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Year 10 - Religious education

Human personality

Buddhism: Beliefs and teachings

Unit Summary

In this unit pupils will examine key beliefs in Buddhism. They will examine key concepts such as dhamma and the idea of the human condition. They will gain an understanding of Buddhist ideas about suffering and the way to end it. They will also examine the story of Gautama Buddha.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to explain the Theravada and Mahayana Buddhist beliefs about the human personality, why these beliefs are important and how they influence Buddhists today.

Key Notes

  • In Theravada Buddhism, a human is understood to be a combination of five elements known as Five Aggregates - (s)kandhas.
  • A human is made up of Five Aggregates or (s)kandhas – body, sensation, perception, thoughts and consciousness.
  • In Mahayana Buddhism, the (s)kandhas that make up a human are seen as empty. This is known as sunyata.
  • Sunyata helps Buddhists to understand that there is no fixed, stable self, and the universe is neither fixed nor stable.
  • Buddha-nature is important in Mahayana Buddhism and means all humans have the potential to become enlightened.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • Five Aggregates - (s)khandas: a human is made up of five elements or 'heaps' – body, sensation, perception, thoughts and consciousness
  • sunyata: literally 'emptiness'
  • Buddhahood: reaching enlightenment
  • Buddha-nature: the nature of all beings, which means that all beings beings have potential to achieve enlightenment/Buddhahood

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Sunyata means that everything is completely non-existent, there is nothing at all, or that the world is a void with no meaning or value.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain the lesson in two key points.

In Theravada Buddhism, a human is understood to be a combination of five elements known as Five Aggregates - (s)kandhas. A human is made up of Five Aggregates or (s)kandhas – body, sensation, perception, thoughts and consciousness.

2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'Five Aggregates - (s)khandas'

a human is made up of five elements or 'heaps' – body, sensation, perception, thoughts and consciousness.

3. Correct this common mistake.

Mistake: Sunyata means that everything is completely non-existent, there is nothing at all, or that the world is a void with no meaning or value. Correction: Sunyata refers to the emptiness of inherent existence, meaning that all things are empty of an independent, permanent or fixed essence.

More Lessons In This Unit

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