“The Sermon at Benares” focuses on a pivotal teaching moment from the life of Buddha. The story opens with Buddha’s early life as a prince and his journey toward enlightenment after he encounters human suffering. He delivers a powerful sermon at Benares, addressing the universal truths of life, death, and the impermanence of all things. Through the story of Kisa Gotami, who is grief-stricken by the death of her son, Buddha explains the inevitability of death and the importance of understanding that life’s suffering stems from attachment. His teachings emphasize that acceptance of life’s natural cycle brings inner peace, encouraging followers to seek a path free from sorrow.
Here are some 3-mark and 6-mark questions with value points and answers:
3 Marks Questions:
Q1. What was the early life of Gautama Buddha like?
- Value Points:
- Born as a prince named Siddhartha Gautama.
- Lived a luxurious life shielded from the sufferings of the world.
- Left home in search of the meaning of life at the age of 25.
- Answer: Gautama Buddha, originally born as Siddhartha Gautama, lived a life of luxury and comfort. He was shielded from the hardships of life and lived in a palace. However, at the age of 25, he left his palace and royal life after seeing the sufferings of the world and embarked on a quest to find the true meaning of existence and the end of suffering.
Q2. What led Gautama Buddha to become enlightened?
- Value Points:
- Encountered an old man, a sick man, a corpse, and a monk.
- Realized the truth of human suffering.
- Meditated under the Bodhi tree and attained enlightenment.
- Answer: Gautama Buddha was moved by the realization that human life is full of suffering, which he understood after seeing an old man, a sick man, a corpse, and a monk. These encounters made him leave his princely life and meditate under the Bodhi tree until he gained enlightenment, understanding the causes of suffering and the way to overcome it.
Q3. How did Gautama Buddha teach his first sermon?
- Value Points:
- Delivered at Benares to Kisa Gotami.
- The sermon focused on the inevitability of death and the futility of grieving.
- Taught about overcoming sorrow and suffering.
- Answer: Gautama Buddha’s first sermon was delivered at Benares to Kisa Gotami, a grieving woman who had lost her son. Through his sermon, Buddha taught her about the inevitability of death and how grieving for the dead is futile. He showed her the way to overcome sorrow and suffering through wisdom and understanding.
Q4. What was the significance of the mustard seed in the story of Kisa Gotami?
- Value Points:
- Kisa Gotami asked Buddha to bring her dead son back to life.
- Buddha told her to get a mustard seed from a household that had not seen death.
- She realized death is universal.
- Answer: The mustard seed in the story of Kisa Gotami symbolized the universality of death. Buddha asked her to bring a mustard seed from a house that had never experienced death. As she went from house to house, she realized that death is inevitable and happens to everyone, which helped her come to terms with her loss.
Q5. Why does Buddha say that wisdom leads to peace?
- Value Points:
- Wisdom involves understanding the nature of life and death.
- Accepting the inevitability of death removes suffering.
- Leads to inner peace by overcoming desires and attachments.
- Answer: Buddha taught that wisdom brings peace by helping individuals understand the impermanent nature of life and death. By accepting death as a natural part of life and overcoming the desires and attachments that lead to suffering, one can attain inner peace and serenity.
6 Marks Questions:
Q6. Describe the life-altering experiences that led Gautama Buddha to renounce his princely life.
- Value Points:
- Lived a luxurious and sheltered life as a prince.
- Saw an old man, a sick man, a dead body, and a monk.
- Realized the truth of human suffering and decided to leave the palace.
- Renounced worldly pleasures and undertook a spiritual quest to find enlightenment.
- Answer: Gautama Buddha was born as Siddhartha Gautama and lived a life of opulence and comfort. His father kept him shielded from the sufferings of the world. However, when he ventured outside the palace, he encountered an old man, a sick person, a corpse, and a monk. These encounters deeply affected him and made him realize the universal truth of human suffering. Unable to ignore the realities of life, he renounced his princely life at the age of 25 and embarked on a spiritual journey to understand the root of suffering and the path to enlightenment.
Q7. Explain the central message of Buddha’s sermon at Benares.
- Value Points:
- The sermon focuses on life’s impermanence and the inevitability of death.
- Buddha speaks about the futility of grieving over the dead.
- Teaches that sorrow arises from attachment and desire.
- Emphasizes the importance of wisdom and detachment in overcoming sorrow.
- Answer: The central message of Buddha’s sermon at Benares revolves around the impermanence of life and the inevitability of death. Buddha explains that death is a natural part of life, and grieving for the dead is futile. Sorrow and suffering, he taught, arise from human attachment and desire, and only through wisdom and detachment can one overcome them. The sermon conveyed that understanding the nature of life leads to peace and liberation from sorrow.
Q8. How did Kisa Gotami’s search for a mustard seed change her understanding of life and death?
- Value Points:
- Kisa Gotami was grieving the death of her only son.
- Buddha asked her to find a mustard seed from a household untouched by death.
- She realized death had touched every family.
- Understood the inevitability of death and overcame her grief.
Answer: Kisa Gotami, devastated by the death of her son, sought Buddha’s help to bring him back to life. Buddha gently guided her to seek a mustard seed from a house that had never experienced death. As she went from door to door, she realized that every household had suffered a loss, and no one could escape death. This realization transformed her understanding of life and death, helping her accept death as a universal and inevitable truth. She ultimately overcame her grief and embraced the wisdom of Buddha’s teachings.
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