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World Religions: Figures and Terms
Unit 2 (part b): Buddhism
http://markvillehistory.cjb.net
Person or Term
Identify
Siddhartha Gautama
The man who was to become
the Buddha.
Samsara
The endless cycle of
uncontrollable rebirths.
Stupa
Domed-shaped mounds that
were built to house the relics
of the Buddha or other holy
figures.
Puja
The ritual of honouring holy
beings. Reverence is shown
by bowing, making and
offering, and chanting. This is
especially common in East
Asia and Tibet.
Zen Buddhism
A Japanese sect of Buddhism
that became popular in the
12-14th centuries.
Four Sights
The sights that led to
Buddha’s departure from his
palace to help[ humankind.
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Religious Importance
He was born around 563 BCE into a family of the Kshatriya caste in a kingdom
called Shakya located in the foothills of the Himalayas (present day Nepal).
Siddhartha’s father was King Shuddhodana who belonged to the Gautama clan.
The king’s principal wife and Siddartha’s mother was Queen Maya. Siddhartha’s
birth was miraculous; Queen Maya conceived her son when Siddhartha
descended from Heaven and entered his mother’s womb in the form of a baby
white elephant (symbol of purity). She carried him for 10 months and she could
see the baby within her womb.
All Buddhist teachings show the way to end the suffering of life and to stop
samsara (reincarnation) which involves the trasference of one’s mind or
consciousness into new bodies after death. When one achieves nirvana, one has
attained perfect wisdom and is released from samsara.
Almost every Buddhist temple has one, and monks and lay people walk around
them three times when making their devotions. The inside of the stupa may be
decorated with paintings or carvings illustrating the life of Buddha. Some are
surrounded by beautifully carved fences that depict the life of Buddha. Some
temple sites may also include smaller stupas; these are memorial crypts of
prominent Buddhists who belonged to that particular temple. A pilgrimmage to a
stupa as well as the construction of a stupa are considered merit-gaining activities
by some Buddhists.
Bowing: show respect to monks, nuns, lay people, sacred objects, images of the
Buddha, 3 times to honour the Three Refuges. Stand or kneel, palms of hands
joined, held to chest or forehead. In some cases hands are held to the head, lips
and chest to represent respect for the mind, speech, and body.
Offering: performed with chanting, most common are flowers because they
emphasize impermanence. Incense sticks burn in the home and temple to
symbolize Buddha’s “odour of sanctity”. Light represents Buddha’s enlightenment.
Originally from China, founded by Indian monk Bodhidharma around 520 BCE.
Story: he spent years in meditation gazing at a wall until his legs dropped off.
Emphasis on mediation as best method to enlightenment. Good works/devotion
not to become vehicles for reaching enlightenment. Zen cannot be taught and
must be experienced. Bodhidharma founded Shaolin temple for monks to search
for illumination through meditation. 2 schools prominent in Zen tradition (Rinzai
and Soto).
At 29, Siddhartha visited the city 4 times with his charioteer and saw a sick man, a
corpse, an old man, and a begging monk. Siddhartha became inspired to find a
spiritual solution to the problems of human life and left the palace to be a beggar.
World Religions: Figures and Terms
Unit 2 (part b): Buddhism
http://markvillehistory.cjb.net
Five Precepts
The rules that Buddhists
follow. They include
abstaining from harming
living beings, stealing,
improper sexual activity, false
speech, taking alcohol or
drugs.
Four Noble Truths
The Buddha’s diagnosis of the
main problem in life: suffering,
the cause of suffering, the
elimination of suffering, and
the path to ending suffering.
Middle Way
Nirvana
First Sermon
Eightfold Path
The path in live prescribed by
the Buddha; the path
between extremes.
An everlasting state of great
joy and peace resulting from
the end of desire and
suffering.
Siddhartha came to be
known as Buddha (“One Who
Has Awakened” or
“Enlightened One”) and
preached his first sermon in a
park reserved for royal deer.
The symbol of the eight-spoke
wheel was chosen by
Buddha to represent the
eight steps of the path.
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Abstain from killing or harming living beings.
Abstain from stealing.
Abstain from improper sexual conduct.
Abstain from false speech (e.g. telling lies, setting people against each other,
gossiping).
5. Abstain from taking alcohol and harmful drugs.
1.
2.
3.
4.
1. To live is to suffer (birth, old age, disease, death, sorrow, frustration, being
around those we dislike, being apart from loved ones, not getting what we
want). Happy moments do not last forever.
2. The cause of suffering is negative desire (craving or selfish desire) which is the
result of ignorance or delusion. When basic needs are met, one should enjoy
them without becoming greedy.
3. The goal of Buddhism is to end suffering. Reaching nirvana will be possible only
when the urge to possess more and more things is destroyed. The person
attaining nirvana is in a blissful, happy, and content state where nothing
whatsoever causes any kind of suffering, physical or mental.
4. To end suffering, one must adopt the Middle Way by following the Noble
Eightfold Path to live the Buddhist way of life (a life of self-improvement).
Siddhartha realized that extremes of any kind (asceticism or luxury) were not
productive. He came to the conclusion the best lifestyle was one of moderation.
By achieving nirvana, one is released from samsara and has attained perfect
wisdom and absolute peace.
This event is referred to as the “Setting in Motion the Wheel of the Dharma”. In
Deer Park, he shared his new understanding of life with five Hindu ascetics who
accepted his insights and became his monks (bhikkhus). This was the beginning of
the Buddhist community. In 5 years, an order of monks, the sangha, was
established. An order of nuns, the bhikkhuni sangha was also established.
The centre of the wheel represents nirvana, which is the only fixed point. As the
spokes of the weheel are needed for the wheel to keep turning, Buddhists need to
follow each step of the path to reach the end of suffering. They are to be used
altogether as a way of life.
1. Right view: it is essential that we know the doctrine of the 4 Noble Truths.
2. Right thought: the mind has to be freed from sensuous desire, ill-will, and
World Religions: Figures and Terms
Unit 2 (part b): Buddhism
http://markvillehistory.cjb.net
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
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cruelty. We are what we think, so nurture good thoughts.
Right speech: by using kind speech, we will be respected and trusted, so we
shouldn’t lie, criticize unjustly, use harsh language, or gossip.
Right conduct: also called Right Action, and it is accomplished by observing
the Five Precepts. People will judge according to one’s behaviour.
Right livelihood: Earn a living through occupations that do not cause harm to
living things. Trades that should be avoided include the butchering of animals,
lending money at excessively high interest rates, and trading weapons, liquor,
or poison.
Right effort: conquer all evil thoughts and strive to have good thoughts.
Individuals must do their best at all times and have goodwill towards others.
Right mindfulness: a person has to recognize what is important and must not
be led astray by unwholesome acts or thoughts. Doing something mindfully is
not necessarily good as it could result in incorrect mindfulness (eg. stealing).
Right concentration: the final step involves focusing the midn on one thought
or object at a time. This concentration leads to true peace of mind and
tranquility. Deep meditation will lead to enlightenment.
World Religions: Figures and Terms
Unit 2 (part b): Buddhism
http://markvillehistory.cjb.net
Mantras
Symbolic phrases that are
chanted by Buddhists to help
them keep in touch with their
spiritual nature.
Dalai Lama
The ruler and spiritual leader
of Tibet.
Meditation
A method of calming and
training the mind through
concentration.
3 Characteristics of
Existence
The Buddha believe that all
things outside of nirvana had
three fundamental
characteristics.
Tripitaka
Known as the Three Baskets; a
collection of early Buddhist
scriptures.
Wheel of Life
A complete visual
representation of samsara
(the endless cycle of rebirths).
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They also serve to enhance meditation. Om Mani Padme Hum is a six-syllable
mantra; it means “Hail, the jewel in the lotus”. This is the mantra of Avlokiteshvara,
a Bodhisattva representing compassion who is also the “Protector from danger”.
A theocracy developed in Tibet, since it became a country governed by monks.
The leader was both the spiritual and worldly authority, which, after about 1600
CE, was claimed to be in the office and the person of the Dalai Lama. Tibetan
Buddhists believe when a Dalai Lama dies, the newly released consciousness
immediately enters the body of a newly born male child and will be discovered by
monks, using a complicated set of procedures.
Monks and lay people pray through meditation—bowing, chanting, and receiving
offerings. For the Buddhist, meditation leads to wisdom, which in turn leads to the
end of suffering. The practice enables a person to be composed and calm and
to follow the Buddhist precepts more closely. The purpose of meditation is to
improve concentration, calm the mind, and clear it of bad thoughts caused by
hatred, greed, or ignorance. Mediation can also improve confidence as well as
general mental and physical health. To meditate, one should, ideally, sit in the
“lotus posture”, that is, with crossed legs and hands; the hands are on the lap, and
the soles of the feet rest on top of the theighs. The back is straight, the tongue
toches the back of the upper front teeth, and the eyes are downcast with the
eyelids partially closed. In this position, the meditator concentrates on breathing
and the movement of the diaphragm.
1. Anicca (impermanence): the world is in constant flux and nothing stays the
same for long.
2. Dukkha (dissatisfation): all humans and animals experience suffering such as
physical and mental pain. There is no such thing as continuous happiness.
3. Anatta (selflessness): we cannot point to any one thing in ourselves that we
can say is self. No single part of the body is the person. Only when we put all
the parts together do we collectively call them a person.
The main written source of Buddha’s wisdom. Called the Three Baskets because
the palm leave manuscripts were kept in three different baskets. The VinayaPitaka, the Sutta-Pitaka, and the Abhidhamma-Pitaka. Considered to be the most
accurate record of the Buddha’s teachings.
Visual aid to show the environments of samsara and all the beings who ihabit
them. Composed of four concentric circles, thought to have been designed by
Buddha. Inner circle features a bird, a pig, and a snake which represent greed,
ignorance, and hatred. The goal of Buddhists is to conqure these vices with the
aim of attaining enlightenment.
World Religions: Figures and Terms
Unit 2 (part b): Buddhism
http://markvillehistory.cjb.net
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