Year 10 - Religious education
Human personality in Mahayana tradition
Buddhism: beliefs
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
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 Mahayana Buddhist belief in the human personality, why it is important and how it influences Buddhists today.
Key Notes
- In Mahayana Buddhism, the skandhas that make up a human are seen as empty.
- Sunyata helps Buddhists to understand that there is no fixed, stable self, and the universe is neither fixed nor stable.
- This is because everything is dependent on something else and nothing has its own form.
- Buddha-nature is important in Mahayana Buddhism and means all humans have the potential to become enlightened.
- Teachings on the human personality influence Buddhists to avoid attachments, meditate daily and show compassion.
Vocabulary To Learn
- Mahayana: literally 'Greater Vehicle'
- Buddhahood: reaching enlightenment
- Buddha-nature: the nature of all beings, which means that all beings can become enlightened/reach Buddhahood
- sunyata: literally 'emptiness'
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Sunyata means that everything is completely nonexistent, there is nothing at all, or the world is a void with no meaning or value.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the lesson in two key points.
In Mahayana Buddhism, the skandhas that make up a human are seen as empty. Sunyata helps Buddhists to understand that there is no fixed, stable self, and the universe is neither fixed nor stable.
2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'Mahayana'
literally 'Greater Vehicle'.
3. Correct this common mistake.
Mistake: Sunyata means that everything is completely nonexistent, there is nothing at all, or 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
- Buddhahood and the Pure Land Study Guide
- Gautama Buddha's life and its significance Study Guide
- Human destiny: the Arhat and Boddhisatva ideals Study Guide
- Human personality in Theravada tradition Study Guide
- Meditation and wisdom Study Guide
- Nibbana and the end of suffering Study Guide
- Suffering and its causes Study Guide
- The concept of dependent arising Study Guide
- The concept of Dhamma Study Guide
- The Eightfold Path Study Guide
- The Four Noble Truths Study Guide
- The three marks of existence Study Guide
- The three poisons Study Guide
- The Threefold Way Study Guide
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