A Land Flowing With Milk and Honey Quiz

Answer: Nirvana

No, not the band!
Nirvana is actually a term used in other Indian religions, such as Sikhism and Jainism, as well as Buddhism. The Buddha, Siddharta Gautama, was said to experience some form of Nirvana and this was said to be why he strove to teach Buddhism. But, since they confer slight variations, I thought it best to keep it simple and stick to the one.

So, what is Nirvana, and how does one achieve it?

Within Buddhism, Nirvana is said to literally mean "extinguishing". Such as you extinguish a flame, you can extinguish life itself. But, in this context, extinguishing the flame merely makes it invisible; its form is changed, rather than destroyed, and so the body is also changed, or, particularly, the soul.

The soul is said to leave samsara - that is, the perpetual wandering embodying our physical needs, wants and desires. Even the desire to survive itself is said to be an aspect of samsara. When we are reincarnated - and we supposedly will be, until we reach Nirvana - we don't remember our former lives, but they are interminably connected to our former and future lives, almost as though with an invisible thread.

Supposedly, we can reach Nirvana through following the eight limbs or paths, also known as the Noble Eightfold Path. Without really going into these in too much depth, they include meditation, wisdom, morality, releasing our desires, and compassion. The paths are said to be signposts, which people must follow in their own way.

So, once the soul reaches Nirvana, what is it like? Well, since you wouldn't know unless you were there, it's hard to say. Some describe it as a place of pure bliss, free of human desires. Some say you can perceive all your past lives and yet know no life, because you are not living, yet, presumably, you have some form of consciousness. Regardless of what Nirvana may or may not be like, it is said to be the ending of suffering. The notion that it may be a place of pure bliss or happiness may be misleading, for if you are a metaphysical being without a human form, can you feel in the same way as humans? Perhaps, perhaps not...

Answer: Lakshmi

Diwali, derived from 'deepavali', literally means rows of light. Yes, its main feature is beautiful flickering lights, arranged in eyecatching patterns and scattered around the roofs of houses, and really, anywhere else they can be seen. Oil lamps are floated down the river Ganges, and fireworks light the darkened skies. If you look for some pictures, you will not be disappointed.

Diwali lasts five days, and, in addition to praying to Lakshmi for wealth, Diwali also marks a time of reflection, of love, the future, and of knowledge. The lights are also said to beat back darkness and evil, and this is therefore a joyous occasion.

Diwali itself is said to be based on the return of Rama, an important figure who was exiled after a royal dispute. Rama subsequently saved his wife, Sita, from a ferocious 10-armed and 10-headed demon named Ravana, and upon his return home was hailed as king. Because it was dark, people set out lights to illuminate the path, and this practice is said to be the origin of Diwali. May your paths keep lit as well...

Answer: Garden of Eden

Adam and Eve's transgression in the Garden of Eden is probably one of the most cited Biblical stories. Ironically, here I am asking about it, yet, it is one of the first things to come to mind when thinking of the title.

So, what can I tell you about this story that you don't already know? Probably not a lot, but let's try anyway. The Garden of Eden is actually IN a region called Eden, and isn't Eden itself - as the NIV version of the Bible says: "Now the lord God has planted a garden in the east; in Eden". It has four rivers flowing out of it, the Pishon, Gihon, Tigris and Euphrates. Although there have been attempts to determine its exact location, the lack of knowledge on the first two rivers mentioned made it too difficult.

Since I mentioned it, 'Paradise Lost' (1667) is an expanded version of the Garden of Eden tale. In this tale, the origin of Satan is discussed, where he journeys from Hell to Eden, where he is banished. However, he possesses a snake and acts as the serpent who tempts Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. Whilst Satan is turned into a serpent as punishment, Adam is told of how his actions have impacted the future and what it might bring, which is bittersweet. He is then exiled from the Garden of Eden like Eve, and that's about it.

Answer: Maya

Often, Maya is translated as 'illusion'. Sometimes it is referred to as the physical world we live in, which is said to be unreal and impermanent. In that case, we should be trying to realise the self through meditation and understanding consciousness as truth. Bypassing Maya is said to be the key to achieve liberation from the reincarnation cycle.

This leads to moksha, a spiritual union with God, which is everlasting. Whilst parallels can be made with Nirvana in Buddhism, it would appear that one can keep one's own identity and personal tastes within Sikhism, which doesn't seem to be the case in Buddhism.

Answer: Medina

Mecca is considered the most holy site, but Medina is considered important because it is where the Prophet Muhammad was born and buried. Both places are closed to non-Muslims. It is said that in 622, Muhammad united the divided, squabbling Arabic tribes and the Jews who lived in Medina, or Yathrib as it was known then. Allegedly, he moved to Yathrib due to its heavy Jew population, as he feared assassination and felt that the Jews would be sympathetic to his ideals. Comments vary on what methods were used to 'unite' Yathrib; some less romantic than others, but Yathrib/Medina is said to be the base in which Muhammad began to expand the tendrils of Islamic faith, hence its significance to believers of Islam.

Answer: Right discipline

Jainism is an Indian religion which preaches non-violence and the movement towards spiritual consciousness, or moksa, which shares the same concepts as moksha in Sikhism. Jainism can also be described as the path to freedom, and following the three gems is what can help us to progress our soul to the liberated state.

The first gem, right perception, view or faith, involves seeing the world for what it is, rather than following preconceived biases or untruths. Similar to the ways in which we use mathematics to explain the world, right perception means understanding and believing in the principles of Jainism as being real.

Right knowledge involves understanding what makes up the world, in terms of substances and truths of the universe. Right knowledge is said to be important because we must be in good character to attain said knowledge and use it in the correct way.

Right conduct is about following the conduct of non-violence and behaving ethically and morally soundly. In addition, passion should be abated and non-attachment to the world should be attained. Typically one should achieve right knowledge and perception first, before one can achieve right conduct.

Answer: Karma

Karma effectively embodies-cause-and effect principles. You do a good thing, you get good things back. However, the effects don't necessarily manifest in the lifetime the behaviours were taken, which is used to explain why some "good" people have bad things happen to them (in future reincarnations) and vice versa.

Because of the reincarnation principle in Hinduism, humans only exchange a certain amount of karma in their lives. Conscious actions expend more karma than unconscious actions, which is why humans are able to expend the most karma (although any sentient being, such as plants or non-human animals can expend karma). More human karma is associated with negative actions, which binds us to the reincarnation state. This state can be broken through enough positive karma expenditure, and even if we don't succeed in one life, positive actions will positively influence future reincarnations.

Answer: Kami

Some would argue Shinto isn't really a religion, because it is ritual-focused, but there are beliefs involved, so has a place in this quiz. One does not need to unitarily follow Shinto alone, as it is a way of living life. The rituals are typically involved in communicating to the kami - spirits of the afterlife - which can be embodied in waterfalls, mountains, or ancestors of a family. Tradition, cleanliness and kami worship and honour are the main principles of the Shinto religion, but preserving nature and gaining kami favour is what, in theory, should bring joy to Shinto believers.

Answer: Baha'i

The prophet Bahá'u'lláh (1817-1892) believed that, since humans are as one race, we should all unite as one in terms of belief, creed, and acceptance, which would, he said, benefit us all. Baha'i is monotheistic, that is to say, it holds there is one omnipotent, unchanging and eternal God who created the universe.

Although it is said that understanding God is too big for humans, a large part of Baha'i is to try to understand and to become closer to God. In addition, Bahá'u'lláh is said to have been a manifestation (or Prophet) of God, and Jesus Christ and Abraham were also supposed to have been prophets of God.

Answer: Promised Land

Canaan was one of the lands considered as part of the 'Promised Land' (or Holy Land)... but, although God had an oath to give this land, his conditions also had to be kept at the same time. God is said to have led Moses and the slaves to this land; however, he took the long (very long) route to test them. In the end, nearly all the older generation, even Moses, did not pass God's tests, and did not make it to the 'Promised Land'. Moses was apparently denied entry because he was instructed to talk to a stone to garner water from it, and apparently, hit it instead with a staff.

Note that the 'land flowing with milk and honey' is probably not a literal reference, but signifies that the land is abundant and fertile.