Buddhism — Practices
What's covered
Key facts
Compassion (Karuna) and Loving Kindness (Metta)
Avalokiteshvara is the bodhisattva of compassion in Mahayana Buddhism, sometimes also described as a buddha of compassion.
Death and Mourning Rites
Tibetan tradition observes a 49-day period of bardo prayers after death.
Kamma and Rebirth
Good kamma is produced by skilful, compassionate action free of greed and hate.
Meditation — Samatha and Vipassana
Anapanasati is mindfulness of breathing meditation.
Places of Worship — Temples, Shrines, Viharas
Amaravati is a Theravada Buddhist monastery in the Chiltern Hills, at Great Gaddesden in Hertfordshire.
Puja and Devotional Practice
The Buddhist greeting of folded hands is called anjali (Añjali Mudrā).
The Five Moral Precepts
The fifth precept forbids intoxicants that cloud the mind.
The Six Perfections
The Six Perfections are practised by bodhisattvas.
Wesak and Parinirvana Day
Releasing caged birds symbolises freedom and metta (loving-kindness).
Compassion (Karuna) and Loving Kindness (Metta)
Metta is one of the four Brahma Viharas (divine abodes).
Sample questions
A taste of the 94 questions in this topic, answers marked. Sign up to practise the full set with spaced repetition.
How is metta typically cultivated?
- •Buying merit from a senior monk
- •Performing animal sacrifice at dawn
- •Reciting a curse on one's enemies
- ✓Wishing happiness for self, then all beings
How are Buddhist bodies usually treated?
- •Always buried in consecrated ground
- ✓Cremated, sometimes buried
- •Preserved and enshrined in stupas
- •Returned to nature unembalmed
What does kamma mean?
- ✓Action and its moral results
- •Intentional meditation practice
- •The Buddha's teaching on right intention
- •The cycle of death and rebirth
What is a Buddhist retreat?
- •A daily offering of food and flowers at a home shrine
- •A festival that celebrates the Buddha's birthday
- •A journey to a sacred site such as Bodh Gaya
- ✓A period set aside for meditation and study, often at a monastery
What is a vihara?
- •A meditation hall reserved for ordained monks only
- •A sacred relic mound containing the Buddha's remains
- ✓Buddhist monastery or temple
- •The central scripture library of a Buddhist community
What is commonly offered in Buddhist puja?
- •Bells, drums, statues, and prayer flags
- ✓Flowers, candles, incense, food
- •Oil lamps, coins, cloth, and rice
- •Salt, water, grain, and sacred thread
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