QUIZ I
1. The Buddha (“enlightened one”) refers to
a. Ayatollah Khomeini b. Guru Nanak c. Siddhartha Gautama d. Ali Baba
2. In which century did the Buddha live? a. 10th C. BC b. 6th C. BC c. 1st C. AD d. 10th C. AD
3. Where did he live? a. India / Nepal b. Persia / Afghanistan c. China / Japan d. Korea / Mongolia
4. The central teaching of the Buddha is that there is a. no soul b. no injustice c. no afterlife d. no reincarnation
5. Which of the following is a Buddhist? a. The Prime Minister of India b. the Dalai Lama c. Genghis Khan d. Attila the Hun
6. Nirvana is literally a state of bliss, which all Buddhists long to attain: True / False
7. Which of the following are Buddhist scriptures? a. Sutras b. Vedas c. Hadith d. Analects
8. Which of the following countries is not predominantly Buddhist? a. Thailand b. Myanmar c. Indonesia d. Tibet
9. The essential teachings of the Buddha are called a. The Four Noble Truths b. The Noble Eightfold Path c. The Seven Sayings d. The Six Meditations
10. In classical Buddhism, there is a distinction between good and evil: True / False
ANSWERS WITH EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED BELOW
1. The Buddha (“enlightened one”) refers to
a. Ayatollah Khomeini b. Guru Nanak c. Siddhartha Gautama d. Ali Baba The term "Buddha" means enlightened one
2. In which century did the Buddha live? a. 10th C. BC b. 6th C. BC c. 1st C. AD d. 10th C. AD He lived at the same time as several other founders of world religions, like Mahavira (Jainism), Zoroaster (Zoroastrianism), Lao Tze (Taoism), and Confucius, as well as Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and numerous other biblical figures.
3. In which countries did he live? a. India / Nepal b. Persia / Afghanistan c. China / Japan d. Korea / Mongolia He was born in what is now Nepal, and made and trained this disciples in India.
4. The central teaching of the Buddha is that there is a. no soul b. no injustice c. no afterlife d. no reincarnation In classical Buddhism (not later popular Buddhism) there are no relationships, no gods, no souls. The come to the insight that one has no actual existence is the goal.
5. Which of the following is a Buddhist? a. The Prime Minister of India b. the Dalai Lama c. Genghis Khan d. Attila the Hun Forced out of Tibet but he Chinese occupation (1959), the Dalai Lama is head of Tibetan Buddhists worldwide, even though he cannot return to his homeland. In Buddhism a lama is a teacher (somewhat in the like a guru in Hinduism).
6. Nirvana is literally a state of bliss, which all Buddhists long to attain: True / False Nirvana is literally "blowing out," as when a flame is snuffed. It is the state of realisation of one's utter non-existence.
7. Which of the following are Buddhist scriptures? a. Sutras b. Vedas c. Hadith d. Analects
8. Which of the following countries is not predominantly Buddhist? a. Thailand b. Myanmar c. Indonesia d. Tibet
9. The essential teachings of the Buddha are called a. The Four Noble Truths b. The Noble Eightfold Path c. The Seven Sayings d. The Six Meditations All is suffering. Suffering stems from desire. Desire comes from a false sense of self. This can be overcome by following an eightfold path (e.g. right view, right mindfulness, right speech).
10. In classical Buddhism, there is a distinction between good and evil: True / False All distinctions are an illusion. There is no good or evil, nor even a distinction between true and false!
QUIZ II
1. Tripitaka (or Tripitaka), or the Three Baskets is the collection of the ancient Buddhist scriptures:
True / False
2. The community of Buddhist monks is the
a. sangha b. lama c. dharma d. dukkha
3. The Buddhist teaching is the
a. sangha b. lama c. dharma d. dukkha
4. The term most associated with the First Noble Truth is
a. sangha b. lama c. dharma d. dukkha
5. Which faction of Buddhists is larger, Mahayana or Theravadin?
6. In Myanmar (Burma), Buddhists persecute Muslims:
True / False
7. Place the following countries in chronological order of the spread of Buddhism:
a. China b. India c. Japan d. Tibet
8. Zen is a common variety of Buddhism in
a. China b. India c. Japan d. Tibet
9. Tantric Buddhism is especially associated with
a. China b. India c. Japan d. Tibet
10. Kwan Yin, a bodhisattva considered the Goddess of Mercy, is a popular deity in
a. China b. India c. Japan d. Tibet
ANSWERS WITH EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED BELOW
1. Tripitaka (or Tripitaka), or the Three Baskets is the collection of the ancient Buddhist scriptures:
True / False
2. The community of Buddhist monks is the
a. sangha b. lama c. dharma d. dukkha
3. The Buddhist teaching is the
a. sangha b. lama c. dharma d. dukkha
4. The term most associated with the First Noble Truth is
a. sangha b. lama c. dharma d. dukkha Dukkha is suffering ("All is suffering.")
5. Which faction of Buddhists is larger, Mahayana or Theravadin? Mahayana is popular Buddhism, with boddhisattvas (those who delay nirvana in order to help other sentient beings become enlightened) and also gods. Original (Theravadin) Buddhism has no god.
6. In Myanmar (Burma), Buddhists persecute Muslims:
True / False This has sadly been in the news for many years...
7. Place the following countries in chronological order of the spread of Buddhism:
a. China b. India c. Japan d. Tibet B-D-A-C
8. Zen is a common variety of Buddhism in
a. China b. India c. Japan d. Tibet
9. Tantric Buddhism is especially associated with
a. China b. India c. Japan d. Tibet
10. Kwan Yin, a bodhisattva considered the Goddess of Mercy, is a popular deity in
a. China b. India c. Japan d. Tibet Kwan Yin (Guanyin) came from Avalokitesvara
