Year 10 - Religious education
The nature and importance of diverse places of worship for Buddhists
Buddhism: Practices
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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 practices in Buddhism such as puja and meditation. They will understand the considerable diversity of these practices among Buddhist adherents. Following that they wil look at the role of precepts and how these look different in Therevada and Mahayna Buddhism.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to explain the nature, purpose and importance of different places of worship for Buddhists today.
Key Notes
- Buddhist places of worship include: temples, gompas, viharas and shrines.
- Buddhist places of worship share many features, including meditation halls, shrines, libraries and stupas or pagodas.
- The Kimsila Sutta highlights the importance of learning the Buddha's Dhamma.
- Buddhists may attend a place of worship to make offerings to the Buddha.
- Places of worship are important for offering Dhamma and meditation classes, which can support lay Buddhists.
Vocabulary To Learn
- gompa: a Tibetan monastery associated with learning and studying the Dhamma
- monastery (vihara): a building that houses monks and nuns; it may have space for study, as well as accommodation
- shrine: a room or part of a room which contains a Buddha rupa, candles, an incense burner, and sometimes other offerings
- temple: a structure/building for religious or spiritual activities, such as meditation
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- All Buddhist places of worship have the same features and purpose.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the lesson in two key points.
Buddhist places of worship include: temples, gompas, viharas and shrines. Buddhist places of worship share many features, including meditation halls, shrines, libraries and stupas or pagodas.
2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'gompa'
a Tibetan monastery associated with learning and studying the Dhamma.
3. Correct this common mistake.
Mistake: All Buddhist places of worship have the same features and purpose. Correction: Buddhist places of worship differ in appearance, size and function. This is often dependent on the location and which school of Buddhism it belongs to.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Buddha rupa, artefacts and offerings Study Guide
- Celebrations: origins and significance of Wesak and Parinirvana Day Study Guide
- Ceremonies and rituals associated with death and mourning Study Guide
- Compassion and loving-kindness Study Guide
- Kamma and rebirth Study Guide
- Samatha meditation Study Guide
- The five moral precepts: do not take life or what is not given Study Guide
- The five moral precepts: senses, falsehoods or intoxicants Study Guide
- The role and significance of Puja for Buddhists Study Guide
- The six perfections in the Mahayana tradition: generosity and morality Study Guide
- The six perfections in the Mahayana tradition: meditation and wisom Study Guide
- The six perfections in the Mahayana tradition: patience and energy Study Guide
- Vipassana meditation Study Guide
- Visualisation of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas Study Guide
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