BUDDHISM- THE BUDDHA

Question 1

samsara?

Answer 1

The continual cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.

Question 2

the Buddha?

Answer 2

Title meaning “the Awakened One”

Question 3

Rebirth?

Answer 3

Belief that after a person’s death, their karma creates a new life in samsara.

Question 4

schools?

Answer 4

Forms of Buddhism with their own institutions and teachings.

Question 5

Who founded Buddhism?

Answer 5

Buddhism was founded by Siddhartha Gautama. The word Buddhism comes from a title given to Siddhartha: The Buddha.

Question 6

When and where did the Buddha live?

Answer 6

The Buddha lived from 480-400 BC (the dates are uncertain). He lived in Northern India / Nepal.

Question 7

What are the two schools of Buddhism?

Answer 7

• Theravada, which means “The way of the Elders.”
• Mahayana, which means “The Great Vehicle.”

Question 8

Key beliefs in the Buddha’s time:

Answer 8

the goal of religion: To escape samsara and attain liberation.

the atman: All beings possess the atman – an immortal soul which moves between lives.

karma: A person’s actions have consequences, which shape this and future lives

polytheism: There is no single, all-powerful God. Ancient Indians worshipped a range of different gods

caste: Humans exists in a hierarchy of different groups. These cannot be changed in this life, only through rebirth.

Question 9

jatakas?

Answer 9

Stories of the previous lives of the Buddha.

Question 10

prophecy?

Answer 10

A prediction of future events.

Question 11

parable?

Answer 11

A story that illustrates a moral or religious teaching.

Question 12

miracle?

Answer 12

An event which breaks the laws of nature, and is attributed to God or gods.

Question 13

Who were Siddhartha’s parents?

Answer 13

Siddhartha was born to Queen Maya and King Suddhodana, ruler of the Shakya kingdom (In modern India/Nepal).

Question 14

Why is Siddhartha’s birth not the beginning?

Answer 14

Buddhists believe that the Buddha had lived many previous lives. Stories of these are told in the jatakas.

Question 15

What did Maya dream of?

Answer 15

Before the Buddha’s birth, Maya dreamed of a white elephant holding a white lotus flower, that went round her three times and entered her womb.

Question 16

How was Maya’s dream interpreted?

Answer 16

Holy men said that if Maya’s child never witnessed suffering, then he would become a great king. But if he did witness suffering, then he would become a great religious leader.

Question 17

What was unusual about Siddhartha’s upbringing?

Answer 17

Queen Maya died when Siddhartha was 7 days old. He was raised by his father, who provided a life of luxury within the palace, so that he would never witness suffering.

Question 18

Who was Siddhartha’s wife?

Answer 18

Aged 16, Siddhartha married Yasodhara. Together they had a son, named Rahula.

Question 19

How are these stories (buddha’s early life) interpreted?

Answer 19

• Literally true: they come from the Buddha himself.
• Parables: not historically true, but convey the truth of the Buddha’s teachings.

Question 20

anicca?

Answer 20

Sanskrit word meaning “impermanence”.

Question 21

renunciation?

Answer 21

In religion, giving something up in order to live a spiritual life.

Question 22

dukkha?

Answer 22

Sanskrit word meaning “suffering” or “unsatisfactoriness”.

Question 23

ascetic?

Answer 23

A person who rejects bodily pleasures as part of a search for spiritual truth.

Question 24

How did Siddhartha see the Four Sights?

Answer 24

Aged 29, he persuaded his charioteer Channa to take him to the nearby city, as he wanted to know what life was like outside the palace.

Question 25

What were the Four Sights?

Answer 25

Old Age: Siddhartha saw an old man, with no teeth, grey hair, and wrinkled skin. Sickness: Siddhartha saw a man lying on the ground, crying out in pain. Corpse (Death): Siddhartha saw a man who was being carried to a funeral pyre. Ascetic: Siddhartha saw a man sat in meditation. He seemed calm and at a peace.

Question 26

what happened after siddhartha witnessed the four sights?

Answer 26

Siddhartha realised that ageing, sickness and death were unavoidable in samsara, and so too was the suffering by them. He resolved to find a solution to suffering, and left the palace to begin his quest, leaving his wife and son behind.

Question 27

Why are the Four Sights Important for Buddhists.?

Answer 27

- They made Siddhartha realise that he, and everyone he loved, would experience old age, sickness, and death. - Siddhartha realised that his life in the palace was little more than an illusion. - They led to Siddhartha’s renunciation of his life in the palace, and his search for a solution to suffering. - They powerfully illustrate the Buddhist teachings of anicca and dukkha.

Question 28

enlightenment?

Answer 28

Gaining perfect wisdom and true knowledge of reality, which leads to freedom from samsara.

Question 29

Guru?

Answer 29

In Indian religions, a respected spiritual teacher.

Question 30

(the) dharma?

Answer 30

The spiritual laws of the universe; the Buddha’s teachings.

Question 31

How did Siddhartha begin his quest?

Answer 31

After leaving the palace, Siddhartha cut off his long hair and swapped his clothes for those of a beggar.

Question 32

what happened after siddhartha's quest?

Answer 32

He followed two gurus. He tried yoga-like practices, and living as an ascetic, but did not find the answer.

Question 33

How did Siddhartha attain enlightenment?

Answer 33

- He meditated beneath the Bodhi tree. He vowed not to move until he had found the answer to suffering. - The demon Mara tried to distract Siddhartha, but he remained focused. - The 1st watch: He saw all his past lives. - The 2nd watch: He understood how samsara and karma worked. - The 3rd watch: He understood that craving was the cause of suffering. - Siddhartha had attained perfect wisdom and become the Buddha.

Question 34

Why is Buddha’s enlightenment important?

Answer 34

- It is the ultimate source of the dharma. - It gives the Buddha’s teachings authority. - It reminds Buddhists that the path to enlightenment is long and difficult. - It encourages Buddhists to meditate, as this is how the Buddha attained nirvana.

Question 35

(the) sangha?

Answer 35

The community of Buddhist monks and nuns.

Question 36

bhikkhu / bhikkhuni?

Answer 36

A Buddhist monk or nun.

Question 37

The Three Jewels:

Answer 37

The guiding principles of Buddhism: The Buddha, the dharma, and the sangha.

Question 38

lay Buddhist:

Answer 38

Any Buddhist who is not a monk or a nun

Question 39

What happened in the Buddha’s later life?

Answer 39

- The Buddha started to teach the dharma, to help others overcome suffering. - He attracted a group of followers, who gave up their ordinary lives to follow him. This developed into the sangha. - The Buddha sent the rest of his life travelling and teaching the dharma. - He died around age 80, in Kushinagar. - He did not nominate a successor to lead the Buddhist community. Instead, he said that Buddhists should live their lives by the three Jewels.

Question 40

What are the Three Jewels?

Answer 40

The Buddha: The Buddha’s example and the ideal of Buddhahood. The Dharma: The Buddha’s teachings. The Sangha: The community of Buddhist monks and nuns.

Question 41

Why are the Three Jewels important?

Answer 41

- They give Buddhists guidance and comfort in their lives. - The Buddha left Buddhists the Three Jewels, rather than a holy book or leader. - When a person becomes a Buddhist, they “take refuge in the three Jewels”, i.e. placing their trust in them. - Buddhists chant the three refuges as a way of recommitting to the Buddhist path.