Buddhism, Jainism & Heterodox Sects Quiz — 7 Free Questions

Question 1

What does Buddha's teaching of the Middle Path actually mean?

Question 2

How many rival teachers are named as Buddha's own contemporaries in early Buddhist texts?

Question 3

What clan did Buddha belong to?

Question 4

What single source of true knowledge did the Charvakas accept?

Question 5

What rigid social system did many new sects openly question?

Question 6

What are the four truths at the heart of Buddha's teaching called?

Question 7

What social idea did Buddhism reject, unlike Brahmanical religion?

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About Buddhism, Jainism & Heterodox Sects

Around the sixth century BCE, many people in the Gangetic plains grew unhappy with costly Vedic rituals and a rigid caste system. This gave rise to many new sects that questioned the Vedas. Two of them, Buddhism and Jainism, grew into major world religions. This quiz covers that whole age of new ideas.

It starts with the conditions that gave rise to these new sects, then covers the life of Gautama Buddha in detail: his birth at Lumbini, his enlightenment at Bodh Gaya, his first sermon at Sarnath, and his death at Kushinagar. It also covers core Buddhist teaching, the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, and the idea of Nirvana, along with the four great Buddhist councils, the Tripitaka, and the split into Hinayana, Mahayana, and Vajrayana.

The quiz gives the same close attention to Mahavira and Jainism: his birth at Kundagrama, his years of penance, his enlightenment, and his teachings on Anekantavada, Syadvada, and the five great vows. It covers the Jain councils, the Agama texts, and the later split into Digambara and Shvetambara sects.

Finally, it covers the other heterodox sects of the age, the fatalist Ajivikas led by Makkhali Gosala and the materialist Charvakas, along with the kings, like Bimbisara, Ashoka, Kanishka, Chandragupta Maurya, and Kharavela, whose patronage helped these new faiths spread and endure.