Language Sleuths
Stupid Ghosts
Numbered Lists
Stupa-fying puja
Comparing is caring
100
The Buddhist concept of anatta directly contradicts this Hindu belief:
Atman
100
New phone, who 'dis?
Hotei, aka the Laughing Buddha, aka Fat Buddha
100
The eight spokes on the dharma wheel are a reference to...
The Eightfold Path
100
What is a stupa?
A Buddhist monument holding a relic
100
Who places special importance on Jesus?
All religions except Judaism (even though they think He's a nice guy!)
200
Anitya or Anicca means
Impermanence/constant change
200
This bodhisattva often appears as a white dragon and she has her origins in Chinese mythology
Quan-yin / Guanyin / Avalokitsevara
200
What's the 2nd Noble Truth?
There's a reason why we suffer
We suffer because of our desire
Tanha causes suffering
200
List the religions we've studied in order of their age...
Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam
(and if you want to be cool, add Sikhs in last)
200
Who believes in samsara?
Hindus and Buddhists
(and Sikhs!)
300
A "buddha" literally means someone who has...
Woken up or been Enlightened
300
The Dalai Lama is not the "Buddhist pope," but rather the spiritual leader of this Buddhist denomination:
Vajrayana
(sometimes called Tibetan or Himalayan)
300
Before he ran away from home, Siddhartha had "Four Insights." Name two.
Double points bonus if you get all four.
Old age
Death
Sickness
A religious ascetic/spiritual seeker
300
What's nontheism?
A belief system that isn't concerned about the existence or non-existence of divinities.
300
Who believes in a singular creation and an eventual apocalypse?
The Abrahamic faiths
400
What does dharma mean in Buddhism?
The teachings of the Buddha that can only be understood through experience and reflection
400
Devotees to Amitabha Buddha hope to be reborn in the Pure Land. What is it?
The Pure Land is a place where there is less suffering, but people born there are still in samsara. It's just easier to reach Enlightenment there.
400
What's the 4th Noble Truth?
The way to stop suffering is by following the Eightfold Path (those eight "rights")
400
Unless it's a synagogue or a church, you must do this before entering any holy building's main prayer area
Remove shoes
400
Which religions' symbols have nothing to do with the founder?
Judaism (Star of David is connected to the Maccabees, not Abraham)
Islam (Crescent moon is related to the calendar, not the Prophet)
Hinduism (there is no singular founder)
500
Why are the three denominations of Buddhism called "yanas?"
Yana means vehicle, and the denominations are the vehicles to Enlightenment. They speed up the travel.
500
Politically, there might not be another Dalai Lama. Theologically, there will be. Why?
The DL's function is to be the spiritual and political leader of Tibet. Tibet no longer exists as a country, but since Buddhists believe the DL is a bodhisattva, he will continue to be reborn until all are Enlightened.
500
Buddhists have something called the sangha. What similarity does that give them with Christianity and Islam?
A term for the local and global community. Each of those three faiths sees itself as accessible to the whole world.
500
Because this ancient king converted to Buddhism and sent missionaries out of India, Buddhism spread as far west as modern-day Turkey.
King Ahsoka
500
Which religions have a concept of an ultimate divinity?
All except Buddhism