Cabrillo College Non-Western Philosophical Traditions – Philo.14

Claudia Close

Study Guide Exam #3: Buddhism 1. Explain the legend of the sage’s prediction for Siddhartha’s future. How did this influence his father’s method of raising him? 2. Describe Siddhartha’s early life. How do you think this contributed to his later teachings? 3. Describe the “Four Passing Sights” and what effect each had on Siddhartha. 4. Why do you think that Siddhartha choose the life of a sadhu (forest dwelling sage)? 5. What caused Siddhartha to give up the life of a sadhu? Explain how the “middle way” is relevant to his change in direction. 6. Describe Mara’s temptations. How did Siddhartha respond? What is the “earthtouching gesture” and what does it mean? 7. Why is Siddhartha called the Sakyamuni Buddha? 8. Why is the result of Buddha’s struggles with Mara called an Awakening? 9. Why did Buddha not encourage an analytical, rational method to pursue truth? (See his response to Malunkyaputra) 10. How did Buddha die? What effect did his death have on the leadership within the Buddhist community of monks? What do you think Buddha meant when he said, “Be ye lamps unto yourselves. Be ye a refuge to yourselves.” 11. What was the content of Buddha’s great awakening? In other words, what did Buddha awaken to? 12. What is Nibbana (Nirvana)? Why wouldn’t it be a great name for a sailboat? 13. Why is it probably mistaken to compare Buddhism to Nihilism? 14. Why does Buddha think that suffering (duhkha) is universal? What kind of suffering is he talking about? Do the rich suffer too? Does Buddha’s view of universal suffering necessitate a pessimistic perspective on life? 15. Explain Buddha’s rejection of both self – anatta (anatman) and substance. Explain how impermanence - anicca (anitya) relates to existence. How does this realization help alleviate duhkha? 16. Explain the five groups of processes which constitute a person: the namas and rupas dharmas. What are the dharmas, and how do the dharmas support the illusion of a continuous self and substance? 17. Why aren’t the dharmas in conflict with Buddha’s teaching of anatta and anicca? 18. Why is suffering linked to desire (tanha/trishna)? Why isn’t the desire to become enlightened also a source of suffering? 19. Why can’t we simply quench our desire by gratifying it? According to Buddha, how do we quench desire? 20. Explain the “Eight-fold Path.” How do these steps lead to enlightenment? 21. Are these steps hierarchical – one preceding the other – or are we supposed to do them all at once? 22. How are the four noble truths compared to a visit to a medical doctor? 23. Explain the concept of interdependent arising – paticca samuppada /pratitya samupada.

24. Explain the doctrine of anatta (anatman). What specifically is Buddha denying as existent? What support does Buddha offer for this doctrine? 25. How does Buddha link the ego to suffering? Explain the following passage from the Samyutta Nikaya, “(1) When this is, that is; (2) this arising, that arises; (3) when this is not, that is not; (4) this ceasing, that ceases.” 26. How does this notion paticca samuppada differ from the more Western notion of linear causality? 27. What does the doctrine of dependent origination tell us about how suffering is caused? Explain the twelve conditions of suffering. 28. What is the relationship between ignorance and suffering? Explain the story of the garden hose as an example of this relationship. 29. Explain why mindfulness in all we do is important. Explain the fourfold establishment of mindfulness. 30. Explain the key differences between the Theravada and Mahayana traditions. (E document) 31. Are the differences between Theravada and Mahayana absolute and irreconcilable? 32. What is the Pali Canon and how was it written. Describe the Tripitaka. (E document) 33. What are the three refuges of Theravada Buddhism? (E document) 34. Why is sangha important to Theravada Buddhists given that they emphasize the importance of individual effort in acquiring enlightenment? (E document) 35. What is an Arhat? (E document) What is a Bodisattva? What is the difference between an arhat and a bodhisattva? 36. What are the six perfections (paramita)? (E document) 37. What were some of the complaints against the Theravadin tradition that led to its opposition? (E document) 38. Explain the concept of prajnaparamita. Explain why it is written that there is no true teaching. Why couldn’t Buddha (The Tathagata) just tell us what we need to know? 39. Explain the doctrine of Trikaya. (E document) 40. Explain the concept of suññatā/shūnyatā or emptiness covered in the Heart Sutra. How does suññatā relate to paticca samuppada? Why isn’t this theory of suññatā in itself empty? 41. Why is Madhyamaka referred to as Middle Way philosophy? 42. Explain why Nagarjuna’s method called the Critical Dialectic (reductio ad absurdum) was not a theory in itself and thus contradictory with the doctrine of shunyata. 43. Why aren’t the Four Noble truths also empty of truth? 44. How does Nagarjuna treat causality? 45. What is the difference between ordinary, conceptual knowledge and prajna? Which would Nagarjuna have us pursue and why? 46. What is the key focus of the Yogacara tradition? Explain why the Yogacara believe that “Everything is mind only.” (hint: it has to do with their interpretation of emptiness.) 47. Explain the Yogacara theory of the three aspects (trisvabhava) of knowledge of things. 48. Explain the Yogacarin concepts of ordinary (self and object) consciousness and store consciousness. 49. How does duhkha arise from discursive and defiled consciousness?

50. Why should the Yogacarins be neither regarded as realists nor idealists? 51. Explain Asanga’s answer to the question, “What is knowledge of reality.” 52. Explain Asanga’s idea of the highest form of knowledge. Why is this a trick question? Vajrayana (Tibetan) Buddhism 53. Why might one refer to Vajrayana Buddhism as the “third raft” of Buddhism? Why do you think the Dalai Lama said that this debate doesn’t really matter? 54. How did Buddhism arrive in Tibet? How did the indigenous religion of Bon influence it? 55. Who was Padmasambhava and why was he important to Tibetan Buddhism? 56. Discuss the goal of Tibetan Buddhism. What is prajna? What is karuna? Include in your discussion some of the symbols of their unity. 57. Explain the influence of the Tantric tradition on the development of Vajrayana Buddhism. How do the Tibetan Buddhists regard the body and the material world in terms of achieving enlightenment? 58. What are the central texts of the Tibetan Buddhists? 59. What is Tharpa? Does is differ from Nirvana? If so, how does it differ? 60. What is a mandala? Why is it usually destroyed immediately upon completion? 61. What is a Thangka? Why do you think that it is ok to keep Thangkas but sand mandalas are immediately destroyed? 62. How do Vajrayana Buddhists reconcile the use of such a wide variety of rituals and the invocation of mysticism when it seems in such contrast to the original teachings of Buddhism? 63. How is the Tibetan concept of reincarnation not specifically in conflict with the teaching of anatta? 64. What is the Pure Land of Sukhavati? What is the role of Buddha Amitabha? 65. What is a Tulku? What is a Lama? 66. Who is the Dalai Lama? How is a Dalai Lama chosen? Does the current Dalai Lama have any relation to past Dalai Lamas? Who was the “Great Fifth” Dalai Lama and why was he important to the history of Vajrayana Buddhism? Zen Buddhism 67. What is dhyana? What is the difference between the state of meditation and the practice of meditation? 68. What is the Unitive State? Why is perfect meditation thought to be the “perfect expression of the Unitive State?” 69. How is the process of awakening distinct in Chan from traditional Theravada teachings? 70. Who was Bodhidharma and why is he significant to the development of Chan in China? 71. Explain the process of the transmission of enlightenment from teacher to student in Chan practice. 72. Explain the “flower sermon” story as it relates to the transmission from Buddha to Kasyapa. Explain the importance of the patriarch lineage.

73. What did Bodhidharma tell Emperor Wu about his various acts of merit? Why, according to Bodhidharma, are these acts not instrumental to achieve enlightenment? 74. Explain the following gatha (verse):(see Awakening, p.347) A special transmission outside of scriptures; No dependence on words or letters; Direct pointing at the mind of man; Seeing into one’s nature, and the attainment of Buddhahood. 75. What is satori? How does the Chan version differ from traditional teachings of Nirvana? 76. Why does Chan/Zen teach that studying the sutras and meditation are not alone sufficient to gain the experience of Satori? What is the proper purpose of study and meditation? 77. Who was Huineng and why is he important to the development of Chan/Zen? 78. Explain the mirror simile and compare and contrast Huineng’s and Shenxiu’s responses to it. Why was Huineng’s response preferred? 79. What do you think was the purpose of Huineng’s famous question to Huiming, “…what does your original face look like, before you were ever born?” 80. What is a koan? What is it supposed to do? 81. What were the original disputes which lead to the eventual split between the Soto (Ts’ao-tao) and Rinzai (Lin-chi) schools of Zen Buddhism? What is zazen? 82. Contrast the Soto and Rinzai methods of achieving Satori. 83. Why was “Mu!” an appropriate response to the question, “Does a dog have Buddhanature?” 84. Who was Eisai and why was he important to the development of Zen Buddhism in Japan? 85. Who was Dogen? Explain how he became enlightened. What is the Shobogenzo? 86. What was the lesson the tenzo monk (cook) taught Dogen? 87. What did the prevalent Rinzai sect object to about Dogen’s practice of zazen? 88. Why did Dogen recommend that one not recite a mantra or chant while meditating? 89. What relationship did Dogen recommend that the monks have with the local community? How does helping with the harvest, for example, help one to achieve Satori? 90. Compare and contrast the principle characteristics of the Soto and Rinzai schools. 91. Who was Hakuin and why is he important to the development of Zen Buddhism in Japan? Why did Hakuin reject the Soto approach to Satori? What practice did Hakuin specifically advocate? 92. What is the purpose of zazen? 93. Why can’t reality be captured with language according to Zen Buddhism? Zen Projects (see E Docs): 94. What is the point of the Ox-herding pictures? 95. Why does Dogen maintain that time is being and being is time – that existence must be described in terms of time-being? 96. Why is nothing left out of the present moment? 97. Explain how we ought to use the telephone, drive our cars and watch TV according to Thich Nhat Hanh.

98. Where is the Buddha most likely to be found? 99. Why did the monk feel sorry for the thief in the parable, “The Moon Cannot be Stolen?” 100. What are the “Gates of Paradise” and how did the soldier find them?