Question

Buddha’s ‘noble silence’ is the important concepts in Buddhism. On which occasions, Buddha kept noble silence?
1. While asked on matters of inner peace.
2. While practicing some rituals.
3. While in meditation.
4. While asked some unanswerable questions.

Answer 1

Correct Answer - Option 4 : While asked some unanswerable questions.

The correct answer While asked some unanswerable questions.

• Buddha kept noble silence when he knew that the questions were not in a position to understand the answer to the question because of its profundity, or if the questions themselves were wrongly put in the first place.
• By realizing the true nature of the issues asked he remained silent.

• His silence on these questions was interpreted as much more meaningful than attempting to deliver thousands of discourses on them.
• When the Buddha knew that the questioner was not in a position to understand the answer to the question because of its profundity, or if the questions themselves were wrongly put in the first place, the Blessed One remained silent.

Some of the questions to which the Buddha remained silent are as following:

• Is the universe eternal?
• Is it not eternal?
• Is the universe finite?
• Is it infinite?
• Is the soul the same as the body?
• Is the soul one thing and the body another?
• Does the Tathagata exist after death?
• Does He not exist after death?
• Does He both (at the same time) exist and not exist after death?
• Does He both (at the same time) neither exist nor not exist?