View a FREE sample

This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does the author claim "cannot proliferate" without our thoughts?
(a) Poor relationships.
(b) Emotions.
(c) Misunderstandings.
(d) The humiliation of past mistakes.

2. How many stages does the formal practice of maitri have?
(a) Three.
(b) Five.
(c) Two.
(d) Seven.

3. What does the author experience after finding her boyfriend "passionately embracing" another woman?
(a) An inability to release her own emotional energy.
(b) Absolute disgust with another human being.
(c) A deep sadness stemming from her unmet need to be loved.
(d) The horror of causing a tragedy after the rush of anger was released.

4. What does the author compare with the rawness of a broken heart?
(a) Meditation.
(b) Bodhichitta.
(c) Nirvana.
(d) Yoga.

5. What is the fifth step in the formal practice of maitri?
(a) Going from a sitting to standing position.
(b) Breathing deeply.
(c) Engendering kindness for our enemies.
(d) Teaching others about the process.

6. What insight did the woman give whom the author mentions is constantly on a diet?
(a) All addictions address the same emotional needs.
(b) Addictions are divided along gender lines.
(c) Some addictions are widely considered healthy.
(d) Addictions temporarily relieve suffering.

7. Which of the following does Chodron recommend?
(a) Do not expect applause.
(b) Do not eat food that will make your mind race.
(c) Relax slowly into meditation, and it will be less strenuous on your body.
(d) Remember only positive moments from the past.

8. What are the three characteristics of human existence?
(a) Impermanence, egolessness, and suffering.
(b) Love, hope, and peace.
(c) Mediocrity, disinterest, and distraction.
(d) Change, adaptation, and unsatisfied expectations.

9. What does Jarvis Jay Master write?
(a) A story about Florida.
(b) Finding Freedom.
(c) Learning to Love.
(d) A story about failure.

10. How many stages are in the formal practice of tonglen?
(a) Four.
(b) Two.
(c) Three.
(d) Five.

11. How many steps does the aspiration practice for compassion have?
(a) Three.
(b) Four.
(c) Five.
(d) Seven.

12. What does Chodron believe that we should do with the emotions related to our experiences?
(a) Ignore them.
(b) Become intimate with them.
(c) We should notice the ways in which we can alter our circumstances to make ourselves happy.
(d) Pretend that we feel positive, until it becomes our true feeling.

13. Where does Chodron write that she got her idea of what was real as she grew up in the 1950s?
(a) Church.
(b) Television.
(c) Her family.
(d) School.

14. What is the traditional aspiration used in formal maitri training?
(a) "May I create joy in my own life, and rejoice in the happiness that I see in the lives of others."
(b) "My life and my joy is my responsibility."
(c) "May I and others enjoy happiness and the root of happiness."
(d) "There are no problems that I must solve."

15. The author relates the story of a woman who found herself surrounded by people threatening to throw stones. What did she feel in that moment?
(a) Shared humanity.
(b) Joy.
(c) Humiliation.
(d) Stress.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Chodron warn that we become habituated to doing?

2. What does the author cite Trungpa RInpoche as teaching?

3. According to Chodron, what happens when we consciously try to fix faults in ourselves?

4. Which of the two witnesses does Chodron say we should hold?

5. How does Bodhi translate?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 652 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample