The Sermon at Benares – important questions for Boards 2027

CBSE Class 10 English

1. SA · 2 marks

   How do the Buddha’s comparisons with ripe fruit and earthen pots illustrate that death is unavoidable?

   Answer

   Ripe fruits are always in danger of falling, just as mortals are in danger of death from birth. Likewise, every earthen vessel made by a potter eventually breaks, showing that life ends.

2. LA · 4 marks

   Explain why, according to the Buddha, grieving cannot bring peace or save the dead, and how it may affect the mourner.

   Answer

   The Buddha explains that grieving cannot change death and may deepen the suffering of the living. 1. Weeping cannot obtain peace of mind, because sorrow does not reverse a loss or alter the terms of life. 2. Lamentation cannot save the dead; the person who has died cannot be restored by the mourner’s sorrow. 3. Grief may increase the mourner’s pain and make the body suffer. The mourner may become sick and pale through prolonged sorrow. 4. The Buddha advises a person seeking peace to draw out the arrow of lamentation, complaint and grief, and become composed. The Buddha’s teaching is that accepting death and overcoming sorrow can bring peace of mind.

3. LA · 5 marks

   How does the passage describe grief as a response to loss? Explain some feelings commonly associated with grief and how different people may express it or respond to offers of help.

   Answer

   Grief is a natural response to loss or significant change, but people experience and express it in personal ways. 1. Sadness is common after a death, though sadness does not always appear as crying. A grieving person may also feel disbelief, particularly after a sudden loss. 2. Anger may arise from frustration at not preventing the death or from feeling unable to live without the loved one. Guilt and self-reproach may also develop over imagined failures to care or act sooner. 3. Anxiety, loneliness and fatigue are possible responses. A person may fear being unable to manage alone, miss everyday companionship or feel tired. 4. People respond differently to help: some may not accept it or share their grief, while others may want to talk or reminisce. Patience and reassurance that support is available can help. Grief has no single expression, so caring support should respect each person’s needs.

4. VLA · 6 marks

   In a developed response, explain the Buddha’s advice about death and mourning. Discuss why relatives cannot save those who die, why grieving does not bring peace, and how accepting death and letting go of lamentation can help a person become composed.

   Answer

   The Buddha teaches that death is unavoidable and that accepting this truth can lessen grief and restore peace of mind. 1. All living beings are subject to death: ripe fruits risk falling, and earthen vessels made by a potter end in being broken. 2. A father cannot save his son, nor can kinsmen save their relations, because death carries mortals away despite the presence and care of relatives. 3. Relatives may look on and lament deeply as people are carried off, one by one, like an ox led to slaughter. 4. Weeping and grieving do not bring peace; lamentation cannot save the dead and instead increases pain, harms the body, and may make a mourner sick and pale. 5. The wise understand the terms of the world and do not grieve as though death could be avoided. A person seeking peace should draw out the arrow of lamentation, complaint, and grief. One who becomes composed and overcomes sorrow obtains peace of mind and becomes free from sorrow.

5. VVLA · 12 marks

   In a detailed response, explain the Buddha’s teaching that death is unavoidable and universal. Show how his words apply equally to people of every age and level of wisdom.

   Answer

   The Buddha teaches that death is an unavoidable part of life and that no person, whatever their age or wisdom, can escape it. In his sermon, he explains that life is brief, troubled and combined with pain. Everyone who is born is subject to death, and reaching old age does not prevent it. Death is not an exceptional event affecting only a few people; it is the common fate of all living beings. The Buddha compares human life to ripe fruit, which is always in danger of falling. In the same way, mortals are in danger of death from the moment they are born. The comparison suggests that death is a natural and constant possibility, not something that comes only after a long life. He also compares human lives to earthen vessels made by a potter. Every such vessel eventually breaks, just as every mortal life eventually ends. The images of fruit and pottery make the certainty of death easy to understand. The Buddha stresses that death affects the young and the adult alike. Age offers no protection: both young and old fall into the power of death. Wisdom also cannot grant anyone immunity. Fools and wise people alike are subject to death, so intelligence or understanding cannot make a person immortal. The Buddha’s words therefore apply equally to people at every stage of life and at every level of wisdom. The sermon also describes how death separates people from those they love. A father cannot save his son, and kinsmen cannot save their relations from death. Relatives may look on and lament deeply, yet mortals are carried away one by one, like an ox led to the slaughter. Love and family ties are meaningful, but they cannot alter the universal law of death. Because the world is afflicted with death and decay, the wise understand the terms of the world and do not grieve in a way that increases suffering. The Buddha does not deny the pain of losing someone; he explains that weeping and lamentation cannot save the dead or bring peace of mind. Grief may instead deepen the mourner’s pain and make the body suffer. A person seeking peace should draw out the arrow of lamentation, complaint and grief. By becoming composed and overcoming sorrow, a person can find peace of mind. The Buddha’s teaching encourages people to accept the shared reality of death and to respond to loss with understanding rather than helpless despair.

6. VVLA · 15 marks

   Write an extended discussion of whether a person can be separated from the way they look, sound or move. Consider how a person’s qualities may change over time and whether relationships change with them.

   🔒 Answer locked. Unlock all answers on SmartKalike

7. SA · 2 marks

   According to the Buddha, why can a father not save his son or relatives save one another from death?

   🔒 Answer locked. Unlock all answers on SmartKalike

8. LA · 4 marks

   What does the Buddha advise a person to do with lamentation, complaint and grief in order to become composed and find peace of mind?

   🔒 Answer locked. Unlock all answers on SmartKalike

9. LA · 5 marks

   Explain why grief is described as a natural but varied response to loss. Include common feelings and behaviours, and describe two reasons a grieving person might experience anger.

   🔒 Answer locked. Unlock all answers on SmartKalike

10. VVLA · 12 marks

    Write a detailed account of Kisa Gotami’s search for mustard seed and explain how it changes her understanding of death and grief. Include the Buddha’s comparisons with ripe fruit and pottery, his teaching about the limits of relatives’ help, and how he came to preach at Benares.

    🔒 Answer locked. Unlock all answers on SmartKalike