PART1 CH4 Thinkers,Beliefs And Building (Important Question Answer)

THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART I

CH4 Thinkers, Beliefs, And Buildings

IMPORTANT QUESTION ANSWER

1. Mention four places associated with the life of the Buddha. 

Ans. 1. Lumbini (birthplace of the Buddha)

        2. Kapilvastu (the Buddha was brought up here) 

        3. Bodh Gaya (the Buddha attained enlightenment here) 

        4. Sarnath- (the Buddha delivered his first religious discourse here)

2. What do you mean by Tri -ratna?

 Ans. According to Jainism, Moksha or salvation can be attained by observing Tri- ratna or three jewels. This are

1. Right knowledge 

2. Right faith 

3. Right action.

3. Into how many categories the religious sects that originated during the 6th century B.C. can be divided? 

Ans. The religious sects of the 6th century. B.C. can be divided into two categories:

 1. The faiths which were openly against Vedic religion

 2. The faiths which did not oppose Vedic religion openly but propagated new principles venerating one or the other old divinity

4. What do you mean by “Dharma Chakra Pravartana”? 

Ans. Dharma Chakra Pravartana means ‘sitting in motion the wheel of Dharma’. The first religious discourse or sermon delivered by Mahatma Buddha after attaining enlightenment at Mrig dav or Deer Park of Sarnath near Varanasi, is known as ‘Maha chakra Pravartana’.

5. Mention the various incarnatins of Vishnu according to Vaishnavism.

 Ans. According to Vaishnavism there are ten incarnations of Vishnu. These are: Matsya, Kurma, Varsha, Narsimha, Vamana, Parsurama, Rama, Krishna, Buddha, and Kalki.

6. Mention the teachings of Mahatma Buddha?

 Ans. According to Buddhist philosophy the world is transient (anicca) and constantly changing it is also soulless (anatta) as there is nothing permanent or eternal in it. Within this transient world, sorrow is intrinsic to human existence. It is by following the path of moderation between severe penance and self -indulgence that human beings can rise above these worldly troubles. The Buddha regarded the social world as the creation of humans rather than of divine origin. According to Buddhist tradition, his last words to his followers were: “Be lamps unto yourselves as all of you must work out your own liberation”. 

7. What was the Budha Sangha? Discuss its characteristics. 

Ans. 1. Budha founded organization of monks called “Sangha”. 

        2. These monks served as teachers of “Dhamma”. They believed a simple life. 

        3. They possessed only the essential things which were required for their survival. 

        4. Earlier only men were allowed to joined the ‘Sangha’, later on the women were allowed for                admission to the Sangha.
        5. All the members were regarded as equal in the Sangha.

8. What was the Budha Sangha? Discuss its characteristics.
Ans. 1. Budha founded organization of monks called “Sangha”.
        2. These monks served as teachers of “Dhamma”. They believed a simple life.
        3. They possessed only the essential things which were required for their survival.
        4. Earlier only men were allowed to joined the ‘Sangha’, later on the women were allowed for               admission to the Sangha.
       5. All the members were regarded as equal in the Sangha.

9. How Buddhist text were prepared and preserved?
Ans. The Buddha used to give teachings through debate and discussion. Men, Women and children attended these discussions and discussed what they heard. None of his teachings were written down during his life time. After his death, his followers called a council of elders at Vaishali. This council compiled all of his teachings. These complications were known as Tripitaka which literally means the tree baskets to hold different types of text. Firstly, they were transmitted orally and then written and classified according to their subject matter and length. When Bhuddism spread to new lands like Srilanka, other texts like Mahavamsa and Dipavamsa were written. Many Pilgrims like FaXian and Xuan Zang carried Buddhist texts with them to disseminate the teachings of Buddha.