1. At which ancient city in Bihar did Gautam Buddha initiate his aunt Mahaprajapati Gautami, thereby allowing women to join the Buddhist Sangha?
[A] Nalanda
[B] Pataliputra
[C] Vaishali
[D] Rajgir
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Vaishali]
Notes:
Vaishali is where Buddha allowed women into the Sangha by initiating Mahaprajapati Gautami. It’s a key Buddhist pilgrimage site, houses the Relic Stupa, the Ashokan lion pillar, and hosted the Second Buddhist Council in 383 BCE. Also associated with the Vajji republic and Jain Lord Mahavira.
2. Who was the chief female patron of Gautama Buddha from Magadha?
[A] Mallika
[B] Mahapajapati Gotami
[C] Ambapali
[D] Visakha
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Visakha]
Notes:
Visakha, called Migāramāta, was Gautama Buddha’s chief female patron and foremost lay disciple in generosity from Magadha. She supported the Sangha, built the Migāramātupāsāda monastery in Savatthi, and was highly revered in early Buddhist history.
3. Who is the author of the play Siddharth-Buddha, which portrays the life and transformation of Gautama Buddha?
[A] Nrusinh Vibhakar
[B] Rabindranath Tagore
[C] Harivansh Rai Bachchan
[D] Munshi Premchand
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Nrusinh Vibhakar]
Notes:
Nrusinh Vibhakar authored the play Siddharth-Buddha, depicting Gautama Buddha’s life and transformation.
4. Which of the following evidences support(s) that Gautama Buddha was preceded by six Buddhas?
- Nigali Sagar Edict of Ashoka
- Bharhut Stupa
- Sarnath Stupa
Choose the correct answer using the codes given below:
[A] Only 3
[B] Only 1 & 2
[C] Only 2 & 3
[D] 1, 2 & 3
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Only 1 & 2]
Notes:- The support to the contention that Gautama Buddha was preceded by six Buddhas is provided by the Nigali Sagar Edict of Asoka which refers to the enlargement of a stupa erected in honour of Kanakamuni by the Mauryan monarch. Five of these past Buddhas, except Sikhi, are represented in the art of Bharhut, understandably by means of their characteristic tree-symbols along with identification labels.
5. Which of the following sects of Buddhism believes that Gautama Buddha was preceded by six Buddhas?
[A] Hinayana
[B] Mahayana
[C] Mahasanghikas
[D] Sarvastivadins
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Mahayana]
Notes:- It was held that Gautama Buddha was preceded by six Buddhas, viz. (1) Vipasyi, (2) Sikhi, (3) Visvabhu, (4) Krakuchchhanda, (5) Kanakamuni, and (6) Kasyapa, and the prevalence of their worship among the Buddhists is confirmed by their representations in Buddhist art.
6. Consider the following statements regarding Doctrines of Buddhism:
- Life is full of sorrows and people suffers on account of desires.
- Gautama Buddha recommended an eight-fold path (astangika marga) for the elimination of human misery.
Select the correct option from the codes given below:
[A] Only 1
[B] Only 2
[C] Both 1 and 2
[D] Neither 1 nor 2
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Both 1 and 2]
Notes:The doctrine of Buddhism:-
Gautama Buddha has prescribed the attainment of the Four Noble Truths or Noble Truths:
These are the essence of Buddhism-
- Life is full of misery (dukkha): sabbam dukkam.
- Suffering is caused by desire for worldly things (dukha samudaya); twelfth diagnosis/suffix origination,
- This sorrow can be stopped (dukha nirodha) i.e. nirvana.
- The cessation of desire can be achieved by following the Eightfold Path i.e. the Eightfold Path.
The Ashtangika Marga (Eightfold Path) are:
- Right Vision,
- Right Goal,
- Right Speech,
- Right Action,
- Right Livelihood,
- Right Effort,
- Right awareness
- Right attention.
7. With reference to Gautama Buddha, which of the following is / are correct observations?
- He taught the people in Prakrit
- He taught that Karma has no effect on our lives
Select the correct answer from the codes given below:
[A] Only 1
[B] Only 1 and 2
[C] Only 2 and 3
[D] All of the above
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Only 1]
Notes:
Buddha belonged to a small gana known as the Sakya gana, and was a kshatriya. When he was a young man, he left the comforts of his home in search of knowledge. He wandered for several years, meeting and holding discussions with other thinkers. He finally decided to find his own path to realisation, and meditated for days on under a peepal tree at Bodh Gaya in Bihar, where he attained enlightenment. After that, he was known as the Buddha or the Wise One. He then went to Sarnath, near Varanasi, where he taught for the first time. He spent the rest of his life travelling on foot, going from place to place, teaching people, till he passed away at Kusinara.
Buddha taught that the results of our actions (called karma), whether good or bad, affect us both in this life and the next.
8. In which mudra did Gautam Buddha deliver his first sermon at Sarnath?
[A] Dharmachakra Mudra
[B] Abhaya Mudra
[C] Dhyana Mudra
[D] Bhumisparsa Mudra
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Dharmachakra Mudra]
Notes:
Dharmachakra in Sanskrit means ‘Wheel of Dharma’. This mudra symbolizes one of the most important moments in the life of Buddha, the occasion when he preached to his companions the first sermon after his Enlightenment in the Deer Park at Sarnath. This event is often referred to as the setting into motion of the Wheel of the teaching of the Dharma.
9. By what the nativity of Gautam Buddha in Lumbini was marked?
[A] A monastery
[B] A Peepal Tree
[C] A “Rummindei Pillar” of Ashok Maurya
[D] A statue
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [A “Rummindei Pillar” of Ashok Maurya]
Notes:
Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha, is marked by a commemorative pillar erected by Mauryan Emperor Ashoka of India during his pilgrimage to the holy site in 249 BC. The inscription on the Ashoka Pillar indentifies the Sacred Garden – spread over 9 sq. km – as the spot where the Enlightened One was born. Lumbini was known as Rummindei in Asoka’s time.
10. In which of these sites Gautama Buddha was born?
[A] Bodh Gaya
[B] Kushinagar
[C] Sarnath
[D] Lumbini
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Lumbini]
Notes:
Siddhartha Gautama, the Lord Buddha, was born in 623 B.C. in the famous gardens of Lumbini, which soon became a place of pilgrimage. Among the pilgrims was the Indian emperor Ashoka, who erected one of his commemorative inscribed Ashoka pillars there. Ashokan pillar with Pali inscription in Brahmi script is found from this place. Ashoka exempted Lumbini from tax.
