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A Quiz About Buddhism

Can you name these facts about Buddhism?
Quiz by JamieMitchell
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Last updated: October 13, 2020
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First submittedApril 18, 2013
Times taken14,989
Average score70.6%
Rating4.81
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Answer
Concept in Buddhism (and other religions) that can be described roughly as
"what goes around comes around"
Karma
Name for the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism
Dalai Lama
Birth name of Gautama Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama
Modern-day country in which he was born (according to tradition)
Nepal
Tree under which he gained enlightenment
Bodhi Tree
Country in which the above was located
India
Belief that, after death, the self can enter a new body
Reincarnation
The goal of the Buddhist path. A state of freedom from greed, fear, and ignorance.
Nirvana
Term for a person who is on the path to the above
Bodhisattva
School of Buddhism popular in Japan that starts with Z
Zen
Traditionally, the first teachings of the Buddha
The Four Noble Truths
Word, starting with D, which means "cosmic law and order"
Dharma
Although traditions differ, a large percentage of Buddhists don't eat this
Meat
Name one of the two countries where 90% of the population is Buddhist
Cambodia / Thailand
Common English translation of the Buddhist teachings about duḥkha
Life is suffering
Type of flower often depicted in Buddhist art
Lotus
Symbol that often appears on Buddhist temples which was unfortunately
also used by the Nazis
Swastika
+6
Level 83
Oct 13, 2020
The spelling should be "noble" truths, not "nobel".
+4
Level ∞
Oct 13, 2020
Fixed.
+35
Level 87
Oct 13, 2020
Unless you can win a prize for believing them.
+13
Level 79
Oct 13, 2020
Thank you Steely Dan for teaching me " Bodhisattva". And to Reddit for teaching me all about karma.
+5
Level ∞
Oct 13, 2020
I learned Bodhisattva from Point Break.
+6
Level 67
Oct 17, 2020
I got it from the Beastie Boys.
+2
Level 88
Oct 18, 2020
Me too, QM. Remembered it from when Tyler was describing Bodhi to Johnny Utah. ;)
+4
Level 85
Oct 13, 2020
And to Blue Oyster Cult for teaching us all about Dharma.
+5
Level 87
Oct 13, 2020
And Greg.
+3
Level 82
Oct 17, 2020
can't believe it took me so long to remember dharma. I got stuck on "Daria."
+1
Level 68
Oct 21, 2020
I could have sworn it was bodhisvatta. Clearly, I was wrong.
+4
Level 89
Apr 8, 2022
Thanks to Nirvana for teaching me Nirvana.
+14
Level 94
Oct 13, 2020
Because Buddhism teaches that there is no permanent self or soul and, indeed, that all things are impermanent, the question regarding the concept that after death the soul enters a new body should be modified to reflect Buddhism's unique teachings about the mechanism of rebirth (i.e., that the impermanent components of what is conventionally called the self continue to change into new forms). It may be difficult to word such a question in a way that's not clunky, but I think it's necessary to avoid the misleading implication that Buddhism teaches the existence of a soul.
+2
Level 74
Oct 13, 2020
I second that. Buddhism has such a fascination way of dealing with rebirth etc., it would be a waste to just let it stand at a common misconception.
+1
Level 77
Oct 14, 2020
Agreed. Although it can be argued that Theravada Buddhism teaches not-self instead of no-self, in which the 5 aggregates are empty of self but self still exists as fleeting awareness.
+4
Level ∞
Oct 18, 2020
Hmmm... I changed soul to self. I find the teachings on this very self-contradictory.
+1
Level 79
Oct 10, 2023
Self-contradictory in what ways?
+3
Level 80
Oct 13, 2020
Please accept loosened spellings of Siddhartha. I tried many close variations but they weren't accepted.
+2
Level 75
Oct 17, 2020
Agreed. I read Siddhartha by Herman Hesse decades ago, but forgot how to spell it. I was always missing the first h in all my attempts.
+1
Level 78
Oct 17, 2020
Hermann Hesse was my favorite author when I started to dig literature :).
+2
Level ∞
Oct 18, 2020
Spellings without the first H will be accepted now.
+1
Level 62
Oct 13, 2020
Could you accept metempsychosis for reincarnation and accept Swastik without the a?
+20
Level 76
Oct 14, 2020
Also, Dalai Alpaca didn't work.
+1
Level 60
Oct 19, 2020
Neither did Dalai Vicuna...
+1
Level 60
Apr 10, 2022
Or Dalai Lama Glama.
+4
Level 89
Oct 17, 2020
Fun fact: The first cat I adopted was named Buddha.
+3
Level 55
Oct 17, 2020
Could you please also add alternative spellings for "bodhisattva"? I tried the -sattva ending so many times unsuccessfully...
+2
Level ∞
Oct 18, 2020
Which ones? We accept sattva, sottva, satva, and sotva.
+3
Level 75
Oct 17, 2020
I would like to see similar quizzes for all the major world religions, preferably made by an adherent rather than someone like me who would just look up the facts and probably miss important parts.
+1
Level 55
Oct 17, 2020
I keep reading the title as A Quiz About Breaddhism...
+2
Level 47
Apr 10, 2022
how dare you mention that heretical branch of pastafarianism, flour will always be transmuted into spaghetti never bread.
+1
Level 67
Oct 18, 2020
I can't do this I don't know anything about buddhism
+3
Level 66
Oct 19, 2020
Your definition of bodhisattva is not technically wrong, but it misses the essence of the term by such a wide margin that it's effectively wrong. It's too generic and broad. (For example, in Theravada Buddhism--and the bodhisattva is especially a Mahayana Buddhist ideal--the monks and nuns in the Sangam are on their way to [see answer to the clue above (s.a.t.t.c.a.)], as is everyone else following their [see answer to clue 3 below].) A bodhisattva is one who stops just short of attaining [s.a.t.t.c.a.] out of compassion in order to dedicate their existence towards helping everyone else achieve [s.a.t.t.c.a.], too.
+1
Level ∞
Oct 19, 2020
It's generic for a reason based on research from this article:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhisattva

For example, your definition does not seem to apply to Theravada Buddhism.

+1
Level 79
Oct 10, 2023
I tend to agree with OP, especially since they correctly highlight that Mahayana philosophy has a distinct conception of what a bodhisattva is and, to my understanding, it is a far more important concept in theory and practice than in Theravada. Like OP, I would define a bodhisattva as somebody who as vowed to attain enlightenment but to remain in samsara for the benefit of all sentient beings. They develop and embody bodhicitta, which is a compassionate mind directed towards awakening for the sake of all beings.

I don't quite understand why the Wikipedia article uses such a broad definition or why you would simply use their definition without looking at other sources. The concept doesn't hold equal weight in different strands of Buddhism, so trying to combine all of its meanings into a single definition seems silly.

+5
Level 77
Oct 20, 2020
This definition of karma is wrong. "What goes around comes around" is a bastardized misinterpretation by westerners. This is a quiz about Buddhism, so it should probably reflect what karma actually refers to in Buddhism, no?

Karma is the "intentional actions" one takes. The law of karma refers to the idea that one's karma will affect the "fruit of their karma", karmaphala. The cycle of rebirth, or reincarnation, is based on karmaphala. Your lot in life is based on your karmaphala, since the morally bad karma will carry on in rebirth and likewise for morally good karma.

Even interpreting the law of karma to mean "what goes around comes around" is an oversimplification. But, since we want people to get to type in the familiar word, the answer should be "The law of __________," where the blank is "karma".

+2
Level 79
Oct 12, 2023
I sort of understand where you're coming from but I don't see any clear recommendation for an improvement to the clue in your comment. The clue as it is now states that "what goes around comes around" is a rough description of karma, which seems pretty accurate to me. It encapsulates the basic idea that one's actions give rise to future consequences, as does a phrase like "you reap what you sow." Is your objection to the clue lacking any mention of rebirth? Obviously it's oversimplified to some extent, but it hardly seems incorrect to me.
+1
Level 75
Oct 21, 2020
I couldn't for the life of me remember what the tree the Buddha sat under was called, then bam it appeared 4 questions down! Thanks!
+1
Level 60
Apr 12, 2022
For some reason, I couldn't get the quiz to accept Bodhisattva no matter how I spelled it.
+1
Level 61
Jun 8, 2022
Should be "higher than 90%" instead of just "90%".

Thailand is 93% and Cambodia is 97%.