Unit 8
Reprint 2025-26
The Sermon at Benaras explores the universal truth about life and death through the teachings of Gautama Buddha. This lesson will help you understand how Buddha consoled a grieving woman and taught her about the impermanent nature of life.
In this lesson, we will explore the wisdom of the Buddha's sermon, understand the profound concepts shared in the text, and engage with activities that will deepen your understanding of the philosophical aspects of life and death.
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:
Discuss with your classmates the context to which the present text belongs. What could be examples for the different context according to you?
When your parents or elders say something, you say, "Oh, not again!" When do you say so and why?
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 Scott Holland (1847 — 1918), a priest at St. Paul's Cathedral, London.
Death is nothing at all.
It does not count.
I have only slipped away into the next room.
Nothing has happened.
Everything remains exactly as it was.
I am I, and you are you,
and the old life that we lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged.
Whatever we were to each other, that we are still.
Call me by the old familiar name.
Speak of me in the easy way which you always used.
Put no difference into your tone.
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.
Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes that we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.
Let my name be ever the household word that it always was.
Let it be spoken without an effort, without the ghost of a shadow upon it.
Life means all that it ever meant.
It is the same as it ever was.
There is absolute and unbroken continuity.
What is this death but a negligible accident?
Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?
I am but waiting for you, for an interval,
somewhere very near,
just round the corner.
All is well.
Nothing is hurt; nothing is lost.
One brief moment and all will be as it was before.
How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting when we meet again!
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'. Consider aspects like theme, situation, and philosophy of the two speakers.
Antonyms for the words in the text 'The Sermon at Benaras' are given below. Find the words and fill in the blanks:
Antonym of 'unfit':
Antonym of 'joy':
Antonym of 'contentment':
Antonym of 'found':
Antonym of 'cheered':
Antonym of 'lively':
Use a dictionary to find out four words each having the meaning nearest to the ones given below:
We use direct speech when we repeat someone's words and indirect speech when we use our own words to report what someone else has said. We use an appropriate reporting verb, make pronominal (relating to pronouns) changes and change certain words denoting 'nearness' in the direct form to words suggesting 'remoteness' (in time and place) in the indirect form.
For example:
(a) Riki said, "I'm hungry." (Direct speech)
(b) Riki said that he was hungry. (Indirect speech)
Read the passage from the text, 'The Sermon at Benaras' starting with "Kisa Gotami had an only son..." and convert the following direct speech into reported speech:
The Buddha said to Kisa Gotami, "Get me a handful of mustard seeds."
The Buddha said to Kisa Gotami or .
Kisa Gotami asked, "Will my son become healthy with this medicine?"
Kisa Gotami asked .
The Buddha said to Kisa Gotami, "The life of mortals in this world is troubled and brief."
The Buddha told Kisa Gotami .
"I understand the truth now," said Kisa Gotami.
Kisa Gotami said .
There are some omissions in the paragraph given below. Edit the paragraph, use suitable prepositions and words:
The Wild Geese
One day, Prince Siddhartha was going ___ the royal gardens ___ his way ___ the river. A flock ___ wild geese passed overhead. Devadatta, the Prince's cousin, shot ___ arrow into their midst ___ one of the geese fell. It was wounded and fell just ___ front of Siddhartha. His heart was filled ___ compassion when he saw ___ poor bird bleeding profusely. He lifted it and he drew the arrow very carefully from its body. He took the bird with him. Devadatta sent a messenger ___ claim the bird. But Siddhartha refused to give it. He said that ___ belonged to him because he had saved its life. It did not belong to Devadutta who had tried to kill ___.
The following narrative is about Sanchi stupa. Listen to it carefully and answer the questions that follow.
1. Which Buddhist monument is referred to here and what does it portray?
2. Who are the people who visit this Stupa throughout the year?
3. In which period was the Stupa built, and who commissioned it?
4. Where is the central chamber in the Stupa? What is kept inside it?
5. What structures were added to the huge hemisphere in the first century BCE?
It is important to know that everyone has some problem or other, and they grieve in unique ways. Your grief is different than those around you. You have experienced a loss or an intense sorrow, especially caused by someone's death. This can also refer to the loss of physical or cognitive abilities or the loss of something that was routine in your life such as friendship, head boy or head girl, playing for school, etc.
Discuss with your friend and note down:
Write a paragraph on how you can help others who are in grief. You may consider the following points:
Work in groups of four. Collect Jataka tales (at least six) concerning the previous births of Gautama Buddha in both human and animal form.
Silent letters: W
English has many words with silent letters. Here are some examples with a silent 'W':
Tongue Twister
I saw Susie sitting in a shoe shine shop.
Where she sits she shines, and where she shines she sits.