ᒪEᗩᖇᑎIᑎG ᒍᑌᑎᑕTIOᑎ
CBSE
CLASS 10 ENGLISH
FIRST FLIGHT✈️
CHAPTER 10:THE SERMON AT BENARAS
SUMMARY
➤Summary:
The story of Gautama Buddha begins with his life as Prince Siddhartha Gautama in northern India. At the age of twelve, he was sent for schooling in the Hindu sacred scriptures and later married a princess with whom he had a son. However, at the age of twenty-five, he encountered the sufferings of the world for the first time, witnessing a sick man, an aged man, a funeral procession, and a begging monk. These experiences deeply moved him, and he decided to seek enlightenment. After seven years of wandering, Siddhartha Gautama sat under a peepal tree, vowing not to leave until he attained enlightenment. After seven days, he finally achieved enlightenment and became the Buddha, meaning "the Awakened" or "the Enlightened." He started sharing his newfound wisdom with the world.
One of the Buddha's teachings is reflected in the sermon preached in the holy city of Benares. The story of Kisa Gotami is used as an illustration to convey the Buddha's wisdom. Kisa Gotami's only son dies, and in her grief, she seeks medicine to revive him. The Buddha asks her to bring a handful of mustard seeds from a house where no one has experienced the death of a loved one. As Kisa Gotami goes from house to house, she realizes that death is common to all, and her grief is selfish. She understands the impermanence of life and surrenders her selfishness, leading her to find peace.
➤Key Points:
1. Gautama Buddha began life as Prince Siddhartha Gautama in northern India.
2. Witnessing the sufferings of the world, Siddhartha decided to seek enlightenment.
3. After seven years of wandering, he achieved enlightenment and became the Buddha.
4. The Buddha preached his first sermon at Benares, focusing on the nature of suffering and the impermanence of life.
5. The story of Kisa Gotami illustrates the Buddha's teachings about the universal nature of suffering and the importance of letting go of selfishness.
👨Character Analysis:
1. Siddhartha Gautama: The protagonist and later known as Gautama Buddha, he is a prince who seeks enlightenment after witnessing the sufferings of the world.
2. Kisa Gotami: A woman who experiences the loss of her only son and seeks help from the Buddha. Her story exemplifies the universal nature of suffering.
=❯Important Quotes:
1. "The life of mortals in this world is troubled and brief and combined with pain."
2. "As ripe fruits are early in danger of falling, so mortals when born are always in danger of death."
3. "So the world is afflicted with death and decay, therefore the wise do not grieve, knowing the terms of the world."
4. "He who seeks peace should draw out the arrow of lamentation, and complaint, and grief."
=❯Themes:
1. Impermanence: The Buddha's teachings emphasize the transient and impermanent nature of life and the inevitability of death.
2. Universal Suffering: The story of Kisa Gotami and the Buddha's sermon highlights the universality of suffering experienced by all living beings.
3. Selflessness: Letting go of selfishness and understanding the interconnectedness of all beings is presented as a path to peace.
=❯Word meanings:
1. Enlightenment: A state of high spiritual knowledge or understanding.
2. Sorrows: Feelings of sadness or grief.
3. Benares: Another name for Varanasi, a sacred city in India.
4. Inscrutable: Something that cannot be understood or fathomed.
5. Desolation: A state of complete emptiness or destruction.
=❯FAQ WITH SOLUTIONS
Q1. Who was Gautama Buddha?
ANSWER: Gautama Buddha was originally Prince Siddhartha Gautama of northern India. He became the Buddha after attaining enlightenment and became known for his teachings on suffering and the path to liberation.
Q2. What prompted Gautama Buddha to seek enlightenment?
ANSWER: Siddhartha Gautama was shielded from the sufferings of the world until he encountered a sick man, an aged man, a funeral procession, and a monk begging for alms. These experiences moved him to seek enlightenment.
Q3. How long did it take for Siddhartha Gautama to achieve enlightenment?
ANSWER: After seven years of wandering and seeking, Siddhartha Gautama achieved enlightenment after sitting under a peepal tree for seven days.
Q4. What is the significance of the peepal tree in Buddha's story?
ANSWER: Siddhartha Gautama achieved enlightenment under a peepal tree, which he then renamed the Bodhi Tree (Tree of Wisdom). It symbolizes the place of his awakening and the beginning of his role as the Buddha.
Q5. What did the Buddha preach in his first sermon at Benares?
ANSWER: In his first sermon at Benares, the Buddha focused on the nature of suffering and the impermanence of life. He taught that all beings are subject to death and that the wise should not grieve, understanding the universal nature of suffering.
Q6. What is the story of Kisa Gotami?
ANSWER: Kisa Gotami was a woman who lost her only son and sought medicine to revive him. The Buddha asked her to bring mustard seeds from a house where no one had experienced death. As she realized the universality of death, she found peace.
Q7. What does the story of Kisa Gotami teach us?
ANSWER: The story of Kisa Gotami teaches the impermanence of life, the inevitability of death, and the importance of letting go of selfishness to find peace.
Q8. What themes are present in the Buddha's teachings?
ANSWER: The main themes in the Buddha's teachings include impermanence, universal suffering, and the importance of selflessness and understanding the interconnectedness of all beings.
Q9. What are some important quotes from the Buddha's sermon at Benares?
ANSWER: "The life of mortals in this world is troubled and brief and combined with pain." "He who seeks peace should draw out the arrow of lamentation, and complaint, and grief."
Q10. What path did Kisa Gotami take after understanding the Buddha's teachings?
ANSWER: After understanding the Buddha's teachings, Kisa Gotami surrendered her selfishness and found peace by realizing the universality of suffering and the impermanence of life.
⭐These FAQs should help you understand the chapter and its various aspects in more detail.
