CBSE Class 10 English The Sermon at Benares Assignment

The Sermon at Benares 

INTRODUCTION—
‘The Sermon at Benares’ is a chapter written by Betty Renshaw. The chapter covers the journey of Gautam Buddha from princehood to his saintly life. After seeing the suffering of the world, he decided to give up all worldly pleasures and sought enlightenment. He finally attained salvation under a tree at Bodhgaya.

SUMMARY—
Gautam Buddha (563 B.C to 483 B.C) was a prince. His parents had named him Siddhartha Gautama.He had been shielded from the sufferings of the world. At the age of twenty five he saw a sick man, an aged man and a dead man. He also saw an ascetic begging for alms. Unable to understand that, he went in search of spiritual knowledge.
After wandering for seven years, he sat under a Peepal tree and vowed that he would stay there until he got enlightenment. He got that after a week and named the tree as ‘Tree of Wisdom’. He himself came to be known as Buddha.
He gave his first sermon at Benares. This sermon contained ten important points. These points were conveyed through the story about Kisa Gotami whose only son had died. She went to people asking medicine for him. At last a man told her to go to Buddha, the Sakyamuni.
Buddha told her that he would cure her son if she brought some mustard seeds from a house where no death had taken place. Kisa went from house to house but was unable to find one where no death had been seen.
She finally realised that death was common to all and no one could avoid dying. No one can save their relatives. People weep over their dead ones. It is only the wise who do not grieve as they have accepted the truth.
If a person weeps, his sufferings only become greater. Those who do not grieve have peace of mind and will overcome sorrow.

Extract Based Questions 

Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow :

1. He who seeks peace should draw out the arrow of lamentation and complaint and grief.
He who has drawn out the arrow and has become composed will obtain peace of mind;
He who has overcome all sorrow will become free from sorrow and be blessed.

Question. He who seeks ____________ should draw out the arrow of lamentation, complaint and grief.
(i) solitude
(ii) knowledge
(iii) worldly pleasures
(iv) peace
Answer. (iv) peace

Question. What does ‘lamentation’ mean?
(i) weeping
(ii) repenting
(iii) feeling sorry
(iv) analysing
Answer.(i) weeping

Question. The speaker of these lines is _____________.
(i) Sant Kabirdas
(ii) Gautama Buddha
(iii) Lord Mahavira
(iv) Sant Surdas
Answer.(ii) Gautama Buddha

Question. He who has overcome all sorrows will become free from sorrows and be ____________.
(i) blessed
(ii) rewarded
(iii) awarded
(iv) protected
Answer.(i) blessed 

 

2. At twelve, he was sent away for schooling in the Hindu sacred scriptures and years later he returned home to marry a princess. They had a son and lived for ten years as befitted royalty. At about the age of twenty-five, the prince heretofore shielded from the sufferings of the world, while going out on hunting, chanced upon a sick man, then an aged man, then a funeral procession, and finally a monk begging for alms. These sights so moved him that he at once became a beggar and went out into the world to seek enlightenment concerning the sorrows he had witnessed.

Question. For how many years he lived in befitted royalty ?
(i) 5 years
(ii) 15 years
(iii) 10 years
(iv) 12 years
Answer.(iii) 10 years

Question. At what age Gautam was sent away for schooling ?
(i) thirteen
(ii) twelve
(iii) eleven
(iv) fourteen
Answer. (ii) twelve

Question. Find a word from the passage that means the same as ‘holy’.
(i) sacred
(ii) befitted
(iii) shielded
(iv) royalty
Answer.(i) sacred

Question. Who was begging for alms ?
(i) a beggar
(ii) an old lady
(iii) a monk
(iv) a poor child
Answer.(iii) a monk 

 

3. The Buddha said : ‘‘The life of mortals in this world is troubled and brief and combined with pain. For there is not any means by which those that have been born can avoid dying; after reaching at certain age, there is death; of such a nature are living beings. As ripe fruits are early in danger of falling, so mortals when born are always in danger of death.

Question. Which fruit fears falling down ?
(i) ripe
(ii) unripe
(iii) semi-ripe
(iv) completely unripe
Answer. (i) ripe

Question. One whose life is troubled, brief and combined with pain ?
(i) immortal
(ii) plants
(iii) rocks
(iv) mortal
Answer.(iv) mortal

Question. Find the word from the passage that means ‘living beings who have to die’.
(i) troubled
(ii) enlightenment
(iii) mortals
(iv) scriptures
Answer.(iii) mortals

Question. What is natural ?
(i) death
(ii) life
(iii) living style
(iv) nature
Answer.(i) death

 

 

4. 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... He who seeks peace should draw out the arrow of lamentation, and complaint, and grief. He who has drawn out the arrow and has become composed will obtain peace of mind."

Question. If the Buddha were a counsellor, which of the following options would you find in a brochure of his service?

(a) Image (i)
(b) Image (ii)
(c) Image (iii)
(d) Image (iv)
Answer. C

Question. According to the Buddha, peace of mind is attainable by those who
(a) renounce worldly life like the Buddha
(b) take out the arrow and become strong
(c) grieve, suffer and then move on
(d) recognize terms of life and let go of complaint
Answer. D

Question. Which of the following statements cannot be attributed to the Buddha based on the given extract?
(i) Pain and grief are unavoidable and necessary.
(ii) The inevitability of death makes grieving futile.
(iii) Universality of grief and pain makes us sad.
(iv) Understanding that life is finite leads to wisdom.
(a) (i) and (ii)
(b) (i) and (iii)
(c) (iii) and (iv)
(d) (i) and (iv)
Answer. B

Question. The given extract is paraphrased below. Choose the option that includes the most appropriate solutions for the blanks.
(i) The act of ______________ is not only pointless but (ii) rather _________, causing pain and suffering. It only serves to (iii) __________ peace of mind. (iv) __________ without complaint is crucial to well-being and peace.
(a) grief, harmful, destroy, accepting
(b) grieving, counterproductive, take away, acceptance
(c) weeping, productive, take away, lamentation
(d) grieving, harmful, destroy, lamenting.
Answer. B

Question. Choose the option that appropriately completes the following— lamination : grief :: _______ : _______
(a) laughter : joke
(b) discomfort : fear
(c) celebration : joy
(d) resignation: loss
Answer. C

 

Read the given extracts to attempt the questions that follow:

1. Gautama Buddha (563 B.C.–483 B.C.) began life as a prince named Siddhartha Gautama, in northern India. At twelve, he was sent away for schooling in the Hindu sacred scriptures and four years later he returned home to marry a princess. They had a son and lived for ten years as befitted royalty. At about the age of twenty-five, the Prince, heretofore shielded from the sufferings of the world, while out hunting chanced upon a sick man, then an aged man, then a funeral procession, and finally a monk begging for alms. These sights so moved him that he at once went out into the world to seek enlightenment concerning the sorrows he had witnessed.

A. Multiple Choice Questions

Question. What do you think led Siddhartha to leave all his royalty behind?
(a) His marriage to a princess
(b) Influence of Hindu sacred scriptures
(c) Shielding of royals from all the unpleasant experiences of the world
(d) His attachment with his wife and son.
Answer. C

Question. At about the age of twenty-five, the prince chanced to:
(a) see a leper
(b) see a sick man
(c) meet a business man
(d) meet a learned man
Answer. B

Question. Pick the option that correctly classifies fact/s (F) and opinion/s (O) of the students below.
(1) I think, Siddhartha should not have left his royalty behind only because he met a sick man, funeral and a monk looking for alms.
(2) I am agreed with your opinion. It means Siddhartha escaped from the harsh reality of the world which was wrong.
(3) After all, he had his wife and son who needed his love and care.
(4) I feel the parents of Siddhartha were totally responsible for it as they had kept him away from any sorrow.
(a) F – 2, 3 and O – 1, 4
(b) F – 1, 3 and O – 2, 4
(c) F – 2, 4 and O – 1, 3
(d) F – 1, 4 and O – 2, 3
Answer. B

Question. When did the prince come in contact with the sufferings of the world?
(a) When he went for hunting.
(b) When he was sent for schooling.
(c) When he joined the royal army.
(d) When he was married.
Answer. A

Question. The extract uses the phrase, ‘befitted royalty’. Which of the following expressions is INCORRECT with respect to the word ‘befitted’?
                   (2) Appropriate
                              ↑
(1) Right   ←      BEFITTED   →   (3) Suitable
                              ↓
                    (4) Healthy
(a) Option 1
(b) Option 2
(c) Option 3
(d) Option 4
Answer. D
 

B. Very Short Answer Questions

Question. How did Gautama’s life begin?
Answer. Gautama’s life began as a prince of the royal family.

Question. How many years did Gautama spend of his married life?
Answer. Gautama had a son and spent his marriage for ten years with all luxuries that befitted royalty.

Question. Why didn’t the prince see worldly sufferings before he was twenty-five?
Answer. The prince was shielded from the sufferings of the world before that age.

Question. How did the reality of sights imprint Buddha’s mind?
Answer. The reality of sight deeply imprinted Buddha’s mind. He was moved, and he decided to seek the cause of pain and suffering in human life.

Question. What mission did Buddha set for his life?
Answer. Buddha decided to find out why human beings suffer in the world.

 

2. “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. He will make himself sick and pale, yet the dead are not saved by his lamentation. He who seeks peace should draw out the arrow of lamentation, and complaint, and grief. He who has drawn out the arrow and has become composed will obtain peace of mind; he who has overcome all sorrow will become free from sorrow, and be blessed.”

A. Multiple Choice Questions

Question. According to Lord Buddha, which of these is correct in case of one’s near and dear ones pass away?
(a) One should lament.
(b) One should repent.
(c) One should not grieve, weep or be miserable.
(d) One should be happy.
Answer. C

Question. Choose the option that lists the set of statements that are NOT TRUE according to the given extract.
1. In order to obtain peace of mind, one should not grieve even in hard time.
2. The event that is bound to happen will happen certainly.
3. When we weep and grieve over any tragedy, it lessens the intensity of our pain and suffering.
4. Sorrow and grief is the way that leads to the path of salvation.
(a) 1 and 2
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 3 and 4
(d) 1 and 4
Answer. C

Question. Pick the option that correctly classifies fact/s (F) and opinion/s (O) of the students below.
(1) I think, weeping and grieving over some serious setback is a natural tendency of people. No one can avoid it.
(2) Let's not forget that weeping and grieving over inevitable mishappening only multiplies our pain and suffering.
(3) I feel, Kisa Gotami should not have grieved so much over the death of her son.
(4) By the way, later she herself realised that she was wrong to do so. No amount of grief would bring back the dead.
(a) F – 1, 3 and O – 2, 4
(b) F – 2, 3 and O – 1, 4
(c) F – 2, 4 and O – 1, 3
(d) F – 1, 4 and O – 2, 3
Answer. C

Question. Who will become free from sorrow and be blessed?
(a) One who is enjoying peace.
(b) One who is suffering sorrow.
(c) One who is grieving over loss.
(d) One who is not careful about life.
Answer. A

Question. The extract uses the phrase, ‘arrow of lamentation’. Which of the following expressions is INCORRECT with respect to the word ‘lamentation’?
                     (2) Wailing
                              ↑
(1) Weeping  ←  LAMENTATION  →    (3) Grieving
                              ↓
                    (4) Contemplating
(a) Option (1)
(b) Option (2)
(c) Option (3)
(d) Option (4)
Answer. D
 

B. Very Short Answer Questions

Question. Who speaks the above sentences and to whom?
Answer. The above sentences are spoken by Gautama Buddha to Kisa Gautami.

Question. Are the dead saved by lamentation?
Answer. No, the dead can’t be saved by lamentation and weeping.

Question. Who will attain the peace of mind?
Answer. Only those who transcend lamentation and grief will attain the peace of mind.

Question. Name the lesson from which this extract has been taken.
Answer.  This extract has been taken from ‘The Sermon at Benares’.

Question. What condition of peace is spoken by Buddha in the extract?
Answer. Buddha says if we want peace, we have to forget the feelings of sorrow. Peace and sorrow don’t move together.

3. Kisa Gotami became weary and hopeless, and sat down at the wayside watching the lights of the city, as they flickered up and were extinguished again. At last the darkness of the night reigned everywhere. And she considered the fate of men, that their lives flicker up and are extinguished again. And she thought to herself, “How selfish am I in my grief! Death is common to all; yet in  this valley of desolation there is a path that leads him to immortality who has surrendered all selfishness.”

A. Multiple Choice Questions

Question. What did Kisa Gotami learn from the lights of the city?
(a) About city life
(b) The fate of men
(c) The darkness of city
(d) The importance of life
Answer. B

Question. How did Kisa Gotami behave in her grief?
(a) As a proud being
(b) As a brave being
(c) As a selfish being
(d) As a prudent being
Answer. C

Question. Pick the option that correctly classifies fact/s (F) and opinion/s (O) of the students below.
(1) I think Gautam Buddha should have told Kisa Gotami clearly that death is inevitable instead of making her wander in vain.
(2) I feel, Gotami should also have realised that Buddha's condition was unfulfillable.
(3) You are absolutely right. She wandered from door to door and became weary in vain.
(4) Let's not forget that she learnt an important lesson of life that the cycle of birth and death is the law of nature.
(a) F – 1, 2 and O – 3, 4
(b) F – 1, 3 and O – 2, 4
(c) F – 2, 3 and O – 1, 4
(d) F – 3, 4 and O – 1, 2.
Answer. D

Question. Choose the statement that is NOT TRUE according to the extract.
(a) Men are mortal.
(b) Kisa Gotami’s hope never lost.
(c) Man’s fate is like the lights that flicker repeatedly and extinguish.
(d) Gotami was stubborn and decided to take mustard seeds at all costs.
Answer. B  

Question. The extract uses the phrase, ‘reigned everywhere’. Which of the following expressions is INCORRECT with respect to the word ‘reigned’?
                        (2) Existed
                                 ↑
(1) Prevailed  ←   REIGNED  →  (3) Presented
                                 ↓
                        (4) Ruled
(a) Option (1)
(b) Option (2)
(c) Option (3)
(d) Option (4)
Answer. D

B. Very Short Answer Questions

 

Question. Elucidate any one quality that Siddharth demonstrated when he gave up his status and family. Explain your choice.
Answer. The sudden decision to renounce the world, his family and prince hood shows Siddharth was strong-willed and determined man. He had the courage to take such a difficult decision.

Question. Who made her realise that death is common to all?
Answer. Gautama Buddha made her realise that death is common to all.

Question. Do you think being enlightened placed a far greater responsibility on the Buddha than being king would have? Justify your stance.
Answer. Yes, I do think that being enlightened placed a far greater responsibility on the Buddha. If he world have been just a king, then he would have to just serve his kingdom and people. By being enlightened he had to serve for the whole humanity which is much greater work then being a king.

Question. What did she consider about the fate of men?
Answer. She considered that men are born only to die in the end.

Question. How can death be considered an equalizer?
Answer. Death is an omnipotent, in evitable and looming. It is often referred to a ‘equalizer’ because it is equal to all for all kind of people. It has to come when it will come. So we shouldn’t fear it.

Question. Why did Gotami become weary and hopeless?
Answer. Gotami became weary and hopeless because she didn’t find a single house where no one had ever died.

Question. How in this valley of desolation can one attain immortality?
Answer. In this valley of desolation one can attain immortality by surrendering all selfishness.

Question. What is the universality of life expressed in the extract?
Answer. According to Buddha, death visits all. One who is born is destined to die some day. Our body is mortal.

 

Short Answer Type Questions  

Question. Who was Gautama Buddha ? When and where was he born ? 
Answer. Gautama Buddha was a Prince who was named Siddhartha Gautam by his parents. He was born in 563 B.C. in North India. He had been shielded from the sufferings of the world. He attained enlightenment under a Peepal tree and named the tree as ‘Tree of Wisdom’.

Question. How did Buddha teach Kisa Gotami the truth of life ? 
Answer. Kisa Gotami was devastated by the death of her only son and wandered door to door, seeking help. Someone directed her to Sakyamuni, the Buddha, who asked her to bring a handful of mustard seeds. This raised a hope in Gotami’s heart that her son could be revived. But the condition imposed by Sakyamuni was that the seeds should be from a house where people had not lost a loved one to death. Kisa Gotami’s futile search made her realize the bitter truth that sorrows are a part and parcel of life and one can attain peace only by acceptance.

Question. What did the Buddha do after he had attained enlightenment ? Why ?
Answer. Prince Siddhartha Gautama was deeply pained by the sufferings he saw around him and left house to seek the truth of life. After wandering for seven years, he finally sat under Peepal tree to meditate till he received the enlightenment. Wisdom of the law that governs the cycle of birth and death dawned on him and ‘The Buddha’ set out to share it with the world to relieve the mortals of their sufferings.

Question. Mention the incident which prompted Prince Siddhartha to become a beggar ?
Answer. Once Prince Siddhartha had gone for hunting where he came across a sick man, an aged man, a monk asking for alms and also witnessed a funeral procession. Unable to understand those sufferings, he became a beggar and went in search of spiritual knowledge.

Question. What was the original name of the Buddha? What did he see at the age of twenty-five?
Answer. Siddhartha Gautam. A sickman, an aged man, a funeral procession and a monk begging.

Question. How did Gautama come to be known as the Buddha?
Answer.  Siddhartha Gautama wandered for seven years and finally sat down under a Peepal tree till he got enlightenment.
-renamed the Bodhi Tree‘ and began to teach and to share his new understanding and came to be known as the Buddha.

Question. Why was Kisa Gotami sad? What did she do in her grief?
Answer. Heronly son died and she was full of grief.
-She carried the dead son to all her neighbours.
-She asked them for medicine so that her son can be alive again

Question. What did Kisa Gotami say to Buddha? What reply did he give to her?
Answer. Kisa Gotami went to the Buddha and asked him to give her the medicine to make her son alive.
-The Buddha asked her to bring him a handful of mustard seed. It should be brought from a house where no one had died

Question. What was the basic idea of the Buddha‘s preaching?
Answer. -death is the ultimate truth of life.
-It is that every living being has to die one day.
-No one can escape from death.
-Grief cannot console anyone. We must accept this universal truth.

Question. 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 man made, that might similarly reflect the fragile nature of human life? Justify your choice.
Answer. The rising and setting of the sun can be compared to the fragile nature of human life. Just like the sun rises every day and later the darkness of the night spreads everywhere, similarly. The human beings takes birth then the evening of life i.e. the old age draws in and the sun of life sets.

Question. What lesson on death and suffering did the Buddha teach Gotami in the chapter? The Sermon at Benaras‘. How is the name Kisa Gautami related to it?
Answer. Kisa Gotami lost her only son. In her neighbours, asking them to provide medicine for her son.
-A man suggested her to Buddha. Buddha asked her to bring a handful of mustard seeds but she should get it the house where no one had lost any near and dear one.
- she could not get any such Of Kisa Gotami went from door to door requesting mustard seeds.
- Buddha made her understand that the life of mortals in this world and grief and combined with pain.
- Kisa understood the reality too realized the fate of men that their lives flicker reality of death. death is common to all of us.
-Buddha sermonized her that the life of mortals in this world is troubled and painful; that the world is afflicted with death and decay, and so there is no point in grieving over something which is inescapable.

Question. Grief is often seen as a measure of love. Do you think the Buddha’s sermon undermines a mother’s love? Justify your response.
Answer. Grief is a measure of love for those who are not enlightened and are still trapped in this materialistic world. A spiritually enlightened person can understand and accept that the physical life is only temporary, just a stop where the soul stays temporally, before the transition.

Question. How did Gautam Buddha get enlightenment? Explain in detail with reference to the story.
Answer.-Began life as a prince named Siddhartha Gautama
-At twelve, he was sent away for schooling in the Hindu sacred scriptures and four years later he returned home to marry a princess.
-They had a son and lived for ten years as befitted royalty. shielded from sufferings of the world
-chanced upon a sick man, then an aged man, then a funeral procession, and finally a monk begging for alms.
-He wandered for seven years and finally sat down under a peepal tree, where he vowed to stay until enlightenment came.
-Enlightened after seven days, he renamed the tree the Bodhi Tree and began to teach and to share his new understandings. At that point he became known as the Buddha.

Question. What message might the Buddha’s story hold for those who are in positions of power and privilege?
Answer. Buddha’s story holds the message of the grief and suffering that everyone has to face after the death of beloved, be it the man with position and power. Everyone is treated equally by death. Everyone has to face the same sadness and grief pain when death comes to any beloved one. Also everyone born on this earth has to die a day regardless of their power and position. Long Answer Type Questions (100-120 words & 5 marks each)

Question.The World is afflicted with death and decay, therefore the wise do not grieve, knowing the. terms of the world‖. Explain with reference to the story ―The Sermon at Benares‖.
Answer. -Buddha said that death is common to all mortals. Those who are born must die one day.
-As ripe fruits fall off the trees, so is the life of mortals.
-Life of a man is like an earthen pot that breaks and meets its end.
- No amount of weeping and lamenting can bring the dead back to life. wise men don‘t grieve. They understand that it is the law of the world.
-Weeping and lamenting produce no gains. It rather spoils one‘s health and gives more pain. -If only you take out the arrow of lamentation and get composed, you will get peace of mind. -To overcome sorrow,become free of sorrow.
-But in today‘s world, man has forgotten this. He makes all kinds of efforts to provide himself with the comforts and earns money by all means whether wrong or right. He forgets that one day he has to die and everything will be left here only.

 

Long Answer Type Questions 

Question. How do you usually understand the idea of selfishness ? Do you agree with Kisa Gotami that she was ‘selfish’ on her grief ? Is it natural for people to be selfish at times ?
Answer. Selfishness’ means when a person does something only for his own benefit or thinks only about himself/ herself. Kisa Gotami was selfish in wanting her dead son to be alive. It was a mother’s love which had blinded her. She was wrong in wanting that. She could not see the reality of life. It is perfectly natural for anyone to be selfish at times. When this desire becomes harmful to others or the demands become unrealistic, it is wrong. A little bit of selfishness is there in generally everyone and it is natural to be so. As all earthern vessels made by a Potter breaks in the end, so is the life of the mortals. All are subject to death. We should accept this fact.

Question. Read the given quote by actor Jim Carrey.
Can you relate this to the Buddha’s life before and after he attained enlightenment? Provide examples from the text to support your answer.
Answer. Gautam Buddha began his life as a royal prince. He was named Siddharth Gautam. At the age of sixteen, he got married to a princess. The prince was deliberately shielded from all sufferings of the world. But this attempt failed when the prince while out hunting chanced upon a sick man. Then, he saw an aged man. He also chanced to see a general procession. Finally, he saw a monk begging for alms. These sights of sufferings, sickness and decay shocked and moved the prince. He wanted to seek the final solutions of all these sorrows and sufferings. Finally, he sat down under a big tree after wandering for seven years in search if enlightenment. He gave his first sermon at Banaras on the River Ganges. He preached that all men, women and children are mortals. And all
mortals, be it a rich or poor, are destined to die. Actually, death and decay is the fate of all mortals in this world. Death spares none. Those who are born, can’t avoid dying. Therefore, the wise do not grieve.

Question. 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?
Ans. India is a land of unity in diversity. The high mountains ranges, vast seas and countless rivers depict the diversity in unity. Each and every region of the country from Jammu and Kashmir to Kanya Kumari portrays different customs and traditions. The story of Buddha, too, portrays a beautiful of Indian history.
When Kisa Gautami went to the Buddha for the medicine to receive her Buddha told her to power a handful of mustard seeds from a house where no one had died. Kisa became weary and hopeless after going to several houses and getting the same response. She finally grasped the Buddha’s underlying meaning, there after the Buddha sermonized her that the life of mortal in this world is troubled and painful. That the world is afflicted with death and decays, and so there is no point in grieving over something which is inescapable. He gave her examples of ripe fruits and earthen vessels whose ‘lives’ are short. This way he made her realign that death is unavoidable and non-even the near and dear ones-can save anyone from death

Question. How does Gautam Buddha make the human beings realize that death is common to all ?
Answer.  In his first sermon, Buddha makes the human being realise that death is common to all. It is true that human life is full of troubles and grief. After the death of the loved one, one’s feelings are combined with pain. But life can’t stop here. Death is inevitable. It cannot be avoided. So in such adverse situations, there is no use of crying and mourning. If we accept this universal truth of inevitable death, it will not only lessen the pain but also help us to tackle the situation.