Sources of Wisdom and Authority

Question 1

What was the birth name of the Buddha?

Answer 1

Siddhartha Gautama

Question 2

What did the Buddha declare after his birth?

Answer 2

“I am the Chief of the World”

Question 3

What prophecy was made about the Buddha?

Answer 3

He would become a great king or a great religious leader

Question 4

What were the four sights?

Answer 4

Old man, sick man, dead man, ascetic

Question 5

What was the Renunciation?

Answer 5

The Buddha’s decision to leave the palace and become an ascetic

Question 6

What is an ascetic?

Answer 6

A religious person who practices strict physical discipline (e.g. starvation) to achieve spiritual insight

Question 7

What were the three ways Mara tried to prevent the Buddha reaching enlightenment?

Answer 7

1. Sent his daughters to tempt him
2. Offered him his kingdom
3. Sent his armies to attack him

Question 8

What is the message of the Parable of the Burning House?

Answer 8

The Buddha’s early followers were like children, who needed to be guided out of suffering by a loving and skilful parent (the Buddha) who presented teachings they could understand

Question 9

Where is the Parable of the Burning House found?

Answer 9

The Lotus Sutra

Question 10

What happens in the Parable of the Raft?

Answer 10

A man crosses a river with a raft and abandons it when he reaches the other side, symbolising how the Dhamma is a tool for reaching enlightenment

Question 11

What is upaya?

Answer 11

Skilful means; the idea that Buddhists should use the approach that best reduces suffering and helps people reach enlightenment

Question 12

In what way do Mahayana Buddhists believe that the life of Siddhartha Gautama was skilful means?

Answer 12

They believe he was enlightened before his birth and chose to present himself as the role model for how an ordinary human can achieve enlightenment

Question 13

What are the Four Noble Truths?

Answer 13

1) The existence of suffering (Dukkha)
2) The cause of suffering, tanha (craving) (Samudaya)
3) The end of suffering, Nirvana (Nirodha)
4) The way to the end of suffering, the Eightfold Path (Magga)

Question 14

What are the Three Poisons?

Answer 14

Ignorance/delusion, greed, hatred/ill will

Question 14

When/where did the Buddha teach the Four Noble Truths?

Answer 14

His first sermon, in Deer Park (found in the Pali Canon)

Question 15

Explain how it could be argued that Buddhist teachings about Dukkha are pessimistic

Answer 15

They suggest that all life is suffering/everything which exists is marked by suffering

Question 15

Who does the Buddha send in search of a mustard seed?

Answer 15

Kiso Gotami

Question 15

Explain how it could be argued that Buddhist teachings about Dukkha are NOT pessimistic

Answer 15

They are realistic/pragmatic and lead people to accept suffering and move on; they teach there is an end to suffering

Question 15

What are the Three Jewels/Three Refuges?

Answer 15

Buddha, Dharma, Sangha

Question 16

What are the Three Marks of Existence?

Answer 16

Dukkha, anicca, anatta

Question 17

What is the Pali Canon?

Answer 17

The accepted scriptures of Theravada Buddhism, written in Pali

Question 18

What do Theravada Buddhists believe about the authority of the Pali Canon?

Answer 18

It has the highest authority because it is the accurately transmitted word of the Buddha

Question 19

Name the three sections of the Pali Canon

Answer 19

Vinaya Pitaka (rules); Sutta Pitaka (stories and discourses); Abidhamma Pitaka (philosophy and commentary)

Question 20

Give an example of a rule found in the Pali Canon

Answer 20

Any of the Patimokkha (rules of monastic discipline) - e.g. no luxurious beds, no frivolous entertainment

Question 21

Give an example of a story that would be found in the Sutta Pitaka

Answer 21

Any of the Buddha’s adult life, e.g. Kiso Gotami, Angulimala, Kalama Sutra, etc.

Question 22

How might the Vinaya Pitaka be used in worship and daily life?

Answer 22

Generally just by monastics, who learn and follow the rules to maintain discipline and harmony

Question 23

How would the Sutta Pitaka be used in worship and daily life?

Answer 23

Buddhists may read the discourses to get closer to the person/ideal of the Buddha
Appropriate for laypeople and children as the stories are memorable with clear moral lessons

Question 24

How would the Abdhidhamma Pitaka be used in worship and daily life?

Answer 24

Useful as a meditation aid as it gives very specific guidance on philosophy and psychology
Useful for those with an academic interest in philosophy though less popular with ordinary lay people

Question 25

What was the last section to be added to the Pali Canon?

Answer 25

Adhidhamma Pitaka

Question 26

What does ‘Sutta’ or ‘Sutra’ mean?

Answer 26

Thread; each Sutta is a particular thread forming part of the larger story of the Buddha’s life and teachings

Question 27

What does ‘Pitaka’ mean?

Answer 27

‘Basket’; the Pali Canon was known as the Tripitaka, the ‘Three Baskets’ in which the teachings were originally kept

Question 28

What is the authority of the Pali Canon for Mahayana Buddhists?

Answer 28

It has some authority but is seen as a form of Upaya; it is inferior to the Lotus Sutra and other Mahayana scriptures which are seen as the Higher Dharma