Exam 5: Buddhism

The monastic order that developed from the Buddha's early disciples is called the __________.

A monk or a nun who renounces worldliness for the sake of following the path of liberation is called a __________.

Like many noteworthy religious figures, the Buddha lived only into his early thirties.

Describe the four parts of the Four Noble Truths and the eight elements of the eightfold path. How do you see these teachings constructively helping a person to achieve liberation from suffering in life? Give a concrete example (such as how these teachings might help someone deal with job loss or a serious illness).

Driven by the principles of non-violence and compassion, contemporary Buddhist thinkers must deal with questions of medical ethics (for example, abortion, suicide, organ transplants, euthanasia). However, these issues could seem to compound one's sense of attachment to life and, therefore, to increase one's experience of suffering. Does constructive action in the world, such as medical interventions, contradict the Buddhist's ultimate understanding of impermanence? Why or why not?

__________ are reliquary mounds reaching toward the sky that may contain a relic or an image of the Buddha.

The Buddhist term for liberation is __________.

Buddhist meditation involves a wide variety of techniques for cultivating the mind.

The aim of Zen practice is enlightenment, often experienced as the flash of insight known as __________.

The Buddha's emphasis on compassion prevails even among contemporary Buddhists.

The Buddhist term for suffering or dissatisfaction is __________.

The role of women in Buddhism has been steadily increasing since the 1980s.

A __________ is one who is dedicated to liberating others from suffering.

The Vajrayana practice of meditating upon oneself in the form of a Buddha or bodhisattva in order to embody enlightened qualities is called __________.

Buddhists who follow the Theravada tradition study a large collection of ancient scriptures called the __________.

According to legend, Siddhartha was tempted by Mara, the personification of evil, to keep his insights to himself.

Due to their emphasis on meditation, Buddhists tend to be socially disengaged.

The Japanese teacher Nichiren believed that the essence of Buddhism could be found in the __________.

Vesak is the most important Buddhist festival.

The Buddhist teaching of anatman is the doctrine that there is no separate, permanent, or immortal self.