The Life Of Gautama Buddha
from A Short History Of The World
Based on a story by H.G. Wells
Comprehension
Read and Answer
1. Choose the most suitable option to complete the sentences.
a. The sixth century BC is considered a remarkable time as
i. all the kingdoms were rich. [ ]
ii. all kingdoms were at peace with each other. [ ]
iii. great thinkers were born and questioning the accepted norms about life. [✓]
iv. none of the above. [ ]
b. Siddhartha Gautama led a life of luxury because
i. he was born in an aristocratic family. [✓]
ii. he was well educated. [ ]
iii. he didn't have much to do except enjoy his gardens and palace. [ ]
iv. all of the above. [ ]
c. He left home because
i. his father sent him into exile. [ ]
ii. he wanted to spend time looking for the meaning and reality of life. [✓]
iii. he had a bitter quarrel with his friends. [ ]
iv. none of the above. [ ]
2. Match the following.
=
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A |
B |
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a. Siddhartha was not contented |
i. leaving his family and kingdom behind. [c] |
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b. He saw a wandering ascetic who |
ii. to a place where many wise people meditated and gathered. [e] |
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c. He left his home |
iii. even though he had everything that life could offer. [a] |
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d. He exchanged his expensive clothes |
iv. looked calm and peaceful. [b] |
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e. He went southwards |
v. with the shabby and torn clothes of a beggar. [d] |
3. Which of the following statements about Siddhartha is supported by information in the passage?
a. He lived a luxurious life and was very happy. [ ]
b. He lived a luxurious life and still unhappy. [✓]
c. He spent all his time working for the poor. [ ]
Reference to context
4. "One day he was walking up and down, trying to think in spite of his weak state."
a. Who was walking up and down? Where was he walking?
= Siddhartha Gautama was walking up and down.
He was walking in the jungle where he went with his five disciples to achieve the truth of life.
b. What was he trying to think about?
= He was trying to think about how to gain wisdom. If the fasting and starving himself enough to gain the truth of life or not.
c. Why was he in a weak state?
= He was in a weak state because he had given himself up to fasting and penances for the last few days in the jungle with his five disciples.
5. "There are three principal forms that the craving for life took and they could all cause suffering."
a. Who discovered these three principal forms? What was his name before he set out to make this discovery?
= Gautama discovered these three principal forms.
His name was Siddhartha Gautama before he set out to make this discovery.
b. What name does the world know this person by now? What did this person do to impact the world?
= The world knows this person by the name of Gautama Buddha.
He left his house and family and kingdom to search the truth of life. He meditated and sensed the clear vision of life. He saw the life plain. He said to have sat all day and all night in profound thought, and then he rose up to impart his vision to the world. He found out the three principal forms that the craving for life took and they all caused sorrow. He preached an eightfold path, that is eight things one could follow to lead the right life. They are - the right viewpoint, the right values, the right speech, the right actions, the right livelihood or way of earning, the right effort, the right mindfulness or mental ability to see and understand things and the right concentration or state of meditation and enlightenment.
c. What are the three principal forms that the craving for life took?
= The three principal forms that the craving for life took are - i) The desire of the appetites and greed; ii) The desire for immortality; and iii) The craving for personal success, worldliness and avarice.
Reflect and answer
6. Do you agree with the statement 'He had realized that whatever truth a person may reach is reached best by a nourished brain in a healthy body'?
= Our body is like a temple and where our soul is confined in as the God. If we do not take care of the temple, we can not worship the God. It is said that our soul is the part of the Almighty. To know Him, we have to take care of the soul. And to take good care of the soul, we have to take care of our body.
On the other hand, if we think in a rational point of view, if our body is not fit, we can not work or think properly. Even small jobs can not be properly done by us in an unfit state. Very prominently I agree with the fact that 'whatever truth a person may reach is reached best by a nourished brain in a healthy body.'
7. List five ways in which you can follow Buddha's eightfold path in your everyday life.
= Gautama Buddha preached an eightfold path, that is eight things one could follow to lead the right life. They are the right viewpoint, the right values, the right speech, the right actions, the right livelihood or way of earning, the right effort, the right mindfulness or mental ability to see and understand things and the right concentration or state of meditation and enlightenment.
The five ways in which I can follow Buddha's eightfold path in my life are -
i) I should take a right viewpoint about life and my aim in life. It is to be an honest human being and study hard and to be emotionally and financially independent.
ii) I should value all the things around me and all the people around me who are important in my life.
iii) I should take good care while talking and practice right speech to be calm and compassionate to everybody.
iv) Definitely I would choose an honest and dignified way to earn my livelihood.
v) I should always take good effort to do every personal tasks and other tasks which are important for me and the people around.