Buddhism: Crime and Punishment | Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies B (1RB0)
Buddhism: Crime and Punishment
- 92 questions
- 8 subtopics
- Buddhism, one religion of seven
- Paper 2
Buddhism: Crime and Punishment is examined in Paper 2, Area of Study 2: Religion, Peace and Conflict, if Buddhism is the religion studied for that area.
It covers Buddhist attitudes to justice, Buddhist attitudes to crime and its causes, Buddhist teaching on good, evil and suffering, Buddhist attitudes to punishment, Buddhism and the aims of punishment, Buddhist teaching on forgiveness and restorative justice, Buddhist teaching on the treatment of criminals and Buddhist attitudes to the death penalty.
Sample questions from Buddhism: Crime and Punishment
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Buddhist attitudes to justice
Why is justice important for Buddhists?
Show the answer
Justice protects people from harm and lets them live in peace. A just society makes it easier for everyone to practise the Dhamma. -
Buddhist attitudes to crime and its causes
What does Dhammapada 165 teach about purity and impurity?
Show the answer
Dhammapada 165 says evil is done by oneself, and by oneself one is made pure. Purity and impurity depend on oneself alone. -
Buddhist teaching on good, evil and suffering
Why do Buddhists believe people suffer?
Show the answer
Buddhists believe suffering comes from craving, ignorance and the kamma of past actions. Some suffering also comes from illness, nature and the actions of others. -
Buddhist attitudes to punishment
How can Dhammapada 201 be applied to punishment?
Show the answer
Punishment that humiliates an offender can breed resentment and further crime. Buddhists prefer punishment that aims at peace rather than triumph over the offender. -
Buddhism and the aims of punishment
What is the Buddhist attitude to deterrence?
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Some Buddhists accept deterrence if punishments are fair and not cruel. Other Buddhists doubt that fear changes people and prefer to tackle the causes of crime. -
Buddhist teaching on forgiveness and restorative justice
How can Dhammapada 9–10 be applied to offenders?
Show the answer
Worth depends on present conduct, not on outward status or past failings. An offender who changes and lives virtuously deserves to be accepted. -
Buddhist teaching on the treatment of criminals
What do Buddhists teach about torture?
Show the answer
Buddhists oppose torture because it deliberately causes suffering and breaks the First Precept. Torture also creates hatred in both the torturer and the victim. -
Buddhist attitudes to the death penalty
Why might some Buddhists accept the death penalty?
Show the answer
Some Buddhists argue that a state has a duty to protect citizens from the most dangerous criminals. Japan and Thailand, both with Buddhist majorities, still had the death penalty in the mid-2020s.
The 8 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Buddhist attitudes to justice | Dhammapada 256 and 257 on the just person and the just judge, kamma and human justice, what justice does for a victim's anger, Humanist and atheist views, and why justice is not revenge. | 11 |
| Buddhist attitudes to crime and its causes | The root causes of crime, Dhammapada 160 to 165 on responsibility and purity, the Cakkavatti Sihanada Sutta on poverty, Fleet Maull and the Prison Dharma Network, and the Angulimala prison chaplaincy. | 12 |
| Buddhist teaching on good, evil and suffering | Skilful and unskilful rather than good and evil, how good actions are rewarded, why the problem of evil is not the theist's problem, the Dalai Lama's 1989 Nobel speech, and whether religion causes suffering. | 12 |
| Buddhist attitudes to punishment | When punishment counts as justice, Dhammapada 201 on victory and defeat, 202 on hatred and 197 on living among the hostile, punishment without anger, the kinds Buddhists accept, and situation ethics. | 11 |
| Buddhism and the aims of punishment | Which aim most Buddhists favour, their views on protection, retribution and deterrence, the Bhaddali Sutta on admitting wrongdoing and taming a horse, and how Buddhist views on the aims differ in practice. | 10 |
| Buddhist teaching on forgiveness and restorative justice | Dhammapada 3 and 4 on grudges and letting go, 9 and 10 on the monk's robe, Angulimala and how the community received him, forgiveness within the Sangha, and restorative justice for offenders. | 12 |
| Buddhist teaching on the treatment of criminals | Dhammapada 133 to 140 on harsh words and harming the innocent, torture and the story of Palden Gyatso, human rights for criminals, the Vinaya's majority vote and a fair trial, and situation ethics. | 12 |
| Buddhist attitudes to the death penalty | The Brahmajala Sutta on the Buddha's own conduct, Nagarjuna's advice to a king on serious criminals, Ashoka and the condemned, why a few Buddhists accept execution, and Humanist, atheist and situation-ethics arguments. | 12 |
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.