Read the passage and answer the questions:
Buddhism
The Buddha (and other teachers) taught orally—through discussion and debate. Men and women (perhaps children as well) attended these discourses and discussed what they heard. None of the Buddha’s speeches were written down during his lifetime. After his death (c. fifth–fourth century BCE), his teachings were compiled by his disciples at a council of “elders” or senior monks at Vesāli (Pali for Vaishali in present-day Bihar). These compilations were known as the Tipitaka—literally, three baskets to hold different types of texts. They were first transmitted orally and then written and classified according to length as well as subject matter. The Vinaya Pitaka included rules and regulations for those who joined the sangha or monastic order; the Buddha’s teachings were included in the Sutta Pitaka; and the Abhidhamma Pitaka dealt with philosophical matters. Each pitaka comprised a number of individual texts. Later, commentaries were written on these texts by Buddhist scholars. As Buddhism traveled to new regions such as Sri Lanka, other texts such as the Dipavamsa (literally, the chronicle of the island) and Mahavamsa (the great chronicle) were written. Many of these works contained biographies of the Buddha. Some of the oldest texts are in Pali, while later compositions are in Sanskrit. When Buddhism spread to East Asia, pilgrims such as Fa Xian and Xuan Zang traveled all the way from China to India in search of texts. These they took back to their own country, where they were translated by scholars. Indian Buddhist teachers also traveled to faraway places, carrying texts to disseminate the teachings of the Buddha. Buddhist texts were preserved in manuscripts for several centuries in monasteries in different parts of Asia. Modern translations have been prepared from Pali, Sanskrit, Chinese, and Tibetan texts.
Identify the correct statements regarding Buddhist texts:
(A) The Buddhist texts were written and compiled during Buddha’s lifetime.
(B) The Buddha taught orally, through discussion and debate.
(C) Some of the oldest texts are in Sanskrit, while later compositions are in Pali.
(D) Later commentaries were written on numbers of individual texts comprised in Tipitakas by Buddhist scholars.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → (B) and (D) only
(A) The Buddhist texts were written and compiled during Buddha’s lifetime. Incorrect. None of the Buddha’s speeches were written down during his lifetime. His teachings were compiled after his death by his disciples at a council of “elders” at Vesali.
(B) The Buddha taught orally, through discussion and debate. Correct. The Buddha and other teachers taught orally, and men and women attended these discourses and discussed what they heard.
(C) Some of the oldest texts are in Sanskrit, while later compositions are in Pali. Incorrect. It is the other way round: the oldest texts are in Pali, while later compositions are in Sanskrit.
(D) Later commentaries were written on numbers of individual texts comprised in Tipitakas by Buddhist scholars. Correct. Each pitaka comprised a number of individual texts, and later Buddhist scholars wrote commentaries on them.
NCERT: Themes in Indian History Part I — Chapter 4: Thinkers, Beliefs and Buildings (2025-26)
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