St john s ap religion study guide buddhism

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St. John’s AP Religion Study Guide

Buddhism

• Buddhism began with one man. Gautama “woke up”—hence acquiring the name Buddha which

is derived from budh, “to awaken.” He awoke to full awareness of the nature of the human

condition, and to the means of transcending it.

• Buddhism teaches the discoveries attained by this man, through this experience of

awakening.

• We are in a state of disease, and we need treatment.

Life of Gautama

• His family’s name was Gautama, and so his full name is Siddhartha Gautama (though he is

most commonly referred to simply as Gautama).

• In spite of his father’s attempts to shield him from the harsh realities of the world, Gautama

encountered them firsthand in an episode known as the Four Passing Sights.

• Soon he would leave the palace forever, to embark on the life of a mendicant (a religious person

who owned nothing and begged for necessities like food and clothing).

• Salvation lay beyond the meditative accomplishments of those teachings. Gautama excelled in

the practice of fasting, spending the next several years on the brink of starvation.

• Middle Way: a basic Buddha teaching that rejects both the pleasures of sensual indulgence and

the self-denial of asceticism, focusing instead on a practical approach to spiritual attainment.

• Nirvana: Sanskrit word meaning "blowing out" - ultimate goal of all Buddhists, the extinction of

desire and any sense of individual selfhood, resulting in liberation from samsara

• Sangha: the Buddhist community of monks and nuns; one of the Three Jewels of Buddhism

• To this day, being a Buddhist means taking refuge in the tradition’s Three Jewels, or three focal

elements: the Buddha, the Dharma (the Buddha’s teachings), and the Sangha (the Buddhist

monastic community). The act of taking refuge traditionally involves repeating a ritual formula

three times.

The Dharma: Buddhist Teachings

• Dharma: teachings of Buddha, and one of the Three Jewels of Buddhism

• Buddhist truths were discovered through the inward reflections of a man and are therefore

potentially understandable by anyone. Rather than relying heavily on faith, Buddhism emphasizes

the development of wisdom, or insight into the human condition. Buddhism is thus the most

psychologically oriented of all the great religions.

• People can escape the cycle of rebirth only through liberation from samsara. That liberation is

usually called moksha in Hinduism and nirvana in Buddhism. For both traditions liberation is the

final goal, the end result of spiritual fulfillment.

• The Buddha, himself born into the powerful warrior class, explicitly rejected the Hindu caste

system. -> Pali, a local dialect spoken by the common people, was made widely available

• Three Marks of Existence: characteristics that summarize the changing nature of reality

• Anatta (no-self): denying a permanent self

• Anicca (impermanence): all existing things are constantly changing

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St. John’s AP Religion Study Guide Buddhism • Buddhism began with one man. Gautama “woke up”—hence acquiring the name Buddha which is derived from budh, “to awaken.” He awoke to full awareness of the nature of the human condition, and to the means of transcending it. • Buddhism teaches the discoveries attained by this man, through this experience of awakening. • We are in a state of disease, and we need treatment. Life of Gautama • His family’s name was Gautama, and so his full name is Siddhartha Gautama (though he is most commonly referred to simply as Gautama). • In s ...
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