bhuddist practices

• Temple


  a place where Buddhists come together to practice.
• Gompa


  A hall or building where Tibetan Buddhists meditate
• Stupa


  A small building in a monastery that sometimes contains holy relics
• Shrine


  An area with a statue of a Buddha or Bodhisattva, which provides Buddhists with a focal point for meditation and devotion
• Buddha Rupa


  A statue of the Buddha, often sitting cross-legged in a meditation pose
• Monastery (vihara)


  A place where Buddhist monks and nuns live
• Puja


  worship
• Chanting


  in Buddhism, reciting from the Buddhist scriptures
• Mantra


  A short sequence of sacred syllables
• Mala


  prayer beads that are used to count the number of recitations in a mantra
• Meditation


  a practice of calming and focusing the mind, reflecting deeply on specific teachings to penetrate their true meaning.
• Samatha Meditation


  'calming meditation'; a type of meditation that involves calming the mind and developing deeper concentration
• Mindfulness of Breathing


  A meditation practice focusing on the experience of breathing
• Vipassana Meditation


  'insight meditation'; a type of meditation that involves developing understanding of the nature of reality
• Zazen Meditation


  A type of meditation in Zen Buddhism that requires awareness of the present moment
• Visualisation


  Imagining or 'seeing' an object in one's mind
• Thangka


  A detailed painting of a Buddha or Bodhisattva
• Mandala


  An intricate, circle-shaped pattern that is used for meditation
• Wesak


  A Theravada festival that celebrates the Buddha's birth, enlightenment and passing away
• Parinirvana Day


  a Mahayana festival that commemorates the Buddha's passing away
• Retreat


  A period of time spent away from everyday life.
• Kamma


  A person's actions; the idea that skilful actions result in happiness and unskilful ones in suffering
• Therevada Funeral Practices


  Spend limited money in order to donate rest to good causes.

  Offer cloth to monks in the monasteries for new robes.

  A shrine set up with a picture of the deceased.

  Offerings made to Buddha.

  Monks perform last rites before the casket is sealed.

  Transfer of merit to the deceased.
• Japanese Funeral Practices


  in the Pure Land tradition, coffins are places facing west.

  Chant 'Namo Amida Buddha'

  Read from the Lotus Sutra.

  After cremation the bones are picked out with chopsticks.
• Tibetan Funeral Practices


  Revered teachers are cremated and remains placed in a stupa.

  Offerings, including yak-butter lamps are made every seven days for 49 days.
• Sky Burials


  Practiced in some areas of Tibet. Bodies of the deceased are left out in the open to be eaten by birds and wildlife as a final act of Kamma.
• Skilful


  Good, ethical actions or behaviour
• Unskilful


  bad, unethical actions or behaviour
• Karuna


  Compassion; feeling concerned for the suffering of other people and wanting to relieve their suffering
• The Four Sublime States


  The four qualities of love, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity which the Buddha taught that Buddhists should develop
• Metta


  loving kindness
• The Five Moral Precepts


  To not kill any living being, refrain from stealing, refrain from wrongful sexual activity, refrain from lying, refrain from taking drugs and alcohol that cloud the mind.
• The Six Perfections


  The six qualities or virtues that Mahayana Buddhists try to develop in order to live as Bodhisattvas
• Generosity


  Tibetan Buddhism talks about three main types:

  1. Giving material goods e.g. food, clothes and money.

  2. Protection from fear e.g. helping someone who is in trouble either materially or spiritually.

  3. Giving of Dhamma.
• Morality


  Following the 5 moral Precepts.

  Mahayana Buddhists try to follow 5 more:

  1. Not to talk about others faults.

  2. Not to praise oneself or talk badly of others.

  3. Not to be stingy.

  4. Not to be angry.

  5. Not to speak badly of three jewels/refuges.
• Patience


  Buddhists should learn to endure personal hardship and practice compassion to those who anger them. Links to the first noble truth in that you have to accept the reality and inevitability of suffering.
• Energy


  Buddhists must put as much effort and enthusiasm into following the Dhamma as they can. They need to cultivate the energy to seek enlightenment over many years (or life times).
• Meditation and Wisdom


  Meditation helps to develop concentration and awareness which is essential for the development of wisdom.