BUDDHA AND MAHAVIRA

Question 1

BUDDHA BELONGED TO WHICH GANA?

Answer 1

HE BELONGED TO A SMALL GANA KNOWN AS SAKYA GANA AND WAS A KSHATRIYA.

Question 2

WHERE DID BUDDHA ATTAINED ENLIGHTENMENT?

Answer 2

UNDER PEEPAL TREE AT BODH GAYA IN BIHAR.
AFTER THAT HE WAS KNOWN AS THE WISE ONE.

Question 3

WHERE DID BUDDHA TAUGHT FOR THE FIRST TIME?

Answer 3

AFTER ENLIGHTENMENT HE WENT TO SARNATH, NEAR VARANASI WHERE HE TAUGHT FOR THE FIRST TIME. THERE IS STUPA AT SARNATH.

Question 4

BUDDHA PASSED AWAY AT?

Answer 4

KUSINARA.

Question 5

DID BUDDHISM AND JAINISM ADMITTED WOMEN INTO SANGHAS?

Answer 5

YES THEY BOTH ADMITTED WOMEN.

Question 6

BUDDHISM PRESCRIBES A MIDDLE PATH WHILE JAINISM ADVOCATES ITS FOLLOWERS TO LIVE A LIFE OF______?

Answer 6

COMPLETE AUSTERITY.

Question 7

WHAT IS THIRST OR TANHA?
WHO DESCRIBED IT?
HOW WE CAN OVERCOME IT?

Answer 7

1 LIFE IS FULL OF SUFFERING AND UNHAPPINESS CAUSE OF WHICH IS CRAVINGS AND DESIRES.
THESE CRAVINGS AND DESIRE CANNOT WE FULFILLED AS WE ARE NEVER SATISFIED AND WANT EVEN MORE. THIS IS THIRST OR TANHA.
2 BUDDHA DESCRIBED IT.
3 THIS CONSTANT CRAVING CAN BE REMOVED BY FOLLOWING MODERATION IN EVERYTHING.

Question 8

IN WHICH LANGUAGE DID BUDDHA TAUGHT?

Answer 8

HE TAUGHT IN LANGUAGE OF ORDINARY PEOPLE, PRAKRIT.

Question 9

DO BUDDHA BELIEVED IN KARMA?

Answer 9

YES, HE BELIEVED THAT THE RESULTS OF OUR ACTIONS CALLED KARMA WHETHER GOOD OR BAD AFFECT US BOTH IN THIS LIFE AND THE NEXT.
SO HE BELIEVED IN THEORY OF REBIRTH ALSO.

Question 10

WHAT ARE UPANISHADS?

Answer 10

UPANISHADS LITERALLY MEANS APPROACHING AND SITTING NEAR AND THE TEXTS CONTAIN CONVERSATIONS BETWEEN TEACHERS AND STUDENTS.
MANY THINKERS OF BUDDHIST TIME FELT THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING PERMANENT IN THE UNIVERSE THAT WOULD LAST EVEN AFTER DEATH. THEY DESCRIBED THIS AS THE ATMAN OR THE INDIVIDUAL SOUL AND THE BRAHMAN OR THE UNIVERSAL SOUL. THEY BELIEVED THAT ULTIMATELY, BOTH THE ATMAN AND THE BRAHMAN WERE ONE.
MANY OF THEIR IDEAS WERE RECORDED IN THE UPANISHADS.

Question 11

SHAUNAKA AND ABHIPRATARIN THE TWO SAGES WHO WORSHIPED THE UNIVERSAL SOUL AND THE WISE BEGGAR STORY IS FROM WHICH UPANISHAD?

Answer 11

CHHANDOGYA UPANISHAD.

Question 12

EXCEPTIONAL THINKERS IN UPANISHADS?

Answer 12

MOST UPANISHADIC THINKERS WERE MEN ESPECIALLY BRAHMINS AND RAJAS.
1 WOMEN THINKERS- GARGI, APALA, GHOSHA AND MAITREYI FAMOUS FOR LEARNINGS AND PARTICIPATED IN DEBATES IN ROYAL COURTS.
2 POOR PEOPLE- SATYAKAMA JABALA SON OF SLAVE WOMEN JABALI. HE WAS ACCEPTED AS A STUDENT BY A BRAHMIN TEACHER NAMED GAUTAMA.

Question 13

SHANKARACHARYA ROLE IN UPANISHADS?

Answer 13

MANY OF THE IDEAS OF THE UPANISHADS WERE LATER DEVELOPED BY THE FAMOUS THINKER SHANKARACHARYA.

Question 14

WHO WAS PANINI?

Answer 14

HE WAS A GRAMMARIAN.
HE ARRANGED THE VOWELS AND CONSONANTS IN A SPECIAL ORDER AND THEN USED THESE TO CREATE FORMULAE LIKE THOSE IN ALGEBRA.
HE USED THESE TO WRITE DOWN THE RULES OF THE LANGUAGE IN SHORT FORMULAE (AROUND 3000 OF THEM).

Question 15

WHAT IS SALLEKHANA?
IT IS ALSO KNOWN AS?

Answer 15

ALSO KNOWN AS SANTHARA IS A RITUAL OF FASTING TILL DEATH IN JAINISM.

Question 16

MAHAVIRA WAS PART OF WHICH SANGHA?

Answer 16

VAJJI SANGHA.
HE WAS A KSHATRIYAS PRINCE OF THE LICHCHHAVIS.

Question 17

AT WHAT AGE DID MAHAVIRA LEFT HOME?

Answer 17

30 YEARS.

Question 18

DOCTRINE OF MAHAVIRA?

Answer 18

1 MEN AND WOMEN WHO WISHED TO KNOW THE TRUTH MUST LEAVE THEIR HOMES.
2 MUST FOLLOW STRICTLY THE RULES OF AHIMSA (NOT HURTING OR KILLING LIVING BEINGS).
3 ALL BEINGS SAID MAHAVIRA “ LONG TO LIVE. TO ALL THINGS LIFE IS DEAR.

Question 19

LANGUAGE USED BY MAHAVIRA TO TEACH?

Answer 19

PRAKRIT.
PRAKRIT SPOKEN IN MAGADHA WAS KNOWN AS MAGADHI.

Question 20

HOW DID FOLLOWERS OF MAHAVIRA LIVED?

Answer 20

1 FOLLOWERS OF MAHAVIRA WHO WERE KNOWN AS JAINAS HAD TO LEAD VERY SIMPLE LIVES, BEGGING FOR FOOD.
2 OBSERVE CELIBACY.
3 MEN HAD TO GIVE UP EVERYTHING, INCLUDING THEIR CLOTHES.

Question 21

THE WORD JAINA COMES FROM?

Answer 21

JINA MEANING CONQUEROR.

Question 22

WHO MAINLY SUPPORTED JAINISM AND WHO COULD NOT FOLLOW IT?

Answer 22

SUPPORTED MAINLY BY TRADERS.
FARMERS HAD TO KILL INSECTS TO PROTECT THEIR CROPS SO THEY FOUND IT DIFFICULT TO FOLLOW THESE RULES.

Question 23

TRANSMISSION AND WRITING OF TEACHINGS OF MAHAVIRA?

Answer 23

THE TEACHINGS OF MAHAVIRA AND HIS FOLLOWERS WERE TRANSMITTED ORALLY FOR SEVERAL CENTURIES.
THEY WERE WRITTEN DOWN IN THE FORM IN WHICH THEY ARE PRESENTLY AVAILABLE AT A PLACE CALLED VALABHI, IN GUJARAT ABOUT 1500 YEARS AGO.

Question 24

WAS IT MANDATORY TO LEAVE HOME TO GAIN TRUE KNOWLEDGE AS PER BUDDHA AND MAHAVIRA?

Answer 24

BOTH MAHAVIRA AND BUDDHA FELT THAT ONLY THOSE WHO LEFT THEIR HOMES COULD GAIN TRUE KNOWLEDGE.
THEY ARRANGED FOR THEM TO STAY TOGETHER IN THE SANGHA, AN ASSOCIATION OF THOSE WHO LEFT THEIR HOMES.

Question 25

THE RULES LAID DOWN FOR THE BUDDHIST SANGHA WERE WRITTEN DOWN IN A BOOK CALLED?

Answer 25

VINAYA PITAKA.

Question 26

RULES IN VINAYA PITAKA FOR BUDDHIST SANGHAS?

Answer 26

1 SEPARATE BRANCHES FOR MEN AND WOMEN.
2 ALL MEN COULD JOIN THE SANGHA.
3 CHILDREN HAD TO TAKE PERMISSION OF THEIR PARENTS TO JOIN, SLAVES NEEDED PERMISSION OF THEIR MASTERS, THOSE WHO WORKED FOR KING HAD TO TAKE HIS PERMISSION, DEBTORS TO TAKE PERMISSION FROM CREDITORS, WOMEN HAD TO TAKE THEIR HUSBAND’S PERMISSION.
4 MEN AND WOMEN MEDITATED AND BEG FOR FOOD DURING FIXED HOURS. THEY ARE WERE KNOWN AS BHIKKHUS (PRAKRIT WORD FOR RENOUNCER-BEGGER) AND BHIKKHUNIS.
5 THEY TAUGHT OTHERS AND HELD MEETINGS TO SETTLE QUARRELS.

Question 27

THOSE WHO JOINED THE SANGHAS INCLUDED?

Answer 27

BRAHMINS, KSHATRIYAS, MERCHANTS, LABOURERS, BARBERS, COURTESANS AND SLAVES.
MANY OF THEM WROTE DOWN THE TEACHINGS OF BUDDHA. SOME OF THEM ALSO COMPOSED BEAUTIFUL POEMS, DESCRIBING THEIR LIFE IN THE SANGHA.

Question 28

WHAT ARE VIHARAS?

Answer 28

THEY ARE PLACE OF STAY (BUDDHIST MONASTERIES).
WERE BUILT AT BOTH JAINA AND BUDDHIST TIMES. MONKS STAYED IN ONE PLACE DURING RAINY SEASON.
IN REST OF THE SEASON THEY WENT FROM PLACE TO PLACE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR TEACHING PEOPLE.

Question 29

CHAITYAS ARE?

Answer 29

PLACE OF SHRINE.

Question 30

EARLIEST VIHARAS WERE MADE OF?

Answer 30

WOOD AND THEN OF BRICKS. SOME WERE EVEN IN CAVES EXAMPLE KARLE CAVE IN MAHARASHTRA.

Question 31

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE FOLLOWERS OF BUDDHA JOIN THE ORDER OF MONKS?

Answer 31

THE VARNAS AND RANKS AND FAMILY FORGOTTEN WHEN THE FOLLOWERS OF THE BUDDHA JOIN THE ORDER OF THE MONKS.

Question 32

FROM WHERE DID THE LAND FOR VIHARAS CAME?

Answer 32

VERY OFTEN THE LAND ON WHICH THE VIHARA WAS BUILT WAS DONATED BY A RICH MERCHANT OR A LAND OWNER OR THE KING.
THE LOCAL PEOPLE CAME WITH GIFTS OF FOOD, CLOTHING AND MEDICINES FOR THE MONKS AND NUNS. IN RETURN THEY TAUGHT THE PEOPLE.

Question 33

WHAT WAS THE SYSTEM OF ASHRAMAS?

Answer 33

WHEN JAINISM AND BUDDHISM WERE BECOMING POPULAR, BRAHMINS DEVELOPED THE SYSTEM OF ASHRAMAS.
HERE THE WORD ASHRAMA DOES NOT MEAN A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE LIVE AND MEDITATE. IT IS USED INSTEAD FOR A STAGE OF LIFE.
1 BRAHMACHARYA- BRAHMIN, KSHATRIYA AND VAISHYA MEN WERE EXPECTED TO LEAD SIMPLE LIVES AND STUDY THE VEDAS DURING THE EARLY YEARS.
2 GRIHASTHA- MARRY AND LIVE AS HOUSEHOLDERS.
3 VANAPRASTHA- LIVE IN FOREST AND MEDITATE.
4 SAMNYASA- GIVE UP EVERYTHING AND BECOME SAMNYASINS.
THE SYSTEM OF ASHRAMAS ALLOWED MEN TO SPEND SOME PART OF THEIR LIVES IN MEDITATION.
GENERALLY, WOMEN WERE NOT ALLOWED TO STUDY THE VEDAS AND THEY HAD TO FOLLOW THE ASHRAMAS CHOSEN BY THEIR HUSBANDS.

Question 34

RELIGIOUS TEXT OF ZOROASTRIANS IS?

Answer 34

AVESTA.
THE LANGUAGE OF THE AVESTA AND THE PRACTICES DESCRIBED IN IT ARE VERY SIMILAR TO THOSE OF THE VEDAS.

Question 35

UPANISHADIC THINKERS, THE JAINA TEACHER MAHAVIRA AND THE BUDHHA. TIMELINE?

Answer 35

ABOUT 2500 YEARS AGO.

Question 36

WRITING DOWN OF THE JAINA TEXTS. TIMELINE?

Answer 36

ABOUT 1500 YEARS AGO.