The Sermon at Benares Question Answer Chapter 8 Solved PDF

1. What is a sermon? Is it different from a lecture or a talk? Can this word also be used in a negative way or as a joke?

Answer: A sermon is a religious or moral talk. It is generally different from an ordinary lecture or talk because it gives moral or spiritual advice. The word can also be used negatively or as a joke when someone gives a long piece of advice.

3. Have you heard of the Sermon on the Mount? Who delivered it? Who do you think delivered a sermon at Benares?
Answer: The Sermon on the Mount was delivered by Jesus Christ. The sermon at Benares was delivered by Gautama Buddha.

1. When her son dies, Kisa Gotami goes from house to house. What does she ask for? Does she get it? Why not?
Answer: Kisa Gotami asks for medicine to cure her dead son. She does not get it because her son is already dead, and no medicine can bring him back to life.

2. Kisa Gotami again goes from house to house after she speaks with the Buddha. What does she ask for, the second time around? Does she get it? Why not?
Answer: The second time, Kisa Gotami asks for a handful of mustard-seed from a house where no one has ever lost a child, husband, parent or friend. She does not get it because every house she visits has experienced the death of a loved one.

3. 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?
Answer: The second time, Kisa Gotami understands that death is common to everyone and that no family can escape it. Yes, this was what the Buddha wanted her to understand. He wanted her to accept the truth of death instead of remaining trapped in personal grief.

4. Why do you think Kisa Gotami understood this only the second time? In what way did the Buddha change her understanding?
Answer: At first, Kisa Gotami was completely overcome by grief and could think only about her dead son. The Buddha changed her understanding by asking her to collect mustard-seed from a house untouched by death. When she found that every family had suffered a loss, she realised that death is common to all.

5. How do you usually understand the idea of 'selfishness'? Do you agree with Kisa Gotami that she was being 'selfish in her grief'?
Answer: Selfishness means thinking only about oneself and ignoring others. Yes, Kisa Gotami was being selfish in her grief to some extent because she thought her suffering was unique. Later, she understood that death and sorrow are common to all people.

1. give thee medicine for thy child
Answer: Give you medicine for your child.

2. Pray tell me
Answer: Please tell me.

3. Kisa repaired to the Buddha
Answer: Kisa went to the Buddha.

4. there was no house but someone had died in it
Answer: There was no house in which someone had not died.

5. kinsmen
Answer: Relatives.

6. Mark!
Answer: Listen! / Take note!

1. Compare the texts on grief with the Buddha's sermon.
Answer: The modern texts explain that grief can produce sadness, anger, guilt, anxiety, loneliness, fatigue and disbelief. They also say that there is no single correct way to express grief and that people experiencing grief need patience, care and support. The Buddha's sermon teaches that death is unavoidable and that excessive grief cannot bring the dead person back. Both the modern texts and the Buddha's teaching recognise grief as a natural human experience. The Buddha, however, focuses more strongly on accepting the universal nature of death and overcoming excessive sorrow.

2. Do you think the Buddha's ideas and way of teaching continue to hold meaning for us? Or have we found better ways to deal with grief?
Answer: Yes, the Buddha's ideas continue to hold meaning for us. Death is still a universal reality, and accepting it can help people deal with grief. Modern understanding also teaches us to support grieving people and respect their individual feelings. Both approaches can help people cope with loss.

1. Teaching someone to understand a new or difficult idea
Answer: Teaching a difficult idea requires patience and clear explanation. A teacher should explain the idea step by step and use simple examples. The learner should be given enough time to understand and ask questions. A difficult idea becomes easier when it is connected with familiar things. The teacher should also encourage the learner instead of making him or her feel afraid of making mistakes. Good teaching is not only about giving information. It is also about understanding the learner's difficulties and helping the learner develop confidence.

2. Helping each other to get over difficult times
Answer: Difficult times become easier when people support one another. A person who is suffering may need someone to listen to them and understand their feelings. Friends and family can provide emotional support and help the person remain connected with everyday life. Simple acts of care can make a person feel less lonely. We cannot always remove another person's pain, but we can stand beside them. Sharing difficult moments and helping one another can provide comfort and strength.

3. Thinking about oneself as unique, or as one among billions of others
Answer: Every person is unique because each person has different experiences, thoughts and feelings. At the same time, we are also part of a large human family. Many experiences that seem personal are actually shared by millions of people. Birth, happiness, suffering and death are common experiences of human beings. Understanding this can make us more aware of our connection with others.