Buddhism Key Terms Flashcards
Includes all key terms from the Buddhism unit of work. Definitions will be worth 2 marks in the GCSE Religious Studies exams. Note that all cards are correct in spelling and use of punctuation as well. (24 cards)
atman
The Hindu word for the immortal, unchanging soul possessed by all human beings.
Buddha
Title given to Siddhartha Gautama, meaning “the Awakened One”.
caste
In Hinduism, a hierarchy of social groups.
Mahayana
A school of Buddhism. The word means “The Great Vehicle”.
polytheism
Belief in, or worship of more than one God.
rebirth
The belief that after a person’s death, their karma causes a new existence in samsara.
samsara
The continual cycle of birth, death and rebirth.
schools
Forms of Buddhism with their own institutions and teachings.
Theravada
A school of Buddhism. The word means “The Way of the Elders”.
Jatakas
Stories of the previous lives of the Buddha.
miracle
An event which breaks the laws of nature and is believed to have been performed by a God.
parable
A story that illustrates a moral or religious teaching.
prophecy
A prediction of future events.
anicca
Sanskrit word meaning “impermanence”.
ascetic
A person who rejects material or bodily pleasures as part of a search for spiritual truth.
dukkha
Sanskrit word meaning “suffering” or “unsatisfactoriness”.
The Four Sights
The things the Buddha saw that started his religious journey: Old age, sickness, a corpse and an ascetic.
renunciation
In religion, giving something up in order to live a spiritual life.
(the) dharma
The spiritual laws of the universe; the Buddha’s teachings.
guru
In Indian religions, a respected spiritual teacher.
enlightenment
Gaining perfect wisdom and true knowledge of reality, which leads to freedom from samsara.
parinirvana
“Final Nirvana”. Freedom from samsara only attained after death, when a person has attained nirvana in life.
the three poisons
Ignorance, greed and hatred. The negative characteristics possessed by all humans.
Zen Buddhism
A school of Mahayana Buddhism that stresses the importance of living in the present moment.
