Hinduism: Philosophy of Religion | Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies B (1RB0)
Hinduism: Philosophy of Religion
- 96 questions
- 8 subtopics
- Hinduism, one religion of seven
- Paper 3
Hinduism: Philosophy of Religion is examined in Paper 3, Area of Study 3: Religion, Philosophy and Social Justice, if Hinduism is the religion studied for that area.
It covers revelation in Hindu scripture, Hindu attitudes to visions, Hindu attitudes to numinous experiences, Hindu attitudes to miracles, Hindu teaching about prayer and the Gayatri Mantra, Hindu teachings on the non-existence of a personal God, Hindu attitudes to religious experience as evidence for God and Hindu attitudes to religious upbringing.
Sample questions from Hinduism: Philosophy of Religion
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Revelation in Hindu scripture
What are the Agamas?
Show the answer
The Agamas are Hindu scriptures on temple worship, ritual and devotion. Shaivas, Vaishnavas and Shaktas each have their own Agamas. -
Hindu attitudes to visions
How does Arjuna react to the vision, and what does he ask?
Show the answer
Arjuna is filled with awe and terror and bows before Krishna. Arjuna asks Krishna to return to his gentle, familiar form. -
Hindu attitudes to numinous experiences
How does Krishna answer Arjuna in Bhagavad Gita 12.2–5?
Show the answer
Krishna says those who fix their minds on him with faith are the most perfect. Worshippers of the unmanifest also reach him, but by a harder path. -
Hindu attitudes to miracles
How does the Puranic story of Ganesha's elephant head begin?
Show the answer
Parvati formed a boy from the paste on her body and set him to guard her door. Shiva, not knowing the boy, struck off his head when refused entry. -
Hindu teaching about prayer and the Gayatri Mantra
Why do Hindus pray?
Show the answer
Hindus pray to praise God, give thanks, seek forgiveness and ask for help. Prayer builds a loving relationship with the divine. -
Hindu teachings on the non-existence of a personal God
What does Chapter 1 of the Upadesa Sahasri teach about liberation?
Show the answer
A teacher guides a pupil who longs to escape samsara. Liberation comes through knowledge that the self is Brahman, not through ritual action. -
Hindu attitudes to religious experience as evidence for God
According to Bhagavad Gita 13.25–26, how do people come to perceive God within?
Show the answer
Some perceive the Self through meditation, others through knowledge, and others through selfless action. Some who lack learning come to God by hearing from others. -
Hindu attitudes to religious upbringing
How do Hindus use Canto 19 of the Ramayan as a model for raising children?
Show the answer
The princes combine learning, skill, devotion to parents and love for others. Hindu parents hope to raise children with the same qualities.
The 8 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Revelation in Hindu scripture | Shruti and smriti, how the Vedas were revealed, the Agamas and their place for Shaivas, the Bhagavad Gita and 13.26 to 13.33 on hearing and the nature of God, and an atheist challenge. | 13 |
| Hindu attitudes to visions | Arjuna's vision in Bhagavad Gita 11 and the brightness of Krishna's universal form, his reaction and request, modern Hindu and non-religious examples, the charge of hallucination, and Vaishnava and Advaita readings. | 12 |
| Hindu attitudes to numinous experiences | Rudolf Otto's mysterium tremendum et fascinans, Arjuna's question and Krishna's answer in Bhagavad Gita 12, the qualities of a dear devotee, Hindu and non-religious examples, and whether such experience leads to belief. | 12 |
| Hindu attitudes to miracles | The milk miracles of 1995 and the scientific explanation, the Puranic story of Ganesha's elephant head and his return to life, why the accounts differ, atheist arguments, and what miracles show about God. | 12 |
| Hindu teaching about prayer and the Gayatri Mantra | Where the Gayatri Mantra is found and what it asks for, why Hindus pray, sakama and nishkama prayer, prayers seen as answered, unanswered prayer and loss of belief, and prayer beyond wanting. | 12 |
| Hindu teachings on the non-existence of a personal God | Adi Shankara and Advaita Vedanta, the Upadesa Sahasri on liberation, Shankara's own devotion to deities, the Charvaka school and others with no creator, Vaishnava replies, and the effects on religious life. | 12 |
| Hindu attitudes to religious experience as evidence for God | Samadhi in meditation, Bhagavad Gita 13.23 to 13.27 on God within the body and how people come to perceive it, the argument from experience, doubting a particular experience, atheist challenges, and the Advaita view. | 11 |
| Hindu attitudes to religious upbringing | Canto 19 of Valmiki's Ramayan on how Rama and his brothers were raised, home practices and childhood samskaras, temples in Britain, Krishna Avanti Primary School, and Humanist and atheist 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
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