Buddhism Basics: Memorize 78 Flashcards Through Its Numbered Lists

Buddhism is a religion of numbered lists: four truths, eight path factors, three marks, three gems, five precepts. The Buddhism Basics deck (code JU6546, 78 cards) follows that logic, which makes it easy to memorize if you learn each list as a single unit instead of 78 loose facts.

What the deck covers

You'll master: Siddhartha Gautama, Lumbini, Bodh Gaya, dukkha, taṇhā, nirvana and parinirvana, the Four Noble Truths (samudaya, nirodha, marga), the Noble Eightfold Path, the Middle Way, anicca, anattā, saṃsāra, karma, merit, dāna, the Triple Gem (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha), bodhisattva vs arhat, Theravāda, Mahāyāna, Vajrayāna, Tibetan, Zen and Pure Land Buddhism, the Five Precepts, mettā, karuṇā, the brahma-vihāras, upekkhā, sati, samādhi, vipassanā, koans, mantras, mandalas, stupas, the Dharmachakra, the Tripiṭaka and Pāli Canon, the Lotus and Heart Sutras, pratītyasamutpāda, śūnyatā, avijjā and Emperor Ashoka.

Sample cards

Tip 1: finish the Eightfold Path, then fold it into three

Cards 45-49 define right view, intention, speech, action and livelihood — then stop. Right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration have no card of their own. Write those three before you start reviewing, otherwise the list on card 13 stays a string of words you can't unpack.

Then hang all eight on card 72, the three trainings. Wisdom (paññā) = view + intention; ethics (śīla) = speech + action + livelihood; meditation (samādhi) = effort + mindfulness + concentration. One card, three branches, eight factors: that is how the tradition itself groups them, and recall improves immediately.

Tip 2: rebirth is not reincarnation

Card 17 says there is no permanent soul; card 57 says consciousness takes a new form after death. These aren't contradictory, but they are easy to blur with the Hindu idea of an ātman moving between bodies. Add one contrast card: Buddhist rebirth = a causal continuity driven by karma, with no unchanging self that transmigrates. If you are also studying Hinduism, review both decks side by side.

Two quick fixes while you are at it: card 52 says monks are traditionally men, but card 53 names the bhikkhunī — the ordained nun — so rewrite 52 as men (bhikkhus) and women (bhikkhunīs) who keep the Vinaya. And the follower count on card 1 (about 320 million) is a 2020-era estimate; keep it as an order of magnitude.

Study order

1. Cards 1-5 and 24 (life of the Buddha), then 78 for the spread under Ashoka.
2. The lists: 8-17, 20, 33, 62, 72 — one list per session.
3. Schools: 25-32 and 68 (draw a three-branch tree).
4. Texts and symbols: 37-40, 50, 55-56, 69-70.

Find Buddhism Basics (JU6546) in the library at flip-it.app. For the comparison with karma, dharma and saṃsāra on the Hindu side, see our Hinduism Basics study guide.