Deck 5: Jainism The Way of Non Injury

Question 1

By nature, every soul is __________.

A) blissful, all-knowing, and eternal
B) divided into four parts that must be reunited
C) heavy, weighed down by ignorance
D) hopelessly trapped in the cycle of death and rebirth
E) mortal, but it may earn immortality

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Nataputta was the last of twenty-four heroes of Jainism, known as __________.

A) avatars of Vishnu
B) buddhas
C) gurus of the True Name
D) messiahs
E) tirthankaras

Answer 2

E

Question 3

Jain monks and nuns commit themselves to follow the __________.

A) Eight Beatitudes
B) Five Great Vows
C) Four Noble Truths
D) Holy Trinity
E) Ten Commandments

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The allegory of the blind men and the elephant illustrates the Jain teaching that __________.

A) animals are vehicles for the gods
B) elephants and blind men never forget
C) knowledge is limited by one's karmic situation
D) if you have done it to the least of the creatures, you have done it to me
E) there is none so blind as he who will not see

Question 5

One of the most unusual features of Jain tradition is that it __________.

A) developed several forms of monasticism
B) encourages nudity between men and women
C) has divisions based on clothing styles
D) teaches that one should never wash one's clothing
E) views red as the color of purity

Question 6

According to Jain teaching, karma is __________.

A) fully explained by Hindu and Buddhist teaching
B) not a factor
C) not knowable
D) one of the methods of pursuing liberation
E) a subtle form of matter

Question 7

The Jain view of knowledge is __________.

A) agnostic
B) multiplism
C) prima facie
D) totally accessible to the human mind
E) a zero-sum game

Question 8

"Jainism" derives from the Sanskrit term "jina," which means "conqueror." This title fits the followers of Jainism because they __________.

A) are descendants of the great Mamluk invaders
B) beat themselves whenever they fail to keep Jain precepts
C) seek to win the battle over whatever keeps them trapped in the cycle of death and rebirth
D) spread the religion by means of military conquest
E) view human beings as conquerors of the rest of the material world

Question 9

The key theme of the Jain teaching about the path to liberation is __________.

A) asceticism
B) devotion
C) knowledge
D) the middle way
E) yoga

Question 10

The agamas or sacred writings of the Jain tradition __________.

A) express pure knowledge otherwise unknowable from the material world
B) foster missionary activity on the part of the disciples of Nataputta
C) prove the truth of Jainism in contrast to every other known religion of the time
D) provide guidance in right living without claiming to contain the complete truth
E) unlock secrets of the physical universe that science has just begun to discover

Question 11

Today the Jain community is concentrated around the Indian city of __________.

A) Bangalore
B) Chennai (Madras)
C) Madurai
D) Mumbai (Bombay)
E) Varanasi (Benares)

Question 12

According to the Jain worldview, liberated souls __________.

A) are extinguished, never to return to life in the body
B) are reborn as tirthankaras
C) dwell eternally in full consciousness, knowledge, and bliss
D) fade into nothingness
E) live eternally with Vishnu

Question 13

According to Jain teaching, at death a liberated soul __________.

A) experiences oneness with Brahman
B) forgets all it has known in this life
C) is absorbed into the True Name
D) is joined together with all other souls in a Great Chain
E) rises to the top of the universe

Question 14

The first vow of Jain monks and nuns is the renunciation of __________.

A) eating
B) greed
C) sexual activity
D) stealing
E) violence

Question 15

One distinguishing feature of the Jain Digambara sect is that their monks __________.

A) are allowed to marry
B) are not teachers
C) do not own or wear clothes
D) practice forms of self-denial
E) worship gods

Question 16

Nataputta became a heroic figure and movement-founder, eventually dying __________.

A) by starving himself to death
B) from the bite of an asp he was handling
C) from malaria because he refused to kill mosquitoes
D) from obesity
E) in a hurricane

Question 17

Some Jain temples include __________.

A) baths and banquet halls
B) brothels with child prostitutes
C) crematoria
D) equipment for self-flagellation
E) hospitals for injured animals

Question 18

The Jain understanding of ahimsa means (among other things) that __________.

A) Jains cannot be farmers
B) monks must be vegetarians, but lay people can eat meat
C) one should speak harshly against those who do violence
D) only violent self-defense is justified
E) none of the above

Question 19

Jainism, like Theravada Buddhism, views the sacred, as impersonal and __________.

A) animistic
B) atheistic
C) monistic
D) monotheistic
E) polytheistic

Question 20

Whereas the Buddha taught the Middle Way, Jainism __________.

A) advocates moderation before all else
B) encourages extreme asceticism
C) encourages extreme self-indulgence
D) idealizes worldly attachments
E) punishes moderation (UNDERSTANDING;

Question 21

Compare and contrast the understanding of karma in Hinduism, Theravada Buddhism, and Jainism.

Question 22

Jainism asserts that matter by nature is evil. How does this view compare with that of the Oglala Lakota? What theoretical and practical significance do you see in the differences between the two views?

Question 23

Compare and contrast the life stories of Siddartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, and Nataputta Vardhamana, the founder of Jainism.

Question 24

Describe the Jain swastika symbol and explain the meaning of its various components.

Question 25

What do you see as the key difference between the Buddha's "solution" to the human predicament and that of the Mahavira? What are three practical examples to show the significance of that difference?

Question 26

Define "spiritual atheism" as found in Jain and Theravada Buddhist teaching.

Question 27

Using the framework outlined in chapter one, identify the key features of the Jain worldview (the views of human nature; problem; cause; reality; goal; means; and sacred) and explain their interrelationships.

Question 28

What is the Jain teaching about knowledge? How would you defend this view to a fundamentalist and to a skeptic?

Question 29

The four-armed swastika, the three dots above it, and a crescent and dot at the top is the Jain symbol for __________.

A) the four cardinal directions and their source
B) the human predicament and the path to escaping it
C) Nazi Socilism
D) racial pride
E) the tirthankaras

Question 30

Like Hindus, Jains observe a ritual calendar as well as __________.

A) ceremonies in which they adorn themselves with fine clothes
B) festivals involving ritual meals and free sex
C) pilgrimages
D) sacrifice of a virgin in honor of Kali
E) worship of the Gods

Question 31

How do Jains understand the principle of ahimsa (non-injury)? How does it compare with the Hindu view?

Question 32

How do the injunctions to remain faithful to one's spouse and to place limits on material holdings fit with the third and fifth of Jainism's "Great Vows"?

Question 33

According to the Jain worldview, all reality is __________.

A) created by the God Mahavira
B) a dualism of matter (ajiva) and spirit (jiva)
C) an enigma wrapped in a puzzle
D) evil
E) one

Question 34

Jain tradition places little to no emphasis on whether one claims to be a "member" of the religious community; the only thing that matters is one's commitment to rigid self-denial and non-injury. Explain why this makes sense in light of the rest of Jain theology.

Question 35

One characteristic of Jainism in the early twenty-first century is that __________.

A) Jains in India have renounced their heritage of nonviolence because of persecution by the Hindu majority
B) many Jain lay people are highly educated and wealthy
C) Jains now live in every country except the United States
D) Jains who leave India are no longer considered members of the Jain community
E) there are more Jains in India than Muslims

Question 36

Devout Jains have shrines in their homes and __________.

A) perform daily puja at them
B) read and study the scriptures there
C) use them to offer all the dead bugs in their homes
D) use them for worship of the Mother Goddess
E) none of the above