L - 10 THE SERMON at BENARES

               THE SERMON At BENARES

EXTRA QUESTIONS

Q -1 How did the Buddha teach Kisa Gotami the truth of life ? 

              Or

 What reply did Buddha give to Kisa Gotami when she asked him to give her the medicine to make her son alive ?

Ans -  Kisa Gotami became  very sad when her son died. When she went to Buddha, he taught the lesson of the reality of life.He changed her mind with the help of simple act- asking her to bring  a handful of mustard seeds from that house where no one has died.She could not understand it. But gradually, she understood that life is inevitable.The one who has born here has to die.

Q - 2 What sights moved Siddhartha Gautama to seek the path of enlightenment ?

Ans - While going for hunting, Gautama saw four sights,  those moved him to seek the path of enlightenment.

He saw a sick man, an old man,  a funeral procession and a monk begging.All these sights encounter with the suffering and grief and moved him to left the home in search the path of enlightenment.

Q - 3  What  did the Buddha preach to people ?

Ans - Buddha preached the people that death is common to all mortals.Anyone can't avoid it. Neither weeping nor lamenting can bring back the dead.More sadness and grief only bring illness. So, man shouldn't grieve.Weeping and lamenting only spoil one's health. To obtain the peace of mind, try to overcome all sorrow.

Q - 4 How did Siddhartha Gautama get the name of Buddha ? Where did Buddha preach his first sermon ?

Ans -  After leaving the house Buddha roamed for many years in the search of reality of life. Then he set under a big pee pal tree, where he viewed to stay until enlightenment came.He was enlightened after seven days.

After that he began to teach and share his new understanding. Then, he came to be known as Buddha. ( the Awakened or the Enlightened).

After the attainment of enlightenment, Buddha preached his first sermon at the holy city of Benaras, situated on the river Ganga.

Q -5  Through  the story of Kisa Gotami, what did the Buddha try to preach  to the  common man ?

Ans -   The Buddha tried to teach  that death is common to all. Those who are born here must die a day. Anyone can avoid it. Death is certain. He taught this, through the story  of Kisa Gotami.

Kisa was a common woman. She had only a son who was died. She couldn't believe  it and Carried her son to neighbour requesting them to give her a medicine to cure him. People  thought that she had  lost her senses.

Then she reached to Buddha. He asked her to bring handful of mustard seeds. But he put a condition that she must have to bring seeds from the house where no one had died .

Kisa went house to house but she could not find any house where any death has not taken place. She became weary and hopeless.She sat on the sideway way of the road  and watched city lights that flickered and extinguished. It made her realize that human lives flicker and extinguish as the lights.The extinguishing of lights is like the end of life.The death is unavoidable phenomenon. She thought herself a selfish. Because in her  grief she forgot the reality of life that every mortal has to die a day.