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People of Buddhism Quizzes, Trivia and Puzzles
People of Buddhism Quizzes, Trivia

People of Buddhism Trivia

People of Buddhism Trivia Quizzes

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Buddhism has existed for over 2400 years, and in that time, many Buddhists have become famous for their historical and religious roles and contributions. Test your knowledge of Buddhism's most famous representatives.
4 quizzes and 40 trivia questions.
1.
  The Dalai Lama    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This is a quiz on the the Dalai Lama who was born in 1935.
Average, 10 Qns, foxbarking, Jan 07 15
Average
foxbarking gold member
544 plays
2.
  In the Beginning...    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Though today the divisions in Buddhism are as diverse as those in Christianity, the roots of Buddhism all came from one man, Siddhārtha Gautama Buddha.
Average, 10 Qns, mlcmlc, May 31 12
Average
mlcmlc gold member
608 plays
3.
  The Life of Buddha    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This great personality from Indian soil is an all-time celebrity around the globe. According to one study, Buddhism started from a small community of 5 mendicants but now has the third largest following in the world.
Tough, 10 Qns, vksingh, Dec 09 09
Tough
vksingh
1445 plays
4.
  Saints, Courtesans, Murderers and Madmen    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
The world of Buddhist hagiography is filled with unlikely heroes and heroines. Identify some of India and Tibet's most infamous saints.
Tough, 10 Qns, gti mug pa, Jan 07 15
Tough
gti mug pa
663 plays
trivia question Quick Question
Born in 1552, Matteo Ricci, an Italian Jesuit priest, looked east and was at the forefront in the establishment of which mission?

From Quiz "Hot Under the Collar"




Related Topics
  Religious Figures [Religion] (283 quizzes)


People of Buddhism Trivia Questions
1. What is the name of the Dalai Lama who was born in 1935 and became Dalai Lama at age 15?

From Quiz The Dalai Lama

Answer: Tenzin Gyatso

Tenzin Gyatso became Dalai Lama in 1950 and, at the time this quiz was written, had held the position for well over fifty years. His whole name is Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso. However, he was born Lhamo Döndrub. Every Dalai Lama since the second has had the surname of Gyatso.

2. Buddha was born in the 6th century BC. Who was the father of Buddha?

From Quiz The Life of Buddha

Answer: Shuddhodana

The word Shuddhodana is of Sanskrit origin. It means pure rice (shuddha in Sanskrit means "pure" and odana means "rice").

3. The sights outside of the palace walls depressed Siddhartha, and he engineered an escape from the palace and began begging on the street. What did he beg for?

From Quiz In the Beginning...

Answer: alms

Siddhartha had sneaked out of the place with his servant Channa, who would later become a disciple, and gone to become a mendicant in Rajagaha. However, he was recognized and the king offered the throne to him. Siddhartha refused and left to be trained by hermits teaching various practices.

4. What Bodhisattva is the Dalai Lama an incarnation of?

From Quiz The Dalai Lama

Answer: Avalokitesvara

Also known as Chenrezig, this is the bodhisattva of compassion. Some consider him to be the reincarnation of Buddha as well, but Avalokiteśvara is known as the Tibetan Bodhisattva, who incarnates into the Dalai Lama and other high Lamas as well. Lama is the Tibetan word for teacher or guru.

5. Who was the charioteer friend of Siddhartha?

From Quiz The Life of Buddha

Answer: Chandaka

It is described in the scriptures that it was Buddha's charioteer friend who explained to him the inevitability of old age, sickness and death. After encountering these three scenes, Buddha decided to renounce his household life.

6. A prolific mass murderer, this fellow is said to have worn a garland of severed fingers and to have eradicated whole towns-that is, until he ran into the Buddha.

From Quiz Saints, Courtesans, Murderers and Madmen

Answer: Angulimala

Literally, 'garland of fingers.' From the Angulimala Sutta (MN 86) http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/sutta/majjhima/mn086.html

7. After time spent with two teachers learning yogic meditation, Siddhartha was still not satisfied with what he had learned and began practicing more austerities. What finally made him re-think his path?

From Quiz In the Beginning...

Answer: near drowning

After spending over a year eating little -- legends say a leaf or a nut per day -- he collapsed on the bank of a river while bathing. This made Siddhartha reflect on his past and reconsider his journey.

8. What is the number of the incarnation of the Dalai Lama who was born in 1935?

From Quiz The Dalai Lama

Answer: 14

Tenzin Gyatso is the 14th Dalai Lama. He has said on several occasions that he may be the last. This is controversial because, although some feel the Dalai Lama has the power to decide how his reincarnation works out, others feel that as long as the people need him, he must keep coming back. Tenzin Gyatso has said he will not be reincarnated in any lands controlled by China and that he may come back as a woman.

9. At the age of thirty-five, Siddhartha sat beneath a tree -- determined to stay there until he found the truth. Which tree did he sit beneath?

From Quiz In the Beginning...

Answer: Bodhi Tree

When Siddhartha sat beneath the tree, his companions left, believing him to have given up the cause. Instead, it is here that he is said to have achieved Enlightenment, and thus, here that he became Buddha.

10. In what year was Tenzin Gyatso enthroned into the position?

From Quiz The Dalai Lama

Answer: 1950

At the age of 15, Tenzin Gyatso became the spiritual and supreme leader of Tibet. He was two years old when he was proclaimed the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama. In order to find the 'soul child,' as it is called, the Tibetan monks use clues from the previous Lama, as well as putting the child through tests once he is found. Items belonging to the previous incarnation are presented and if the child picks all the correct items, they pass the test.

11. When Siddhartha had become enlightened, he began teaching to help others. His first teaching was "Setting in Motion the Wheel of the Dharma". According to legend, how many disciples heard his first teaching?

From Quiz In the Beginning...

Answer: five

With this teaching, or sutra, Siddhartha was expounding on the four noble truths. These four noble truths are the foundation for Buddhism. They speak of suffering, its cause, respite from suffering, and the path to ending suffering.

12. Who forced the 14th Dalai Lama to sign the Seventeen Point Agreement for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet?

From Quiz The Dalai Lama

Answer: The Chinese

Many consider this agreement to be ironically named, as it secured Chinese control over Tibet. China had moved into Tibet in 1950 and Tibetan defenses were no match for the Chinese. Under military pressure, the Dalai Lama and others were forced to sign the treaty, giving control of the country over to the People's Republic of China. This treaty has been the major point of contention in the battle of control over Tibet.

13. Name the wife of Buddha.

From Quiz The Life of Buddha

Answer: Yashodhara

The name means "stream of fame." A famous Indian poet of the 20th century wrote a poem where Yashodhara is a central character. The poet was Maithili Sharan Gupta and the poem has the same name as Buddha's wife. In the poem, Yashodhara tells her friend that Siddhartha should not have left the palace before informing her. Then he may have found her a help and not an obstruction in his path to renunciation.

14. What significant event happened in 1959?

From Quiz The Dalai Lama

Answer: A failed uprising caused the Dalai Lama to flee Tibet

Although the Dalai Lama had tried to use diplomacy to free Tibet, his government was receiving financial aid and weapons from America. In 1959, the Dalai Lama's followers feared that China would try to assassinate him. The military uprising was quickly defeated, however. Along with 80,000 followers, the Dalai Lama had to leave Tibet.

15. Prince Siddhartha had only one son. What was his name?

From Quiz The Life of Buddha

Answer: Rahula

It is described in literary sources that Prince Siddhartha himself named his son as Rahula. Etymologically, his name in the Sanskrit language means "obstruction in the way" (ra means "way" and hula means "hindrance to spiritual life"). In Buddhism, attachment (as of a father to his son) is considered to be one of the most dangerous hindrances in one's spiritual journey.

16. According to tradition, this saint-king and his 'untouchable' consort are said to have immolated themselves when his subjects refused to forgo their mores and follow his transgressive example. They are often depicted as riding upon a tiger.

From Quiz Saints, Courtesans, Murderers and Madmen

Answer: Dombi Heruka

Among the legendary 84 Mahasiddhas - a delightful example of Indian hagiography at is best.

17. When they left Tibet, where did the Dalai Lama and his followers flee to?

From Quiz The Dalai Lama

Answer: India

He crossed the border into India on March 30 of 1959. The journey took him and his people through Assam and eventually they ended up in Dharamsala. Some time later he set up the Government of Tibet in Exile in Dharamsala, India. He has been the head of this government ever since.

18. According to the scriptures, in which clan was Prince Siddhartha born?

From Quiz The Life of Buddha

Answer: Sakya

Lumbini is the place where Prince Siddhartha was born. Her mother was making a journey to her parents' palace, but began her labour pains near a park. The child was born as his mother stood between two Shal Trees. The Sakya clan inhabits the plains of the Himalayas; nowadays the birth place of Lord Buddha is found in Nepal.

19. This yogini's image was tarnished after she transgressed her vows. However, she is now known for her seminal role in a meditation wherein one visualizes oneself being dismembered and devoured by demons in a charnel ground.

From Quiz Saints, Courtesans, Murderers and Madmen

Answer: Machig Labdron

This practice of self-sacrificial visualization is known as chöd.

20. During Siddhartha's life, not all of his disciples followed blindly; in fact, on occasion there was significant discord. Which of his disciples asked for Siddhartha to stand aside, and then proceeded to try to murder him when Siddhartha refused?

From Quiz In the Beginning...

Answer: Devadatta

Stories tell us that Devadatta tried three times to kill Siddhartha. The first time Devadatta hired archers to shoot him, but Siddhartha, the Buddha, converted them. The second time Devadatta rolled a large boulder from atop a hill to land on Siddhartha, but it hit another rock and broke into pieces. The third time Devadatta got an elephant drunk, but once turned loose, it did not kill Siddhartha. As to the other possible answers: Suddhodana was his father, Maha Pajapati was his foster mother, and Nanda was his half-brother.

21. In what year did the 14th Dalai Lama win the Nobel Peace Prize?

From Quiz The Dalai Lama

Answer: 1989

They said he won because of his views on handling issues non-violently and that it was in memory of Gandhi. During his acceptance speech, the Dalai Lama criticized China for their actions in Tiananmen Square during the student protests held that year. He promised that those who died (some being rolled over by tanks) would not have died in vain.

22. The canonical literature of Buddhism is called Tipitaka or Tripitaka. What does this word mean?

From Quiz The Life of Buddha

Answer: Three baskets

Tripitaka consists of three classified canonical literary works of Buddhism. The first part is Vinaya Pitaka, which contains the rules and regulation pertaining to monks and nuns. The second pitaka or box or basket is Sutta pitaka, a collection of the words of Buddha. The third and last bucket is the collection of books and teachings of highly philosophical Buddhist masters over time. It is named the Abhidhamma pitaka.

23. Is the Dalai Lama a lifelong vegetarian?

From Quiz The Dalai Lama

Answer: He tried it but not for long

The Dalai Lama was a vegetarian for a short time, but he developed jaundice. He had to go back to eating meat. Because of the lack of farming land in Tibet, meat has been a staple of their diet for many centuries. For some cultures, this may make it hard for them to become strict vegetarians. The Dalai Lama does value animal life but can't be a vegetarian for health reasons.

24. In March of 2009, what country refused the Dalai Lama a visa?

From Quiz The Dalai Lama

Answer: South Africa

The Dalai Lama wanted to go to South Africa to attend an international peace conference. The Dalai Lama has had a strong relationship with Archbishop Desmond Tutu and they would have attended the conference together. After the Dalai Lama was denied the visa, Tutu withdrew from the conference in protest. South African officials later admitted they wanted to maintain positive relations with China and that letting the Dalai Lama into the country might have hurt those relations.

25. Generally speaking, Buddhism is grouped into the Mahayana and Hinayana paths. The Buddhist population of India mostly subscribes to which group?

From Quiz The Life of Buddha

Answer: Both

The Himalayan regions of India (Leh, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim etc.) are under the influence of Tibetan Buddhism, and hence are followers of Mahayana. The plains of Central India (Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, etc.) follow the Hinayana path from its origin.

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