Buddhism: Beliefs and Teachings | OCR GCSE Religious Studies (J625)
Buddhism: Beliefs and Teachings
- 143 questions
- 11 subtopics
- Group 1 papers
- Group 1 papers
Buddhism: Beliefs and Teachings is examined in Component Group 1, the Buddhism beliefs and teachings & practices paper (J625/04), if Buddhism is one of the two religions studied.
It covers the life of the Buddha and his Enlightenment, the Dhamma and dependent origination, the Three Marks of Existence, the First Noble Truth: dukkha, the Second Noble Truth: tanha and the three poisons, the Third Noble Truth: nibbana and Enlightenment, the Fourth Noble Truth: the Eightfold Path and Threefold Way, the five khandhas, sunyata and buddha-nature, arhats, bodhisattvas, Buddhas and the Pure Land, Buddhist ethical teachings: kamma, compassion and the precepts and skilful action and the Middle Way in modern life.
Sample questions from Buddhism: Beliefs and Teachings
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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The life of the Buddha and his Enlightenment
Why were the Four Sights a turning point for Siddhattha?
Show the answer
The sights revealed that ageing, sickness and death come to everyone, including a prince. The holy man inspired Siddhattha to leave the palace and seek the end of suffering. -
The Dhamma and dependent origination
How does dependent origination explain samsara?
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Samsara is the cycle of birth, death and rebirth. Dependent origination shows that ignorance and craving are the conditions that keep beings in it. -
The Three Marks of Existence
How is anatta linked to anicca?
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A person is made of parts that are always changing. A permanent self cannot be found among impermanent parts. -
The First Noble Truth: dukkha
What is sankhara-dukkha?
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Sankhara-dukkha is the all-pervasive suffering of conditioned existence. Everything made of changing parts is unsatisfactory, even when no pain is felt. -
The Second Noble Truth: tanha and the three poisons
How does craving cause suffering?
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Craving makes people cling to things that are impermanent. The person suffers when those things change or end. -
The Third Noble Truth: nibbana and Enlightenment
How do Theravada and Mahayana Buddhists understand Enlightenment differently?
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For Theravada Buddhists, Enlightenment is usually the arahant's complete freedom from craving. Mahayana Buddhists aim for the full Enlightenment of a Buddha, reached for the sake of all beings. -
The Fourth Noble Truth: the Eightfold Path and Threefold Way
What does the Magga-vibhanga Sutta (Samyutta Nikaya 45.8) teach?
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The Buddha explains each factor of the path in turn. Right view, for example, is knowing the Four Noble Truths. -
The five khandhas, sunyata and buddha-nature
How are the khandhas related to anicca, anatta and dependent origination?
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Each khandha arises from conditions and is constantly changing. A permanent self cannot be found in them, so a person is a process rather than a fixed thing.
The 11 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| The life of the Buddha and his Enlightenment | Siddhattha's sheltered upbringing under Suddhodana, the Four Sights, his years as an ascetic in Majjhima Nikaya 36, the defeat of Mara, the night of Enlightenment, and the first sermon. | 14 |
| The Dhamma and dependent origination | The Dhamma as one of the Three Jewels, conditionality and samsara, the twelve nidanas across three lifetimes, the Tibetan Wheel of Life and its hub, Dhammapada 35–36, and Theravada and Mahayana definitions. | 13 |
| The Three Marks of Existence | Dukkha as a mark, anicca and anatta and how they link, the Nandakovada Sutta and its oil lamp simile, facing loss, rebirth without a soul, and Dhammapada 277–279. | 12 |
| The First Noble Truth: dukkha | The first sermon on suffering, dukkha-dukkha, viparinama-dukkha and sankhara-dukkha, why the truth is not pessimistic, why it is called noble, and the Mahayana aim of freeing all sentient beings. | 12 |
| The Second Noble Truth: tanha and the three poisons | Samudaya and tanha, the three kinds of craving in the first sermon, the three poisons and why they are also called fires, their positive opposites, and Dhammapada 334–336 on overcoming craving. | 13 |
| The Third Noble Truth: nibbana and Enlightenment | What is extinguished in nibbana, Theravada, Mahayana and Zen views of Enlightenment, nibbana with remainder and parinibbana, the end of rebirth, Udana 8.1 and 8.3, and Dhammapada 1–2 and 337. | 13 |
| The Fourth Noble Truth: the Eightfold Path and Threefold Way | The eight parts of the path and how they are grouped, the Magga-vibhanga Sutta on right speech, action and effort, right livelihood, Dhammapada 111, why the path opens with right view, and lay practice. | 13 |
| The five khandhas, sunyata and buddha-nature | Rupa, vedana, sanna, sankhara and vinnana, the chariot simile, links to anatta and dependent origination, sunyata, the Heart and Diamond Sutras, tathagatagarbha, and Theravada and Mahayana views of the person. | 13 |
| Arhats, bodhisattvas, Buddhas and the Pure Land | The four stages to becoming an arahant, the qualities and path of a bodhisattva, arahant and Buddha compared, the Theravada bodhisatta, Santideva's Bodhicaryavatara, and Amida Buddha. | 13 |
| Buddhist ethical teachings: kamma, compassion and the precepts | Intention in kamma and punabbhava, karuna and metta, the Karaniya Metta Sutta, the Five Precepts as training rules, the six perfections and how lists differ, Diamond Sutra 4 and 23, and compassion with wisdom. | 14 |
| Skilful action and the Middle Way in modern life | Internalised virtue, kusala and akusala actions, the Middle Way and Dhammapada 183, the First Precept and meat-eating, the Fifth Precept today, care for the environment, and right livelihood in modern careers. | 13 |
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
OCR GCSE Religious Studies Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 2,800 questions with their answers.