What's covered
Key facts
Buddhist Temples and Monasteries
Buddhist temples contain images of the Buddha used as a focus for meditation.
Festivals: Wesak
Lights at Wesak symbolise the Buddha's wisdom.
Meditation: Samatha and Vipassana
Meditation is central to Buddhist practice.
The Sangha: Buddhist Community
A bhikkhu is a Buddhist monk.
Buddhist Temples and Monasteries
Buddhist monks and nuns live in monasteries.
Festivals: Wesak
Some Buddhists release caged animals at Wesak as a symbol of compassion and freedom.
Meditation: Samatha and Vipassana
Mindfulness is awareness of the present moment.
The Sangha: Buddhist Community
A bhikkhuni is a Buddhist nun.
Buddhist Temples and Monasteries
Buddhist monks shave their heads as a sign of renunciation.
Festivals: Wesak
Releasing caged birds symbolises compassion and freedom.
Practice questions with answers
A taste of the 36 questions in this topic, answers marked. Sign up to practise the full set with spaced repetition.
What is a stupa?
- •A Buddhist monk's ceremonial robe
- •A meditation hall in a monastery
- •A sacred Buddhist scripture
- ✓Dome-shaped Buddhist shrine
What does Wesak celebrate?
- ✓Buddha's birth, awakening, death
- •Buddha's first sermon only
- •The founding of the sangha
- •The writing of the Dhamma
What is the aim of samatha meditation?
- ✓Calming the mind
- •Gaining deep insight
- •Memorising scriptures
- •Reaching enlightenment instantly
What are the Three Jewels?
- •Ahimsa, Metta, Karuna
- ✓Buddha, Dharma, Sangha
- •Nirvana, Karma, Samsara
- •the Path, Truths, Precepts
Who lives in a monastery?
- ✓Buddhist monks and nuns
- •Hindu priests and pilgrims
- •Lay Buddhists and families
- •Teachers and lay devotees
When is Wesak?
- •First Sunday in June
- •Full moon in February
- ✓Full moon in May
- •New moon in April
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