Buddhism: Buddhist Beliefs | Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies B (1RB0)
Buddhism: Buddhist Beliefs
- 103 questions
- 8 subtopics
- Buddhism, one religion of seven
- Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3
Buddhism: Buddhist Beliefs is examined in whichever of the three papers Buddhism is studied for, because this section is the same in all three areas of study.
It covers the life of the Buddha, dhamma, dependent origination and the Three Marks of Existence, the First Noble Truth: dukkha, the Second Noble Truth: samudaya and the Three Poisons, the Third Noble Truth: nirodha, samsara and nibbana, the Fourth Noble Truth: the Eightfold Path and the Threefold Way, the Five Khandas, Buddha-nature and the Arahant and Bodhisattva ideals and Buddhist ethics: kamma, merit, the Five Precepts and the Six Perfections.
Sample questions from Buddhism: Buddhist Beliefs
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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The life of the Buddha
Describe the traditional account of Siddhattha's birth.
Show the answer
Queen Maya dreamed that a white elephant entered her side when she conceived. Siddhattha was born in the Lumbini grove, in present-day Nepal, and is said to have walked seven steps at once. -
Dhamma, dependent origination and the Three Marks of Existence
How does dependent origination explain why beings are reborn?
Show the answer
Ignorance leads to craving and clinging, which lead to further becoming and birth. The removal of ignorance breaks the chain and ends rebirth. -
The First Noble Truth: dukkha
Why is "suffering" an incomplete translation of dukkha?
Show the answer
Dukkha also means unsatisfactoriness, stress and imperfection. The word covers the dissatisfaction found even in happy experiences. -
The Second Noble Truth: samudaya and the Three Poisons
Why does craving lead to suffering?
Show the answer
Craving tries to hold on to things that are impermanent. Everything changes, so a mind that clings to things is bound to be disappointed. -
The Third Noble Truth: nirodha, samsara and nibbana
Why do Buddhists want to escape samsara rather than gain a good rebirth?
Show the answer
Every rebirth, even as a god, is impermanent and ends in death. Only nibbana is a lasting end to suffering. -
The Fourth Noble Truth: the Eightfold Path and the Threefold Way
What is the Threefold Way?
Show the answer
The Threefold Way groups the Eightfold Path into three trainings. The three are sila (ethics), samadhi (meditation) and panna (wisdom). -
The Five Khandas, Buddha-nature and the Arahant and Bodhisattva ideals
What is sunnata?
Show the answer
Sunnata means emptiness. All things are empty of any fixed, independent existence because they arise from causes and conditions. -
Buddhist ethics: kamma, merit, the Five Precepts and the Six Perfections
What does the Nidhikanda Sutta in the Khuddakapatha teach about merit?
Show the answer
The Nidhikanda Sutta compares merit to a buried treasure that cannot be stolen or lost. Merit follows a person even beyond death.
The 8 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| The life of the Buddha | The Buddha's birth name and title, his ancestry, Buddhavamsa XXVI, the birth and the prophecy, his marriage and son, the Four Sights, the years of searching, enlightenment, and the founding of the Sangha. | 13 |
| Dhamma, dependent origination and the Three Marks of Existence | Dhamma as one of the Three Refuges, paticca-samuppada and the Buddha's short formula for it, how beings are reborn, anicca and anatta, Nagasena's chariot for King Milinda, and dhamma in daily life. | 13 |
| The First Noble Truth: dukkha | The Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta and how it sums up the truth, why 'suffering' is an incomplete translation, the three types of dukkha, Kisa Gotami, and the doctor's method. | 12 |
| The Second Noble Truth: samudaya and the Three Poisons | Craving in the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta and the Sermon at Benares, the three kinds of tanha, the Three Poisons and their animals on the Wheel of Life, Theravada and Mahayana use of it, and psychological readings. | 12 |
| The Third Noble Truth: nirodha, samsara and nibbana | The ending of desire, samsara and why escape beats a good rebirth, what nibbana literally means, nibbana in life and parinibbana, Theravada and Mahayana views, and comparisons with Christian heaven and salvation. | 13 |
| The Fourth Noble Truth: the Eightfold Path and the Threefold Way | Magga and the Middle Way, what samma means, sila, samadhi and panna and the path factors under each, the eight-spoked wheel, Theravada, Mahayana and Jodo Shinshu emphasis, and lay life. | 12 |
| The Five Khandas, Buddha-nature and the Arahant and Bodhisattva ideals | The Khandha Sutta and why the aggregates are taught, sunnata, tathagatagarbha and debates over Buddha-nature, the Arahant and the Bodhisattva, Buddhahood, the Pure Land, and Amitabha's vows. | 14 |
| Buddhist ethics: kamma, merit, the Five Precepts and the Six Perfections | Intention in kamma, Dhammapada 183, merit and the Nidhikanda Sutta, sharing merit with the dead, rebirth, karuna and metta, why the precepts are training rules, and Theravada and Mahayana lists of perfections. | 14 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby topics
Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies B Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 5,266 questions with their answers.