Religion 2

Question 1

Sangha is

Answer 1

The monastic order developed from the Buddha’s early disciples that accepted people from all classes.

Question 2

Few factual details about Buddha’s life are known because

Answer 2

Extant biographies exist in written form that venerate the Buddha as a legendary hero.

Question 3

Despite his father’s best efforts to shield his son from anything unhappy or unpleasant, these “four sights” were ultimately revealed to Siddhartha:

Answer 3

A bent old man, a sick person, a dead person, and a mendicant seeking lasting happiness.

Question 4

After the cremation of the Buddha’s body, to commemorate the Buddha’s passing and final liberation, pieces of his bone and teeth were given to messengers of the seven clans who built

Answer 4

Stupas

Question 4

According to legend, Mara tempted Siddhartha at Bodh Gaya in order to

Answer 4

Keep Siddhartha’s insights to himself because they were too complex and profound for ordinary people.

Question 5

To a dying woman, Venerable Ajahn Chah stated, “What arises passes away, what is born dies, and is not self—so that our sense of being caught in an identity with this human body fades out.” This was meant to discuss insight into

Answer 5

Anatman

Question 6

During his very first talk at Sarnath, the core principle(s) Buddha set forth was

Answer 6

The Four Noble Truths

Question 7

The name for one who has found nirvana in this life is

Answer 7

Arhant

Question 8

During Siddhartha’s journey to enlightenment, when finally experiencing supreme awakening, he saw the wheel of repeated death and rebirth where past good and bad deeds are reflected in future lives, otherwise called

Answer 8

The cycle of samsara.

Question 9

One of the approaches the Buddha set forth that allows humans to extricate themselves from suffering and achieve final liberation is through the aspects of living that allow one to purify the mind and avoid unwholesome actions, or

Answer 9

The Noble Eightfold Path to Liberation.

Question 10

Ashoka disseminated Buddhism throughout his kingdom because

Answer 10

He felt great remorse over military losses.

Question 11

The traditional language of the Tipitaka is

Answer 11

Pali

Question 12

According to Theravada Buddhists, one takes refuge in the Buddha by

Answer 12

Honoring the Buddha as supreme teacher and inspiring model.

Question 13

The highest goal of Mahayana texts like the Lotus Sutra is

Answer 13

To become a bodhisattva and achieve Buddhahood.

Question 14

In Mahayana tradition, the Buddha is said to be an immanent presence in the universe with these three “bodies” or aspects:

Answer 14

Formless enlightened wisdom, body of bliss, and emanation of body.

Question 15

Many became devotees of the Amitabha Buddha because

Answer 15

Social upheaval led people to think of themselves as degenerate.

Question 15

The first patriarch of Chan Buddhism was

Answer 15

Bodhidharma

Question 16

In Zen Buddhism, the practice of sitting meditation is known as

Answer 16

Zazen

Question 17

The contemporary offshoot of Nichiren’s movement that lobbies for a peaceful world revolution through transformation of individual consciousness is called

Answer 17

Soka Gakkai International.

Question 18

Nichidatsu Fujii, who was strongly influenced by Gandhi’s doctrine of nonviolence, founded the

Answer 18

Nipponzan Myohoji.

Question 19

The Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of

Answer 19

Tibetan Buddhists.

Question 20

In Tibetan Buddhism, people prepare for death while they are living in order to have a peaceful death by practicing

Answer 20

Phowa.

Question 21

In the third stage of Atisha, the esoteric path that one must follow in Tibetan Buddhism is

Answer 21

Tantrayana.

Question 22

For a Vajrayana initiate, the practice of meditating on him- or herself in the form of a Buddha or bodhisattva is known as

Answer 22

Deity yoga.

Question 23

The mantra of Avalokiteshvara is chanted to

Answer 23

Evoke an awareness of the sufferings of sentient beings and compassion for all living beings.

Question 24

The most important Buddhist festival is

Answer 24

Vesak

Question 25

In Japan, Shakyamuni Buddha’s birthday is celebrated during

Answer 25

Early April.

Question 26

In Thailand, when celebrating the Festival of Floating Bowls, the bowls on the water symbolize

Answer 26

A person’s bad luck floating away.

Question 27

In Sri Lanka, a particular relic belonging to the Buddha is paraded through the streets on the back of richly decorated elephants during

Answer 27

the Festival of the Tooth.

Question 28

In some countries, young laymen temporarily enter the Sangha and live as monks for a while to commemorate

Answer 28

Passage to adulthood.

Question 29

Buddhism is often embraced by people in the West because

Answer 29

They long for peace of mind in the midst of a chaotic materialistic life.

Question 30

Some consider Western Buddhism to be closer to the core of early teachings in Buddhism because of the

Answer 30

Stronger emphasis on inner practice.

Question 31

How do levels of Buddhist participation among women compare between the East and West?

Answer 31

Women in the West are more likely to participate.

Question 32

International audiences flock to listen to teachings of an exiled Vietnamese monk named

Answer 32

Thich Nhat Hanh.

Question 33

In a Western Zen Monastery, by exploring the relevance of Buddhist principles in the workplace, the central goal emphasized is

Answer 33

Personal experience of enlightenment and its application in the twenty-first-century world.

Question 34

The Tzu Chi organization, founded by Venerable Cheng Yen in Taiwan, provides

Answer 34

Volunteer services, such as disaster relief, medicine, education, and environmental protection.

Question 35

Buddhism became popular in India during the twentieth century because

Answer 35

It overcame caste distinctions.

Question 36

This individual inspired half a million untouchable Indians to convert to Buddhism:

Answer 36

B. R. Ambedkar.

Question 37

After decades of terror where more than one million people were murdered by the Khmer Rouge, Buddhists played a major role in

Answer 37

Peacemaking and rebuilding Cambodia.