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Description
Flashcards by Charlie Murray, updated more than 1 year ago
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Created by Charlie Murray
over 8 years ago
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| Question | Answer |
| Dukkha (12) | First Mark of Existence First Noble Truth Buddha taught it @ Deer Park Sermon. Literally means "that which is difficult to endure" Refers to unsatisfactoriness Word probably comes from 'du' (bad thing) and 'cakka' (wheel) to mean badly fitted chariot wheel. 7 types = main 3 are dukkha dukkha. anicca dukkha and anatta dukkha. Cush: basic "unsatisfactoriness" in life Gethin: generally refers to sense of "unease" that mars even our happy experiences. 3 causes = greed+hatred+delusion represented by pig+snake+rooster Only way out = accept as part of life Came from Buddha's experience of the 4 Sights - he realised suffering happens to everyone. |
| Dukkha Dukkha (7) | Ordinary suffering All forms of mental+physical, concealed+exposed suffering At its most basic, can be experienced as direct physical pain (e.g. toothace) or mental distress (e.g. loss of a loved one) Birth, old age, sickness, death, separation from loved ones, not getting what one wants Dreaded by all human beings The more thoughtful+sensitive a person is, like a bodhisattva, the more suffering one is aware of. Commonly translated as 'suffering', 'anxiety', 'stress' or 'unsatisfactoriness' |
| Anicca-Dukkha (12) | Anicca means "everything is always changing" Anicca-dukkha is suffering produced by change. Gross change = can be easily observed (seasons) Momentary change = subtle change that can't necessarily be seen with the naked eye (hair growing) Buddha - "Decay is inherent in all things." We're ignorant of this truth + all aspects we like about life will stay the same. We all experience pleasurable states, but they don't last + when they do end we're often filled w/ despair+misery. Buddhists who only have limited understanding of anicca may suffer frustration because they crave for things to stay the way they are. Mandalas are a perfect example of impermanence. Kisagotami story Change occurs as a continuation of linked moments. One linked moment follows another through a series of causal connections. Everything is dependent upon something else. Nothing exists permanently. Buddha used word 'nadisotoviya' - a flowing stream, because you can't stand in the same stream twice. |
| Anatta-Dukkha (9) | Anatta means no fixed self. It applies to ANIMATE+INANIMATE OBJECTS. Anatta-dukkha = suffering caused by attachment to concepts of self+ego. Goes against Hindu notion of permanent soul (atman) that's liberated (moksha) @ death. We're made up of 5 heaps of energy (skandhas): FORM (our physical state), SENSATIONS (our ability to sense events+feelings), PERCEPTIONS (how we choose to react to these feelings), MENTAL FORMULATIONS (the thought processes we undertake) and CONSCIOUSNESS (our overall mental awareness). Identifying any one of these as 'me'/'I' causes dukkha. King Milinda's chariot - Nagasena asked him if his chariot was the axle, the pole, or the wheels etc. When a person dies, they're reborn as a new heap of skandhas. Links to anicca - if nothing remains unchanged, there's nothing that can contain fixed/final identity. |
| How a Belief in Dukkha Affects a Buddhist's Way of Life (5) | Complete loss of delusion of self leads to selflessness, reduces development of ego + is equivalent of enlightenment. Allows Buddhists to cultivate feelings of metta+karuna. Everyone suffers cos of experiencing death+change. Wisdom - become more accepting of suffering. Accept it as part of life. Accepting+balanced attitude to old age+sickness+death. Realisation of anicca liberates ppl from attachments2objects. Also can make ppl happier as it helps ppl change -ve thoughts+situations into +ve ones. |
| What is a Bodhisattva? | One whose essence is enlightenment. |
| What does samsara literally mean? | 'Wandering on' i.e. through a continuous cycle of births+deaths+rebirths. |
| What's depicted in the hub of the wheel of samsara? | Pig+snake+rooster symbolising 3 Mental Poisons: greed+hatred+delusion. They're eating each other's tails, suggesting they feed off each other and are the starting point of all human proble,ms. They're the 3 driving forces behind samsara. |
| What's outside the hub in the Wheel of Life? | Circle divided into 2 segments: On one side, happy figures move upwards towards enlightenment. On other side, men+women in various states of unhappiness+torment move downwards. Represents the changes that can happen as conditions + responses to them change. |
| Outside this circle, there's a circle divided into 6 segments, representing the 6 realms. What are they? | Human Hell Animals Devas Petas Asuras |
| Human Realm (7) | Middle realm Comparatively rare Enough suffering to motivate humans to seek release. Most favourable Only realm where enlightenment is possible. Tibetan Buddhists - "precious human rebirth" Peter Harvey - "marvellous opportunity for spiritual growth." |
| Realm of the Asuras a.k.a. Angry Gods (3) | Angry beings constantly at war with each other. Fighting to get what they want + Attempting to capture the Wish-Fulfilling Trees of the Gods. |
| Realm of the Devas a.k.a. Heaven Realm (3.5) | Blissful Beautiful dream world where everything is provided Lack motivation to attain nirvana + transcend the realm of becoming -> may become lazy+complacent. |
| Animal Realm (3) | Includes sentient beings + most simple forms of life. Plants not included. Main concern here = basic requirements of food+sex+material comforts. Beings in this realm seem to be quite happy as long as these needs are being met. |
| Realm of the Petas (Ghosts) (4) | Realm not normally visible to human eye. Contains beings made of subtle matter, not physical bodies. Frustrated ghostly beings that frequent the earth due to their strong earthly attachments. e.g. Hungry ghosts - portrayed as possessing huge distended stomach, tiny neck that allows v little sustenance to pass, racked by insatiable hunger |
| The Hell Realm a.k.a. Niraya (3) | Worst realm of all Comprises a no. of possible locations for rebirth These hellish rebirths include: frozen, cut up, eaten alive, revived to experience torture again, reliving countless abominable nightmares. |
| What does the Bodhisattva do in the heaven realm? | Plays the lute of impermanence, reminding them not to be complacent. |
| What does the Bodhisattva do in the realm of the Asuras? | Exemplifies the transcendental wisdom needed by these beings in order to overcome their enmity + see what's really worth striving for. |
| What does the Bodhisattva do in the realm of the petas? | Brings true nourishment to really satisfy them. |
| What does the Bodhisattva do in the hell realm (Niraya)? | Brings ambrosia (amrita) - mythical food which represents nirvana/enlightenment, the cure for all suffering. |
| What does the Bodhisattva do in the animal realm? | Brings education and culture. |
| What does the Bodhisattva do in the human realm? | Points out that the way forward is the wholehearted leading of the spiritual life. |
| How did Nagasena describe rebirth? | Imagine the flame of one lamp lighting another. It's not the same flame in the second lamp, but it's come about because of the first. |
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