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THE SERMON AT BENARES

 

COMPETENCY BASED QUESTIONS

1. Do you think being enlightened placed a far greater responsibility on the Buddha than being king would have? Justify your stance.

2. The Buddha renounced his worldly life to attain enlightenment. How might the sermon at Benares have helped Siddhartha Gautama’s wife if she had heard it?

3. He who seeks peace should draw out the arrow of lamentation, and complaint, and grief. What did Buddha mean by this?

4. Kisa understood the temporality of life as she sat at the wayside watching the city lights. Can you think of any other object or phenomenon, natural or manmade, that might similarly reflect the fragile nature of human life? Justify your choice.

5. Grief is often seen as a measure of love. Do you think the Buddha’s sermon undermines a mother’s love? Justify your response

6. What message might the Buddha’s story hold for those who are in positions of power and privilege?

7.Sermon at Benares’ could just as well be considered another glimpse of India. If it were part of the story ‘Glimpses of India’, what ideas, values and/ or experiences would it highlight? How would you present this historical part of India?

8.. 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?

9. How do you usually understand the idea of ‘selfishness’? Do you agree with Kisa Gotami that she was being ‘selfish in her grief ’?

10.“Not from weeping nor from grieving will anyone obtain peace of mind; on the contrary, his pain will be the greater and his body will suffer. What does Buddha want to convey through this statement?

11.Grief or sadness is an emotion natural to all types of loss or significant change. You have been asked to present an analysis of the approaches of Lencho and Kisa Gotami in dealing with their respective losses. Write this presentation draft including your insights, and comparing the approaches of both.You may begin like this : 

One acknowledges that Lencho had unwavering faith in God whereas Kisa Gotami in her grief, believed that her son ………..however ……… .

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