Shin Buddhism in Modern Culture

Chapter 10 – Religion as Manifesting Truth

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which of the following is FALSE? During the course of its history, Buddhism’s quest for truth:
- became entangled in highly complex scholasticism
- became identified with magic
- was entirely free of political influence
2. The two-level theory of truth is:
- universal in scope
- elitist in structure
- evidence of Buddhism’s ideal of making the truth known to all
3. For the Kamakura Buddhist teachers the search for truth was paramount. With the formation of Buddhist institutions:
- this trend continued
- truth was thought to be too difficult for the ordinary person to grasp
- the search for truth was given top priority
4. The Critical Classification of Doctrine was developed so that:
- Buddhist leaders could clarify their own experiences of Buddhism
- people no longer had to search for truth
- texts could be rated in terms of their importance
5. Shinran distinguished two types of Nembutsu. They are:
- self-power Nembutsu and Other Power Nembutsu
- shallow Nembutsu and deep Nembutsu
- settled Nembutsu and dispersed Nembutsu
6. The great emphasis today in religion, as it has been for some time, is:
- concern for the suffering of others
- the reward of eternal life
- peace of mind
7. For Shinran the aim of religious faith is to:
- gain benefits for oneself
- assert control over non-believers
- see through our own egoism
8. According to the author, to keep religious tradition alive, its followers must:
- preserve their religious tradition as it is
- keep the question of truth open and honor its quest
- increase the membership

Submit

Thought Questions

1. It is often the case that the original vitality of the founder is lost when institutionalization takes place. Frequently the truth becomes routinized and fixed and members of the institution no longer are truth seekers. What is th danger of this happening? What do you think the institution can do to encourage an open search for truth? Why do you think the institution may not want to do this?

2. The author says that in our times the quest for truth has been replaced by the pursuit of taste. What does he mean by “the pursuit of taste?” Do you agree? Why?

3. Many people today turn to religion in order to find peace of mind. The author states that peace of mind is merely egoistic satisfaction. What do you think? Examine your own motivations. Why are you drawn to religion?

4. Reflect upon the following statement: ”Buddhism has always recognized that the pursuit of truth and the recognition of truth are quite different.” Comment on this.

5. We think that tradition is important. Yet, if tradition does not manifest and make clear the truth, what is tradition?