Chapter 8
1. In the lesson ‘The Sermon at Benaras’ you were asked to find out the meaning of ‘sermon’. The meanings are given below but these are in different contexts:
• a talk on a religious or moral subject
• a long or monotonous piece of admonition or caution or a warning, a lecture
(a) Discuss with your classmates the context to which the present text belongs.
(b) What could be the examples for the different context according to you?
(c) When your parents or elders say something, you say, “Oh, not again!” When do you say so and why?
2. Read the poem given below in the context of ‘The Sermon at Benaras’. It was actually delivered as a part of a sermon in 1910 by the author, Canon Henry ScottHolland (1847—1918), a priest at St. Paul’s Cathedral, London. After reading the poem, discuss in groups of four and list the similarities and differences between ‘The Sermon at Benaras’ and ‘Death Is Nothing At All’. For example the theme, the situation, the philosophy of the two speakers etc.
Q.1. According to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, what should we do if we want a happier humanity? _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________
Q.2. Where does the ultimate cause of the problem lie? _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________
Q.3. “What I call human feeling, then ‘it’ is very useful.” What is ‘it’ referred to here? _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________
Q.4. Why does the Dalai Lama say that proper motivation is important? _____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________
Q.5. Why is there a requirement of correlation between the intention of an individual and the interest of society
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Q.6. What does His Holiness the Dalai Lama mean by “spiritual development”? _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________
Q.7. A compassionate heart brings—
(a) __________________________________________________
(b) __________________________________________________
(c) __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________
Q.1. Why did Father Gilligan cry “my body spake, not I”? _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________
Q.2. “The moth-hour of eve”, “the moth hour went” and “the moths came once more” establish a link. They suggest—
(a) the movement of moths.
(b) the passage of time.
(c) the actions of Father Gilligan.
Q.3. Why did the poet say that the priest “rode with little care”? Does it mean that the old priest, Peter Gilligan, had no care for the safety of the horse and people on the way? What did he not care about? _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________
Q.4. How did the priest feel when he heard that the sick man was dead? (Choose the correct option.)
(a) He was frustrated and amazed.
(b) He was ashamed and annoyed.
(c) He was full of grief and self-condemnation.
Q.5. Why did Father Gilligan kneel down when he heard the sick man’s wife say “When you were gone…”?
_____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________
Q.6. How did God help when “the least of things” was in need? _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________
1. Antonyms for the words in the text ‘The Sermon at Benaras’ are given below. Find the words and fill in the blanks.
(a) unfit ______________________
(b) joy ______________________
(c) contentment ______________________
(d) found ______________________
(e) cheered ______________________
(f) lively ______________________
(g) calm ______________________
2. Use a dictionary to find out four words each having the meaning nearest to the ones given below.
Example:
wander — stroll dawdle drift roam
(a) vow — ________ ________ ________ ________
(b) preach — ________ ________ ________ ________
(c) preserve — ________ ________ ________ ________
(d) awaken — ________ ________ ________ ________
(e) enlighten — ________ ________ ________ ________
(f) reign — ________ ________ ________ ________
The sculptures on the ornamental gateways or toranas consist of decorative illustrations of events encompassing the life of Lord Buddha. These events are explained in the Jataka tales. The tree used here symbolises Lord Buddha. The most striking features regarding the stupa is that Lord Buddha has been depicted symbolically by figures like thrones, wheels, and footprints among others
(a) Which Buddhist monument is referred to here and what does it portray? _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________
(b) Who are the people who visit this Stupa throughout the year? _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________
(c) In which period the Stupa was built, and who commissioned it? _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________
(d) Where is the central chamber in the Stupa? What is kept inside it? _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________
(e) What structures were added to the huge hemisphere in first century BCE? _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________
(f) The toranas are decorated with: (Tick the right answer
(a) stone ornaments ( )
(b) events of Lord Buddha’s life ( )
(c) Lord Buddha’s relics ( )
(d) symbolic depiction of Lord Buddha as throne, wheel, footprints, etc. ( )
1. Write a paragraph on how you can help others who are in grief. You may consider the following points:
• grief is expressed through a variety of behaviours— observe these
• reach out to others in their grief, but some people may not want to accept help; some will not share their grief— understand this
• some others will want to talk about their thoughts and feelings—be a support to them, stand by them
• let the grieving person know you care for them—be patient
• focus on what you can do, like holding their hand, etc.—a solace or a consolation
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2. Two poems are given in the textbook, First Flight, page 138–139, one by Kahlil Gibran, and the other by Rabindra Nath Tagore. Read the poems, discuss in groups of four on what these two poets want to say in their respective poems. Then write the summary of each poem and share it with your classmates. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________
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• Work in groups of four.
• Collect Jataka tales (at least six) concerning the previous births of Gautama Buddha in both human and animal form.
• Read these and rewrite the stories in your own words. You can develop a comic strip too.
• Make a collage of the stories.
• Illustrate the stories and display the collage in your class.