Deck 4: Buddhism

Question 1

Siddhartha Gautama is the name of

A) the person who became known as the Buddha.
B) one of the earliest disciples of the Buddha.
C) a missionary who spread Buddhist teachings.
D) an Indian translator of essential Buddhist texts, who worked in China.

Answer 1

the person who became known as the Buddha.

Question 2

Tradition holds that the Buddha's _____ died soon after his birth.

A) father
B) mother
C) aunt
D) grandfather

Answer 2

mother

Question 3

The Buddha was particularly troubled by the problem of

A) whether there is an afterlife.
B) the existence of the divine.
C) suffering and death.
D) the exploitation of the poor.

Answer 3

suffering and death.

Question 4

The Buddha left home to begin his life of wandering at the age of _____.

A) 16
B) 29
C) 45
D) 71

Question 5

The Buddha died at the age of

A) 35.
B) 49.
C) 65.
D) 80.

Question 6

The basic outlook on life, formulated by Buddhism, is contained in the

A) four major yogas.
B) Four Noble Truths.
C) four castes.
D) Four Passing Sights.

Question 7

Which of the following is one of the essential Buddhist teachings?

A) Turn the other cheek.
B) Everything is changing.
C) Live for yourself only.
D) You have only one life to live.

Question 8

Regarding the common belief in a permanent soul, the Buddha taught that

A) there is none.
B) each person has one, but it dies with the body.
C) the soul is more important than the body.
D) souls are constantly being reborn.

Question 9

Nirvana seems to come from a word that means

A) expand.
B) blown out.
C) fulfillment.
D) reach out.

Question 10

A major goal of Buddhism is

A) union with God.
B) physical health.
C) reaching heaven.
D) inner peace.

Question 11

Identify the literal meaning of the term Mahayana.

A) mind only
B) big vehicle
C) great insight
D) compassionate heart

Question 12

A person of great compassion, willing to be reborn constantly to help others, is called

A) a bodhisattva.
B) an arhat.
C) karuna.
D) sangha.

Question 13

Which of the following terms refers to the essential collection of sacred books of Buddhism?

A) Tripitaka (Tipitaka)
B) Dhammapada
C) the Vedas
D) the Four Noble Truths

Question 14

Zen comes from a word that means

A) joy.
B) peace.
C) insight.
D) meditation.

Question 15

The ideal of the Theravada branch is the

A) bodhisattva.
B) scholar.
C) arhat (arahat).
D) artist.

Question 16

Tibetan Buddhism includes elements of

A) shamanism.
B) Confucianism.
C) Christianity.
D) Islam.

Question 17

Which of the following terms refers to the general name for the category of books that records the words of the Buddha?

A) abhidharma
B) sutra
C) vinaya
D) dharma

Question 18

The dissatisfaction and sorrow that life brings is called

A) karma.
B) bodhisattva.
C) dharma.
D) dukkha.

Question 19

Buddhism came to Tibet from

A) China.
B) Afghanistan.
C) India.
D) Japan.

Question 20

In Tibetan Buddhism, the vajra is frequently used together with

A) a flower.
B) a trumpet.
C) a bell.
D) incense.

Question 21

The school of Chinese and Japanese Buddhism, which sees the Buddha as a divine savior and whose name the believer must constantly repeat with devotion, is called

A) Chan/Zen.
B) Pure Land.
C) Gelug-pa.
D) Tiantai/Tendai.

Question 22

A koan is a

A) poem.
B) question.
C) song.
D) dance.

Question 23

_____ is the Buddha of the Western Paradise.

A) Maitreya
B) Amitabha
C) Guanyin (Kuan-yin)
D) Manjushri

Question 24

To lessen suffering, the Buddha recommended

A) working harder.
B) doing one's duty.
C) lessening desire.
D) praying daily.

Question 25

Buddhism focuses especially on

A) maintaining inner peace.
B) achieving material success.
C) attaining all of one's goals.
D) using one's talents well.

Question 26

The Buddha opposed

A) the caste system.
B) travel for religious reasons.
C) study.
D) meditative practices.

Question 27

The Indian ruler who spread Buddhist teaching widely was

A) Amitabha.
B) Avalokiteshvara.
C) Ashoka.
D) Abhidharma.

Question 28

The term vinaya refers to

A) the robe worn by monks.
B) a collection of rules for monks and nuns.
C) the afternoon chanting of sutras.
D) an amulet blessed by a monk and worn for good luck.

Question 29

Which of the following statements is true about Vimalakirti?

A) He was a ruler of Sri Lanka who converted to Buddhism.
B) He was a Tibetan lama.
C) He was a Theravada teacher in Thailand.
D) He was a rich but compassionate and wise layman.

Question 30

The "sutras on the perfection of wisdom" have what Sanskrit name?

A) Prajnaparamita
B) Sukhavati Vyuha
C) Saddharma Pundarika
D) Dhammapada

Question 31

The Japanese monk who studied in China and established Shingon Buddhism in Japan was

A) Tan Luan (T'an Luan).
B) Kukai (Kobo Daishi).
C) Saicho (Dengyo Daishi).
D) Kannon (Avalokiteshvara).

Question 32

Zen traces itself back to a legendary founder named

A) Tsong Kha-pa.
B) Song-tsen-gam-po.
C) Bodhidharma.
D) Nichiren.

Question 33

Which of the following is an essential practice in Zen?

A) the use of mudras
B) the tea ceremony
C) the visualization of heavenly bodhisattvas
D) manual labor

Question 34

Tendai Buddhism is known for

A) chanting the name of Amitabha Buddha.
B) a fire ritual with historic links to the Vedic fire ceremony.
C) systematizing varied Buddhist teachings into a progressive hierarchy.
D) elaborate mandalas.

Question 35

Which of the following is an important practice in Shingon Buddhism?

A) a fire ritual with historic links to the Vedic fire ceremony
B) chanting the name of Amitabha Buddha
C) the use of koans
D) systematizing varied Buddhist teachings into a progressive hierarchy

Question 36

One appeal of Buddhism for many Westerners is

A) the promise of help from a heavenly Buddha, which parallels themes in Christianity.
B) celibacy.
C) the emphasis on self-reliance and insight.
D) learning calligraphy.

Question 37

_____ are popular stories in Buddhism with a moral lesson involving animals or people.

A) Jataka Tales
B) Aesop's Fables
C) Tripitaka Tales
D) Sutras

Question 38

Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, was educated and trained as a

A) warrior.
B) monk.
C) blacksmith.
D) musician.

Question 39

Unlike his nomadic companions, the Buddha's was a path of

A) self-indulgence.
B) moderation.
C) asceticism.
D) egotism.

Question 40

Which of the following Sanskrit words refers to the sum total of Buddhist teachings about how to view the world and how to live properly?

A) dukkha
B) karuna
C) dharma
D) vajra

Question 41

In the context of the three marks of reality, the term _____ refers to impermanence.

A) mudra
B) dhyana
C) samadhi
D) anichcha

Question 42

Which of the following statements is true about the Buddha?

A) He concluded that to live means inescapably to experience sorrow and dissatisfaction.
B) He accepted the existence of a soul-an unchanging spiritual reality.
C) He rejected the notion of rebirth.
D) He promoted the Hindu notion of timeless, unchanging reality underlying everything-people, things, essences, and gods.

Question 43

According to the Noble Eightfold Path, a person is said to have the _____ when he or she recognizes the impermenance of life, the mechanism of desire, and the cause of suffering.

A) right intention
B) right understanding
C) right work
D) right speech

Question 44

Which of the following steps of the Noble Eightfold Path requires a person to have pure thoughts and motives, not tainted by his or her emotions and selfish desires?

A) right effort
B) right action
C) right intention
D) right contemplation

Question 45

Which of the following is an ideal that is common in both Buddhism and Hinduism and holds that to cause suffering to any being is cruel and unnecessary?

A) shunyata
B) tathata
C) dhyana
D) ahimsa

Question 46

Which of the following statements is true about the ideal of ahimsa?

A) It is a high ideal.
B) It fails to discourage psychological hurt.
C) It is easily achievable.
D) It became prominent in India after the time of the Buddha.

Question 47

In Buddhism, as in Hinduism, the everyday world of change is called _____, a term that suggests decay and pain.

A) maitreya
B) samsara
C) shunyata
D) samadhi

Question 48

In the context of the Theravada teachings and literature, abhidhamma is a collection of the Buddha's teachings that

A) comprises sayings of the Buddha in the form of dialogues.
B) includes rules on receiving donations for food and relations between monks and non-monks.
C) systematized the doctrine presented more or less randomly in the sutras.
D) outlined the procedural rules for monastic life.

Question 49

Which of the following terms is defined as a shrine, usually in the shape of a dome, used to mark Buddhist relics or sacred sites?

A) sutra
B) vajra
C) koan
D) stupa

Question 50

Which of the following statements is true about Mahayana Buddhism?

A) It sought to express its truths in very Indian ways.
B) It emphasizes that in order to attain enlightenment one has to lead the life of a monk.
C) It maintains that a person must save himself rather than attempting to save others.
D) It falls short of meeting religious and philosophical needs.

Question 51

Compassion was treated as an essential virtue and the preeminent expression of wisdom in Mahayana Buddhism. The term for this compassion is _____, which may also be translated as "empathy," "sympathy," or "kindness."

A) mudra
B) karuna
C) trikaya
D) bodhi

Question 52

Which of the following terms refers to the Mahayana notion of emptiness, meaning that the universe is empty of permanent reality?

A) mudra
B) mandala
C) shunyata
D) tathata

Question 53

Which of the following statements defines the term mandala?

A) It is defined as a "diamond" scepter used in Tibetan and other types of Buddhist ritual, symbolizing compassion.
B) It is defined as a state of deep awareness, the result of intensive meditation.
C) It is defined as a symbolic hand gesture.
D) It is defined as a geometrical design containing deities, circles, squares, symbols, and so on that represent totality, the self, or the universe.

Question 54

Summarize the pivotal experiences that led the young Siddhartha Gautama to abandon his courtly life.

Question 55

Describe the similarities between Siddhartha's experience of enlightenment and later Buddhist notions of enlightenment.

Question 56

What, according to the conventional description of the life of the Buddha, was his final teaching before his death? What does it mean?

Question 57

The Buddha is the first of Buddhism's Three Jewels. What are the other two, and what role do they play in Buddhism?

Question 58

Give two examples from everyday life that show the Buddhist notion of impermanence. Please explain.

Question 59

Contrast the Buddhist notion of no permanent identity with the Hindu notion of Atman.

Question 60

List the Four Noble Truths. Explain how they illustrate the practical nature of Buddhist teaching.

Question 61

Explain the Buddhist ideal of ahimsa.

Question 62

In what key way is the Buddhist notion of karma different from the Hindu understanding of karma?

Question 63

Explain the Buddhist notion of nirvana.

Question 64

Describe characteristics of Theravada monastic practices, including relationship with the laity, that illustrate Theravada's close adherence to the teachings of the Buddha.

Question 65

List three symbols of the Buddha found in Buddhist art, and explain their meaning.

Question 66

Explain the Mahayana concept of karuna. Give examples that show how karuna is fundamental to Mahayana teaching and practice.

Question 67

Describe the three manifestations of the Buddha nature that are part of Mahayana teaching.

Question 68

Explain the two types of bodhisattvas in Mahayana and explain their roles.

Question 69

Explain and illustrate the Mahayana notion of tathata.

Question 70

Explain the Buddhist notion of skillful means.

Question 71

Select two of the major schools of Mahayana and describe several identifying characteristics of each.

Question 72

Describe two typical practices associated with Zen and explain how they relate to the goal of achieving enlightenment.

Question 73

Select two of the arts of Japan or China and explain how each illustrates a key teaching of Buddhism.

Question 74

Explain the basic approach of Tantric Buddhism, describing how it differs from teachings in other more traditional forms of Buddhism.

Question 75

Describe two ritual practices of Tibetan Buddhism and explain their meaning.

Question 76

Describe two contemporary challenges to traditional Buddhism and explain how Buddhism is attempting to meet them.

Question 77

Assume you are to arrange a tour for classmates to three of the most significant Buddhist sites. What sites would you choose? How would you defend each as "among the most significant"?