The origins of Buddhism are in the teachings of Siddhartha who lived sometime in the 6th or 5th century BC and became the Buddha after experiencing hardship and profound levels of meditation which enabled him to reach Nirvana. The Buddha is the leading teacher in the Buddhist faith.- Buddhists do not believe in a personal God and the religion is not concerned with the relationship between believers and a God.
- Buddhists believe in the Three Refuges, or Three Diamonds. These are the Buddha, the Dharma (teachings of Buddhism) and the Sangha (those who have achieved a high level of enlightenment).
- The Dhamma is concerned with the beliefs and teachings of Buddhism. It includes the Three Universal Truths (Anicca, Anatta and Dukkha) and the Four Noble Truths (Dukkha, Samudaya, Nirodha and Magga).
- Nirvana is the highest state of enlightenment for Buddhists and is reached by following the Noble Eightfold Path.
- The Tipitaka is the holy text of Buddhism and it has three sections, Vinaya Pitaka (rules for nuns and monks), Sutta Pitaka (the sayings of the Buddha and close followers) and Abhidhamma Pitaka (an explanation of Buddha’s teachings).
The origins of Buddhism are in the teachings of Siddhartha who lived sometime in the 6th or 5th century BC and became the Buddha after experiencing hardship and profound levels of meditation which enabled him to reach Nirvana. The Buddha is the leading teacher in the Buddhist faith.
The Tipitaka is the holy text of Buddhism and it has three sections, Vinaya Pitaka (rules for nuns and monks), Sutta Pitaka (the sayings of the Buddha and close followers) and Abhidhamma Pitaka (an explanation of Buddha’s teachings).- The Sangha is the third of the Three Refuges, the spiritual community of Buddhism. Most of the Sangha are monks and nuns, but lay people can also be considered if they have worked hard to gain enlightenment.
- Wesak celebrates the birth of Buddha and is the most important Buddhist festival. It is always held at the time of the full moon in May.
- Sarnath in India, where Buddha taught, is a key place of pilgrimage for Buddhists.
- Buddhism has five moral precepts that guide attitudes to important moral issues. They are do not take life, do not take what is not given, do not misuse the senses, do not speak falsehoods and do not take intoxicants that cloud the mind.
- Buddhists avoid cruelty to animals because Karma teaches that evil actions will be punished in a later life.
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Test it!
1) Describe the life of Siddhartha Gautama.
2) What are the Three Refuges?
3) Describe the concept of Karma.
4) What were the four signs that Siddhartha saw when he was a boy? What did he learn from them?
5) What are the Four Noble Truths?
6) What are the Three Universal Truths?
7) Why do Buddhists meditate?
8) Describe Buddhism’s holy text, the Tipitaka.
9) What is Wesak?
10) What are the five moral precepts of Buddhism?
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Some top tips!
- Print out the Test It! Questions – it will allow you to replicate exam conditions and also allows you to give your eyes a rest from the computer screen whilst doing your crucial revision.
- Make a copy of the Remember It! Section and put in a place that you often look at. i.e. front of a journal, next to a mirror, on a kitchen cupboard door, etc. That way you can do some cheeky religious studies revision whilst doing those things you have to do!
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