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Title: Exam Analysis Module 1
Question:
What two words translate as dharma?
My answer:
Incorrect.
d None of the above
I was focused on an idea I had that the Buddhist definition of dharma and the Vedic definition of dharma are distinct and so I rejected the Vedic definition, believing I was intended to demonstrate I understand a definition distinct from the Vedic definition.
Correct Answer:
a Truth and Law
It is still “Truth and Law” even if what Buddhism considers Truth and Law is different.
This is stated on W:1 D:2 Powerpoint Slide 6
Question Reflection:
My mental association with this definition of Dharma was linked to Vedic culture for that is where it appeared and a contrast was soon set up between Vedic and Buddhist definitions of the term and so I “threw the baby out with the bathwater” and rejected what I thought was exclusively the Vedic definition of Dharma. I did not pick up idea that the original definition was maintained but that WHAT was considered TRUTH and what was considered LAW had changed from Vedic to Buddhist terminology.
A possible change might be for me to consider questions more broadly, as in: “Is there ANY case where this might be true within the lessons provided?” rather than prematurely rejecting an answer because of a narrow association. In short, perhaps I can adopt a more legal mindset (is there demonstrable evidence?) rather than associative/contextual (we learned it in this unit and not that unit and so it feels wrong)
Question:
What was the first practice Siddhartha engaged in when he left the palace?
My answer:
Incorrect.
b Asceticism
Siddhartha left the palace to enter a life of asceticism generally which included begging and other features in the community that were distinct from his palace life. I considered that to be a practice. The contrast in the question seemed set off from “palace life” which is general as “asceticism” is general, whereas the other answers were very specific including meditation.
Correct Answer:
a Meditation
This is stated on W:1 D:3, Powerpoint Slide 8
Question Reflection:
I was focused on the textbook which had a few paragraphs describing ascetic life in the community prior to describing his meditation teacher.
Had I prioritized the slideshow over the textbook, I might have used the more specific meditation practice over the more general asceticism lifestyle change. However, the bullet point:
“- Siddhartha became a renunciate and began to train in the different methods and philosophies of the renunciates” I still might have thought “asceticism”” was correct.
So therefore, perhaps the error was in seeing asceticism as a practice whereas perhaps asceticism isn’t a “practice” per se but meditation is.
I remain uncertain after reflection.
Question:
What was the general aim of householders?
My answer:
Correct.
a Better rebirth
Correct Answer:
a Better rebirth
This is stated on W:1 D:2, Powerpoint Slide 4
Question Reflection:
I really really struggled over this one. I’m glad we could move freely around the exam because I had to return to this one over and over again, as I’d picked Moksha for there seemed to be some evidence in the textbook that Moksha was an eventual possible goal of householders as I could not find anything definitive that better rebirth was a goal in the text.
It wasn’t until I became entirely lost in a future question (next) that I realized I was dependent entirely upon my notes and the textbook and _not_ the slides, spending far far far too much time on that question, that I considered using the slides, which had the answer I sought right in front of me.
Question:
What was the main religious practice of the early Vedas?
My answer:
Correct.
a Fire sacrific
Correct Answer:
a Fire sacrific
This is stated on W:1 D:2, Powerpoint Slide 4
Question Reflection:
Oh, this question was painful. I had all of my notes in Word and text files. I had the textbook. I even had a transcript of a video or two and I absolutely struggled for clarity.
I had Yoga for a while as my answer because I knew it was eventually a practice and yet it didn’t sit right because I thought it was later, which it was. I switched to Meditation for a short while but that too seemed to be a slightly more advanced practice and didn’t line up with the physical rituals of the early Vedas. Aestheticism of course couldn’t be it, whether it was intended to be aestheticism or asceticism — I knew they didn’t do those things yet.
Yet fire sacrifice was nowhere for me.
Suddenly, I remembered “What about the slides?” Up until this point I hadn’t used the slides for reference. I have no idea why I was focusing on the textbook and my notes and forgetting entirely about the slide, but I had been and it was fine until here.
Once i opened up the slides I found the answer instantly.
General Reflection on the exam:
post mortem:
a) pay attention to notes and slides first and treat everything else as supplements to the slides.
b) Extension of a. Not everything will be everywhere. The different resources are not mirrors of each other.
c) Focus on what you can do and are confident of first as the exam allows full access to itself.
d) check your answers as many times as you need.
e) be able to pinpoint where the answers are findable so that you’re not working off intuition or confident feelings about the answer.
f) If you’re stuck, you are probably using the wrong resource. If it’s not in the textbook, look to the slide. If it’s not in the slide, look to your notes. Don’t dwell in one resource for too long as it might not be there at all.
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