Buddhism, Practices: GCSE Religious Studies AQA
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All Key Content for Buddhist Practices for Grade 9 Students from a Grade 9 Student
, ➢ A gompa is a hall or building where Tibetan Buddhists meditate
➢ A stupa or pagoda is a small building in a monastery that sometimes contains
holy relics - it is often shaped as a tiered tower - they are often constructed in
such a way that they symbolise the 5 buddhist elements (wisdom top and earth
at base)
➢ The 5 Buddhist elements are: fire, water, earth, air and wisdom
➢ In Buddhism a shrine is an area with a statue of the Buddha or a Bodhisattva
(Mahayana) that provides Buddhist with a focal point for mediation
➢ Buddha rupa is a statue of the Buddha, often sitting cross - legged in a
mediation pose
➢ Monasteries (otherwise known as viharas) are places where Buddhst monks and
nuns reside
➢ Lama Choedak Rinpoche (Tibetan Buddhist monk) said that ‘The time and effort
required to keep the shrine clean and replenished with flowers is… a skilful
activity to focus one’s mind’
➢ When Buddha died it's said that his ashes were transported to many different
monsters (many of these hold Buddha’s ashes or the ashes of revered monks
and nuns today)
➢ Puja is a type of worship that Busshists do to express their gratitude and
respect for the Buddha and his teachings, it may include rituals and
ceremonies carried out in groups or in private worship in the home and it may
include: mediation, offerings, reciting mantras and chanting
➢ Chanting refers to reciting of the Buddhist scriptures, it is a devotional practice
and may increase a Buddhists receptivity towards the Buddha’s teachings
➢ A mantra refers to a short sequence of sacred syllables, some Buddhts believe
that mantras have transformative powers and that they can be used in
meditation to focus the mind They often call on the spiritual qualities of the
Buddha or a Bodhisattva and the most common mantra used by Tibetan
Buddhists is ‘om mani padme hum’ - related to compassion (karuna)
➢ Mala are the prayer beads that are used to count the number of recitations in a
mantra - they usually have 108 beads
➢ Meditation refers to the practice calming and focusing the mind, and reflecting
deeply on specific teachings to penetrate their true meaning. Broadly speaking,
mediation consists mainly of the 2 aims to to develop a still, calm and focused
mind and the second is to develop greater awareness and and understanding
of the Buddha’s teachings in order to gain deeper insight into the nature of
reality
➢ Some forms of Buddhism, such as Mahaya, use meditation to visulate the
Buddha and Bodhisattvas
➢ Samatha meditation is an important meditation practice in Buddhism and is
one of the two main types of meditation used in Theravada Buddhism. Samatha
means calming and it leads to a more tranquil and settled mind, there are many
different ways to conduct it, among the most popular is ‘mindfulness of
breathing’
➢ Thich Nhat Hanh said that ‘Breath is the bridge that connects life to
consciousness’
➢ Although breathing is commonly used as a focus of samatha meditation, the 10
kasinas of: earth, fire, water, wind, blue, yellow, red, white, space and
consciousness may also be used