Where and when Buddhism began, and what its followers believe and practice

Grade 6 Social Studies Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Teachings and texts (cards A to D). Card A, the Four Noble Truths, in our words: followers believe the Buddha taught four truths. Life involves suffering. Suffering has causes, such as craving. Suffering can end, which followers call nirvana. And there is a path to that end, the Eightfold Path, a middle way of living that includes right speech, right action and meditation. Card B, how the teachings were kept, in our words: scholars date the Buddha's death to about 483 BCE or about 368 BCE. His teachings were first passed on by word of mouth. In the 1st century BCE, in Sri Lanka, the Pali Tipitaka ("Three Baskets") was written down. Theravada Buddhists keep it as their main collection of scripture. Card C, a traveler's account, in our words: about 400 CE, a Chinese monk named Faxian traveled to India to find Buddhist rule books for monks. He wrote that he visited monasteries in many places. Card D, sutras, in our words: sutras are texts of teachings. Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhists accept many sutras beyond the Pali Tipitaka.

2. 1.

   Card A lists four truths. The fourth is the Eightfold Path. Which truth do followers say the Eightfold Path answers, Ari asks?

   • The truth that life includes suffering as part of living
   • The truth that craving is among the causes of suffering
   • The truth that there is a path to the end of suffering
   • The truth that suffering is a punishment for choices made before
3. 2.

   Card B says the Tipitaka was written down in the 1st century BCE, and gives two death dates for the Buddha. At least how long was the gap, Bo asks?

   • Exactly 268 years
   • Less than 200 years
   • Fewer than 100 years
   • More than 250 years
4. 3.

   Card D says Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhists accept sutras beyond the Pali Tipitaka. How do Theravada Buddhists differ, Jun asks?

   • Theravada Buddhists have a larger library of sutras than the other schools
   • Theravada Buddhists keep the Pali Tipitaka as their main scripture
   • Theravada Buddhists reject the Buddha's teachings in the other sutras
   • Theravada Buddhists follow teachings that stayed spoken and were not written down
5. 4.

   Card C comes from a traveler, Faxian, who came from China to India. What is it good evidence for, Kira asks?

   • That the Pali Tipitaka was the sole Buddhist scripture in use
   • That Buddhism was active in India about 400 CE and drew visitors
   • That the Buddha himself taught in the monasteries Faxian visited
   • That Buddhism had not yet reached China before his trip
6. 5.

   Cards B and C come from different places and times. How do they strengthen each other, Luz asks?

   • Both show that Buddhism was kept secret from other lands
   • Both show the Buddha's teaching was complete by the year 1 CE
   • Both were written by the same monks in the same year
   • Both show Buddhist texts and monks moving between lands
7. 6.

   Card B puts the writing of the Tipitaka at about 100 BCE, and card C puts Faxian's trip at about 400 CE. About how many years apart are they, Milo asks?

   • About 400 years
   • About 500 years
   • About 300 years
   • About 5,000 years
8. 7.

   Card C says Faxian traveled to India to find Buddhist rule books for monks. What does that tell Noah about Faxian's purpose?

   • He traveled to teach the Buddha's story to the people he met in India
   • He traveled to argue for the Four Noble Truths with the monks he met
   • He traveled to take over the monasteries he visited and run them himself
   • He wanted rule books for monks in China, so he traveled to the source
9. 8.

   Card A says the Eightfold Path is a middle way of living. Which sentence is written the way a history book would write it, Pia asks?

   • Followers believe the Eightfold Path leads to the end of suffering
   • Scholars have measured how the Eightfold Path ends suffering
   • The Eightfold Path does end suffering for the people who follow it
   • The Eightfold Path is a made-up idea used to control followers
10. 9.

    A monk wrote a rule book about 400 CE. A scholar today writes about the same monks. How do their purposes differ, Tala asks?

    • The monk wrote to guide followers; the scholar describes and weighs evidence
    • Neither writer had a purpose, since both copied from older books
    • Both wrote to convince readers of other religions that the same belief is true
    • The scholar writes to guide followers and the monk wrote to weigh evidence
11. 10.

    Card D says Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhists accept many sutras. A sutra says it records what the Buddha taught. What should Zee remember when reading one?

    • A sutra says it records the Buddha, so historians accept it as his own speech
    • A sutra shows that its writer knew the whole Pali Tipitaka by heart
    • A sutra written long after the Buddha must be a forgery meant to fool its readers
    • A text can claim to record the Buddha; historians still ask when it was written