The Sermon at Benares

Chapter Overview:
The chapter highlights the wisdom taught by Buddha in his first sermon at Benares. It was
given after he attained enlightenment. In this sermon he talked about the incident related
to the death of Kisa Gotami’s only son. In the story, he said that we must not be sad or
sorrowful about the death of any of our near or dear ones. Nobody is free from death and
all are subject to it. Only when we overcome grief, we can get free from sorrows. Then we
can get peace.
Characters:
1. Buddha: Gautam Buddha is the founder of Buddhism. He was a spiritual teacher who
had gained enlightenment after seeing the world’s pains and greed.
2. Kisa Gotami: She was a young mother whose only son had died. She was loving and
caring mother, but at the same time, she became selfish and wanted to get her son
back after death.
Short Answer Type:
1. According to Kisa Gotami, what is the greatest grief of life? (2014)
2. How did Kisa Gotami realise that life and death is a process? (2016, 2019)
3. Elucidate any one quality that Siddhartha demonstrated when he gave up his status
and family. Explain your choice. (2021)
4. Do you think being enlightened placed a far greater responsibility on the Buddha
than being king would have? Justify your stance. (2021)
5. What is the significance of the Buddha’s request for a handful of mustard seeds and
the addition of a condition to it? (2022)
Long Answer Type:
1. Describe the journey of Siddharth Gautama becoming the Buddha. (2020)
2. Life is full of trials and tribulations. Kisa Gotami also passes through a period of grief
in her life. How does she behave in those circumstances?
Or
Why did Gotami go to Buddha? What lesson did he teach her? (2019)
Or
How did Buddha make Kisa Gotami realise the reality of death? (2020)
3. Through the story of Kisa Gotami what did the Buddha try to preach the common
man? (2020)
4. What lesson did Kisa Gotami learn the second time that she had failed to learn the
first time? (2020)
5. What lesson on death and suffering did the Buddha teach Gotami in the chapter,
“The Sermon at Benaras?”