Chapter 6: New Questions and Ideas

Solution: The Buddha tried to spread his message to the people in the following ways:

1. He conveyed his teaching in the Prakrit language, which was the language of the common masses.

2. He encouraged his followers to think over his messages instead of blindly following them. This helped his ideals spread further. The encouragement of free thinking meant that people could come to conclusions based on his ideas on their own.

Solution: a) False

Buddha professed kindness to animals. He discouraged the practice of sacrificing animals.

(b) True

Sarnath is where Buddha taught for the first time after enlightenment. He attained enlightenment at Bodh Gaya.

(c) False

Karma means action or the work we do. Buddha believed that Karma affects our current and next lives.

(d) True

Buddha did meditation for several days under a Peepal (Banyan) tree in Bodh Gaya, where he attained enlightenment.

(e) True

Atman means individual soul, whereas Brahman means universal soul. Those who followed the Upanishads believed that Atman and Brahman were the same.

Solution: The Upanishadic thinkers wanted to find answers to the following questions:

1. What happens after death?

2. Is there any life after death?

3. Why should sacrifices be performed?

4. Is there something permanent in the Universe which lasts even after death?

Solutions: The following are the main teachings of Mahavira:

1. Those who wish to know the truth must leave their home.

2. Those who are on the path of truth must adhere to the principles of Ahimsa (Non-violence) very strictly.

3. One must not hurt or kill any other living being, as life is dear to all.

Solution: Anagha was travelling to Varanasi on a school trip. Sarnath is a place in Varanasi where Buddha taught for the first time after attaining enlightenment in Bodh Gaya. The story and message of Buddha were inspiring, and hence Anagha’s mother wanted her to know the story of Buddha.

Solution: Everyone except men had to take permission from their master before joining the Sangha. Children had to take permission from their masters, servants had to take permission from the kings, the wives from their husbands and the slaves from their masters.

It wouldn’t have been easy for the slaves to join the sangha because:

1. Slaves had little to no rights.

2. It was not necessary that a slave would get a kind master

3. Since society, in general, depended on slaves to do their tasks for them, there was no incentive for masters to give permission for their slaves to join the Sangha.

The ideas and questions mentioned in the chapter are the following:

Questions:

1. Is there a life after death?

2. What was Buddha trying to teach Kisagotami?

3. How did the beggar convince sages to share food with them?

Ideas:

4. One should follow the principle of ahimsa.

5. One should renounce worldly pleasure in search of the truth.

Discussion:

1. What was Buddha trying to teach Kisagotami?

Explanation: Kishagotami had lost her son, so she was taken to Buddha. He requested Kishagotami to get mustard seeds from a house where no one had died. She found no such house, as someone – a son, daughter, father, grandfather, or grandmother had died in all of those houses. Buddha wanted to convey to her that death is a part of the cycle of life and that nothing can be done to avoid it. One must not lose hope after losing a loved one. This teaching is very important even today.

2. How did the beggar convince sages to share food with them?

Explanation: The sages worshipped the universal soul. The sages shared food with the beggar as he proved that he, too, was part of the universal soul. This shows that we must respect every living being as we are all a part of the universal soul or Brahman.

3. One should renounce worldly pleasure in search of the truth.

Explanation: Both Jainism and Buddhism teach that in the search for the truth, one must reject all worldly pleasures and material wealth. Buddha believed that life is full of suffering and unhappiness because of our desires.

Solution: Prepare this with the help of your subject teacher.