History & Civics
Answer
Title: The Enlightened One
Characters:
Gautama Buddha
Queen Maya (Buddha's mother)
King Suddhodana (Buddha's father)
Ananda (Buddha's disciple and cousin)
Mara (the demon of illusion)
Act 1:
Scene 1: The birth of Gautama Buddha
The play opens with Queen Maya giving birth to Prince Siddhartha Gautama. The king and queen celebrate his birth, with the king envisioning a bright future for his son. However, a prophecy is revealed that the prince will either become a great king or a great sage, causing King Suddhodana to worry about his son's future.
Scene 2: The young prince
The play fast-forwards to Prince Siddhartha's teenage years, where he is depicted as a curious and introspective youth. He becomes increasingly interested in the nature of suffering and the meaning of life, much to the confusion of his father and the courtiers.
Act 2:
Scene 1: The Great Renunciation
Prince Siddhartha, now a young man, is married and has a child. One day as his charioteer is driving him through the town, he sees an old man bent with age. Then he sees a sick man groaning in pain. After that he witnesses a dead body of a man being carried for cremation. He is consoled when he sees an ascetic in search of salvation. He becomes disillusioned with his life of luxury and decides to renounce his material possessions and seek the truth. This decision causes great distress to his family, particularly his father, who wants him to become a great king.
Scene 2: The search for enlightenment
The prince embarks on a journey to find enlightenment, seeking the advice of several spiritual teachers along the way. However, he remains dissatisfied with their teachings and continues his search.
Act 3:
Scene 1: Enlightenment
After several years of meditation and self-reflection, Prince Siddhartha attains enlightenment under a Bodhi tree. He becomes known as the Buddha, or the enlightened one. Ananda, his cousin and disciple, witnesses the event.
Scene 2: The first sermon
The Buddha travels to the Deer Park in Sarnath and delivers his first sermon, known as the Four Noble Truths. Ananda and other disciples listen intently as the Buddha explains the nature of suffering and the path to liberation.
Act 4:
Scene 1: The spread of Buddhism
The Buddha continues to travel and teach, gathering a large following of monks and laypeople. He performs several miracles and attracts the attention of Mara, the demon of illusion, who tries to distract him from his mission.
Scene 2: The Mahaparinirvana
The play ends with the Buddha's death, known as the Mahaparinirvana. Ananda and the other disciples mourn his passing, but the Buddha reminds them that his teachings will live on through the Dharma. The play concludes with Ananda reciting one of the Buddha's famous quotes, "All conditioned things are impermanent. Strive on with diligence."
Related Questions
With reference to the given pictures, answer the questions that follow:
(a) Identify the two preachers, whose images are given. Name the religions founded by them.
(b) Mention three main teachings of each of the two religions founded by these preachers.
(c) Mention any two similarities and two dissimilarities between the two religions founded by them.
The most important precept of Jainism is ahimsa or non-violence. It was popularised by Mahatma Gandhi during India's freedom struggle. Do you think the philosophy of ahimsa is as relevant today as it was in the era of Mahavira?
List the similarities and differences of the religions — Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism.
Buddhism which emerged in ancient India against the Brahmanical social order, is becoming quite popular because of its secular beliefs in contemporary India. State your views giving examples.