Key Buddhist Practices Flashcards
(44 cards)
Dana - selfless giving
Starting point for lay Buddhists, taught by the Buddha when he first gained enlightenment
Way to combat the three poisons, particularly greed
Links to anatta (no-self) and the idea of letting go of self and selfishness
Giving to the monastic sangha
By giving to monks and nuns, Buddhists gain more than they give because they support the maintenance of the dhamma
Monks and nuns set an example of how to live, giving back to the lay community
Giving alms is believed to lead to a better rebirth
Giving to the wider community
Contributing towards printing books for free distribution or supporting Buddhist websites
Volunteering for the local sangha
Manchester Buddhist Centre
Punya - merit
Performing good actions with the right intentions
Most Buddhists want to direct the merit or good consequences from their worship out to others in the world to avoid selfishness
Gaining and transferring merit
In Theravada tradition, this can involve transferring the merit to those who are reborn in less fortunate realms such as the pretas (hungry ghosts) to help them to a better rebirth
A boy who becomes a novice or monk will share the merit with his mother, who will also gain merit from giving up her son and from her joy in his becoming part of the monastic sangha.
The three jewels - refuges
The Buddha
The Dhamma
The Sangha
Taking refuge in the Buddha
Trusting the historical person and to be grateful for his explanation of the dhamma
It also involves recognising the possibility of your own enlightenment and seeing in him an example of how human beings can escape suffering
Taking refuge in the Dhamma
Exploring the teachings of the Buddha, not just blindly following them. Only through proper understanding will Buddhists move towards enlightenment
The Buddha and the Dhamma are intimately linked. The Buddha said, ‘He who sees me sees the dhamma, he who sees the dhamma sees me.’
Taking refuge in the sangha
Sharing your spiritual journey with the Buddhist community
When the Buddha died, the Sangha were the guardians of the dhamma as the Buddha made clear that he would have no successor.
The Buddha said ‘be a lamp unto yourselves’ showing that the Sangha had to guide each other to enlightenment
Going for refuge in Theravada Buddhism
Forms part of the regular practice of chanting and helps Buddhists to reflect on the qualities of each ‘jewel’.
Going for refuge in Mahayana Buddhism
Different branches emphasise different Buddhas, for example in Pure Land Buddhism, the Buddha refuge focuses on Amitabha (Amida), in Zen Buddhism, the focus is on the Buddha-nature within all people.
Heritage Buddhists
Not really how the Buddha seemed to want people to practice. In Buddhism people are supposed to reflect carefully on the symbolism of the teachings and how they can be applied to everyday life, not just follow blindly
Convert Buddhists
Going for refuge is the first step to conversion
Signifies a change from a more mundane life to one which has spirituality at its heart. It is a commitment to look beyond the small boundaries of human life to a path based on unchanging spiritual principles and truths.
4 types of meditation
Samatha - calmness meditation
Metta Bhavana - lovingkindness meditation
Vipassina - insight meditation
Zazen - sitting meditation
Benefits of samatha meditation
Heightened powers of concentration
Mind is no longer taken over by doubts, fears and worries
Benefits of Vipassina meditation
Makes a Buddhist aware of the noble truths and marks of existence
Develops compassion
Samatha
Selecting an object to meditate on – usually the breath but sometimes a mantra (chant) or everyday object. The aim is to become engrossed in the object of meditation until you can no longer be distracted by either the outside world or thoughts that arise in your own mind.
Metta Bhavana
cultivating the 4 bramhaviharas (godlike states)
develops these attitudes towards themselves, people they are close to, and eventually strangers
Vipassina
Separate out their experiences into categories of body, feelings, moods and thoughts. Beginning with the body, they may concentrate on breathing and focus on every minor bodily sensation without responding to it, thereby breaking the habit of stimulus and response.
Zazen
Sitting in a focused and mindful way and using intuition to understand that nibbana is here and now. The meditator is not trying to think.
Influence of the ‘Bon’ religion on Tibetan Buddhism
Focused on spirit-essences within a person and their close relationship to various deities
Teachers who brought it looked for a from of Buddhism that would fit in well with existing beliefs and practices
Moments of transition in life are charged with spiritual potential
Life after death - Tibetan Buddhism
Believe in ‘tulkus’
People are reincarnations of specific enlightened beings e.g. a guru or lama
Mantras
Recited in order to visualise celestial bodhisattva figures
Develop the spiritual qualities they represent
Om mani padme hum
Mantra associated with Avalokiteshvara
Six syllables are associated with the six perfections or the six realms of rebirth
Reflects the compassion of Avalokiteshvara