Buddhism Questions

1.      Siddhartha Gautama

2.      The four passing sights were that of an old man, a sick man, a corpse, and an ascetic. The first three were important because they taught Gautama about the unavoidable suffering in life and the fourth is important because it gave him hope that there could be an end to despair.

3.      The doctrine of the Middle Way states that a healthy spiritual life depends on a healthy physical life and that you need a balance between the two.

4.      He was meditating under a fig tree and Mara sent every temptation he had at him, even his three daughters Discontent, Delight, and Desire. Gautama did not waver and touched the ground to call upon the earth to be a witness to his resolve.

5.      The Sangha is a Buddhist monastic community. The members are men and women who are called monks and nuns that follow Buddha.

6.      The Three Jewels are the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha.

7.      The features that are shared are that they both regard time as cyclical, they believe in many worlds with many gods and goddesses, both are considered eternal, and the doctrine of samsara.

8.      The Buddha’s reaction was discontent with the speculative philosophy and sacrificial rituals of the Brahmin class and the rejection of the institutional structure.

9.      The Three Marks of Existence are anatta (no-self), anicca (impermanence), and dukkha (suffering). They are interrelated through change.

10.  Anatta is the doctrine of no-self. You have no self because you are constantly changing. It relates to Atman because it says that Atman does not exist.

11.  According to samsara your bundle of energy gets passed into the next life. The role of karma is the transference of personal identity.

12.  The ones that apply to everyone are do not take life, do not take what is not given, do not engage in sensuous misconduct, do not use false speech, and do not drink intoxicants. The ones for monks and nuns are do not eat after noon, do not watch dancing or shows, do not use garlands, perfumes, or ornaments, do not use a high or soft bed, and do not accept gold or silver.

13.  Possible English translations are suffering, frustration, dislocation, or discomfort. I would describe it as all the negative feelings that you have throughout life that you can’t really handle.

14.  Tanha is desire or craving. It is the cause of dukkha.

15.  The steps are right views, right intentions, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right meditation.

16.  The difference is that the Buddha achieved complete nirvana through death but enlightened people have only a foretaste of nirvana.

17.  An arhat is an enlightened person. They are free from suffering and desire, have fully realized no-self, have achieved spiritual perfection, are no longer attached to the affairs of the world, are friendly, joyful, compassionate, and even-minded.

18.  It literally means “blowing out” which helps explain how a person’s life energy is blown out like a candle.

19.  The three divisions are Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana.

20.  The main focus is the teachings of Buddhism.

21.  The literal meaning is Great Vehicle. The implication is that it is better than Theravada Buddhism.

22.  It fights desire with desire by trying to stir up emotions within themselves through mandalas, mudras, and mantras.

23.  The Dalai Lama is the head of a clergy called lamas. They are chosen through rebirth originating with the incarnation of a prominent bodhisattva and it sought through supernatural and mundane ways.

24.  The primary geographical regions are Cambodia, Burma, Sri Lanka, and Thailand for Theravada; China, Japan, and Korea for Mahayana; and Tibet for Vajrayana.