Scholars and Scripture: Life of the Buddha Flashcards
(20 cards)
Death of the Buddha – Side
“His death was the final teaching on impermanence”
Death of the Buddha – Keown
“Parinirvāṇa represents not annihilation, but the total cessation of the conditions that give rise to suffering.” — His death was the fulfilment of his teachings. Shows how Parinirvāṇa was not a normal death, but the ending of suffering.
Death of the Buddha – Gombrich
“His passing was human, though his insight was beyond the human norm” — This shows the non-theistic nature of Buddhism.
Death of the Buddha – Side
His death was the final teaching on impermanence
Death of the Buddha – Keown
“Parinirvāṇa represents not annihilation, but the total cessation of the conditions that give rise to suffering”. — His death was the fulfilment of his teachings. Shows how Parinirvāṇa was not a normal death, but the ending of suffering.
Death of the Buddha – Gombrich
“His passing was human, though his insight was beyond the human norm”. — This shows the non-theistic nature of Buddhism.
Buddha’s Enlightenment – Side
“This story is a dramatisation of one of the Buddha’s main religious experiences.” — Emphasises the mythic and symbolic dimension of the story. Links to nirodha (cessation of craving) in the Four Noble Truths.
Buddha’s Enlightenment – Unknown
Through with this effort. The temptations resents his fears, doubts and desires. — He could say no because he had burned off all his bad karma. Highlights the mythic element of his Enlightenment experience.
Buddha’s Enlightenment – Keown
“The jhānas are not escape routes from reality, but disciplined tools for attaining insight into its true nature”. — The jhānas are part of the Eightfold Path leading to paññā (wisdom). Meditation is not escapism but a path to realisation.
Buddha’s Enlightenment – Gombrich
“The Buddha did not invent a new religion at Enlightenment — he purified and radicalised existing practices to their deepest moral and philosophical core”. — He did not invent Buddhism but refined pre-existing traditions. Emphasises the role of meditation and moral discipline.
Buddha’s Enlightenment – Gethin
“The Buddha’s Enlightenment is the paradigm of awakening — not a divine revelation, but insight cultivated through ethical and mental discipline.” — Enlightenment is attainable by anyone through personal effort and discipline, not a divine gift.
Renunciation – Lalitavistara Sūtra
“In the silence of the night, Siddhartha looked back at his sleeping wife and child, and walked away from the palace”. — Shows his detachment from craving and attachment. Demonstrates renunciation as a conscious rejection of worldly ties in pursuit of higher truth.
Renunciation – Richard Gombrich
“Siddhartha’s departure from his privileged life symbolises Buddhism’s rejection of materialism and caste-determined destiny.” — Not just a personal act of rebellion, but a socio-political one. A revolutionary challenge to social norms of the time.
Renunciation – Karen Armstrong
The renunciation was a spiritual act of rebellion against the illusion of permanence. — Links directly to the concepts of Anicca (impermanence) and Anatta (no-self). Renunciation is a step towards realising these truths.
Birth of the Buddha – Jataka Tales
This was the Bodhisattva’s last birth. — Reinforces ideas of karma and rebirth, and the Buddha’s destiny to attain bodhi. Shows the soteriological nature of the Buddha’s births.
Birth of the Buddha – Lalitavistara Sūtra
The Bodhisattva emerged from her right side, untouched by pain or blood. — Highlights the miraculous nature of the Buddha’s birth, symbolising divinity and purity.
Birth of the Buddha – Gombrich
The story of the Buddha’s birth is not merely biographical; it is a mythologised account conveying the sacred nature of his mission. — Not literal history, but dramatised for teaching purposes. Emphasises the Buddha’s extraordinary nature.
The Four Sights – Ariyapariyesana Sutta
All beings must die — none can escape this fate. — Seeing this death was a catalyst for the Buddha’s spiritual awareness of Anicca (impermanence) and Dukkha (suffering). Sparked his existential questioning.
The Four Sights – Keown
The Four Sights reveal the fundamental problem Buddhism seeks to solve: the suffering inherent in all life. — The Four Sights were central to uncovering the Four Noble Truths. They highlight the pervasiveness of dukkha in human existence.
The Four Sights – Gombrich
The Four Sights function as a symbolic parable of spiritual awakening, rather than a literal travel diary. — Emphasises the narrative and mythical function of the story. The Sights are triggers for Buddhist teachings, not historical reportage.
