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Flip to reveal answersWhere does authority sit in Buddhism?
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All 9 Flashcards — Authority and schools
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Question
Where does authority sit in Buddhism?
Answer
In the dhamma, in the monastic sangha, in texts whose standing rests on transmission, and in Vajrayana Buddhism in a system of lamas. There is no pope and no binding council.
Question
How do lay and monastic goals differ in Theravada?
Answer
Lay people aim for punya, merit, to ensure a good rebirth; monks aim for nirvana. In Mahayana all can aim for nirvana and the higher goal of Buddhahood.
Question
What do the three branch names mean?
Answer
Theravada — "the Way of the Elders", the original form. Mahayana — "the Great Vehicle". Vajrayana — "the Diamond Vehicle".
Question
Name the Mahayana offshoots the guide lists.
Answer
Ch'an Buddhism in China, and Zen and Pure Land Buddhism in Japan.
Question
What distinguishes Pure Land Buddhism?
Answer
Devotion to Amitabha Buddha and the aspiration to rebirth in his Pure Land. It is the most devotional Buddhist form and the least dependent on monastic practice.
Question
What distinguishes Ch'an and Zen?
Answer
Direct insight through meditation, emphasised over textual study — striking in a tradition where scriptural knowledge is elsewhere prized.
Question
Where does each branch say doctrine came from?
Answer
Theravada: Siddhartha Gotama, the historical Buddha. Mahayana: the historical Buddha and prominent bodhisattvas.
Question
Why is the wider Mahayana source of doctrine so important?
Answer
Because if doctrine can come from bodhisattvas too, the canon can grow, new practices can be authorised, and Buddhahood can be held open to everyone. Every Mahayana distinctive follows from it.
Question
What does the guide name about Buddhism in the West?
Answer
The spread of Buddhism and adaptations in the West — which tend to foreground meditation and downplay the monastic and merit structures that carry Buddhism in Asia.
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Doctrines and beliefs
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