Deck 4: Encountering Jainism: The Austere Way to Liberation

Question 1

Identify a true statement about Digambars.

A)They believe that a soul in a female body can reach liberation.
B)They wear white clothing as allowed by their scriptures.
C)They preach regularly against the beliefs of Hinduism.
D)They advocate nakedness for monks and typically own nothing.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Jains believe that:

A)Tirthankaras, or "Ford Finders," are gods.
B)the present era has had a series of twenty-four religious leaders.
C)Mahavira is the founder of their religion and is a human form of god.
D)sacrificial rituals bring freedom from reincarnation.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

What statement is true about the current legal status of "holy death" in India?

A)It is protected by special Indian legislation.
B)It Is fully protected by Indian courts.
C)It has been outlawed by Indian legislation.
D)It has recently been ruled to be a criminal act by an Indian court.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which of the following statements is true of the Jain teaching about souls?

A)Individual souls return to one cosmic soul.
B)Souls are made of inanimate substances.
C)Every soul is eternally individual.
D)Souls are finite in number.

Question 5

Because of which of the following is a soul confined in a series of bodies and must advance in spiritual development before becoming free from reincarnation?

A)moksha
B)asceticism
C)nirvana
D)karma

Question 6

According to Jainism, which of the following statements is true of Tirthankaras?

A)They are enlightened humans whose teachings point the way for others.
B)They promote Hindu sacrifices for the attainment of moksha.
C)They are gods who lived as mortals among human beings on the earth.
D)They are the founders of Jainism.

Question 7

The common scripture recognized by all Jain groups is called the:

A)Acaranga sutra.
B)Aupapatika.
C)Prajnapana.
D)Saman Suttam.

Question 8

Today the number of Jains in the world is around:

A)5-6 million.
B)12 million.
C)15 million.
D)30 million.

Question 9

Monks who are "sky-clothed" are known as:

A)Gacchas.
B)Shvetambars.
C)Sthanakvasis.
D)Digambars.

Question 10

What Jain group has a prominent order of nuns?

A)Shvetambar
B)Digambar
C)Sthanakvasi
D)Gacchas

Question 11

One whole rotation of the wheel of time is referred to as:

A)a kalpa.
B)a yuga.
C)ajiva.
D)karma.

Question 12

Identify a true statement about Parshvanatha.

A)He promoted Hindu sacrifices.
B)He was the twenty-fourth Tirthankara of this age.
C)He taught the abandonment of worldly attachments.
D)He is considered a god by Jain worshippers.

Question 13

For Jainism, karma is:

A)the spiritual energy necessary for a proper religious life.
B)the way to true pleasure in life.
C)the moral law of cause and effect that determines one's reincarnation.
D)moral duties.

Question 14

According to the teachings of Jainism, Jains:

A)worship Tirthankaras as gods.
B)do not believe in good and evil spirits and other heavenly beings.
C)worship spirits of earth and heaven for eternal release.
D)believe the way to salvation must be accomplished by one's own effort.

Question 15

In Jainism, the unhappy passage of the soul at death from one body to another is called:

A)moksha.
B)asceticism.
C)karma.
D)reincarnation.

Question 16

Unlike the Buddha, Mahavira:

A)denied the existence of God.
B)taught the path of radical asceticism.
C)was born into the Kshatriya class of rulers and warriors.
D)promoted animal sacrifices to attain moksha.

Question 17

In the context of Jainism, the traditional process of holy death involves:

A)burning oneself to death in a temple ceremonial fire.
B)voluntarily starving oneself to death.
C)deliberately hanging oneself to death.
D)having other Jains kill oneself.

Question 18

The word Jainism is commonly traced to the Sanskrit word for "conquer." This conquering refers to the:

A)conflict Jains face when deciding which sect of Jainism they wish to follow.
B)battle Jains wage within themselves to gain the full knowledge that leads to enlightenment.
C)war between the gods and the demons before the earth was created.
D)disagreements over monastic doctrine and practice.

Question 19

What is not featured on the symbol of Jainism?

A)a hand
B)the word "ahimsa"
C)a circle
D)a symbol of monastic life

Question 20

In Jainism, who is the main model of how to achieve enlightenment?

A)Mahavira
B)Parshvanatha
C)Chitrabhanu
D)Krishna

Question 21

Which of the following is a practice of Jain monastics?

A)shaving the head
B)walking barefoot
C)seeking converts from other religions
D)eating unapproved food when it is cooked by others

Question 22

For Jains, Diwali is celebrated to:

A)remember Mahavira's death.
B)pray for the souls of the dead.
C)pray for the reincarnation of ancestors.
D)shed accumulated karma.

Question 23

Shvetambars believe that:

A)asceticism goes against the very foundation of Jainism.
B)a soul in a female body can reach liberation.
C)sacrificial rituals help attain freedom from reincarnation.
D)monks and nuns should not wear any clothing.

Question 24

What types of vegetables are forbidden in a Jain religious diet?

A)cruciate vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, etc.)
B)dark vegetables
C)crunchy vegetables
D)root vegetables

Question 25

What is the most important festival for Jains, an eight-day period of rededication that falls in August or September?

A)Vesak
B)Paryusana
C)Diwali
D)Songkran

Question 26

The gender issue that early Jains had disputes over was whether a:

A)man has two souls unlike a woman.
B)soul can attain deliverance from a woman's body.
C)woman should be allowed to become a nun.
D)woman should be allowed to follow Jainism.

Question 27

How do Jain monks and nuns remove the hair on their heads?

A)They shave it clean, as Buddhist monks do.
B)They cut it very close with special scissors.
C)They cut it in recent times with electric clippers.
D)They pluck it out, often hair by hair.

Question 28

According to Jain beliefs, acquired karma can be "worn away" by:

A)fasting.
B)farming.
C)animal sacrifice.
D)idol worship.

Question 29

The Jains developed a complex theory of knowledge with four stages.Identify a true statement about subjective knowledge.

A)It is based on one's meditation on scriptures.
B)It involves supersensory perception.
C)It is ordinary observation and recognition.
D)It brings freedom from reincarnation.

Question 30

Which of the following is one of the five cardinal virtues of Jainism?

A)courage
B)chivalry
C)chastity
D)hospitality

Question 31

Identify a true statement about the Namokar Mantra.

A)It is a very elaborate prayer.
B)It is recited in its original language of Arabic.
C)It is the common scripture recognized by all Jain groups.
D)It is thought to destroy sins and obstacles.

Question 32

Jains have a strict diet because they believe that:

A)all animals and many plants have souls.
B)animals should be revered as the symbols of all life.
C)animals are impure and are heavily burdened with karma.
D)plants are inanimate versions of humans.

Question 33

Release from reincarnation is called:

A)karma.
B)moksha.
C)a holy death.
D)asceticism.

Question 34

According to Jainism, one must speak the truth:

A)only when questioned.
B)even if it involves harming another person.
C)when lying is not a viable option.
D)as long as it does no harm.

Question 35

Jains believe that the world:

A)requires gods to control its processes.
B)is eternal and uncreated.
C)is made up of only ajiva.
D)takes one kalpa to revolve around the sun.

Question 36

What makes the soul too heavy to ascend after the death of the body to the abode of the Jinas?

A)moksha
B)gris-gris
C)karma
D)nirvana

Question 37

Jain monastics do not eat cooked food because:

A)the heat of the cooking process does violence to small creatures.
B)the cooking process destroys essential nutrients in the food.
C)they only eat fruit fallen from trees.
D)they do not want to accept any favors from other people.

Question 38

Jain monks and nuns put a little sandalwood dust on the heads of other Jains:

A)to ward off evil spirits.
B)as a mark of acceptance.
C)as a sign of blessing.
D)to remove bad karma.

Question 39

Historians conclude that Jainism was founded by:

A)Krishna.
B)Parshvanatha.
C)Mahavira.
D)Chitrabhanu.

Question 40

In the context of chastity, which of the following statements is true of the moral principles of Jainism?

A)Lay Jains must completely abstain from all sexual intercourse.
B)Sexual thoughts are not considered a violation of Jain principles.
C)Sexual intercourse after a long period of abstinence does not bind one to karma.
D)Sex outside of marriage is particularly powerful in attracting karma.

Question 41

What is the central teaching of Jainism?

A)karma
B)navjote
C)vak lao
D)moksha

Question 42

The Jains believe that the souls of the dead are reborn immediately.

Question 43

Jain temples in North America typically have at least ten monks attached to them.

Question 44

Explain the meaning of the term Jainism.

Question 45

The majority of Jains now live outside of India.

Question 46

As a result of age-old trading links, many Jains from western India settled in eastern African countries.

Question 47

Although scholars of religion hold that it has a historical founder, Jains believe that their religion is eternal and call no one its "founder."

Question 48

Describe the Jain ritual of "holy death."

Question 49

Paryusana is celebrated for the purpose of remembering Mahavira's death.

Question 50

Discuss the essential features of North American Jain temples.

Question 51

What caused all Jains long ago to give up farming?

A)nirvana
B)ahimsa
C)kalpa
D)moksha

Question 52

On the final day of Paryusana, Jains:

A)prepare and eat a grand meal in celebration.
B)light oil lamps in remembrance of Mahavira's death anniversary.
C)perform animal sacrifices to shed accumulated karma.
D)seek forgiveness for any wrong acts against them in the previous year.

Question 53

In Jainism, moksha refers to "deeds" and the negative result of deeds.

Question 54

According to Jainism, direct, immediate knowledge is knowledge of one's soul in its pure form; this brings freedom from reincarnation.A person with this knowledge is a:

A)kevalin.
B)Digambar.
C)shaman.
D)Shvetambar.

Question 55

The Jain teaching of moksha includes the idea that individual souls will live forever in a heavenly state.

Question 56

How do Jain monastics obtain food for themselves?

Question 57

For more than two thousand years, Jains stayed in India to:

A)minimize the damage travel does to other beings.
B)capitalize on large areas of agricultural land.
C)gather a group of followers who could travel to other parts of the world seeking converts.
D)prevent undesirable division of existing Jain sects.

Question 58

While in the cycle of reincarnation, what attaches to the soul of an individual and causes rebirth?

A)karma
B)gris-gris
C)ajiva
D)moksha

Question 59

Describe a traditional Jain funeral ritual.