1. The two main styles of Zen are    
A. Soto and Rinzai.   
B. Buddhist and Taoist.   
C. Mahayana and Theravada.   
D. Japanese and Chinese.   
Answer: A
2. Wisdom is to compassion as ________ is to ________.    
A. arhat; bodhisattva   
B. Soto; Rinzai   
C. Mahayana; Theravada   
D. bodhisattva; Buddha   
Answer: A
3. Buddhism is known as the Middle Way because it advocates a position between    
A. belief and skepticism.   
B. self-indulgence and asceticism.   
C. wisdom and compassion.   
D. materialism and annihilationism.   
Answer: B
4. Thich Nhat Hahn's concept of "interbeing" is related to    
A. dependent origination.   
B. the Eightfold Path.   
C. enlightenment.   
D. the skandhas.   
Answer: A
5. Dukkha results from    
A. desire.   
B. reflection.   
C. contemplation.   
D. detachment.   
Answer: A
6. The first link in the dependent origination chain that leads to suffering is    
A. grasping.   
B. craving.   
C. karma.   
D. ignorance.   
Answer: B
7. The Fourth Noble Truth is    
A. the universality of suffering.   
B. the absence of a permanent self.   
C. the elimination of craving.   
D. the Eightfold Path.   
Answer: D
8. "If you cannot say anything good, don't say anything at all" relates to    
A. the golden silence.   
B. right thinking.   
C. right understanding.   
D. right speech.   
Answer: D
9. The eight components of the Eightfold Path are related to    
A. education, leadership, and perseverance.   
B. health, community welfare, and material wealth.   
C. hard work, charity, and meditation.   
D. wisdom, moral conduct, and mental discipline.   
Answer: D
10. What does karma mean?    
A. Future consequences   
B. Destiny   
C. Luck   
D. Volitional action   
Answer: D
11. The characteristic that sets Buddhism apart from all other religions, philosophies, and psychologies is    
A. anicca.   
B. anatta.   
C. samadhi.   
D. shinkeishitsu.   
Answer: B
12. The concept of anatta implies that    
A. nothing exists.   
B. there is no separate self.   
C. the soul will experience rebirth.   
D. the self is extinguished in nirvana.   
Answer: B
13. According to the teachings of Buddha, the source of all the troubles in the world is the idea of the    
A. physical body.   
B. thinking mind.   
C. compassionate heart.   
D. personal self.   
Answer: D
14. What are the five skaddhas?    
A. Meditation, concentration, mindfulness, discipline, and understanding   
B. Form, feelings, perceptions, impulses, and consciousness   
C. Head, trunk, arms, legs, and soul   
D. The structures that make up one's unconscious   
Answer: B
15. In the Prajna Paramita Sutra, it says, "form is the same as emptiness, and emptiness is the same as form."  This is so because    
A. it is possible to empty a form by removing its contents.   
B. form and emptiness are two of the five skandhas.   
C. any form is an impermanent arrangement of elements.   
D. the Buddha Nature is everywhere.   
Answer: C
16. What is nirvana?    
A. An imaginary place without suffering   
B. An unreachable goal   
C. Heaven   
D. The enlightened mental state   
Answer: D
17. A truly enlightened person is likely to show    
A. very high intelligence.   
B. vast knowledge.   
C. great compassion.   
D. enhanced sensory abilities.   
Answer: C
18. The absolute is to the relative as ________ is to ________.    
A. a wave; the ocean   
B. the ego; the self   
C. the Buddha Nature; the Tao   
D. the Tao; yin and yang   
Answer: D
19. What does the "yin" in yin and yang stand for?    
A. The feminine, receptive, internal, negative aspect of nature   
B. The feminine, active, external, positive aspect of nature   
C. The masculine, receptive, internal, negative aspect of nature   
D. The masculine, active, external, positive aspect of nature   
Answer: A
20. The most essential feature of meditation practice is    
A. concentration on one thought.   
B. the posture and the breathing.   
C. a state of inner peace and happiness.   
D. the absence of any conscious thought.   
Answer: B
21. It is best to practice meditation    
A. to clear the mind.   
B. and expect no benefit whatsoever.   
C. as a way of relieving stress.   
D. to attain a higher state of consciousness.   
Answer: B
22. His Zen master asks a monk who is about to start meditating, "Why doesn't a dog have the Buddha Nature?" Why was the question asked at this time?    
A. The Zen master is genuinely curious and knows that the monk cannot answer once he starts meditating.   
B. The Zen master is testing the monk to see if he knows the answer; if he does not, then he is not ready to meditate.   
C. This is a way to get rid of shallow thoughts and engage in deeper, intuitive thinking.   
D. In the Soto school of Zen, such koans are used as themes for meditation.   
Answer: C
23. Rinzai is to Soto as ________ is to ________.    
A. practice; enlightenment   
B. koan; just sitting   
C. yin; yang   
D. Morita; Naikan   
Answer: B
24. What does gassho, the putting together of the hands, palm to palm, signify about the person who is making the gesture?    
A. That he is one with the person he is greeting   
B. That he is enlightened   
C. That he wants to show a visitor that he has no weapons   
D. That he is praying   
Answer: A
25. Which of the following is an autotelic activity?    
A. Chanting just for the sake of chanting   
B. Fighting to gain advantage over an adversary   
C. Praying so that a superior power will grant one's petition   
D. Teaching another so that he may in turn teach others   
Answer: A
26. The ugly duckling story is similar to the experience of the enlightenment because when the duckling realized that he was a swan    
A. he realized that nothing had changed.   
B. he knew that he was better than the ducks.   
C. he felt out of sorts.   
D. he was eager to follow the other swans.   
Answer: A
27. One of the greatest Japanese Zen masters, who introduced Soto Zen in Japan, was    
A. Eisai.   
B. Rinzai.   
C. Dogen.   
D. Hakuin.   
Answer: C
28. The activities of an enlightened one are autotelic.  That means that they are    
A. automatic in the sense of being spontaneous.   
B. done in the pursuit of specified goals.   
C. performed with the purpose of attaining nirvana.   
D. done for their own sake.   
Answer: D
29. Which of the following best reflects a Zen prescription for living?    
A. Give 100 percent to what you are doing right now.   
B. Keep trying to reach a state of heightened consciousness.   
C. Withdraw to a monastery in order to purify your mind.   
D. Do everything without thinking.   
Answer: A
30. If being enlightened is like being on top of the mountain, why is it not the end of Zen practice?    
A. There is always a higher state of consciousness to strive for.   
B. If one does not keep practicing, one may become unenlightened.   
C. One can never be sure that he or she has attained enlightenment.   
D. We still need to keep practicing in order to set an example to others.   
Answer: D