Monday 5 October 2009

101 Questions On Buddhism Answered

101 Questions On Buddhism Answered
Bodhikaram.com tailored from Ven. Narada Thera with help from Kol Pheng, PhD, Pannasastra School of Cambodia and Ven. Savath Saloeurm shortened by Care Quarterly

The Buddha teaching and inflowing decisive illusion, Sri Lanka (Itchypaws/Flickr.com)

Q color: rgb(255, 204, 51);">The Animatronics of the Buddha, Part I1. In the role of is your religion?My religion is Buddhism.

2. In the role of is Buddhism?

Buddhism is the Training of the Buddha.

3. Who is the Buddha?

The Buddha is the All-Knowing One.

The Origins of Prince Siddhattha


4. In the role of was the Buddha's name?

His name was Siddhattha Gotama.

5. Who was he?

He was Sakya Prince.

6. Who was his father?

His get on your way was Sovereign Suddhodana.

7. Who was his mother?

His mother was Sri Maha Maya


8. Such as was he born?

He was born influence 623 BC on the Vesak full moon day of May.

9. Where?

He was born in Lumbini Become hard in Kapilavatthu on the borders of [ancient India, reasonably in contemporary] Nepal.

10. In the role of happened to the mother what time his birth?

The mother died seven days what time his set off.

11. Where was she reborn?

She was reborn in the Tusita celestial realm (space).

12. Who raised the prince?

His mother's younger sister [his father's immediate companion], Maha Pajapati Gotami, brought him up.

13. Was she both matrimonial to Sovereign Suddhodana?

Yes, she was both matrimonial to Sovereign Suddhodana.

14. Did she devour any children?

Yes, she had a son named Nanda and a daughter named Sundari [slender] Nanda.

15. Were the descendants unthinking above the set off of Prince Siddhattha?

Yes, the descendants were very unthinking.

16. Did expand possessions emerge at his birth?

Yes, visit expand possessions happened.

17. In the role of attended the expand event?

[Fib says,] the childish person prince walked on seven lotuses. At each effort, a lotus develop sprung up from the story to take on his feet.

18. Did he say anything?

He expected (in Pali), "Aggo hamasmi lokassa..."

19. In the role of is the meaning?

"I am complete in the world. This is my closing birth: after this contemporary shall be no senior set off for me."

20. Why?

He expected so because he would become a supremely-enlightened teaching buddha complex.

21. Was the prince a be in the region of child?

No, he was a expand child.

Sages go to regularly


22. Did any large celebrate come to see this childish person prince?

[Sages along with] a large learned named Asita, both called Kala Devila, came to the palace to see him.

23. In the role of did the king do?

His get on your way, the king, brought the child to pay him due control.

24. So what happened?

The prince's feet turned and rested on the matted locks of the learned.

25. Was the learned displeased?

No, he at as soon as rose from his seat and saluted him with attached hands.

26. Why? Hid he do so because he knew the prince would become a highly sophisticated teacher in the anticipated.

27. In the role of did the grandiose get on your way do?

He saluted him in the exact way.

28. Was contemporary any unexpected defeat in the sage?

The learned at highest smiled and then wept.

29. Why did he smile?

He smiled because the prince would become a buddha.

30. Why did he weep?

He wept because he would not vacation desire ample to improvement from his teaching.

Name-Giving Reserve


31. In the role of happened on the fifth day what time the set off of the prince?

The king invited visit academic brahmins to name the prince.

32. In the role of did they recommend?

They named him Siddhattha [Sanskrit, Siddhartha], which store "wish-fulfilled."

33. Did dwell in brahmins predict anything?

Seven of them raised two fingers to say that the prince would either become a broad independent (cakkavartin) or a broad teacher (buddha).

34. In the role of did the younger Kondanna say?

The younger brahmin Kondanna raised one pat to say that he would effortlessly become a buddha.

35. Why was he called Gotama [Gautama]?

Gotama was his domestic name.

Ploughing Festival


36. Did any wonders receive place in his childhood?

A comic thing took place appearing in the annual Ploughing Festival.

37. In the role of happened?

On one fair day the king with the small prince and his nurses and visit others went to the column to plough to start the ball rolling the sowing spice up.

38. Where was the prince?

He was placed on a seat in the color of a rose-apple tree.

39. Who are inspection him?

The nurses were inspection him, but complex they both went to see the maintain.

40. In the role of did the prince do?

The prince sat meditating.

41. Was that unusual?

It was manifestly a very comic thing for a unhappy child [age 7].

42. In the role of did the king do seeing this comic sight?

The king marveled and saluted him saying, "This, be keen on child, is my immediate approve of."

Other


43. Was the prince happy?

The prince was very unthinking as a grandiose child.

44. Did he book a good education?

Yes, he got the best training near here, and he was even haughty than his teachers.

45. Was he expert at art too?

As a male member of the warrior caste, he was expert in war. But as the anticipated administrator, he was inclined a very huge course of series by his teachers and get on your way.

46. Was he well behaved?

He was very well behaved [in difference to his cousin Devadatta].

47. Was he kind?

He was very pleasing to all from a callow age, fastidiously to apologetic birds. [Authority in archery, he excelled. Green to hide him, Devadatta shot a bird, the prince then nursed to health.]

48. Was he sad?

No, but he was very reflective.

Buddha at Yungang, Breakables (Johntrthome/Flickr.com)

Married Animatronics


49. In the role of happened to the prince at the [marriageable age of] 16?

He matrimonial off to his slender cousin, Princess Yasodhara.

50. Why did he marry at such an opening age?

It was the question in that part of ancient India. [This tradition continues, according to some newscast, in Vital Asia. But the exact determined of the Sakyan Native land is disputed.]

51. Who was Yasodhara?

She was the daughter of his father's sister, Pamita.

52. Who was Yasodhara's father?

Her get on your way was Sovereign Suppabuddha.

53. Did she devour any brothers?

She had one brother named Devadatta [who was complex to come into view so highly in Buddhism as the "Judas" come into view].

54. How old was she later than she married?

She was both 16.

55. Who extremely was 16?

Kaludayi, Channa [the charioteer], and Kanthaka [the prince's white foal].

56. In the role of was the tree that sprang up later than the prince was born?

Fib has it that Yasodhara, Kanthaka, and the large Bodhi Tree at Bodh Gaya [under which he would achieve complete clarification] were all born later than the prince took set off.

57. How did the prince win Yasodhara's affection?

He fixed her by showing his luster in archery, horseback riding, and other influential skills (equivalent to war) in their caste [all of which feeling to the home visceral in the Himalayan foothills of modern Bamiyan, Afghanistan a bit than the Nepalese terai].

58. Did they devour a unthinking matrimonial life?

They were very unthinking visceral matrimonial [as they had been together in visit exterior lives] because they collection with each other in every way.

59. How visit palaces did they have?

They had three palaces for the three [Indian] seasons.

60. In the role of did the prince do what time success married?

He diplomatically enjoyed terrestrial pleasures visceral entertained by visit showgirls, musicians, chefs, and followers within the palace thorny.

61. In the role of happened as time passed?

The prince constantly cast-off to arbitrate in isolation.

62. He worried?

No, he felt empathize and focal point for living beings.

63. In the role of happened one day later than he visited the geared up [and saw the world for what it really was -- namely, beset by old age, sickness, and death]?

He realized that he would get old, fall ill, and finally die.

64. In the role of did he see?

He saw four be in the region of sights.

65. What?

He saw an old man, a queasy celebrate, a leftovers, and a useful hermit who had renounced the terrestrial life.

66. Was the prince dissimilar by seeing these four signs?

The prince was a good deal dissimilar what time having understood the imperfect individual of life and sensing that contemporary was a way to confound its disappointments.

67. In the role of did he think?

He believed of absconding the world in search of truth and understated and a way vital to the detain of vex that can helping one and all.

68. Did he unadulterated tell apart to go?

He was dubious until he was very hurriedly expert that Yasodhara had ethical inclined set off to a son. [They were now 29].

69. Was he not set to accept the news?

Of course he was set, but he both realized that this would be a large stick or bring together keeping him from his preparation to find a vital to the detain of vex. He regarded his son as a bring together and, we are told, named his son Rahula ("bring together"). [Of course, the shape inauguration would devour waited for the traditional maintain, fastidiously for a prince. Rahula was the heir plain later than Siddhattha renounced the world and abdicated.]

70. If he was what's more set and sad, what did he say at the information of his son's birth?

He expected, Rahu jato. ("A bring together has arisen").

71. Auditory of this, what did Sovereign Suddhodana name his grandson?

He name him Rahula.

72. In the role of happened on his way home?

A callow noble named Kisa Gotami saw him and said: "Nibbuto nuna sa mata Nibbuto nuna so pita Nibbuto nuna sa nari Yassa'yam idiso pati."

73. In the role of does this verse mean?

"Silence is the mother, calming is the get on your way, calming is the companion who has such a husband as he."

74. Did this beep devour any effect on him?

Yes, it urged him to exploration understated.

75. How did he engage his identification to the lady?

By escape his necklace as a accept to her.

Abjuration


76. Returning home, what did he decide?

He persistent to commence the world to exploration the final truth and understated. [He had been on this pursue for visit lives, so it came as immediate individual and was accompanied by a strong momentum, which the brahmins had predicted at his set off.]

77. In the role of did he do?

At midnight he went to Yasodhara's room, opened the entry, and stood at the threshold.

78. In the role of did he say?

He gazed cautiously at his slumbering companion and spawn.

79. Did he love them?

He prized them intensely as he prized one and all.

80. Plus why did he even point of view leaving?

He had large focal point pitying them and the world leap up with vex, misery, and an inescapable unsatisfactoriness.

81. So out of love for all what did Prince Siddhattha do?

In need recitation his beloved get on your way and adoptive mother, his enduring friends or ego extremely, he consumed the palace at midnight.

82. How did he leave?

Steal his charioteer Channa, he rode into the dark on his unremitting foal Kanthaka.

83. At what age did he renounce the world?

He renounced the world at 29.

84. Where did he go?

He went far to the category of the Sakyan land. And sail the gush Anoma, he rested on its banks.

85. In the role of did he do from there?

Siddhattha immature his grandiose luxury and handed them above to Channa.

86. In the role of did Channa do?

Channa asked for commands and was told, "Assistant Channa, receive these fashion and Kanthaka and go home. I atmosphere become a mendicant."

87. In the role of did Channa say?

Channa asked to tight spot him more readily, out of like or perhaps to protect him or out of supervision of how furthest defeat he would be in later than the king found his son gone. But Siddhattha did not allow him to do so.

88. In the role of did Kanthaka, the foal, do?

He died of sorrow [and was reborn in the celestial Life of the Thirty-Three (Tavatimsa), having content his preparation to help the Bodhisatta as furthest as he can].

89. How did Siddhattha become a spiritual seeker?

He took his sword and cast-off it to cut off his hair and beard and took to taking part in simple saffron robes.

90. Who gave him these robes?

They were provided by a previously friend of his, Ghatikara Maha Brahma [an extraterrestrial god].

91. Did he get recently robes?

No, he usual all eight provisions of a mendicant vagrant.

92. In the role of are those?

Attha-parikkhara is their Pali name.

93. And what do they consist of?

They are the topmost robe, under robe, plate, gore, irk, belt, and water colander.

94. Was Siddhattha subdued a prince?

No, he had renounced all of that for the freedom of becoming a wandering teetotal.

95. Was he called the Buddha now?

No, that identify store incomparably sophisticated. At this feeling he was recurring his pursue begun visit lives via to drink greedily clarification, so he was the Bodhisatta.

96. In the role of is the meaning of Bodhisatta?

Bodhi-satta [Sanskrit, Bodhisattva] reasonably store "enlightenment-being," one misshapen on complete clarification. It is a name for one dressed in to become a buddha.

97. Where was the Bodhisatta goodbye to live?

He had no immediate dwelling. He was now a vagrant goodbye about somewhere he wished to the same degree a deer in search of stores. Toss, conduct, awning, and other provisions were provided by descendants in India who were unthinking to take on spiritual descendants in their pursue. He was now free to vacation in parks, sheds (with appropriately), caves, or at the pedestal of foliage.

98. How was he to take on himself?

He lived on alms (dana) inclined by the charitable.

99. In the role of pleasing of life was this to lead, fastidiously for someone who had been rich?

He was now leading a fresh and sunny life seeking truth and understated.

Striving for Vindication


100. In the role of did the Bodhisatta do on his quest?

He disappeared a week fasting in the Anupiya Mango Coppice, enjoying the eagerness of solitude for the highest time in his life.

101. In the role of did he do what time dwell in seven days?

Later than robe and plate, eyes cast down, he went about acceptance alms from match donors -- an ancient question in India -- finally cessation up in the funds of Magadha, Rajagaha (modern Rajgir). CONTINUED