buddhist key words

Question 1

define ‘buddhism’:

Answer 1

a religion founded 2500 years ago by Siddhartha Gautama

Question 2

define ‘buddha’:

Answer 2

translates to ‘enlightened one’. a title given to a person who has reached enlightenment, siddhartha gautama was the first buddha

Question 3

define ‘ascetic’:

Answer 3

living a simple and strict lifestyle with few pleasures or possessions

Question 4

define ‘meditation’:

Answer 4

calming and focusing the mind. reflecting deeply on specific teachings and their meanings

Question 5

define ‘enlightenment’:

Answer 5

gaining the knowledge and wisdom to break out of the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth

Question 6

define ‘samsara’:

Answer 6

the cycle of birth, death and rebirth

Question 7

define ‘nirvana’:

Answer 7

freedom from the cycle of samsara

Question 8

define ‘dependent arising’:

Answer 8

the idea that everything in life is interconnected - nothing is independent of other conditions

Question 9

define ‘dharma’:

Answer 9

the buddha’s teachings; truth, universal law and principals

Question 10

define ‘sangha’:

Answer 10

the buddhist community

Question 11

define ‘tanha’:

Answer 11

craving, desiring, or wanting something

Question 12

define the ‘eightfold path’:

Answer 12

8 guidelines that buddhists practice daily in order to achieve enlightenment

Question 13

define the ‘threefold way’:

Answer 13

the three groups that the eight guidelines are divided into

Question 14

define ‘theravada buddhism’:

Answer 14

translates into ‘school of the elders’. an ancient buddhist tradition that originated in southern asia

Question 15

define the ‘five aggregates’:

Answer 15

the 5 aspects that make up a person

Question 16

define ‘mahayana buddhism’:

Answer 16

describes later buddhist traditions such as zen, pure land, and tibetan buddhism

Question 17

define ‘sunyata’:

Answer 17

emptiness; the concept that nothing has a separate, independent ‘self’ or ‘soul’

Question 18

define ‘buddha-nature’:

Answer 18

the idea that we all have the essence of a buddha inside of us

Question 19

define ‘buddha-hood’:

Answer 19

the term for when someone achieves enlightenment and becomes a buddha

Question 20

define ‘arhat’:

Answer 20

a theravada buddhist who has become enlightened/a mahayana buddhist who’s on their way to enlightenment

Question 21

define ‘bodhisattva’:

Answer 21

a mahayana buddhist who has become enlightened but chooses to stay in the cycle of samsara

Question 22

define ‘dukkha’:

Answer 22

suffering, or dissatisfaction with life. a person may temporarily fulfil their desires but suffering is unavoidable

Question 23

define ‘annica’:

Answer 23

the belief that all things, including the self, are impermanent and constantly changing

Question 24

define ‘anatta’:

Answer 24

there is no such thing as an unchanging, permanent self - you could be a human in this life, but a worm with a completely different soul in the next

Question 25

define ‘monastery’:

Answer 25

a building (s) occupied by a community of monks living under religious vows

Question 26

define ‘temple’:

Answer 26

a building for religious worship

Question 27

what is the ‘dhammapada’?

Answer 27

a source of wisdom and authority. a piece of Buddhist scripture that includes some of the most famous teachings (e.g. eightfold path)

Question 28

define ‘Puja’:

Answer 28

an act of worship.

Question 29

define ‘chanting’:

Answer 29

recitations from the Buddhist scriptures.

Question 30

define ‘mantra’:

Answer 30

a short sequence of sacred syllables.

Question 31

define ‘mala’:

Answer 31

prayer beads that are used to count the number of recitations during chanting and mantras.

Question 32

define ‘kasina’:

Answer 32

something used for focus during samatha meditation (e.g. breathing).

Question 33

define ‘samatha meditation’:

Answer 33

• ‘calming meditation’
• clearing your mind to focus and reflect on something specific.

Question 34

define ‘vipassana meditation’:

Answer 34

• ‘insight meditation’
• a type of meditation which involves developing understanding of the nature of reality.

Question 35

define ‘zazen meditation’:

Answer 35

• ‘seated meditation’
• a type of Zen meditation which requires awareness of the present moment.

Question 36

define ‘visualisation’:

Answer 36

imagining or seeing an object in your mind’s eye.

Question 37

define ‘thangka’:

Answer 37

a detailed painting of a Buddha or a Bodhisattva.

Question 38

define ‘mandala’:

Answer 38

• an intricate, circle-shaped pattern that is used for meditation.
• a Buddhist would look at or create a mandala, while thinking about different teachings.

Question 39

define ‘wesak’:

Answer 39

a Theravada festival that celebrates the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and passing away.

Question 40

define ‘karma’:

Answer 40

a person’s actions; the idea that skilful actions result in happiness and unskilful ones in suffering.

Question 41

define ‘temple’:

Answer 41

a place where Buddhists can come together to practise.

Question 42

define ‘gompa’:

Answer 42

a term used by Tibetan Buddhists to describe the meditation hall/building in a temple.

Question 43

define ‘pagoda/stupa’:

Answer 43

a tiered tower or mound-like structure that is used to contain holy relics and often symbolises different teachings and scripture (Dharma).

Question 44

define ‘shrine’:

Answer 44

an area with a statue of a Buddha/Bodhisattva, providing Buddhists with a focal point for meditation and devotion.

Question 45

define ‘vihara’:

Answer 45

sanskrit for monastery. a place where buddhist monks and nuns live.

Question 46

define ‘Vassa’:

Answer 46

rainy season. this is when Buddhist monks go on a retreat to learn more about Buddhism, and to focus on bettering themselves.

Question 47

define ‘Parinirvana’:

Answer 47

the last stage of nirvana.
- recounted in the Mahaparinirvana Sutra

Question 48

define ‘karuna’:

Answer 48

compassion; feeling concerned for the suffering of other people, and wanting to relieve their suffering.

Question 49

define ‘moral’:

Answer 49

a feeling or belief about correct human ways to behave.

Question 50

define ‘metta’:

Answer 50

loving-kindness.