TIBETAN-BUDDHIST CHEAT SHEET

========================== TIBETAN-BUDDHIST CHEAT SHEET: (Gelugpa School) {By Simo The Finlandized- © 2020 CE} =======================≠== Preface: The Following Content Is In Regard For Explaining The Various Core Tenets Of The Gelugpa School Of Tibetan-Buddhism In Simple Comprehensive Terminology. Enjoy Your Enlightenment. ========================== THE GELUGPA SCHOOL OF TIBET: ========================= The Gelugpa ("Way of Virtue") School of Tibetan Buddhism was originally a reformist movement and is known for its rather high emphasis on the faculties of logic and debate to determine what is full truth. The order was founded in the 14th to 15th centuries CE by a Tibetan-Buddhist religious leader & philosopher named Je Tsongkhapa, renowned for both his great scholarship and great virtue. He was a prominent supporter of the Madhyamika (universal-emptiness) philosophy and formalized the Svatantrika-Prasaṅgika (philosophical systems of a blend of logic/rhetoric /dialectic-based reasoning on determining what constitutes as ultimate reality) distinction. Its spiritual head is the Ganden Tripa while its temporal one is the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama is regarded as the embodiment of the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara. After the civil war in Tibet during the 17th century and the Mongol intervention, the Gelugpa school dominated Tibetan Buddhism, and successive Dalai Lamas outright ruled the land of Tibet from the mid-17th to mid-20th centuries CE. Gelugpa is the youngest but largest sect of Tibetan Buddhism. People also call it the Yellow Sect due to the hat they wear is of yellow color. The founder of Gelugpa is Tsongkhapa, a great Tibetan-Buddhist master. The discipline of Gelugpa is very strict: followers could not get married, could not eat meat, could not drink alcoholic beverages, & elsewhat, in addition to the already-comprehensive Buddhist Five Precepts (no killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, false/idle/harsh speech, or mental intoxicants). Its primary tantras-of-focus are the Guhyasamaja Tantra, Cakrasamvara Tantra, & the Kalacakra Tantra; it also advocates a life dedicated to virtuous monasticism & strict Tibetan-Buddhist principles (vinaya; monastic discipline) as the primary mode of attaining Enlightenment within this lifetime, as it positively does for pursuing the Bodhisattva Path (Enlightenment to ultimately liberate thyself but hold back from complete Buddhahood till all sentient beings can be saved as a grand gesture of universal compassion), universally common in many East Asian Buddhist Schools. Most of the famous monasteries in Tibet adhere to the Gelugpa School, such as the Ganden, Drepung, & Sera Monasteries in Lhasa, and Tashilhunpo Monastery in Shigatse. ========================= On Philosophy & The Humanities: (2020 CE) ========================= PREFACE: This Treatise Is About The Core Tenets Of Basic Philosophy & The Humanities. Please Read With An Intuitive Mind. ========================= PHILOSOPHY: ========================= Philosophy Is The Study Of General & Fundamental Questions About Existence, Knowledge, Values, Reasoning, Mind, & Language. Such Questions Are Posed As Problems To Be Studied Or Resolved. Methods To Uncover Philosophical Truth Include Questioning, Critical Discussion, Rational Argument, & Systematic Representation. There Are 3 Main Subcategories Of Philosophy; Natural Philosophy (Science), Moral Philosophy (Ethics), & Metaphysical Philosophy (Logical Reasoning). Philosophies Are All Valid So Long As Their Tenets Can Be Repetitively Backed Up By Valid & Logical Evidence, But None Are Right Or Wrong, Just Ideas. All That Is Needed To Create A Philosophy Is To Take A Pressing "Classic" Question & Try To Answer It To The Best Abilities Within Philosophical Methodology. There's No Right Or Wrong, Only Validity, In This Case. Just Answer To The Best Of Your Ability! =======================≠= IDEAS TO REFLECT UPON & CONSIDER: ==================≠==≠=== Nature Of Truth & Falsehood; Nature Of Reality; The Best Way To Live; The Just/Unjust Question; Free Will; Nature Of Being; Limits & Validities Of Knowledge; Government; Use Of Science & Technology; & Endlessly Many More To Ponder. ========================= DIALECTIC: ========================= Dialectic Is The Process Of Eliciting The Truth By Means Of Questions Aimed At Opening What Is Already Implicitly Known, Or At Least Exposing The Possible Contradictions & Muddles Of An Opponent's Position. Opposing Arguments Improve Upon Each Other, And The Prevailing Opinion Is Shaped By The Synthesis Of Many Conflicting Ideas Over Time. Each New Idea Exposes A Flaw In Accepted Models & The Epistemological Substance Of The Debate Continuously Approaches The Greater Truth. ========================= RHETORIC: ========================= In Rhetoric, The Art Of Persuasion, There Are Three Appeals To Persuade (Ethos - Appeal To Speaker's Character; Pathos - Appeal To Audience's Emotion; Logos - Appeal To Logic & Reasoning), Three Genres Of Persuasive Speech (Ceremonial Speech In Praise Or Folly, Judicial Speeches Over Guiltiness Or Not, & Deliberative Speeches Over Doing Or Not), & Two Types Of Rhetorical Proofs (Proof By Logic & Proof By Example). ================≠======≠= LOGIC: ========================= In Logic, There Are 4 Types Of Logical Statements: - "A" (All S Are P), - "E" (All S Are Not P), - "I" (Some S Are P), - "O" (Some S Are Not P). Called Syllogisms, You Can Use Them To Evaluate What Is Already Known By Brute Logic To Discover New Truths & Constants. ==================≠====== HOW TO MEDITATE: ========================= Meditation Is A Quintessential Practice That All Buddhists Utilize In Order To Advance In Their Spiritual Lives. While Most People Use Meditation As A Mental Detox To Cleanse The Mind Of Unnecessary Stress & Pressure, Buddhist Practitioners Use It Not Only For That, But Also To Reflect & Gain Wisdom-Knowledge, Cultivate Merits & Wholesome Qualities, & Eventually Transcend Themselves Into Nirvana. Here's A Guide On How To Practice Basic Meditation; Once Mastered, You May Try To Reflect On Your Mind/ Body/Speech's Activity To Gain The Aforementioned Treasures. Anyway, Let's Try It Out! ========================= Step 1) Get Into A Comfortable Position, Whereitbe Sitting, Standing, Or Lying Down. ========================= Step 2) Close Eyes & Start Breathing Slowly & Gradually More Deeply. ========================== Step 3) Maintain A Constant & Regular Deep-Breathing Rate / Pattern. ========================= Step 4) Focus Solely On The Breathing (Such As The Rise & Fall Of The Chest Whilst Doing It). ========================= Step 5) Clear The Mind & Relax In Bliss For The Mental Detox. For Prolonged Meditation, You May Begin Contemplating About A Certain Topic To Enhance Your Internal Reflection. ========================= MANTRAS: {Words Of Power} ========================= Mantras Are Essentially Special "Words-Of-Power" That Are Recited Over & Over Again Up To 108 Times In Order To Help A Person With Meditation, Achieve Goals, & Progress Spiritually. Here Are A Few To Get You Started: ======================== 1) Six-Syllable Mantra (The King Of Mantras): {[Om Mani Padme Hum]} [Helps Spread Compassion & Kindness To You & Others] ========================= TIBETAN-BUDDHIST CHEAT SHEET: ========================= This Cheat Sheet Is Both A Speedy Reference & An Ultimately Condensed Version Of All Basic Tibetan-Buddhist Teachings Made Accessible For The Common Man On His Spiritual Journey. Enjoy! ========================= 10 WHOLESOME CONDUCTS: 1) No Stealing 2) No Lying 3) No Killing 4) No Sexual Misconduct 5) No Slander 6) No Harsh Words 7) No Flattery 8) No Greed 9) No Anger 10) No Ignorance ------------------------------------ FIVE MORAL PRECEPTS FOR ALL: 1) No Killing 2) No Stealing 3) No Mental Intoxicants 4) No Sexual Misconduct 5) No False/Idle/Harsh Speech ------------------------------------ THREE JEWELS OF REFUGE: 1) The Buddha 2) The Dharma (Teachings) 3) The Sangha (Community) ------------------------------------ THREE HIGHER TRAININGS: 1) Morality 2) Concentration 3) Wisdom ------------------------------------ FOUR ATTACHMENTS: 1) Self-Doctrine Clinging 2) Wrong-View Clinging 3) Rites-&-Rituals Clinging 4) Sensual-Pleasure Clinging ------------------------------------ 12 LINKS OF DEPENDENT ARISING: 1) Ignorance 2) Mental Formations 3) Consciousness 4) Name & Form 5) Six Senses 6) Contact 7) Feeling 8) Craving 9) Grasping 10) Becoming 11) Birth 12) Aging & Death ------------------------------------ SIX PARAMITAS: 1) Generosity 2) Morality 3) Patience 4) Diligence 5) Meditative Concentration 6) Insight / Wisdom ------------------------------------ THREE MENTAL POISONS: 1) Greed / Attachment 2) Anger 3) Ignorance ------------------------------------ SIX REALMS OF EXISTENCE: 1) God 2) Demigod 3) Human 4) Animal 5) Ghost 6) Hell-Being ------------------------------------ SIX SENSES: 1) Eyes (Seeing) 2) Ears (Hearing) 3) Nose (Smelling) 4) Tongue (Tasting) 5) Body (Touching) 6) Mind (Thinking) THREE SENSORY TONES: 1) Pleasant 2) Unpleasant 3) Neutral ------------------------------------ FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS: 1) All Conditional Life Is Suffering. 2) All Suffering Is Caused By Desire. 3) Suffering Ends When We Rid Ourselves Of Desire. 4) There Is A Path Out Of Desire & Into Liberation From Suffering (The Noble Eightfold Path). ------------------------------------ THE NOBLE EIGHTFOLD PATH: 1) Right View 2) Right Thinking 3) Right Speech 4) Right Action 5) Right Livelihood 6) Right Effort 7) Right Mindfulness 8) Right Concentration ------------------------------------ FIVE HINDRANCES: 1) Sensory Desire 2) Ill Will 3) Laziness / Sloth 4) Restlessness & Worry 5) Doubt ------------------------------------ THREE MARKS OF EXISTENCE: 1) Impermanence 2) Non-Self 3) Suffering ------------------------------------ THE THREE SUFFERINGS: 1) Suffering From Pain 2) Suffering From Change 3) Suffering From Conditionality ------------------------------------ FIVE AGGREGATES OF SELF: 1) Form / Matter 2) Feeling / Sensation 3) Perception 4) Mental Formation / Volition 5) Consciousness ------------------------------------ EIGHT VICCISITUDES OF LIFE: 1) Gain / Loss 2) Pleasure / Pain 3) Praise / Blame 4) Fame / Disrepute ------------------------------------ THE FOUR METTA PHRASES: 1) May I Be Free From Danger. 2) May I Be Happy. 3) May I Be Healthy. 4) May I Love With Ease. ------------------------------------ THE FOUR BRAHMA-VIHARAS: 1) Lovingkindness 2) Compassion 3) Sympathetic Joy 4) Equanimity ------------------------------------ THE SIX STAGES OF METTA: 1) Love Yourself. 2) Love A Good Friend. 3) Love A Neutral Person. 4) Love A Difficult Person. 5) Love All Four Together. 6) Love The Entire Universe. ------------------------------------ THE THREE LAWS: 1) Man Is Supremely Responsible For His Own Ideas, Thoughts, Beliefs, & Actions. 2) All Existence Is Conditioned, Relative, Interdependent, & Based On Cause-&-Effect. 3) The Self, The Soul, & The Ego Are All False Mental Projections - They Exist As Conventional Truth But Not As Ultimate Truth. ------------------------------------ THE SEVEN FACTORS OF ENLIGHTENMENT: 1) Mindfulness 2) Investigation & Research 3) Energy 4) Joy 5) Relaxation 6) Concentration 7) Equanimity ------------------------------------ ========================