Download Phil-330-Test 2

Terms of the Test:
Buddhism Terms:
1. Gautama Buddha’s life:
Four Sights (aged man, sick man, dead man, meditating man)
Enlightenment (under the Bodhi tree, Buddha=awakened one)-4 meditations: free from
sensual pleasure/base thoughts, meditation sets aside discursive reflection for deeper
tranquility, leads to equanimity and clarity of mind, transcends joy
Mara (gave him temptations while under tree, 7 armies of temptation
Three Refuges (buddha’s teaching, enlightened life, teachings of Buddha (Dhrama), and
Sanga (new system of spirital, community life)—Buddha, Dharma, Sanga
2. Teachings of the Buddha:
Three Characteristics (impermamence-everything but Nirvana is inconsistent, no self,
duhka-suffering)
Eightfold path (ends at Nirvana)-Right Understanding-Clarity, Right Thought-Purity,
Right Speech, Right Action (10 commandments of Buddhism), Right Livelihood, Right
Effort (positive qualities of living, sustain qualities, no negqative states of mind, stop
negative states of mind) Right Mindfullness (aware), Right Concentration (tranquility,
insight)
Dependent Arising (everything comes to what it is depending on other causual factors)
Four Noble Truths (nature of dukkha, cause-duhkha, end of duhkka-nirvana, 8 path of
duhka)
Nirvana (wisdom, absolute truth, peace, and enlightenment)
3. Theravada Buddhism:
Tripitaka (original teachings of Buddha, first Buddhist council)
4 Paths: (changes of consciousness towards nirvana)-Streamwinner, oncereturner,
neverreturner, arhat (levels of negation, fetters)
“Hinayana” (derogatory term for Theravada, lesser vehicle)
Precept Keepers (nuns take basic precepts and live them as a community, just a few, not
all of them like the monks)
Path of Purification (morality, meditation, wisdom)
Arhat-final negation of all fetters and ignorance, attaining holiness and getting nirvana
after death
Four Divine Abodes (basic attitudes, dispositions of nirvanic person)-loving kidness,
compassion ,sympathetic joy, equinimity
Karmic/Nirvanic Buddhism (n-monks practice-karmic, k-regular people-merit)
4. Mahayana Buddhism: (reform movement within Ther. As an alternative) (emphasis
on faith)
Bodhisattva (path to Nirvana, longer, more arduious, Buddhas in the making)
10 Stages/Perfections (stages on the way to nirvana)-Giving (joyous), Morality, Patience,
Vigor, Meditation, Wisdom, (face to face), Skillful means (going far), Vows, Powers, allknowledge (dharma)
Emptiness (everything is empty of independence, interdependent)
Buddha-nature (everyone has the seed of this buddhahood, many different schools)
Celestial Buddhas/bodhisattvas-Amitaba/Amida
Three Bodies of Buddha-essence body (essence of Buddha is luminous, compassion for
all living things/nirvana), enjoyment body (celestial form of Buddha that radiates a
Buddha realm and acts in the cosmos) emanation (forms that Buddha can take to help
people within anywhere)
Buddha realms (where buddhas reside, anyone can be born in these realms, each Buddha
gets his own realm)
Spread in Asia (Pure land East Asia, Tantric in Tibet, Zen in E Asia
Skillful Means (to realize emptiness, Buddha nature, and attain buddhaness through
bodhisattva path
5. Pure Land Buddhism
Dharmakara/Amida-say his name in faith and he’ll take you to his pure land after this life
and help you on your path to buddhism
Age of Degenerate Dharma (need for other power to help us become Buddhas)
Nembutsu (chanting, hail to Amida Buddha)
Arising of faith (say name, and they’ll save you, chanting for gratitude, not for yearning)
Tan ‘Luan (first patriarch of pure land in china, chant for gratitude, not for yearning)
Other Power (need others to help us)
Shinran (reformer in Japan, told to accept Buddha into your heart)
Pure Land-place for birth after this life
6. Tibetan Buddhism:
Vajrayana (discipline of Thera., but phil and practice of Mahayana, as well as Tantra)diamond vehicle to advance more quickly through Bodhisattva path
Visualization (in this world of the celestial realm, bring in contact)
Mandalas: drawings representing universe and such
Tantra: 4 types: action (visualize ones self with deity-dime example) performance
(visualize ones self as a deity looking at your life) yoga (absorb deity into oneself in
merging) highest yoga (subtle forms of consciousness and energies to transform one’s life
towards Buddhahood in this workd)
Mudras (body movements, hands especially, jazz hands)
Mantras (chants, invocations)
7. Zen Buddhism: rejects reliance on other power, power within self, rely on our buddhanature, do what Buddha did
Bodihidharma (supposed starter of Ch’an Buddhism in china)
Koan (help the person move more quickly, hit with stick, meditating on phrases for
answers)
Soto (slower form, Japan, sit quietly and gradually become more aware)
Satori (enlightened insight, Japanese Buddhist term for enlightenment)
Zazen (seated meditation, through Koan or Soto)
Rinzai (Koan-Japan, stick hitting, Lin-chi practices)
Everyday Mind (discover our Buddha-mind and then allow that to infuse our everyday
life)
Sixth Patriarch (Hui Neng-won poetry contest, last official patriarch)
8. Essay
A. Discuss the similarities and differences between Theravada Buddhism and Mahayana
Buddhism. What do you think about the differences?
B. Compare the “Self-Power” way of Zen Buddhism with the “Other-Power” way of Pure
Land Buddhism. Which would you prefer and why?
Self Power: (difficult, longer path) (zen)
a. find nirvana in life, the way Buddha did it
b. Boddhisattva path (10 stages/perfections)
c. See a Buddha kill a Buddha
d. Done in real world
e. Inner Buddha, seed of Buddha within us all. Don’t need another Buddha
because we already have a Buddha within us
f. Different practices force you to work, such as Koan, where you must meditate
yoruself
Pure Land: (easy, fast way) (Mahayana)
a. Amida’s “pure land” (vowed this at step 8, his vows) as a place for birth after
this life (brings people to Pure Land if they call his name in faith and
gratitude, not desire, this happens only if they’re not reborn by karma)
b. Tan ‘Luan preached “all beings” can attain the Pure Land—even sinners
c. The “difficult” vs the “easy” (Amitabha) path (in Pure Land, you’re given
everything you need to finish your study)
d. “self-power” vs “other-power” need for Other power in the age of the
“Degenerate Dharma” (stemmed from Indian literature, 3 ages: age of
true dharma, semblence dharama, and degenerate dharma, so they
thing it arrived in the 6th century)
e. some say you stay there long enough that you can come back and be reborn to
help people
f. done on celestial realm
g. 3 bodies of Buddha, specifically emination to help other people during this
time