Buddhism Beliefs and Teachings

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Across
  1. 3. In Mahayana Buddhism this refers to the belief that all beings can become enlightened/ reach Buddhahood.
  2. 10. A state of wisdom that enables total clarity and understanding of the truths of existence; to be freed from the cycle of rebirth.
  3. 11. A perfected person. In Theravada Buddhism this is a term for a person who has become enlightened.
  4. 12. One of the Three Poisons; a feeling of intense dislike, anger, wishing others harm.
  5. 14. The community of Buddhists, including the monastic order (monks and nuns) as well as laypeople.
  6. 16. A pure love which is selfless and not possessive; a key part of Buddhist ethics (loving-kindness).
  7. 18. Suffering; the belief that all life includes suffering and unsatisfactoriness; one of the Three Marks of Existence.
  8. 19. This is the oldest school of Buddhism, with a focus on individual enlightenment (becoming an Arhat).
  9. 20. The belief that when a being dies their karma lives on in another being. This process will continue until Nirvana is attained.
  10. 22. Literally ‘blowing out'; the extinguishing of desire; a state of perfect peace and liberation from samsara.
  11. 25. Sympathy and concern for the suffering of others; a key part of Buddhist ethics (compassion).
  12. 26. Literally ‘emptiness’; the Mahayana belief about the absence of an intrinsic nature or self-identity.
  13. 27. Teaching from the Jataka Tales about Siddhartha Gautama’s experience of illness, old age, death and a holy man.
  14. 29. A collection of Buddhist scriptures; the standard text of the Theravada Buddhist tradition.
  15. 30. Literally 'action’; the belief in cause and effect, intentions and actions will affect the future.
  16. 31. The ongoing state of desire which causes suffering; grasping at things we enjoy/ want ('Tanha' in Pali).
  17. 32. The five moral rules (part of Right Action) - Not taking life, not taking things which aren’t given, not misusing the senses, not speaking lies, not clouding the mind with intoxicants.
  18. 33. A collection of Buddhist fables that narrate the previous lives of the Buddha (including the Four Sights #075).
Down
  1. 1. The collection of things that make up human personality - including form, sensation, perception, mental formation, consciousness.
  2. 2. In Mahayana Buddhism this is a being destined for enlightenment, who postpones their escape from samsara in order to help living beings.
  3. 4. Impermanence; the belief that nothing lasts forever; one of the Three Marks of Existence.
  4. 5. A realm of ultimate bliss where beings can easily achieve enlightenment, through chanting the name of Amitabha Buddha.
  5. 6. A life free from worldly pleasures; giving up material possessions with the aim of pursuing spiritual goals.
  6. 7. The Buddha's main teachings: the existence of suffering, the cause of suffering, the end of suffering, the path to end suffering.
  7. 8. The fourth Noble Truth, also known as ‘The Middle Way’; it includes the threefold way of wisdom, ethics, and mental discipline.
  8. 9. A spiritual practice that opens a person up to the highest state of consciousness; part of the Eightfold Path (Samadhi).
  9. 13. The cycle of death and rebirth to which life in the material world is bound; fuelled by the Three Poisons at the centre.
  10. 15. The teachings of the Buddha; the ultimate truth. Can also refer to following the Buddhist path.
  11. 17. Not-self; the belief that there is no fixed self/no soul; one of the Three Marks of Existence.
  12. 21. One of the Three Poisons; the inability to see things as they really are. Not understanding the truth of dukkha, anicca and anatta.
  13. 23. The ethical principle of not causing harm to other living things.
  14. 24. Literally 'Greater Vehicle'; this school of Buddhism focuses on achieving enlightenment for the sake of all beings (becoming a Bodhisattva).
  15. 28. One of the Three Poisons; the attachment to material things, and the ongoing selfish desire for more.