This half term we will be starting a new topic. We will be looking at the religion on Buddhism. We will look at how the religion began, the main teachings of his founder and how Buddhists live their lives today
Year 7 – RE : Lesson 1 – The Birth of the Buddha.
Look at the picture below. Using two different coloured pens, I would like you to write anything you already know about the Buddha around the image. Once you have done that, in a different colour pen, write what you think we can learn about the Buddha from the picture.
Who Is the Buddha?
• He was born in northern India 2500 years ago. • He became a famous religious teacher. His ideas are still followed by Buddhists today. • In this lesson, we will be exploring the story of the Buddha’s birth.
The Birth of the Buddha
Read the information below on the Buddha’s birth. When you do this, complete the comprehension activity on this.
The Buddha was born over 2500 years ago, in northern India. His real name was Siddhartha Gautama. He would not earn the title of ‘Buddha’ (meaning ‘enlightened one’) until he was an adult.
Siddhartha was born into a rich family and his father was a local chief. Tradition holds that Buddha’s mother, Queen Mahamaya, had a strange dream during her pregnancy. In it, a white elephant entered her side. White elephants were seen as symbols of greatness at the time.
There are different accounts of the Buddha’s birth. Some of these describe it as a miraculous event. As the Queen was travelling, she felt herself enter labour. However, as she prepared to give birth, baby Siddhartha stepped from her side. He immediately took seven steps. Everywhere he walked, lotus flowers suddenly grew.
Once the Queen had returned to her husband’s palace, a local holy man called Asita visited the baby. Asita prophesised that the Siddhartha would have an important future. He would either become a religious teacher or a great leader. Siddhartha’s father desperately wanted him to follow in his footsteps.
1. Where was Buddha born? When?
2. What was Buddha’s name at birth?
3. What kind of family was Buddha born into?
4. What happened in Queen Mahamaya’s dream?
5. What miraculous events accompanied Buddha’s birth?
6. What was Asita’s prophecy?
7. 7. Buddha’s birth story contains many symbolic events. What are these and what do they tell us about Buddha?
This traditional image shows the birth of the Buddha. As we have seen, this has many miraculous elements, which show Buddha is special and powerful.
Buddha’s Father
• Having heard Asita’s prophecy, Buddha’s father desperately wanted his son to become a leader rather than a holy man. • To make sure Buddha followed this path, his father kept him in his palace surrounded by wonderful things. His father hoped that this would make him want a life similar to his own.
Your Perfect Room Imagine you are placed in a similar position to Buddha. You are given the opportunity to create the perfect bedroom. Cost is no issue. What would you include? Complete the activity below.
The Perfect Room
Imagine your perfect room. What items would be in there if cost was no issue? How would it be decorated? Put your ideas in the box below.
If you were offered the chance to live in this room and never leave, would you accept? Explain your answer.
Buddha’s Journey
• Like many of you, Buddha was not content to stay in his luxurious palace. He wanted to know more about the outside world. • We will look at Buddha’s journey outside of the palace in our next lesson.
Year 7 – RE : Lesson 2 – The Four Sights
The Four Sights of the Buddha
As we saw last lesson, Buddha’s father kept him in the palace living a life of luxury.
However, Buddha becomes frustrated living in the palace and wants to see the outside world.
He persuades his chariot driver to take him out of the palace.
The First Sight
The first thing Buddha sees outside the palace is an old person.
Though this is something normal people see every day, Buddha is shocked by this.
He realises that old age is unavoidable and all people eventually lose their youth.
The Second Sight
Buddha then sees an ill person. Again he is shocked.
This makes him realise that suffering is part of life.
The Third Sight
Buddha then sees a dead body being carried as part of a funeral procession.
He realises that death is inevitable and life is impermanent.
The Fourth Sight
Finally he sees a holy man. Holy men at that time lived simple lives without money or many possessions.
Buddha realises living this life may offer him a way to resolve the problems of human suffering.
As a result of the Four Sights, the Buddha decides to abandon his life of luxury in the palace and become a holy man. Can you cut out and match up the cards correctly?
Diary Entry
Write a diary entry from the perspective of Buddha just after the Four Sights.
You should include: • What Buddha’s life was like in the palace. • Details of the Four Sights. • An explanation of how this affected Buddha.
The Four Sights Sentence Starters you could use:
• I was frustrated living in my father’s palace because... • When I left the palace, I saw... The second thing we came across was... From these sights I have learnt... From this day forth, I will...
Helpful Hints
The Four Sights:
1. An old man. 2. A sick person. 3. A dead body. 4. A holy man.
How this affects the Buddha:
• The first three sights make him realise life is difficult. He also realises that this life and human abilities are temporary. However, this does not mean he thinks life is pointless. • The fourth sight inspires him to seek answers to the problems noted above through living a religious life. • He decides he will have to leave his luxurious home to do this.
Diary Entry
Year 7 – RE : Lesson 3 – The Enlightenment of the Buddha
Buddha Leaves the Palace
After experiencing the Four Sights, Buddha left his father’s palace and lived as a holy man.
This was a difficult life which involved living in virtual poverty, with few possessions and little food.
However, this brought Buddha no closer to finding out the truth about the world around him.
Eventually, Buddha decided he would meditate until he became ‘enlightened’ and knew the truth about life and suffering.
He sat beneath a tree and refused to move until he became enlightened.
What is Enlightenment?
To be enlightened means to have knowledge, wisdom or understanding. In the example of Buddha, he wanted understanding of the world humans live in. Particularly, he wanted to know why there was suffering and how humans should react to it.
Buddha’s Enlightenment
This is a key event in Buddhist history. By achieving enlightenment, the man known as Siddhartha has become the Buddha. He would go on to found the Buddhist religion. Through enlightenment, Buddha also discovered many of the key teachings that Buddhists still live by today.
The Enlightenment of the Buddha
In our last lesson, we saw Buddha (then known as Siddhartha) experience the Four Sights. These made him realise that the world was full of suffering and inspired him to become a holy man. He realised he could not do this surrounded by the luxury of his father’s palace. He therefore left his home in the hope of finding truth by living as a holy man.
The life of a holy man at that time was not an easy one. They lived in what is known as an ‘ascetic’ manner. This meant they lived in virtual poverty with few possessions, limited food and little sleep. The point of this was to avoid worldly distractions so they could focus on finding religious truth.
Siddhartha lived this way for six years. However, at the end of this time he realised that this kind of lifestyle did not help him find the truth or resolve the problems presented by suffering. He realised that he must live a lifestyle in between this and the luxurious life he had lived in the palace.
Eventually, Siddhartha sat down beneath a Bodhi tree and began to meditate. He said that he would not move until he reached enlightenment.
After much time, Siddhartha finally achieved enlightenment. From the outside, there was no obvious change in his appearance. It was as if nothing had happened at all. Inside, however, everything had changed. Siddhartha could now see the world clearly and understood it fully. This event is sometimes called the ‘Great Awakening’. From this point on, Siddhartha was known as the Buddha, meaning ‘Enlightened One’.
Buddha knew that he must help others by spreading the knowledge he had learnt. He therefore took up the life of a travelling preacher, spreading his knowledge to as many people as he could.
What Did Buddha’s Enlightenment Achieve?
In the years following his enlightenment, Buddha would teach what he had learnt to many people.
We will learn about Buddha’s teachings in our next lesson.
Based on what you have learnt so far, what do you think these teachings will be? Write some ideas below.
Recap Test
Answer the questions to show what you have learnt about Buddha’s life so far.
1. Name one miraculous event believed to have occurred at Buddha’s birth.
2. What was Buddha named when he was born?
3. Why did his father keep him in the palace?
4. Name two of the Four Sights.
5. Why did Buddha decide to leave the palace?
6. How did Buddha achieve enlightenment?
7. What does ‘Buddha’ mean
Check your work
1. Where was Buddha born? When?
He was born in India over 2500 years ago.
2. What was Buddha’s name at birth?
Siddhartha Gautama.
3. What kind of family was Buddha born into?
A rich one. His father was a local chief or king.
4. What happened in Queen Mahamaya’s dream?
A white elephant (a symbol of greatness) entered her side.
5. What miraculous events accompanied Buddha’s birth?
He stepped out of his mother’s side, walked and caused lotus flowers to appear.
6. What was Asita’s prophecy?
That Buddha will grow up to be a leader or a holy man.
7.Buddha’s birth story contains many symbolic events. What are these and what do they tell us about Buddha? Students are likely to pick out any of the events
mentioned in Q5 above. They are likely to say this shows his special and powerful nature.
Recap test answers 1. Stepping out of his mother’s side; walking and talking when born; lotus flowers blossoming where he walks. 2. Siddhartha Gautama. 3. To convince him to be a leader rather than a holy man. 4. Any two of these: an old person, an ill person, a dead body, a holy man. 5. So he could pursue the life of a holy man and seek truth. 6. By meditating for a long period of time. 7. Enlightened One.