eQuizShow

Buddhism Jeopardy

The Life of the Buddha

Question: True or False:
Siddhartha Gautama's father support the idea of him becoming a great religious leader.

Answer: False. The king did not want his son to be a religious leader. He needed an heir to the throne. So the king kept the prince in the palace grounds at all times. When Gautama was born it is said that a wise man came to say that if he ever saw misery then he would become the Buddha. So the king made sure that nobody old or sick visited the palace. All of the kings efforts were of no use because the prince got bored of his sheltered life and went riding by himself. On his ride he saw a dead man, an old man, and a sick man. After this he saw a holy man who was happy and from then on was determined to be like him.

Question: What was the tree that the Buddha meditated under?
A. Nobody really knows, but it is rumored to be an acacia.
B. The bo tree
C. An oak
D. Unknown

Answer: The answer is B. The Buddha meditated under the bo tree, bo tree means tree of wisdom. Buddhists believe that an evil spirit called Mara was sending demons to tempt him out of his meditation. These attacks failed and Siddhartha Gautama became enlightened.

Question: Where was Siddhartha Gautama (The Buddha) born?
A. Tibet
B. China
C. Lumbini or modern day Nepal
D. It is undetermined

Answer: The correct answer is C. Siddhartha Gautama was born in Lumbini which is now Nepal. He was born in Kapilavastu. Lumbini was part of India which is where the spread of Buddhism began.

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What are the Rules?

Question: Are Buddhists allowed to use improper speech, or swearing?
Answer: No. That is one of the five precepts.

Question: Which of the following is one of the five precepts for regular people?
A. Do not sleep on a comfortable bed.
B. Avoid alcohol.
C. Do not over eat.
D. Avoid technology.

Answer: The answer is B. One of the five precepts is that a Buddhist should avoid alcohol and misuse of drugs. Monks and nuns are not allowed to sleep on a comfortable bed because that is one of their precepts, but regular people can sleep wherever they want.

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Question: True or False: Monks and nuns have an extra set of precepts.
Answer: True. In addition to the other five precepts monks and nuns have another set of stricter rules.

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Random! Test Your Luck!

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Question: Why is a wheel with eight spokes a symbol of Buddhism?
A. It represents life.
B. It represents one of the Buddha's teachings.
C. All of the above.

Answer: C. All of the above. The wheel represents samsara and the eight spokes are a reminder that one of the Buddha's teachings has eight parts.

Question: Do more boys or girls become monks/nuns?
A. Boys.
B. Girls.
C. About the same.

Answer: Boys. Many Buddhists believe that the best way to live is as a monk or nun. But the strange thing is, most girls do not become nuns.

Question: Why is the lotus flower a symbol of Buddhism?
A. Because it's pretty, and it reminds people that even with all of the imperfections in the world their is still some beauty.
B. Because the smell helps Buddhists to meditate.
C. It symbolizes enlightenment.
D. I give up! This is a terrible jeopardy with really really REALLY hard questions!
E. It symbolizes peace.

Answer: The answer is C. The lotus flower symbolizes enlightenment because it grows in mud, but it rises above the mud to be a beautiful flower just like the Buddhists try to rise above all of the terrible things in the world when they become enlightened.

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Nirvana and Enlightenment

Question: What do you have to do to go into Nirvana?
A. Go through the circle of life many times.
B. Have a good life. 
C. Be enlightened.
D. Die

Answer: C. To get to Nirvana you have to be enlightened. Before you are enlightened you keep going through Samsara, or the circle of life. Your body changes shape throughout Samsara depending on how well you lived the life before. Birth and death are just a stage of the circle. In Nirvana you finally leave Samsara.

Question: True or False:
The Buddha found that starving himself didn't help with anything.


Answer: True. Part of being a Buddhist is not to accept luxuries, but you can eat. The five precepts do not say anything about food and drink.

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Question: What is Parinirvana?
A. When the body stops living entirely.
B. When someone chooses to leave Nirvana.
C. A Buddhist holiday.
D. When someone goes to Nirvana by accident, for example a non Buddhist.
E. When you convert to a different religion other than Buddhism.

Answer: A. When you reach Parinirvana you stop living.The Buddha reached Parinirvana when he passed away at eighty years old. To get to Parinirvana you have to achieve Nirvana somewhere in your lifetime.

Holidays and Other Celebrations

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Question: Where is a typical wedding held?
A. In a monastery.
B. In a quiet, natural place.
C. In the brides home.
D. In the grooms home.

Answer: C. Weddings are most often held in the brides home and the ceremony is done by one of her male relatives instead of a monk. They stand on a platform decorated with white flowers. The couple trade rings and tie their right thumbs or wrists together. Kids recite certain things from holy books and the bride and groom make promises to each other.

Question: What is a pravrajya ceremony?
A. A coming of age party.
B. When a child becomes a monk or nun.
C. A baby shower.

Answer: B. When a child becomes a monk or nun. Most boys become monks, but not many girls have a pravrajya ceremony.

Question: What is Kathina?
A. The Buddha's birthday.
B. A reminder of how hard it is to be a monk or nun.
C. A special funeral.
D. A holiday kind of like our April Fools day.

Answer: B. Kathina means difficult and the holiday is when Buddhists remember how hard it is to live as a monk or nun. Kathina is when people take robes to monasteries as a way to say thank you and realize the importance of the monks. 

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