A Quiz About Buddhism

Can you name these facts about Buddhism?

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Last updated: October 13, 2020

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First submitted	April 18, 2013
Times taken	16,321
Average score	70.6%
Rating	4.82

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Hint	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

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44 Comments

Level 84

Oct 13, 2020

The spelling should be "noble" truths, not "nobel".

Level ∞

Oct 13, 2020

Fixed.

+38

Level 88

Oct 13, 2020

Unless you can win a prize for believing them.

+14

Level 79

Oct 13, 2020

Thank you Steely Dan for teaching me " Bodhisattva". And to Reddit for teaching me all about karma.

Level ∞

Oct 13, 2020

I learned Bodhisattva from Point Break.

Level 67

Oct 17, 2020

I got it from the Beastie Boys.

Level 90

Oct 18, 2020

Me too, QM. Remembered it from when Tyler was describing Bodhi to Johnny Utah. ;)

Level 86

Oct 13, 2020

And to Blue Oyster Cult for teaching us all about Dharma.

Level 88

Oct 13, 2020

And Greg.

Level 81

Oct 17, 2020

can't believe it took me so long to remember dharma. I got stuck on "Daria."

Level 69

Oct 21, 2020

I could have sworn it was bodhisvatta. Clearly, I was wrong.

Level 91

Apr 8, 2022

Thanks to Nirvana for teaching me Nirvana.

+14

Level 96

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.

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.

Level 78

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.

Level ∞

Oct 18, 2020

Hmmm... I changed soul to self. I find the teachings on this very self-contradictory.

Level 80

Oct 10, 2023

Self-contradictory in what ways?

Level 81

Oct 13, 2020

Please accept loosened spellings of Siddhartha. I tried many close variations but they weren't accepted.

Level 74

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.

Level 78

Oct 17, 2020

Hermann Hesse was my favorite author when I started to dig literature :).

Level ∞

Oct 18, 2020

Spellings without the first H will be accepted now.

Level 62

Oct 13, 2020

Could you accept metempsychosis for reincarnation and accept Swastik without the a?

+22

Level 76

Oct 14, 2020

Also, Dalai Alpaca didn't work.

Level 59

Oct 19, 2020

Neither did Dalai Vicuna...

Level 62

Apr 10, 2022

Or Dalai Lama Glama.

Level 91

Oct 17, 2020

Fun fact: The first cat I adopted was named Buddha.

Level 54

Oct 17, 2020

Could you please also add alternative spellings for "bodhisattva"? I tried the -sattva ending so many times unsuccessfully...

Level ∞

Oct 18, 2020

Which ones? We accept sattva, sottva, satva, and sotva.

Level 62

Oct 17, 2024

maybe bro wants ^S[AEIOUY]*[TD]+H?[WV]+[AEIOUY]

Level 74

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.

Level 60

Oct 17, 2020

I keep reading the title as A Quiz About Breaddhism...

Level 47

Apr 10, 2022

how dare you mention that heretical branch of pastafarianism, flour will always be transmuted into spaghetti never bread.

Level 69

Oct 18, 2020

I can't do this I don't know anything about buddhism

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.

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.

Level 80

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.

Level 79

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".

Level 80

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.

Level 72

Jun 5, 2024

I'm not sure you even read any of what Dimby wrote. They very clearly state how they wish the quiz to be changed (see the last sentence). Also, they clearly state that their objection to the clue is that it describes karma as being "what goes around comes around", rather than the law of karma, which is what Dimby states to be the correct phrase.

Level 80

Jun 22, 2024

Always nice when an internet stranger decides to be snarky for no reason! Looking back at my comment it's obvious that Dimby's argument wasn't entirely clear to me, that was sort of the point of my comment.

Dimby 1) says the given definition of karma is wrong, 2) defines karma more clearly, and 3) suggests a change to the answer, not the clue. The suggestion is that the answer be "the law of karma" where users still just have to type "karma." Dimby objects to the clue but doesn't suggest a change to it or any functional change to the answer, simply that the answer should fill in a blank that ends up representing the given definition better. Whether that change registers with takers depends entirely on people noticing that the answer is "the law of karma" rather than just "karma." They still just have to type "karma."

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!

Level 59

Apr 12, 2022

For some reason, I couldn't get the quiz to accept Bodhisattva no matter how I spelled it.

Level 63

Jun 8, 2022

Should be "higher than 90%" instead of just "90%".

Thailand is 93% and Cambodia is 97%.

Level 72

Jun 5, 2024