💬
Religious Studies Paper 1
Paper 1: Religion (Christian Beliefs and Practice, Buddhist Beliefs and Practices). There will be one five-part question on
each of these four elements of the course.
EXAM FORMAT
1 marker
(key terms)(multiple choice)
2 marker
2 sentences, bullet points
4 marker (10 minutes)
PE x2 ( o quote needed)
5 marker (quote is needed) (10 min)
Point -> example (specific)
E> Evidence
E> explain
12 marker
💡 must relate back to the question
D -> disagree
R -> reason
E -> evaluate - this is a weak argument because
(On the other hand)
A -> agree
R -> reason
E -> evaluate - this is a strong argument because
Y -> conclusion, your own view
Religious Studies Paper 1 1
, Buddhist beliefs
The life of the Buddha and its significance:
The Jataka Tales → life of Buddha (gain credit for 5 markers)
The Jataka Tales
"Not until I attain supreme Enlightenment will I give up this seat of meditation
“This is the last birth. There will be, henceforth for me, no more re-becoming.”
“To Nirvana my mind has gone, I have arrived at the extinction of evil desire’ – Buddha on his imminent death
Buddha’s life of luxury
married young and had a son
had 3 palaces (one for each season)
was not allowed to suffer or see suffering → father kept him locked away inside
Birth of the Buddha
Queen Maya goes home to give birth to Siddhartha (ie. ‘he who brings good’)
royal caravan stops for a rest by the edge of a forest
Queen enters trees → fell into a trance → remembers a strange dream
Dream:
baby elephant appears by her right and blesses her
its trunk pierces her side → a sign that Siddhartha would be a special child
Out of trance (deep inside the woods):
birth pains begin
the tree bent slowly to protect her
offers branches to support her
The Birth:
the child was born with almost no pain
shiny, goldern skin, fully conscious, eyes wide open, strong enough to stand
Baby Siddhartha → “I have been born to reach enlightenment…and free all creatures from suffering”
lotus blossoms grew in his footsteps (7 steps)
- symbol of purity and enlightenment in buddhism
shows that the natural world responds to/respects him
he has been preparing to be the Buddha from birth
The Four Sights
First Sight Second Sight Third Sight Forth Sight
old age suffering 🤒 death 💀 holy man 😎😇
Significance:
buddha becomes religious to end all suffering
shows the inevitability of suffering and death
all happiness is therefore temporary
Religious Studies Paper 1 2
, Influence on Buddhists today:
strive to accept annica and follow the dharma in order to cope better with change
help those who suffer as suffering comes to all
The Buddha’s ascetic life (leaving the palace)
Sidhartha meditates → thunder and rain starts → snake above his head shelters him from rain
5 ascetics: saw this miracle and became his first disciples
6 years: food → grain of rice; drink → rain
starved → became skin and bones (weak, no strength)
decides to live in the middle way ———> village cow gift offers him rice by the river(proper food)
5 ascetics felt betrayed → left him
“To learn is to change, the path to enlightenment is the middleware. It is the path between
all opposite extremes.”~ Siddhartha
“if i can reach enlightenment, let this bowl flow upstream” ~ Siddhartha by the river
→ bowl flows upstream, disappears into a whirlpool
definition of ascetic:
someone who focuses completely on the mind and forces the body to suffer to find enlightenment
mask suffering → make mind strong → forget about body
The middle way:
a life that is simple but does not inflict suffering on the body
“if you tighten the string too much it will snap, and if you leave it too slack, it won’t play”
~ an old lyre player on a passing boat
Why it was needed:
things that we love and enjoy (attachment) will change and bring suffering when we lose them
was not satisfied with the life of pleasure and comfort he had been given ; did not bring him happiness → he
was locked away inside by his farther → he grew curious about life outside → bribed a chariot rider to sneak
him out of the palace → sees the 4 sights
Significance:
adopt a life that follows the middle way → avoid being too attached to comforts and pleasure
The Buddha’s enlightenment (under a Bohdi tree)
“Like a swan follows the path of the sun, flying miraculously through the air, so too does the
wise man conquer Mara and his train and rise above the world” ~ Buddha
→ under a Bohdi tree
“The Earth is my witness” ~ Siddhartha when he was enlightened
Mara → Lord of Hell/Darkness
1) sends his 5 daughters (represent 5 temptations) to tempt him
2) sends armies to attack Siddhartha
Religious Studies Paper 1 3
, 3) offers Siddhartha power
Significance:
this demonstrates that an end to suffering is possible for all
although the task is challenging, the Buddha has shown how to achieve it
Influence on Buddhists today
accept that suffering is inevitable in life
meditate → the Buddha was meditating when he achieved enlightenment
follow magga in order to reach nirvana themselves
follow the middle way and avoiding luxury so that the person does not become attached to impermanent
things (eg. give money and possessions to those in need)
→ gave his first sermon teaching to the 5 ascetics at a deer park
Dharma:
The concept of the Dharma:
definition of dharma:
1. The teachings of the Buddha
2. The universal law of life
benefits of the dharma:
honest view of the world (not sugar coated → eg. 1st noble truth)
joy of giving back and helping the community
become more compassionate/caring
healthy lifestyle → meditation = calming
Hard things to follow in the dharma:
no lies (hard/ not practical → white lie)
diet (hard to be vegetarian)
can’t always avoid doing harm (eg. truth hurts)
The 5 precepts
The Buddha says “whoever breaks one of the five precepts, “that person digs up his
own root here in this very life” ~ The Dhammapada
1. Avoid drugs & Alcohol
2. Avoid harming living beings
3. Avoid lying
4. Avoid stealing
5. Avoid sexual misconduct (rape, adultery, casual sex)
Enlightenment
“Every human being is the author of his own health or disease.” ~ The Buddha
This means they have followed the Noble Eightfold Path to ‘blow out’ the three fires of greed, hatred and
ignorance and have become enlightened. In Buddhism, enlightenment leads to nibbana (or nirvana), which
Religious Studies Paper 1 4
Religious Studies Paper 1
Paper 1: Religion (Christian Beliefs and Practice, Buddhist Beliefs and Practices). There will be one five-part question on
each of these four elements of the course.
EXAM FORMAT
1 marker
(key terms)(multiple choice)
2 marker
2 sentences, bullet points
4 marker (10 minutes)
PE x2 ( o quote needed)
5 marker (quote is needed) (10 min)
Point -> example (specific)
E> Evidence
E> explain
12 marker
💡 must relate back to the question
D -> disagree
R -> reason
E -> evaluate - this is a weak argument because
(On the other hand)
A -> agree
R -> reason
E -> evaluate - this is a strong argument because
Y -> conclusion, your own view
Religious Studies Paper 1 1
, Buddhist beliefs
The life of the Buddha and its significance:
The Jataka Tales → life of Buddha (gain credit for 5 markers)
The Jataka Tales
"Not until I attain supreme Enlightenment will I give up this seat of meditation
“This is the last birth. There will be, henceforth for me, no more re-becoming.”
“To Nirvana my mind has gone, I have arrived at the extinction of evil desire’ – Buddha on his imminent death
Buddha’s life of luxury
married young and had a son
had 3 palaces (one for each season)
was not allowed to suffer or see suffering → father kept him locked away inside
Birth of the Buddha
Queen Maya goes home to give birth to Siddhartha (ie. ‘he who brings good’)
royal caravan stops for a rest by the edge of a forest
Queen enters trees → fell into a trance → remembers a strange dream
Dream:
baby elephant appears by her right and blesses her
its trunk pierces her side → a sign that Siddhartha would be a special child
Out of trance (deep inside the woods):
birth pains begin
the tree bent slowly to protect her
offers branches to support her
The Birth:
the child was born with almost no pain
shiny, goldern skin, fully conscious, eyes wide open, strong enough to stand
Baby Siddhartha → “I have been born to reach enlightenment…and free all creatures from suffering”
lotus blossoms grew in his footsteps (7 steps)
- symbol of purity and enlightenment in buddhism
shows that the natural world responds to/respects him
he has been preparing to be the Buddha from birth
The Four Sights
First Sight Second Sight Third Sight Forth Sight
old age suffering 🤒 death 💀 holy man 😎😇
Significance:
buddha becomes religious to end all suffering
shows the inevitability of suffering and death
all happiness is therefore temporary
Religious Studies Paper 1 2
, Influence on Buddhists today:
strive to accept annica and follow the dharma in order to cope better with change
help those who suffer as suffering comes to all
The Buddha’s ascetic life (leaving the palace)
Sidhartha meditates → thunder and rain starts → snake above his head shelters him from rain
5 ascetics: saw this miracle and became his first disciples
6 years: food → grain of rice; drink → rain
starved → became skin and bones (weak, no strength)
decides to live in the middle way ———> village cow gift offers him rice by the river(proper food)
5 ascetics felt betrayed → left him
“To learn is to change, the path to enlightenment is the middleware. It is the path between
all opposite extremes.”~ Siddhartha
“if i can reach enlightenment, let this bowl flow upstream” ~ Siddhartha by the river
→ bowl flows upstream, disappears into a whirlpool
definition of ascetic:
someone who focuses completely on the mind and forces the body to suffer to find enlightenment
mask suffering → make mind strong → forget about body
The middle way:
a life that is simple but does not inflict suffering on the body
“if you tighten the string too much it will snap, and if you leave it too slack, it won’t play”
~ an old lyre player on a passing boat
Why it was needed:
things that we love and enjoy (attachment) will change and bring suffering when we lose them
was not satisfied with the life of pleasure and comfort he had been given ; did not bring him happiness → he
was locked away inside by his farther → he grew curious about life outside → bribed a chariot rider to sneak
him out of the palace → sees the 4 sights
Significance:
adopt a life that follows the middle way → avoid being too attached to comforts and pleasure
The Buddha’s enlightenment (under a Bohdi tree)
“Like a swan follows the path of the sun, flying miraculously through the air, so too does the
wise man conquer Mara and his train and rise above the world” ~ Buddha
→ under a Bohdi tree
“The Earth is my witness” ~ Siddhartha when he was enlightened
Mara → Lord of Hell/Darkness
1) sends his 5 daughters (represent 5 temptations) to tempt him
2) sends armies to attack Siddhartha
Religious Studies Paper 1 3
, 3) offers Siddhartha power
Significance:
this demonstrates that an end to suffering is possible for all
although the task is challenging, the Buddha has shown how to achieve it
Influence on Buddhists today
accept that suffering is inevitable in life
meditate → the Buddha was meditating when he achieved enlightenment
follow magga in order to reach nirvana themselves
follow the middle way and avoiding luxury so that the person does not become attached to impermanent
things (eg. give money and possessions to those in need)
→ gave his first sermon teaching to the 5 ascetics at a deer park
Dharma:
The concept of the Dharma:
definition of dharma:
1. The teachings of the Buddha
2. The universal law of life
benefits of the dharma:
honest view of the world (not sugar coated → eg. 1st noble truth)
joy of giving back and helping the community
become more compassionate/caring
healthy lifestyle → meditation = calming
Hard things to follow in the dharma:
no lies (hard/ not practical → white lie)
diet (hard to be vegetarian)
can’t always avoid doing harm (eg. truth hurts)
The 5 precepts
The Buddha says “whoever breaks one of the five precepts, “that person digs up his
own root here in this very life” ~ The Dhammapada
1. Avoid drugs & Alcohol
2. Avoid harming living beings
3. Avoid lying
4. Avoid stealing
5. Avoid sexual misconduct (rape, adultery, casual sex)
Enlightenment
“Every human being is the author of his own health or disease.” ~ The Buddha
This means they have followed the Noble Eightfold Path to ‘blow out’ the three fires of greed, hatred and
ignorance and have become enlightened. In Buddhism, enlightenment leads to nibbana (or nirvana), which
Religious Studies Paper 1 4
