Buddhism Questions

1. His name is Siddhartha Gautama
2. He sees an old man, an ascetic, a corpse, and a diseased man. All four of these sites were sufferings that happen to everyone in life and this was the first time Siddhartha had seen them.
3. The Doctrine of the Middle Way was developed by Gautama to teach others that finding true self is in the middle of total asceticism and indulgences.
4. Gautama attained enlightenment when he overcame the distraction of Mara.
5. The Sangha is the first Buddhist monastic community that consisted of men and women.
6. Buddha, Dharma, Sangha
7. Both believe in samsara, the wheel of rebirth, this make Buddhism and Hinduism both believe in a cyclical system.
8. Buddha disagreed with Hinduism's structure. He didn't agree with the fact that only Brahmin men were allowed to do rituals.
9. Anatta, Anicca, Dukkha. They are interrelated because all help discover change.
10. Anatta is the doctrine that the same self is reborn. This relates to Hinduism's belief of Atman because both involve inner self.
11. In Buddhist doctrine energy is transfered during rebirth. Karma affects the status one is reborn to.
12. Do not take life, do not take what is not given, do not engage in sensuous misconduct, do not use false speech, do not drink intoxicants. For monks and nuns: Do not eat after noon, do not watch dancing or shows, do not use garlands, do not use a high or soft bed, do not accept gold or silver.
13. It means suffering. Dukkha means to be without comfort in life and feeling out of place.
14. Tanha is desire. It is related to dukkha because both are unavoidable.
15. The steps of the Eightfold Path are right views, right intentions, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right meditation.
16. The Buddha is different from all others who have been enlightened because he became enlightened while still alive.
17. Arhat is translated as "worthy one" and it is a title used to describe the living enlightened. Arhats are compassionate.
18. Nirvana literally means total censation and this helps us understand nirvana by giving a sense of what it feels like.
19. They are Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana
20. Theravada focuses on the teachings of the Buddha
21. Mahayana means the Great Vehicle. This name implies that they focus on the Buddha themselves.
22. Vajrayana Buddhism fights fire with fire.
23. The Dalai Lama is the head of the hierarchy of Buddhism. Each Dalai Lama is chosen by people who search for his reincarnation.
24. Theravada- Sri Lanka, Mahayana- India, Vajrayana- China

Introduction to Buddhism

The life of Siddhartha:

        Siddhartha was born into a royal family near India and as a child, he was very spoiled because his father wanted to shield him from the harsh realities and pains of life. As he became older, he wanted to leave the palace and see the outside world. When he went into the real world, he was shocked to find terrible things such as sickness, suffering, and death. After coming across these hardships, Siddhartha met a religious man. This inspired him to search for the meaning behind the hardships of life and so he decided to leave everything, including his wife and son, to find his answer. After wandering for years and practicing all sorts of strict meditation, he still had not found the answer to his question. He then sat under a tree and vowed to not move until he had come to an answer, this lasted for 40 days. After being tempted by many gods, he had finally become the Buddha, or “the enlightened” When he touched the earth because then he realized the answer to his question and banished all temptations that tried to persuade him to stray away from his enlightenment.

The Three Jewels:

       The Three Jewels are the Buddha (yellow), the Dharma (blue), and the Sangha (red). The Buddha is important because he serves as an example of how to live one’s life as well as how to achieve enlightenment. Dharma, the teachings of the Buddha, is important because it serves as a story on how to effectively become enlightened. Lastly, the Sangha is the practice of following in the footsteps of other Buddhists who have gone before you. This means you are learning from another Buddhist.

Threefold Way:

       The Threefold Way consists of ethics, meditation, and wisdom. Ethical actions are actions that bring about good, rather than harm, to oneself and others. Meditation is a deep, internal reflection of oneself and one’s life. Wisdom is the culmination or combination of all Buddhist efforts to become enlightened.

 

Four Noble Truths:

       The Four Noble Truths are the basic characteristics of humanity that everyone shares. They include: 1. All existence is suffering; 2. The cause of suffering is craving; 3. The end of suffering comes with the end of craving; and 4. There is a path that leads away from suffering.

Noble Eightfold Path:

       The Nobel Eightfold Path is the practice one must to to end all suffering and reach perfect Dharma. The path consists of the following teachings of Perfect Vision, Perfect Emotion, Perfect Speech, Perfect Action, Perfect Livelihood Perfect Effort, Perfect Awareness, and Perfect Meditation.