The jhanas are states of deep meditative absorption marked by calm, joy and one-pointed attention. The Buddha passed through them on the night of his enlightenment.

How did the god Brahma answer the monk in the Kevatta Sutta?

Great Brahma could not answer and, embarrassed, sent the monk back to the Buddha. Even the highest god lacked the knowledge the Buddha had.

What answer did the Buddha give in the Kevatta Sutta?

The Buddha said the question should ask where the elements find no footing. The elements cease in a consciousness that is boundless and non-manifest, where name and form end.

How does the Kevatta Sutta use religious experience as an argument about the nature of reality?

The monk's visionary journey through the heavens could not reveal ultimate truth. Only the Buddha's insight shows that reality lies beyond the material elements.

Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies B 1RB0

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Buddhism: Philosophy of Religion

Buddhist attitudes to religious experience

3 things to know
Paper 3

Overview

The jhanas, the monk's question to the gods and Brahma's answer in the Kevatta Sutta, whether experience gives real knowledge, Theravada and Mahayana caution, atheist challenges, and the Mind and Life Institute.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

What counts as a religious experience in Buddhism?

Key term

What are the jhanas?

Key term

What question did a monk carry to the gods in the Kevatta Sutta?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1
What counts as a religious experience in Buddhism?
Model answer
Buddhist religious experiences include deep meditative states, insight into impermanence and moments of awakening. Buddhists value experiences that transform the mind.
2
What are the jhanas?
Model answer
The jhanas are states of deep meditative absorption marked by calm, joy and one-pointed attention. The Buddha passed through them on the night of his enlightenment.
3
What question did a monk carry to the gods in the Kevatta Sutta?
Model answer
A monk asked where the four elements of earth, water, fire and air cease without remainder. The monk rose through the heavens in meditation, asking the gods one after another.
4
How did the god Brahma answer the monk in the Kevatta Sutta?
Model answer
Great Brahma could not answer and, embarrassed, sent the monk back to the Buddha. Even the highest god lacked the knowledge the Buddha had.
5
What answer did the Buddha give in the Kevatta Sutta?
Model answer
The Buddha said the question should ask where the elements find no footing. The elements cease in a consciousness that is boundless and non-manifest, where name and form end.
6
How does the Kevatta Sutta use religious experience as an argument about the nature of reality?
Model answer
The monk's visionary journey through the heavens could not reveal ultimate truth. Only the Buddha's insight shows that reality lies beyond the material elements.

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