of compassion and redemption.

13) Two types of meditation and their functions and ultimate religious goals

• Samatha = calming mind, leading to concentration

• Vipassana = insight meditation, leading to wisdom

14) 6 realms of existence

1. Gods

2. Demigods

3. Humans

4. Animals

5. Hungry ghosts

6. Hell beings

15) No-self and five aggregates

• Five Aggregates (skandhas):

  1. Form (rūpa)

  2. Sensation (vedanā)

  3. Perception (saṃjñā)

  4. Mental formations (saṃskāra)

  5. Consciousness (vijñāna)

• Together they create the illusion of a self.

16) A couple of things that you found interesting about the Theravada tradition and why

• Emphasis on monastic discipline and meditation.

• Focus on arhatship rather than bodhisattva ideal.

• Oldest surviving Buddhist school.

17) Foreign Terms:

Buddha = the enlightened one, the main dude 

Dharma = the buddha’s teachings

Saṅgha = monastic community

Sumedha = buddha’s past life

Candraprabha = generous bodhisattva king who gave own head (whaa) 

Nirvāņa = liberation from suffering

Siddhārtha Gautama = historical buddha

Arhat = a perfected being; Buddha’s disciples who have achieved the state of awakening

Duḥkha = suffering

Anitya = impermanence

Tŗșņā = craving/desire

Prajāpatī = buddha’s aunt; first buddhist nun

 Puņya = merit

Aṅgulimāla = former 999 person murderer turned monk

Śamatha = calming meditation

Vipasyanā = insight meditation

Bhāvana = mental cultivation

Karma = law of moral causation

Bodhisattva = enlightenment being

Anātman = no permanent self

Avidyā = ignorance