Buddhism Part 2 - practices

Question 1

name 3 places Buddhists can worship

Answer 1

• temple
• monastery
• shrine

Question 2

what is the focus of a shrine?

Answer 2

usually a statue of the Buddha

Question 3

give two places a shrine can be

Answer 3

• a temple
• a home

Question 4

what can Buddhists use as offerings in shrines and what do they symbolise?

Answer 4

• offering of light (e.g a candle)
  symbolises wisdom
• offering of flowers (which will decay) reminds Buddhists that all things are impermanent (anicca)

Question 5

what is another name for buddhist worship?

Answer 5

puja

Question 6

name 5 types of Buddhist worship

Answer 6

• meditation
• visualisation
• bowing
• chanting
• offerings
• mandala

Question 7

what is a mandala and why is it important?

Answer 7

highly intricate patterns made with coloured sand in Tibetan monasteries. they are brushed away as a reminder of the impermanence of life

Question 8

name the two types of meditation

Answer 8

• vipassana meditation
• samatha meditation

Question 9

what is samatha meditation?

Answer 9

• calming/ tranquil
• enables deeper concentration
• concentrating on an object ( a kasina) clears mind and helps prepare for vipassana meditation
• enables mindfulness and focuses on breathing

Question 10

what is vipassana meditation?

Answer 10

• ‘insight’ meditation
• gains insight into the true nature of reality
• to see the truth (3 marks of existence)
• can focus on more than one thing
• zazen (main form of meditation)

Question 11

give 3 reasons why Buddhists meditate

Answer 11

• more meditation can lead to more good karma
• allows Buddhists to get rid of their cravings/ desires (tanha)
• free themselves from distraction

Question 12

what do some Tibetan Buddhists imagine during visualisation?

Answer 12

a ‘deity’ (someone who has become enlightened)

Question 13

name the two types of Buddhist festival

Answer 13

• Parinirvana day
• Wesak

Question 14

give 3 facts about the Buddhist Festival known as Wesak

Answer 14

• celebrated during a full moon
• commemorates the 3 major events of the Buddha’s life; birth, enlightenment, passing into Parinirvana (BED)
• Buddhists light up their homes with candles, lamps and decorations

Question 15

give 3 facts about the Buddhist Festival known as Parinirvana Day

Answer 15

• Mahayan festival during February to commemorate the Buddha’s passing into parinirvana
• chance to reflect on their own future/ death
• excludes two other Buddhist groups

Question 16

name the 5 moral precepts

Answer 16

1) do not harm any sentient life (do not kill)
2) to abstain from taking what is not freely given ( do not steal)
3) to abstain from the misuse of the senses or sexual misconduct
4) to abstain from the wrong speech
5) to abstain from intoxicants that cloud the mind (drugs/alcohol) ( do not drink/ take drugs)

Question 17

name the 6 perfections

Answer 17

1) generosity
2) morality
3) patience
4) energy
5) meditation
6) wisdom

Question 18

What do the six perfections describe?

Answer 18

How a Bodhisattva lives, according to Mahayan Buddhism

Question 19

Which of the six perfections is the most important and why?
(3 points)

Answer 19

Wisdom
- all of the other perfections link to wisdom
- wisdom helps to understand the true nature of reality - EVERYTHING IS ALWAYS CHANGING (impermanence)
- wisdom helps to not be attached to everything and be less selfish - leading to enlightenment

Question 20

What does wisdom help Buddhists to understand?

Answer 20

the true nature of reality - everything is always changing (impermanence)

Question 21

What is a deity?

Answer 21

someone who has become fully enlightened

Question 22

What do Tibetan Buddhists imagine when meditating?

Answer 22

a deity

Question 23

Why do Mahayan Buddhists visualise themselves as the Buddha when meditating?

Answer 23

they believe it helps them to stimulate and awaken their Buddha nature

Question 24

What is the word for loving-kindness in Buddhism?

Answer 24

metta

Question 25

define metta

Answer 25

- a wish for all beings to be happy and free from suffering

Question 26

Who is 'metta' aimed at and why?

Answer 26

- cultivated towards those who act 'unskilfully' - 'UNSKILFUL' PEOPLE ARE STILL DESERVNG OF COMPASSION AND UNDERSTANDING

Question 27

Why do Buddhists believe people act 'unskilfully'?

Answer 27

- they are trapped in ignorance, anger or suffering (NOT BC THEY ARE TRULY EVIL) - responding with metta breaks the cycle of negativity and creates conditions for peace and understanding

Question 28

What 3 things do Buddhists need to get rid of in order to show metta?

Answer 28

- ignorance - greed - hatred

Question 29

What is the word for compassion in Buddhism?

Answer 29

karuna

Question 30

define Karuna

Answer 30

the compassion Buddhists show for the suffering of everyone in the world

Question 31

name the 4 sublime states

Answer 31

1) metta 2) karuna 3) sympathetic joy 4) equanimity

Question 32

What are 'karuna' and 'metta' two examples of?

Answer 32

two of the sublime states

Question 33

what is a sublime state?

Answer 33

a positive mental state Buddhists try to develop in their lives

Question 34

What do the 4 sublime states show?

Answer 34

how Buddhists should act towards themselves and others

Question 35

what do 'skilful' actions lead to?

Answer 35

good karma ,= good rebirth

Question 36

define karma

Answer 36

a principle that explains how a person's actions and their intentions lead to either happiness or suffering

Question 37

give two examples of 'skilful' actions

Answer 37

-compassion -generosity

Question 38

give two examples of 'unskilful' actions

Answer 38

- cravings - hatred

Question 39

name the 6 realms

Answer 39

1) Realm of the Gods 2) Realm of the angry 3) Realm of the animals 4) Realm of the tormented 5) Realm of the human ghosts 6) Human realm

Question 40

Which of the 6 realms is closest to Nirvana/ending suffering?

Answer 40

Human Realm -

Question 41

What are the 3 different Buddhist death ceremonies?

Answer 41

1) Tibetan Sky Burials 2) Theravada funerals 3) Pure Land traditions

Question 42

Why are death ceremonies important in Buddhism?

Answer 42

teaches Buddhists that when a Buddhist dies their KARMIC ENERGY leaves their body and is reborn into a new one

Question 43

What important part of Buddhism do death ceremonies remind Buddhists of?

Answer 43

the impermanence of life

Question 44

Describe what happens during Theravada funerals ( 3 points)

Answer 44

- cremation are more common, but burials are also used - a shrine is set up to display the deceased's portrait along with offerings to the Buddha - an image of the Buddha is usually placed beside/ in front of the shrine

Question 45

What do Buddhists use as offerings during Theravada funerals?

Answer 45

- candles - flowers - incense

Question 46

What do candles symbolise when used as offerings?

Answer 46

the light of wisdom, which dispels the darkness of ignorance

Question 47

What does incense symbolise when used as offerings?

Answer 47

used to purify the space and symbolise spreading of good virtues

Question 48

What do flowers symbolise when used as offerings?

Answer 48

the impermanence of life

Question 49

Why do family/ friends donate money to a worthy cause (Theravada funerals)

Answer 49

to transfer good karma to the deceased

Question 50

Why is an image of the Buddha placed in front of/ beside a shrine in Theravada funerals?

Answer 50

realigning the deceased with the Buddha

Question 51

What direction does the head of the coffin point to during Japanese Pure Land Tradition funerals?

Answer 51

west

Question 52

What happens during Tibetan Sky Burials?

Answer 52

- the body is placed in a high place (e.g mountains) as a a gift to the vultures

Question 53

Why is the deceased's body placed high up in Tibetan Sky Burials?

Answer 53

- a gift to the vultures - gifting to other's gives you good karma (you are in no need of your body anymore) - DECREASES THE BIRD'S SUFFERING