Birth Of The Historical Buddha And The Four Sights

Question 1

Who did the Buddha pick to child bear the new Buddha to be and why?

Answer 1

Queen Maya was picked after the Dhamma was lost because of her Purity

Question 2

How did Queen Maya realise she was pregnant

Answer 2

She had dreamt a white elephant had entered the side of her womb, indicating pregnancy

Question 3

Where did Queen Maya set off to give birth?

Answer 3

She set off to her parents house, as was standard, to give birth. Her husband sent Suddhodana sent soldiers to chaperone.

Question 4

What was Queen Maya carried in?

Answer 4

A palanquin

Question 5

What city did Queen Maya leave and arrive at?

Answer 5

She left Kapilavatthu and paused at Lumbini Park

Question 6

What happened to Queen Maya in Lumbini Park?

Answer 6

She led against a Sala tree and and gave birth to the Buddha.

Question 7

What relevance is it that the Buddha was born out of her side?

Answer 7

It generates Karmic Purity.

Question 8

How are the trees relevant in the Buddhas birth?

Answer 8

They foreshadow the Buddha’s enlightenment between two trees and his death under a tree too

Question 9

What do texts say Siddhartha Guatanama did after he was born?

Answer 9

He is said to have taken several steps, and lotus flowers appearing under each step he took.

Question 10

What was Siddhartha thought to have said when he was born

Answer 10

“I am the chief of the world, this is the last birth. There is no more coming to be”

Question 11

What was Asiata (the holy man)’s reaction to the birth of the new Buddha?

Answer 11

• Cried from happiness
• Made a prophecy

Question 12

What was the prophecy made about the Buddha?

Answer 12

He would be a ‘wheel turner’ and would make great change to the world, either through a military leader or a holy man.

Question 13

What did Siddhartha’s father do in order to ensure he would become a military leader?

Answer 13

He ensured that his son was never tempted to leave the palace by giving him everything he could ever want in the palace walls.

Question 14

What does Hagiography mean?

Answer 14

a religious biography which is not historical fact but an idealised story designed to bring out the significance of what the person represents to the religion.

Question 15

What are Myths?

Answer 15

Accounts of questionable accuracy as the involve the theme of the supernatural

Question 16

Quote about the Buddha and Dhamma

Answer 16

“Who sees the Dhamma, sees me, and who sees me, sees the Dhamma”

Question 17

Why did Siddhartha become curious about the four sights?

Answer 17

He had only lived a life of luxury and witnessed no suffering

Question 18

Who took Siddhartha to see the four sights?

Answer 18

Channa

Question 19

What were the four sights?

Answer 19

• Old man
• Sick man
• Dead corpse
• Holy Man who was in a state of detachment

Question 20

What do the four sights symbolise?

Answer 20

The Buddhas awakening to Dukkha (suffering) and begins his journey to enlightenment

Question 21

What are the three marks of existence?

Answer 21

Dukkha - Suffering - the sick person
Anicca - Impermanence - the old man
Anatta - No self - corpse

Question 22

How did the Buddha find his ‘middle way’

Answer 22

He figured out his path through experiments and didn’t figure out enlightenment straight away

Question 23

What does the middle way suggest about Buddhism as a faith?

Answer 23

It suggests to Buddhists that they should indeed not simply follow the teachings, but test themselves and find out what works for them

Question 24

What is the Buddha’s ‘Raft’ analogy?

Answer 24

He suggests that we on,y need the raft to get to the place we need to be. This relates to the idea of Nirvana.

Question 25

What does the Buddha suggest in his Kalama Sutra?

Answer 25

We shouldn’t believe a teaching because we repeatedly hear it, but because we have observed it ourselves and have our own true contentment and happiness

Question 26

Quotes supporting Kalama sutra

Answer 26

“Then and only then enter into abide in them”