The Sermon at Benares by Betty Renshaw: Questions & Answers

Lesson 10: The Sermon at Benares for Class X

Type 1: Very Short Qs./Ans.

Q1. When was Siddhart Gautama born?  

Ans. He was born in 563 B.C.

Q2. Where did Buddha preach his first sermon?  

Ans. At Benares

Q3. After how many days of meditation did Buddha get enlightenment?

Ans. After seven days’ meditation

Q4. How many years did Buddha spend in search of enlightenment?  Ans. Seven years

Q5.What did Buddha ask Gotmi to bring?  

Ans.  He asked Gotmi to bring a handful of mustard seed from a house where death had never taken place.

Q6. What did Gotmi realise in the end?  Ans. She realised that death is inevitable (sure to happen).

Q7. Which sights changed Buddha’s life? 

Ans. These sights are of: a sick man, an old man, funeral procession and a begging monk

Q8. At what age did Siddhartha get married?   

Ans At the age of 16

Q9. What was Gautam Buddha’s real name? 

Ans. Siddhartha Gautama

Q10. Who was Kisa Gotami?  

Ans.  A young woman whose only son had died

Q11. What is the meaning of ‘Buddha’?  

Ans. the Enlightenment

Q12. Which family did Siddhartha (Gautama Buddha) belong to?  Ans.  Royal

Q13. At what age was Gautma sent to get schooling?  

Ans. At the age of twelve

Type II: short answer-type Qs (30-35 words each)

Q1. When her son dies, Kisa Gotami goes from house to house. What does she ask for? Does she get it? Why not?

Ans. Kisa Gotmi’s only son died. She was in deep grief. So she went from one house to the other to get some medicine to bring back her son’s life. Almost all refused because there was no such medicine.

Q2. Kisa Gotami again goes from house to house after she speaks to Gautam Buddha. What does she ask for, the second time around? Does she get it? Why not?

Ans. The Buddha advised her to bring mustard seeds from the house in which no death had ever taken place. The woman went to every house. But she could not get such mustard seeds because no one had such seeds.

Q3. What does Kisa Gotami understand the second time that she failed to understand the first time? Was this what the Buddha wanted her to understand?

Ans. She was tired and hopeless. At last, she understood the bitter truth of life that death comes to all on this earth. It is inevitable. Gautama Buddha wanted her to understand that.

Q4. Why do you think Kissa Gotami understood this only the second time? In what way did the Buddha change her understanding?

Ans. Gautama Buddha did not tell her that he was unable to bring her son back to life. He wanted to change her mind. So he told her to bring mustard seeds from the house of which no person had ever died. She failed to do so. Then she understood that death was unavoidable in life.

Q5. How do you usually understand the idea of ‘selfishness’? Do you agree with Kisa Gotmi that she is being ‘selfish’ in her grief?

Ans. If a person always thinks about his own benefit and does not bother about others may be called a selfish person. We cannot call Kisa Gotmi selfish. She wanted to bring her son back to life. She did not know that death comes to all on this earth.

Some other questions:

Q1. Who was Gautama Buddha?

Ans. Gautam Buddha was a prince. His real name was siddhartha Gautam. He was kept away from knowing anything about human sufferings. But one day he comes to know this. Then, one day he left his palace and all the comforts of life. He went from one place to the other in search of the ultimate truth behind all human sufferings. At last he got this knowledge.

Q2.  What does Gautam Buddha ask Kisa Gotmi to do?

Ans. Gautam Buddha asked Kisa Gotmi to bring mustard seeds from the house of which no person had ever died. He wanted her to learn the hard fact that death comes to all on the earth.

Q3. What did Kisa Gotmai realise about death?

Ans. Gautama Buddha wanted to change Kisa Gotmi’s mind. So he told her to bring mustard seeds from the house of which no person had ever died. She failed to do so. Then she understood that death was unavoidable in life.

Long Answer-Type Qs.

Q1. Who was Gautama Buddha? What made him renounce his royal life and become a monk?

Ans. Gautama Buddha was a prince. His original name was Siddhartha Gautama. He was sent for schooling to understand the Hindu religious books at the age of twelve. He studied them till he was sixteen. He was married at the age of 16. After that, he had a son. He was kept away from watching human sufferings. But, at the age of 25, he happened to see them. He saw a sick man, then an old man. After that, he saw a funeral procession and a monk, begging for alms. All these sights moved his heart. He left the palace and went into the world in search of truth behind human sufferings. Thus he became a monk.

Q2. Describe how Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment as given in the lesson ‘The Sermon at Benares’.

Ans. Gautama Buddha was a prince. His original name was Siddhartha Gautama. He had every comfort of life.

He was kept away from watching human sufferings. But, at the age of 25, he happened to see them. He saw a sick man, then an old man. After that, he saw a funeral procession and a monk, begging for alms. All these sights moved his heart. He left the palace and went into the world in search of truth behind human sufferings. Thus he became a monk. First he wandered here and there. But at last, he sat under a Bodhi tree. He took a vow not to leave until the place until he got enlightenment. After seven days, he got enlightenment. He was known as ‘Buddha’ after that.

Q3. How did Gautama Buddha make Kisa Gotmi realise that death is inevitable?

Ans. Kisa Gotmi’s only son died. She was in deep grief. So she went from one neighbour to the other to get some medicine to bring back her son’s life. Almost all refused to bring back her son’s life. At last, a person advised her to take her son to the Buddha. So she went to him and requested to revive the life of her son. The Buddha advised her to bring mustard seeds from the house in which no death had ever taken place. The woman went to every house. But she could not get such mustard seeds. She was tired and hopeless. At last, she understood the bitter truth of life that death comes to all on this earth. It is inevitable.