MADHUVAN VATIKA PUBLIC

SCHOOL
SUBJECT: ENGLISH
CLASS: X
 CHAPTER-10(PROSE)

The key to enlightenment is the way of the Buddha

 Introduction to the lesson
• The Sermon at Benares throws light upon the early
life of Lord Buddha who was originally born as a
prince in the royal family. On being exposed to the
sufferings of the world which he was earlier
shielded from, he left his prince hood and went in
search of salvation thus leaving all the worldly
pleasures behind. Upon attaining spiritual
awakening, he gave his first sermon in the city of
Benares hereby making a lady named Kisa Gotami
realise that men are mortal and a wise person
should not grieve at what is bound to happen for it
only enhances pain and suffering.
 Summary
• Gautama Buddha was born to a North Indian royal family as a
prince and was named Siddhartha Gautama. When he was twelve
years old, he was sent to a far away place to study Hindu sacred
scriptures and upon returning four years later, he got married to a
princess. Soon, they both had a son and they continued to live the
royal life for about ten years. The royals were shielded from all the
unpleasant experiences of the world until one day, on his way to
hunt, the Prince met a sick man, an aged man, a funeral procession
and a monk begging for alms. These experiences acted as eye-
openers for him and thus, he left all the royalty behind to seek a
higher sense of spiritual knowledge. Upon attaining salvation, he
began preaching. He gave his first sermon in the city of Benares.
There was a lady named Kisa Gotami whose son had died.
Suffering with unending pain, she went from house to house
looking for a medicine to bring her son back to life.
 Summary
• People started thinking that the lady had lost her senses. One
day, she met a man who directed her towards Lord Buddha
who could possibly have a solution for her problem. Buddha
asked her to look for mustard seeds and the seeds must be
procured from a house that had seen no death. Reinstated
with hope, Kisa Gotami once again went on a search from
house to house but to her dismay, she could not find mustard
seeds from a house that would fulfill Buddha’s condition.
Disheartened, she sat at the edge of the road thus realizing
how selfish she had been. She became conscious to the fact
that men were mortal and no one could escape the cycle of
life. This was exactly what Buddha wanted her to understand.
According to Lord Buddha, feelings of grief and sorrow only
increases man’s pain and suffering thus, deteriorating his
health. Therefore, a wise person fully aware about nature’s
functioning must not grieve at something bound to happen
and only then he can be happy and blessed.
GAUTAM BUDDHA
Glimpses of Buddha’s Life
 Word-Meanings
• Sacred- embodying the laws or • Preached- deliver a religious address
doctrines of a religion to an assembled group of people
• Scriptures- the sacred writings of a • Sermon- a talk on religious or moral
religion subject
• Befitted- be appropriate for; suit • Holy- sacred
• Chanced upon- came across by • Dipping places- bathing
chance • Inscrutable- something which
• Alms- money or food given to poor cannot be understood
people; charity • Kinsmen- a man who is one of a
• Enlightenment- a state of high person’s blood relations
spiritual knowledge • Lamenting- express regret or
• Wandered- to move without a fixed disappointment about something
course • Slaughter- killing of animals for food
• Vowed- solemnly promise to do a • Afflicted- affect adversely
specified thing
 Question & Answers(TEXT)
1. When her son dies, Kisa Gotami goes from house to house.
What does she ask for? Does she get it? Why not?
A. When her son dies, Kisa Gotami goes from house to house
requesting for a wonder drug that could bring her son back to
life. No, she could not get it because there is no medicine that
can bring a dead man back to life.
2. Kisa Gotami again goes from house to house after she speaks
with the Buddha. What does she ask for, the second time
around? Does she get it? Why not?
A. Upon seeing the Buddha, Kisa Gotami is refilled with hope and
thus, she goes again from house to house looking for mustard
seeds just as Lord Buddha had asked her. Many had mustard
seeds to offer but none of them could fulfill Lord Buddha’s
condition of having seen no deaths in the family. Therefore,
she couldn’t find mustard seed for her son.
 Additional questions
Short Answer Type
1. Why was Gautama known as Buddha?
Answer: ‘Buddha’ means ‘The Awakened’ or ‘The Enlightened’. After
seven years of wandering Gautama attained wisdom. When he started
sharing his new understandings with the suffering people, he was
called ‘Buddha’.
2. Where did Gautama Buddha preach his first Sermon? What was it all
about?
Answer: Gautama Buddha preached his first sermon at Benares, the
holiest city. It was about the ways to overcome our sorrows. It reflects
Buddha’s wisdom about one inscrutable kind of suffering.
3. Why was Kisa sad? What advice was given to her?
Answer: Kisa Gotami had lost her only son. He was dead. She loved him
very much and wanted him to be alive. But she could not find any
medicine so she was sad. She was advised to go to Buddha.
4. What did Kisa request her neighbours to give for her son? Did she get
it?
Answer: Kisa Gotami asked her neighbours to give her a medicine that
could bring life back to her son. No, she could not get any.
5. How did Kisa Gotami realise that life and death is a normal process?
Answer: Buddha asked Gotami to bring mustard seeds from a house which had
never lost any member of the family. She was unable to get such a house only
then she came to know that life and death is a normal process so as man is
mortal and is bound to die.
6. When and where was Gautama Buddha born? Why did he decide to leave the
palace?
Answer: Gautama Buddha was born in 563 B.C. in Northern India. Buddha was
away from all the sorrows of life. Once he saw a sick man, a beggar, an aged
man and a funeral procession. He realised that the world was full of sorrow.
He wanted to attain knowledge. So he decided to leave the palace to get
enlightened.
7. How did ‘Bodhi Tree’ get its name?
Answer: After seven years of wandering Gautama sat under a peepal tree. He
attained knowledge under that tree and got enlightened. He renamed the tree
as ‘Bodhi tree’ which means the tree of wisdom. ‘Bodhi’ means knowledge.
8. What kind of suffering is reflected in the Sermon?
Answer: Grief over the death of a loved one is the main theme of this sermon.
People fail to understand that death is common to all. All mortals have to die.
There is no use of lamentation. One does not get peace of mind unless one
overcomes the sorrows.
9. What were the greatest sorrows that pained Buddha?
Answer: Poverty, illness and death were the greatest sorrows that
pained Buddha. He saw a poor man begging, an old man and a
funeral procession that changed his course of life. These sights
moved him so much that he went out into the world to seek
enlightenment and truth.
10. Why did people think that Kisa had become mad?
Answer: Kisa Gotami’s only son had died. She was not ready to accept
the fact that once a mortal dies, he/she cannot be brought back to
life. She went to her neighbours with her dead son to get some
medicines to bring him back to life. People thought that Kisa had
gone mad.
11. Why did Kisa go to Gautama Buddha?
Answer: One of the neighbours advised Kisa Gotami to go to Buddha
who could have given her some lifesaving medicine for her son.
12. According to Gautama Buddha, how can a person get a peace of
mind?
Answer: A person can get peace of mind only if he draws out the
arrows of lamentation, complaint and grief. Those who overcome all
sorrows become free from disillusion, get peace of mind and be
blessed.
 Long Answer Type
1. “The life of mortals in this world is troubled and brief and combined with pain… .”
with this statement of the Buddha, find out what Kisa Gotami learnt after the death
of her child.
Answer: According to Buddha, all men are mortal so those who have been born cannot
avoid dying. Life of mortal is always troubled and brief. Sorrow and suffering are
inevitable to the mortals. All young . and adult fall into the power of death; all are
subject to death. So the wise do not grieve, knowing the terms of the world. Kisa
Gotami after the death of her child learnt from lord Buddha that death is common to
all; he who has overcome pain will become free from pain, and be blessed.
2. The sight of a sick man, an aged man, a funeral procession and a monk made
Siddhartha leave his home and go out in search of enlightenment. What lesson about
life do you learn from this episode?
Answer: Siddhartha lived a life full of luxuries till the age of twenty-five. Once when he
went outside to hunt, he saw a sick man, an aged man, a funeral procession and
finally, a monk begging for alms. The sight moved Siddhartha so much that he left the
home and went in search of enlightenment. The incident revealed a great truth — life
is short. Beauty, riches, comforts all are transitory and vanish one day.
If we all understand this fact and work towards making our life valuable for others,
there would be no fight, grudges and pain. When somebody does something wrong,
he/she forgets that one day we are going to be punished for our wrong deeds. In our
trouble, we should have faith in God to struggle in life and wait for good times to
come.
3. What happened when Kisa Gotami went from house to house to get the mustard
seeds as instructed by Buddha? Does this teach you something about how to
overcome grief and hopelessness? Write your answer.
Answer: Kisa Gotami was suggested by Buddha to go and bring some mustard seeds
from a house where there has been no death. Unable to find such a house, she
reflected upon her action. Truth dawned upon her. She realised that
surrendering ourselves is the only way to get rid of one’s pains and sufferings.
There is a continuous cycle of life and death, happiness and sorrows. Wise
persons do not grieve. One should remain calm and dauntless in all the
situations. By doing so, peace of mind can be obtained.
4. What is the truth of life, according to Buddha? How should a wise man behave in
times of trouble or mishappenings?
Answer: According to Buddha, all men are mortal. One who is born, is sure to die. All
things in nature die and are reborn—be it animals, plants or objects. Some
people start behaving like a madman whenever a problem arises in their life.
They lose their sense of reasoning and become depressed. But this is not a
solution to come out of your grief. A sensible person understands the realities of
life and remains balanced in all the situations. The lesson here is that whenever
we come across a problem, we should try to find out its solution. Instead of
blaming our fate or others, we must think deep for the reason of that problem.
By being calm, resolute and contented, most of the problems can be solved.
5. How can one attain peace? Does the lesson teach you something? Explain in your own words
the theme of the lesson.
Answer: One can attain peace by renunciation, i.e. by giving up all material gains. Too much affinity
to material gains brings grief, one cannot have sleep even, pondering over how to attain one’s
material gains like amassing one’s fortune, conquering countries, enriching one’s property. One
who can overcome one’s greed, grief and lust can obtain peace.
This lesson, in fact, teaches us through the sermon of Lord Buddha. The sermon teaches us that
we all are mortals. So we will die one day. We should not grieve, nor should we crave for
material gains, surrender of our selfishness, lust and grief leads us to the path of immortality. ‘
Life is short, men are mortal and everything is transitory. So we should be free from sorrow.
Path to enlightenment is to surrender all material gains and draw out the arrows of
lamentation, complaints and grief.
6. Kisa Gotami lost her only son and grieved. She is desperate in saving his life. She goes from one
place to another. She is criticized for this act of desperation and is called mad. Is it not a normal
reaction of a normal human being? Is it justified to criticize Kisa Gotami? What is your opinion?
Answer: Kisa Gotami lost her only son and grieved. She is desperate in saving his life. She goes from
one place to another. She is criticized for this act of desperation and is called mad. But I find it a
normal reaction of a normal human being. Every mother has such feelings for her son. Every
possible effort is made to save a life. Kisa Gotami is also a normal mother who wants her son to
come to life. Her action is a normal action. A person loses his common sense when one is
grieved.
All logic or reasoning fails. No doubt one has to accept the universal truth of life and death. But
it takes time to understand it. Kisa Gotami’s action was a normal act and she should not be
called a mad woman. It is a normal action of a grieving mother. It is easy to say that in case of
any loss one should be quiet, calm and composed but is difficult to put in practice.
7. A timely help and sympathy is a great help for those who are in grief.
Gautama Buddha helped Kisa Gotami by his kind words and guidance in
overcoming her grief. It is a big relief for the grieving person if support and
care are extended to them. How are kindness and sympathy important in a
peaceful and joyful life?
Answer: Most people in our society are unhappy and grieved because the values
of kindness and sympathy are missing day by day from our life. There is no
timely guidance and help. People suffer because of their ignorance or their
lack of knowledge about the reality of life. They do not accept the things as
they are Over ambition and unnecessary craving for the things make them
ultimately suffer. They are not satisfied with what they have. They desire for
the things they don’t deserve for and suffer.
People are not kind to one another. There is lack of sympathy for one
another. This all leads to sufferings. Kisa Gotami suffers because of her
selfish desire and craving for her son. Gautama Buddha relieves her from her
pain by his guidance and kindness. All human beings are victims of such
desires and they suffer but the timely guidance and kindness may help them.
Timely help and sympathy is a great help for those who are in grief. Gautama
Buddha helped Kisa Gotami by his words love and guidance in overcoming
her grief. It is a big relief for the grieving person if support and care are
extended to them in time.
 Reference-to-Context
1. Gautama Buddha (563 B.C. — 483 B.C.) began life as a prince named Siddhartha Gautama, in
northern India. At twelve, he was sent away for schooling in the Hindu sacred scriptures and four
years later he returned home to marry a princess. They had a son and lived for ten years as
befitted royalty.
(a) Gautama Buddha began life as a prince named………………..
Answer: Siddhartha Gautama
(b) Gautama married a ………………… and had a son.
Answer: royal princess
(c) At fourteen Gautama was sent away for schooling in the Hindu Sacred scriptures. (True/False)
Answer: True.
(d) Find the same meaning of the word, “holy” in the extract.
Answer: sacred.
2. At that point he became known as the Buddha (The Awakened or the Enlightened). The Buddha
preached his first sermon at the city of Benares, most holy of the dipping places on the River
Ganges; that sermon has been preserved and is given here. It reflects the Buddha’s wisdom
about one inscrutable kind of suffering.
(a) The Buddha preached his first …………. at the city of Benares.
Answer: sermon
(b) The first sermon of Buddha reflects his …………… about one inscrutable kind of suffering.
Answer: wisdom
(c) Before attaining enlightenment, Gautama was known as the Buddha. (True/False)
Answer: False.
(d) Find the antonym of the ‘comprehensible’.
Answer: inscrutable
3. At about the age of twenty-five, the Prince, heretofore shielded from the sufferings of the world,
while out hunting, chanced upon a sick man, then an aged man, then a funeral procession, and
finally a monk begging for alms. These sights so moved him that he at once went out into the
world to seek enlightenment concerning the sorrows he had witnessed.
(a) At the age of twenty-five Siddhartha Gautama went for ………..
Answer: hunting.
(b) The prince chanced to see a sick man, an aged man, then a funeral procession and a …………………
begging for alms.
Answer: monk.
(c) The prince had a royal life absolutely aware of the sufferings of the world. (True/False)
Answer: False.
(d) Find the same meaning of “awakening” in the extract.
Answer: enlightenment.
4. He wandered for seven years and finally sat down under a peepal tree, where he vowed to stay
until enlightenment came. Enlightened after seven days, he renamed the tree the Bodhi tree (Tree
of Wisdom) and began to teach and. to share his new understandings. At that point he became
known as the Buddha (The Awakened or the Enlightened). The Buddha preached his first sermon
at the city of Benares, most holy of the dipping places on the River Ganges.
(a) Gautama wandered for ……………. and finally sat down under a peepal tree.
Answer: seven years
(b) Gautama ………………….to stay under the tree until enlightened came.
Answer: vowed.
(c) Gautama came to be known as the Buddha after the enlightenment. (True/False)
Answer: True.
(d) Find the same meaning of the word ‘roamed’ in the extract.
Answer: Wandered.
5. Kisa Gotami had an only son, and he died. In her grief she carried the dead child to all her ’
neighbours, asking them for medicine, and the people said: “She has lost her senses. The
boy is dead.” At length, Kisa Gotami met a man who replied to her request, “I cannot give
thee medicine for thy child, but I know a physician who can.”
(a) Kisa Gotami went to her neighbours asking them for some……………..
Answer: medicine
(b) In her grief, Kisa Gotami carried her …………….child to all her neighbours.
Answer: dead
(c) The neighbours thought that Kisa Gotami lost her senses due to her dead child. (True/False)
Answer: True.
(d) Find the same meaning of ‘a doctor’ in the extract.
Answer: a physician.
6. Poor Kisa Gotami now went from house to house, and the people pitied her and said, “Here
is mustard-seed; take it!” But when she asked, “Did a son or daughter, a father or mother,
die in your family?” they answered her, “Alas! the living are few, but the dead are many.”
(a) Kisa Gotami went from house to house to get …………………..seed.
Answer: mustard
(b) Kisa found that there was not a single house where no one……….
Answer: had died
(c) The neighbours pitied Kisa and told her that the living are many, but the dead are few.
(True/False)
Answer: False
(d) Find the antonym of the word ‘dead’.
Answer: living.
7. Kisa Gotami became weary and hopeless, and sat down at the wayside watching the lights
of the city, as they flickered up and were extinguished again. At last the darkness of the
night reigned everywhere. And she considered the fate of men, that their lives flicker up
and are extinguished again.
(a) Kisa Gotami become weary and hopeless because she could not get ………. from any house.
Answer: mustard seeds
(b) Kisa sat down at the wayside watching the ………. of the city.
Answer: lights.
(c) At length, Kisa considered the fate of men, and their lives ………. and are extinguished again.
Answer: flicker up.
(d) Find the same meaning of ‘put out’ in the extract.
Answer: extinguished.
8. Mark! while relatives are looking on and lamenting deeply, one by one mortals are carried
off, like an ox that is led to the slaughter. So the world is afflicted with death and decay,
therefore the wise do not grieve, knowing the terms of the world.
(a) The world is afflicted with …………………
Answer: death and decay
(b) Mortals are carried off, like an ox that is led to the…………………
Answer: slaughter
(c) The wise always grieve, knowing the terms of the world. (True/False)
Answer: False
(d) Find the same meaning of ‘gave pain or distress’.
Answer: afflicted.
9. Not from weeping nor from grieving will anyone obtain
peace of mind; on the contrary, his pain . will be the
greater and his body will suffer. He will make himself
sick and pale, yet the dead are not saved by his
lamentation. He who seeks peace should draw out the
arrow of lamentation, and complaint, and grief.
(a) Weeping or grieving increases our ……. and we suffer.
Answer: pain
(b) He who seeks peace should draw out the arrow
of………..
Answer: lamentation
(c) Those who never complain and lament are the worst
sufferers. (True/False)
Answer: False.
(d) Find the antonym of ‘alive’ in the extract.
Answer: dead.
 Home Assignment
1. How do weeping and grieving affect us?
2. Where and when did Siddhartha become
Buddha?
3. Who was Gautama Buddha?
4. How did Gautama Buddha teach Gotami that
life is full of pains and sorrows and death comes
to all?
5. ‘If one seeks peace, one should draw out the
sorrow of lamentation’. What do you infer from
the Buddha’s statement?