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.
Sample questions
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
Try it for four weeks. Free.
One school. Unlimited classes. No card limit. No teacher limit. If your students aren't practising daily by the end of the trial, you owe us nothing.