Past paper question Information

• Mahayana Buddhists believe that the Buddha-nature is within all beings, as all beings have the potential to become a buddha.
• Mahayana Buddhists believe that Buddha-nature (tathagatagarbha) has to be realised or discovered.
• Mahayana Buddhists believe that developing the Six Paramitas (perfections/virtues) will help a person realise their innate Buddha-nature.
• The six paramitas are: generosity, morality, patience, energy, meditation, and wisdom.
• Generosity in Mahayana Buddhism is about giving without the expectation of reward.
• Morality in Mahayana Buddhism is about following the Buddha’s teaching, the Dharma, every day.
• Patience in Mahayana Buddhism is about being patient with others and accepting the truth of the Dharma - that life is unsatisfactory (dukkha).
• Energy in Mahayana Buddhism is about being dedicated to realising one’s Buddha-nature.
• Meditation in Mahayana Buddhism is essential as a way of developing the understanding needed to realise one’s Buddha-nature.
• Wisdom in Mahayana Buddhism is about understanding that everything is empty (sunyata) or impermanent.
• Arhat means an enlightened disciple, the fourth and highest stage of realisation recognised by the Theravada tradition or one whose mind is free from all greed, hatred and ignorance.
• The experiences of his early life, along with the Four Sights and his time as an ascetic were essential on the path to enlightenment.
• The Buddha's early life is considered important as legend states that at his birth, Siddhartha Gautama took seven steps and spoke his first words, which were, “I was born for enlightenment, and for the good of all that lives.
• Some traditions state that Siddhartha Gautama's words were, “I was born for enlightenment, and for the good of all that lives.
• This is Siddhartha Gautama's last rebirth.
• Gautama’s experience of The Four Sights and his understanding of them led him to give up life in the palace to become an ascetic in the first place, making it an essential event.
• No single event led to the Buddha’s enlightenment.
• Gautama’s time as an ascetic was essential as it was his aim to be a holy man and work towards finding the answer as to why people suffered, leading to his enlightenment.
• Gautama learnt how to meditate while he was an ascetic, which ultimately led to his enlightenment, making it an essential element.
• Asita, the holy man, predicted that Siddhartha Gautama would either become a great ruler (like his father) or he would become a religious leader and a fully enlightened Buddha.
• As a result of Asita’s prediction, Siddhartha’s father kept him in the grounds of the palace in order to protect him from the realities of life.
• Siddhartha’s quest to find the truth and ultimately to his enlightenment can be considered as a result of his father’s protection.