| A | B |
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| What is the major difference in the system of beliefs found in Hinduism and those found in Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam? | Hinduism cannot be traced to one founder with a single set of ideas, so there are many different gods and traditions. |
| What are the Upanishads? | They are a dialogue between a teacher and student discussing how one gets liberated from desires & suffering in life. |
| What is moksha? | It's a state of perfect understanding of all things. |
| What is atman? | It's the individual soul of a living being. |
| What is Brahman? | It's the "world soul" that contains and unites all atman (individual souls). |
| In early Hinduism, when did a Hindu achieve moksha? | When the person grasps the relationship between atman and Brahman, he is released from life in this world and has this perfect understanding. |
| To a Hindu, what is the purpose of reincarnation? | It provides the soul repeated chances at achieving moksha. |
| What is karma and how does it fit into reincarnation? | Karma = good or bad deeds; they follow a person into each reincarnation and influence their specific life circumstances (caste, health, wealth level, etc.) |
| In Hinduism, who is Vishnu? | He is the protector. |
| In Hinduism, who is Shiva? | He is the destroyer. |
| Whom do modern day Hindus worship? | They can choose the god(s) they wish to worship...or they don't have to worship any gods at all. |
| In current Hinduism, how does one achieve moksha? | Three ways: path of right thinking, of right action, or of religious devotion. |
| How did "kharma" and "reincarnation" strengthen the caste system? | If an upper-caste male, fortune was believed to come from good karma earned in previous life; is female, laborer, or untouchable: bad deeds in former life. |
| Who founded Jainism and when? | Mahavira founded it sometime between 599 B.C. and 527 B.C. |
| What is Jainism's main belief? | Everything in the universe has a soul and should not be harmed (including insects). |
| In what types of occupations do Jains work? | In ones that won't harm any creature: trade and commerce. |
| Why are most Jains found? Why? | In India, as they believe in tolerance of ALL religions, so they do not send out missionaries to convert others. |
| Who was Siddhartha Gautama? | He was the founder of Buddhism. |
| Why was Siddhartha isolated as a child? | A prophecy at his birth said that if the child stayed at home he was destined to become a world leader. |
| What were some of the signs that indicted Siddhartha would become great? | golden-tinged skin, webbed fingers & toes, knob on skull, long tongue, tuft of hair between eyebrows, a 1000-spoked wheel on each foot. |
| What dream did Mahamaya have during her pregnancy and how was it interpreted by Brahmin priests? | She dreamt of a beautiful elephant bright as silver; priests said the child would be a great monarch OR a Buddha. |
| After his son's birth, Siddhartha left the palace to seek enlightenment; what methods did he try? | debating with other religious seekers; fasting; meditating for 49 days. |
| What are the 4 Noble Truths of Siddhartha? | Everything in life is suffering & sorrow; cause of suffering = people's selfish desire for pleasures in this world; way to end suffering=ending all desires; way to overcome desires & get enlightenment=follow 8-fold path. |
| What is included in the 8-fold Path? | right conduct,livelihood, effort, mindfulness, speech; views, concentration, resolve (mnemonic: Clem's VCR) |
| By what other name is the Noble Eightfold Path known? | The other name is The Middle Way. |
| What is nirvana? | The Buddha's word for release from selfishness and pain. |
| In what ways were Hinduism & Buddhism the same? | Both believed in reincarnation, the repetitive view of history, final goals of perfect state of understanding, break in chain of reincarnation. |
| In what ways did Hindus and Buddhism differ? | Hinduism: many gods, while Buddhists: way of enlightenment; Hindus: caste system while Buddhists rejected it. |
| Who were the original members of the sangha (Buddhist religious order)? | The 5 disciples who heard the Buddha's first sermon. |
| What are the "Three Jewels" of Buddhism? | the religious community, the dharma (Buddhist doctrine or law), and the Buddha. |
| What do Buddhists say each day? | "I taken refuge in the Buddha; I take refuge in the law; I take refuge in the community." |
| What vows did Buddhist monks and nuns take? | To live a life of poverty, to be nonviolent, not to marry. |
| What was Nalanda? | One of the seasonal Buddhist retreats that turned into a permanent monastary; it developed into a great university attracting Buddhists and non-Buddhists. |
| Why has Buddhism never taken a strong foothold in India? | One theory: Hindus gradually came to view Buddha as another incarnation of the god Vishnu, so they thought Buddhist beliefs were already part of their religion. |
| What are three sites to which Buddhists make pilgrimages in India? | Kapilavastu, Buddha's birthdplace; Gaya (fig tree where Buddha meditated for 49 days); Varanasi where Buddha preached his first sermon. |
| What are 3 important rituals in Buddhist worship? | circling a shrine, lying face down as a sign of humility, offering flowers |
| How did Buddhism spread throughout East Asia? | It spread through traders (see pg. 66). |
