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New
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Year 10
AQA

The concept of dependent arising

I can explain the concept of dependent arising and how it influences Buddhists today.

icon-background-square
New
New
Year 10
AQA

The concept of dependent arising

I can explain the concept of dependent arising and how it influences Buddhists today.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Dependent arising is a fundamental concept across schools of Buddhism.
  2. Everything arises and exists in dependence on multiple causes and conditions.
  3. There is a 12 link chain of causation.
  4. The twelve links include matters of thought, feeling and change.

Keywords

  • Dependent arising - the belief that everything exists because other things do; everything is interconnected and everyone affects everyone else

  • Kamma - the belief in cause and effect, intentions and actions will affect the future

  • Nidanas - twelve links of causation

  • Samsara - the cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth

  • Tibetan wheel of life - a symbolic representation of the cycle of samsara

Common misconception

That dependent arising means everything exists in a deterministic way and that all things are fixed and dependent on conditions.

Dependent arising emphasises the interdependent nature of all things.


To help you plan your year 10 religious education lesson on: The concept of dependent arising, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Print a copy (in colour if possible) of the Tibetan wheel of life for each student to analyse.
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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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6 Questions

Q1.
What is one role of Dhamma in Buddhism?
Correct answer: It serves as a guide for reducing suffering.
It is the name of the Buddha’s palace.
It represents wealth and success.
It is a form of physical exercise for Buddhists.
Q2.
What is the Pali Canon?
A sacred temple in Buddhism.
Correct answer: A collection of teachings written in the early language of Buddhism.
A set of Buddhist rituals.
A holy tree where the Buddha meditated.
Q3.
Why do Buddhists recite the Three Refuges?
to worship material possessions
Correct answer: to seek guidance and support in their spiritual journey
to celebrate specific festivals
to gain physical strength for meditation
Q4.
The Three Refuges include the Buddha, the Sangha, and the ...
Correct Answer: Dhamma, dhamma
Q5.
Dhamma aims to reduce the impact of in a Buddhist’s life.
Correct Answer: dukkha, Dukkha
Q6.
The teachings of the Buddha were first shared through word of ...
Correct Answer: mouth, Mouth

5 Questions

Q1.
What does the concept of dependent arising mean in Buddhism?
the belief that everything happens randomly
the idea that nothing is connected
Correct answer: the belief that everything is interconnected
the view that all life is an illusion
Q2.
What does the Tibetan Wheel of Life represent?
the Eightfold Path
Correct answer: the cycle of samsara
enlightenment after one lifetime
the Buddha’s first teachings
Q3.
Which of the following best describes the nidanas in Buddhism?
Correct answer: twelve links explaining the causes of suffering
six levels of meditation
three practices of enlightenment
a sacred Buddhist text
Q4.
Dependent arising is often compared to a effect to show how one event leads to another.
Correct Answer: domino, Domino
Q5.
The Tibetan Wheel of Life shows the twelve that explain the cycle of samsara.
Correct Answer: nidanas