Buddhist beliefs, history, and traditions.
Test your knowledge with these top questions!
How often do caretakers rake the patterned surface of Kyoto's Ryoanji rock garden?
Ryoanji's 15 rocks rest on white sand that caretakers rake every day, recreating the garden's clean patterns.
In a Japanese dry garden, what can represent water?
"Karesansui" means "dry landscape"; its raked sand or gravel can evoke streams, ponds, or ocean waves.
While seated along Ryoanji's veranda, how many of its 15 garden stones can a viewer see at most?
A seated viewer can see at most 14 stones, but someone standing at the veranda's right corner pillar can see all 15; the designer's intent remains unknown.
At Zen monasteries, what purpose did viewing a karesansui garden serve?
Monks viewed these gardens for contemplation, while maintaining them offered a separate meditative discipline.
Which image best captures the literal sense of the Sanskrit term "nirvana"?
Without fuel, a flame goes out on its own; the image points to extinguishing greed, hatred, and delusion.
What path does Buddhism teach leads to Nirvana?
The Buddha introduced the Eightfold Path as a middle way between indulgence and extreme self-denial.
How does Buddhism describe Nirvana in relation to the cycle of rebirth?
Craving drives samsara; ending craving releases a practitioner from rebirth.
What does achieving Nirvana extinguish in Buddhism?
Buddhism names craving, hatred, and delusion the three poisons, and Nirvana cools those fires so suffering ends while compassion grows.
What does the Sanskrit word "mandala" literally mean?
The name means "circle," but Tibetan ritual mandalas can combine a square palace with a circular outer enclosure.
Why do Buddhist monks ritually destroy a sand mandala after completing it?
Monks sweep away the finished mandala to symbolize impermanence, then pour its sand into water to disperse its healing energy.