Buddhism Revision:
The Three Marks of Existence:
Anicca – All things are impermanent (e.g. we all age)
Anatta – There is no independent self, The Story of
Nagasena and the Chariot (e.g. we all change in our
attitudes over time).
Dukkha – We all suffer, Buddhists try to reduce
suffering by following the Middle Way (there are 8 stages of suffering;
birth, old age, sickness, death, separation from someone or something you
love, contact with someone or something you dislike & not being able to
achieve your desires)
The Four Noble Truths:
1. Life is unsatisfactory – dukkha.
Dukkha refers to the ‘suffering’ or ‘unsatisfactoriness’ of life. A
person might temporarily fulfil their desires but suffering –
whether physical, emotional or mental – cannot be avoided.
2. Suffering is caused by craving – samudaya.
The Second Noble Truth is known as samudaya. The word
‘samudaya’ means ‘arising’ and refers to the roots of suffering
(where suffering or unsatisfactoriness ‘arise’ from). The Second
Noble Truth describes the causes (or roots) of suffering.
3. An end to craving is an end to suffering – nirodha.
This truth is called nirodha, meaning ‘cessation’ or stopping. By
attempting to stop all craving, Buddhists can break the cycle of
craving and arising. In this way, they will no longer be reborn into
another life of suffering.
4. To end craving, follow the Buddha’s path – magga.
The Fourth Noble Truth offers a path through which Buddhists can
overcome their craving. It is called the Eightfold Path, or magga,
meaning ‘path’.
The Three Poisons:
The basic causes of suffering are known as the Three Poisons: greed,
ignorance and hatred. These are often represented as a rooster (greed),
a pig (ignorance) and a snake (hatred).
The 5 (s)Khandas:
The five elements that make up a human being;
form, sensation, perception, mental formations &
consciousness.
Form – you see a slice of cake
Sensation – seeing the cake gives you a sense of anticipation
Perception – you recognise its cake from cakes you’ve seen in
the past
Mental formations – you form an opinion of the cake and
decide whether to eat it or not
Consciousness - all these things are connected by your
awareness of the world
An Arhat Buddhist:
Someone who has gained insight into the true nature of existence and
has achieved Nirvana in the Theravada tradition.
, A Bodhisattva Buddhist:
Combines several beliefs. A being who delays their own achievement
of Nirvana to help others get there instead. They are a source of
compassion to the world.
Mahayana Buddhism:
Developed after Theravada Buddhism, a more modern type of
Buddhism. It was developed in reaction to the strictness of Theravada
Buddhism.
Six perfections:
Generosity/giving
Morality
Patience
Energy
Mediation
Wisdom
Theravada Buddhism:
The oldest form of Buddhism. It is strictly faithful to the teachings of
the Buddha. Means ‘the way of the elders.’
A Theravada Buddhist aims to be Arhat (perfected person)
by following the Eightfold path.
Cycle of Samsara:
This is the cycle of life death and re-birth. To be trapped in
Samsara means that you will keep being re-born.
The Five Moral Precepts:
1. Avoid harm.
2. Avoid taking what is not given.
3. Avoid drugs and alcohol.
4. Avoid harmful sexual relationships.
5. Avoid say what is not true.
Karma/Kamma:
o This is the idea that actions have consequences.
o Bad actions produce negative kamma.
o Good actions produce good kamma. This kamma will
determine what rebirth you have.
o It is kamma that keeps a person in the wheel of samsara.
The Story of Nagasena and the Chariot:
o One day a monk called Nagasena arrived at the court of
King Milinda.
o The King asked Nagesena what his name was.
o Nagasena answered but said there was no person behind the
name.
o The king was confused and asked who then was standing before him.
o Nagasena answered using the analogy of the Chariot:
A chariot is made up from a number of parts.
The term chariot is a name to refer to all these parts.
There is no chariot independent of its parts.
Likewise, a person exists but only because of the parts they are
made from.
There is no separate ‘self’ that is independent to these parts.
The Three Marks of Existence:
Anicca – All things are impermanent (e.g. we all age)
Anatta – There is no independent self, The Story of
Nagasena and the Chariot (e.g. we all change in our
attitudes over time).
Dukkha – We all suffer, Buddhists try to reduce
suffering by following the Middle Way (there are 8 stages of suffering;
birth, old age, sickness, death, separation from someone or something you
love, contact with someone or something you dislike & not being able to
achieve your desires)
The Four Noble Truths:
1. Life is unsatisfactory – dukkha.
Dukkha refers to the ‘suffering’ or ‘unsatisfactoriness’ of life. A
person might temporarily fulfil their desires but suffering –
whether physical, emotional or mental – cannot be avoided.
2. Suffering is caused by craving – samudaya.
The Second Noble Truth is known as samudaya. The word
‘samudaya’ means ‘arising’ and refers to the roots of suffering
(where suffering or unsatisfactoriness ‘arise’ from). The Second
Noble Truth describes the causes (or roots) of suffering.
3. An end to craving is an end to suffering – nirodha.
This truth is called nirodha, meaning ‘cessation’ or stopping. By
attempting to stop all craving, Buddhists can break the cycle of
craving and arising. In this way, they will no longer be reborn into
another life of suffering.
4. To end craving, follow the Buddha’s path – magga.
The Fourth Noble Truth offers a path through which Buddhists can
overcome their craving. It is called the Eightfold Path, or magga,
meaning ‘path’.
The Three Poisons:
The basic causes of suffering are known as the Three Poisons: greed,
ignorance and hatred. These are often represented as a rooster (greed),
a pig (ignorance) and a snake (hatred).
The 5 (s)Khandas:
The five elements that make up a human being;
form, sensation, perception, mental formations &
consciousness.
Form – you see a slice of cake
Sensation – seeing the cake gives you a sense of anticipation
Perception – you recognise its cake from cakes you’ve seen in
the past
Mental formations – you form an opinion of the cake and
decide whether to eat it or not
Consciousness - all these things are connected by your
awareness of the world
An Arhat Buddhist:
Someone who has gained insight into the true nature of existence and
has achieved Nirvana in the Theravada tradition.
, A Bodhisattva Buddhist:
Combines several beliefs. A being who delays their own achievement
of Nirvana to help others get there instead. They are a source of
compassion to the world.
Mahayana Buddhism:
Developed after Theravada Buddhism, a more modern type of
Buddhism. It was developed in reaction to the strictness of Theravada
Buddhism.
Six perfections:
Generosity/giving
Morality
Patience
Energy
Mediation
Wisdom
Theravada Buddhism:
The oldest form of Buddhism. It is strictly faithful to the teachings of
the Buddha. Means ‘the way of the elders.’
A Theravada Buddhist aims to be Arhat (perfected person)
by following the Eightfold path.
Cycle of Samsara:
This is the cycle of life death and re-birth. To be trapped in
Samsara means that you will keep being re-born.
The Five Moral Precepts:
1. Avoid harm.
2. Avoid taking what is not given.
3. Avoid drugs and alcohol.
4. Avoid harmful sexual relationships.
5. Avoid say what is not true.
Karma/Kamma:
o This is the idea that actions have consequences.
o Bad actions produce negative kamma.
o Good actions produce good kamma. This kamma will
determine what rebirth you have.
o It is kamma that keeps a person in the wheel of samsara.
The Story of Nagasena and the Chariot:
o One day a monk called Nagasena arrived at the court of
King Milinda.
o The King asked Nagesena what his name was.
o Nagasena answered but said there was no person behind the
name.
o The king was confused and asked who then was standing before him.
o Nagasena answered using the analogy of the Chariot:
A chariot is made up from a number of parts.
The term chariot is a name to refer to all these parts.
There is no chariot independent of its parts.
Likewise, a person exists but only because of the parts they are
made from.
There is no separate ‘self’ that is independent to these parts.
