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Year 5

Buddha for Buddhists today

I can tell you how Buddhists practice in different ways today.

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New
New
Year 5

Buddha for Buddhists today

I can tell you how Buddhists practice in different ways today.

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These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. There are different forms of Buddhism in the world today.
  2. Most practice Buddhism while in their everyday lives. Some become monks or nuns.
  3. Buddhists are present throughout the UK and meet together in temples and communities.
  4. There are monks and nuns in Buddhism and Christianity but they have different beliefs.

Keywords

  • Monk - a man who dedicates himself to a simple life and devotion to Buddhism or another religion

  • Nun - a woman who dedicates herself to a simple life and devotion to Buddhism or another religion

  • Shrine - a focal point in a temple, often with statues or other gifts and decoration

  • Vihara - a Buddhist temple or monastery

Common misconception

All Buddhists tend to believe and practice in the same way.

Although there are many common features, there are different forms and expressions of Buddhism in the UK and throughout the world.

Pupils could research to find out the nearest Buddhist temple or centre.
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This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on
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Lesson video

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4 Questions

Q1.
What do Buddhists do to clear their minds and focus?
Correct Answer: meditate, they meditate, they do meditation
Q2.
Buddhists try to follow a path that falls between the two extremes of luxury and poverty. What is this called?
The Meditation Way
The Mysterious Way
Correct answer: The Middle Way
The Mantra Way
Q3.
Which of these might you expect to see in an image of Siddhartha meditating?
Correct answer: sitting cross legged
sitting under a pine tree
raising his arms in praise
Correct answer: wearing an orange robe
Correct answer: a halo around his head
Q4.
Match the word to the correct definition.
Correct Answer:craving,longing for something or someone
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longing for something or someone

Correct Answer:impermanence,nothing remains the same for ever
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nothing remains the same for ever

Correct Answer:enlightenment,waking up to a deeper understanding of life and the world around you
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waking up to a deeper understanding of life and the world around you

Correct Answer:fasting,doing without food or drink
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doing without food or drink

5 Questions

Q1.
Match the word to the correct definition
Correct Answer:lay Buddhist,someone who follows Buddhist teachings in their everyday life
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someone who follows Buddhist teachings in their everyday life

Correct Answer:Buddhist monk,man who dedicates himself to a simple life and devotion to Buddhism
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man who dedicates himself to a simple life and devotion to Buddhism

Correct Answer:Buddhist nun,woman who dedicates herself to a simple life and devotion to Buddhism
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woman who dedicates herself to a simple life and devotion to Buddhism

Q2.
What is the name for the focal point in a Buddhist temple, decorated with statues and gifts?
Correct Answer: shrine, a shrine
Q3.
Which of these things would often be true for a Buddhist monk or nun?
Correct answer: lives in a monastery
chooses fashionable clothes
Correct answer: spends time in meditation
goes to work in an office or factory
Q4.
Which of these are branches of Buddhism?
Catholic
Correct answer: Mahayana
Shi'a
Correct answer: Theravada
Protestant
Q5.
Which of these statements is the most accurate about Buddhists in the UK?
All Buddhists in the UK have come from Buddhist countries.
All Buddhists in the UK became Buddhist but originally had a different worldview
Correct answer: Some UK Buddhists come from Buddhist countries. Others changed their worldview.