Starter quiz
- The Five Aggregates are constantly changing, and none of them are ______.
- 'permanent' ✓
- The Five Aggregates are form, sensation, __________, mental formations and consciousness.
- perception ✓
- taste
- being aware of things
- belief
-
- Theravada Buddhism is known as the 'school of the ______'.
- 'elders' ✓
- The teaching of the Five Aggregates helps Buddhists to ______.
- 'meditate' ✓
- The Five Aggregates are called the ...
- skandhas. ✓
- dukkha.
- kamma.
- Theravada.
- nibbana.
-
- Which of these is not one of the Five Aggregates?
- rupa
- anatta ✓
- vijnana
- sankara
-
Exit quiz
- What does the term 'sunyata' mean in Mahayana Buddhism?
- eternal life
- enlightenment for oneself only
- emptiness ✓
- the belief that the self is permanent and unchanging
-
- Which concept in Mahayana Buddhism refers to the belief that every individual has the potential to become a Buddha?
- nirvana
- Buddha-nature ✓
- samsara
- anatta
-
- Which parable from the Lotus Sutra is used to illustrate the importance of removing distractions in order to realise your Buddha-nature?
- the parable of the Lost Son
- the parable of the Burning House ✓
- the parable of the Blind Men and the Elephant
- the parable of the Mustard Seed
-
- The belief that helping others to achieve enlightenment is an important goal for Mahayana Buddhists, is linked to the concept of ______.
- 'Bodhisattvas' ✓
- The Buddhist teaching that all things depend on other conditions and causes is known as ______.
- 'dependent arising' ✓
- The teaching that there is no permanent ‘self’ and that individuals are made up of changing elements is known as ______.
- 'anatta' ✓
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- In Mahayana Buddhism, the skandhas that make up a human are seen as empty.
- Sunyata helps Buddhists to understand that there is no fixed, stable self, and the universe is neither fixed nor stable.
- This is because everything is dependent on something else and nothing has its own form.
- Buddha-nature is important in Mahayana Buddhism and means all humans have the potential to become enlightened.
- Teachings on the human personality influence Buddhists to avoid attachments, meditate daily and show compassion.
Common misconception
Sunyata means that everything is completely nonexistent, there is nothing at all, or the world is a void with no meaning or value.
Sunyata refers to the emptiness of inherent existence, meaning that all things are empty of an independent, permanent or fixed essence.
Keywords
Mahayana - literally 'Greater Vehicle'
Buddhahood - reaching enlightenment
Buddha-nature - the nature of all beings, which means that all beings can become enlightened/reach Buddhahood
Sunyata - literally ‘emptiness’
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