Vajrayana is also known as ________ . - Answers Tibetan Buddhism
In the Buddhist tradition, the term 'dharma' means ________ . - Answers teaching
Theravada Buddhists practice a simple form of meditation called ________ . - Answers vipassana
What vow were Mahayana Buddhists, both lay and monastic, encouraged to take? - Answers
Bodhisattva vow.
The sacred geometric design used in Vajrayana Buddhist practice is called a ________ . -
Answers mandala
'Mahayana' means ________ . - Answers "greater vehicle"
According to Buddhist tradition, what are the three characteristics of existence? - Answers
Suffering, impermanence, and no-self.
According to most accounts, approximately when did Siddartha Gautama live? - Answers Fifth
to sixth century BCE.
According to the traditional story of the Buddha, what did brahmins predict about his future
when he was an infant? - Answers That he would become either a great political ruler or a fully
enlightened being.
The term 'arhat' means ________ . - Answers 'worthy one' or 'saint'
The Madhyamika ('Middle Way') school was founded by ________ . - Answers Nagarjuna
Who is traditionally believed to have brought Buddhism to Tibet? - Answers Padmasambhava
The term 'buddha' literally means ________ . - Answers 'fully enlightened one'
What is the gongan ('koan' in Japanese)? - Answers A paradoxical thought exercise designed to
defy rational understanding and propel the student toward enlightenment.
Which of the following is NOT one of the Four Noble Truths? - Answers The cosmos has no
beginning, middle, or end.
The Buddhist monastic community consists of ordained men and women called ________ . -
Answers bhikshus and bhikshunis
What title, meaning 'thus-gone one', does the Buddha most often use to refer to himself? -
Answers Tathagata.
To whom did the Buddha deliver his first sutra (discourse or sermon)? - Answers The five
ascetics that were his former companions.
, The term 'nirvana', in Buddhism, refers to ________ . - Answers the state of enlightenment
Who is the pot-bellied 'Happy Buddha' in Chinese culture, derived from the bodhisattva Maitreya?
- Answers Milo
What were the four sights that, according to tradition, Siddartha Gautama saw that caused him
to leave his home life and become and ascetic? - Answers A sick man, and old man, a dead man,
and a monk.
The term anatman means ________ . - Answers 'no-self' or 'no-soul'
Which bodhisattva of compassion in China is named ________ . Sometimes this bodhisattva is
referred to as the 'Virgin Mary of East Asia'? - Answers Guanyin
What are the two main Jaina sects? - Answers Digambara and Svetambara.
What is the highest possible value for Jainas? - Answers Non-violence.
Why did the Digambara sect hold that women are ineligible for full membership in the
community? - Answers It is impossible for them to go naked because of social standards.
Jainism arrived on the historical scene as part of the same shramana movement that gave rise
to what other religion? - Answers Buddhism.
The term 'Digambara' literally means ________ . - Answers sky clad
What is symbolized in Sikhism by the two swords, first donned by Guru Hargobind? - Answers
The temporal (miri) and spiritual (piri) authority of the Gurus.
What, according to Sikh tradition, did Nanak receive from God during his mystical experience? -
Answers A cup of divine nectar (amrit).
The Harimandir Sahib, built in the sacred pool of Amritsar, is commonly known as the ________ .
- Answers Golden Temple.
What is the Khalsa? - Answers A special order within the Sikh community marked by a special
initiation and common identity.
Which Guru instituted significant reforms leading to greater equality and acceptance of women
within Sikhism? - Answers Amar Das.
The term 'Svetambara' literally means ________ . - Answers white clad
What does 'Mahavira' literally mean? - Answers 'Great Hero'.
According to Jaina teaching, when was the cosmos created? - Answers It has no point of origin,
but is timeless.