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Year 10 - Religious education

Karma and rebirth

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 Buddhist beliefs on karma/kamma and rebirth, why the beliefs are important, and how they influence Buddhists today.

Key Notes

  • Karma/kamma is the belief in cause and effect.
  • Most Theravada Buddhists want to achieve positive karma/kamma to avoid samsara and rebirth.
  • Most Mahayana Buddhists want to achieve positive karma/kamma to be reborn as a Bodhisattva.
  • Compassion (karuna) and loving-kindness (metta) are ways to achieve positive karma/kamma.
  • Many Buddhists adopt the five moral precepts (panchasila).

Vocabulary To Learn

  • karma/kamma: the belief in cause and effect
  • rebirth: refers to the belief that when a being dies they are reborn
  • enlightenment: a state of wisdom that enables total clarity and understanding of the truths of existence
  • samsara: the cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth
  • Nirvana/Nibbana: liberation from the cycle of birth, death and rebirth

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Karma and rebirth is the belief in a 'self' or 'soul' that is reborn. Many people assume that karma dictates the fate of a permanent, unchanging soul that carries over from one life to the next.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain the lesson in two key points.

Karma/kamma is the belief in cause and effect. Most Theravada Buddhists want to achieve positive karma/kamma to avoid samsara and rebirth.

2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'karma/kamma'

the belief in cause and effect.

3. Correct this common mistake.

Mistake: Karma and rebirth is the belief in a 'self' or 'soul' that is reborn. Many people assume that karma dictates the fate of a permanent, unchanging soul that carries over from one life to the next. Correction: There is no eternal, unchanging self or soul. Instead, Buddhism teaches the concept of anatta, meaning 'no-self'. What is reborn is not a permanent soul, but a continuing process or stream of consciousness influenced by past actions (karma).

More Lessons In This Unit

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