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Year 5

Buddha: meditation

I can explain the importance of meditation to many Buddhists.

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New
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Year 5

Buddha: meditation

I can explain the importance of meditation to many Buddhists.

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Share activities with pupils
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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Many Buddhists all over the world practise meditation in a variety of ways.
  2. This aims to cultivate concentration, mindfulness and peace.
  3. A statue of the Buddha may help a Buddhist to focus their thoughts.
  4. Some Buddhists may also use mala beads, mandala patterns and mantras as aids to meditation.

Keywords

  • Buddha statue - a representation of Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism

  • Mala beads - Buddhist prayer beads used to aid meditation

  • Mandala - Buddhist image used to symbolise the world

  • Mantra - a word or sound repeated to aid concentration in meditation

  • Meditation - a practice of focusing and clearing the mind

Common misconception

Meditation is the same as prayer.

Meditation and prayer may both be used to focus the mind, but prayer is usually directed towards God or a god, whereas meditation is not necessarily religious.

To enhance pupils understanding of the aids for meditation, use Buddhist artefacts to deliver this lesson.
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This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on
Open Government Licence version 3.0
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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5 Questions

Q1.
What is a ‘Buddha’?
Correct answer: an enlightened person
a God
a prophet
Q2.
When Siddhartha Gautama left home, what did he see which made him want to find the answer to suffering?
the Three Universal Truths
the Four Noble Truths
Correct answer: the Four Sights
Q3.
What word is used in Buddhism to mean that things constantly change and do not last forever?
suffering
Correct answer: impermanence
enlightenment
Q4.
According to Buddhism, what is the cause of suffering?
Correct Answer: Craving, Wanting, Desiring
Q5.
What word is used in Buddhism to describe the state of complete understanding that leads to the end of suffering?
craving
Correct answer: enlightenment
impermanence

Exit quiz

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5 Questions

Q1.
What is meditation?
Correct answer: a practice of focusing and clearing the mind to achieve a calm and focused state
thinking of nothing
sitting up straight with your legs crossed
Q2.
Match the key terms to the correct definitions.
Correct Answer:Buddha statue,a representation of Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism
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a representation of Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism

Correct Answer:mantra,a word or sound repeated to aid concentration in meditation
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a word or sound repeated to aid concentration in meditation

Correct Answer:mala beads,beads used to aid meditation
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beads used to aid meditation

Correct Answer:mandala,a Buddhist image used to symbolise the world
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a Buddhist image used to symbolise the world

Q3.
What do many Buddhists focus on when they meditate?
Correct answer: their breathing
God
nothing
Q4.
What is the name of a mantra that Buddhists use during meditation?
Correct Answer: The Three Refuges, Three Refuges, three refuges, 3 refuges, the three refuges
Q5.
In what way is meditation different to prayer?
it is not different to prayer
meditation involves silence and prayer involves speech
Correct answer: prayer is directed towards God or gods while meditation is not