Question

unit 1 progress check: mcq
questions 7 through 9 refer to the following.
the reverend buddhist teacher dharmasekhara, dedicated this statue of the bodhisattva amoghapasa* on the orders of his majesty king adityawarman, for the benefit and salvation and happiness of all creatures.
hail to the king—experienced in the arts of war, well versed in the sciences, he is an ocean of all virtues practiced by the followers of the buddha! he is free from all physical desire. hail to the king—he who supports the entire world. he has collected jewels by the millions, taken them from the hands of his enemies among the other rulers of this world. he who is like god among kings, crowned, protected by heavenly beings, king of kings! he orders what should be known to all!
sanskrit inscription on a statue of a bodhisattva produced in the malayapura kingdom, sumatra, indonesia, circa 1350 c.e.
*a major figure worshipped in mahayana buddhism
8 mark for review
the claim in the second paragraph that the king has become “free from all physical desire” can best be understood to mean that
a southeast asian states ruling elites were very wealthy.
b in vedic religions, rejecting worldly concerns in order to attain spiritual perfection was considered a virtue.
c buddhist monks and nuns in southeast asian societies were required to maintain an ascetic lifestyle.
d hindus believed that members of each caste had different rights and responsibilities.

Explanation:

The idea of being "free from all physical desire" is related to spiritual - virtue concepts in religious traditions. In Vedic religions, renouncing worldly concerns for spiritual perfection was seen as a virtue. The passage is about a king in a religious (Buddhist - influenced) context, and the claim about the king's lack of physical desire aligns with the Vedic - influenced idea of spiritual virtue. Option A is about the wealth of ruling elites which is not related to the concept of being free from physical desire. Option C focuses on Buddhist monks and nuns' ascetic lifestyle, not the king's status. Option D is about Hindu caste - related rights and responsibilities, not relevant to the king's freedom from physical desire.

Answer:

B. in Vedic religions, rejecting worldly concerns in order to attain spiritual perfection was considered a virtue.