The Life of the Buddha Buddhist Life Buddhism

The Life of the Buddha Buddhist Life

Buddhism Recap Complete the crossword to recap your work on Buddhism so far.

The Eightfold Path As we saw last week, Buddha gave eight ways to develop ourselves to avoid suffering. These fell into three categories: • Wisdom; • good behaviour; • mental strength. However, Buddha also gave more specific guidance for how people should live. These are known as the Five Precepts.

Buddhist Monks Some Buddhists decide to fully dedicate their lives to their religion by becoming monks. As you can see from the picture, monks dress as simply as Buddha would have done. They also spend a lot of time meditating.

The Precepts of Buddhism All Buddhists should follow five precepts. Monks must follow ten. The precepts have been muddled up below. Using the activity sheet, you must sort these into two categories: those all Buddhists should follow; those only monks need to follow. • Speak truthfully. • Avoid wearing unnecessary items like perfume and jewellery. • Do not confuse your mind with drugs and alcohol. • Avoid using money where possible. • Do not harm living beings. • Do not take things unless others give them to you. • Do not eat after midday. • Sleep on simple bed. • Avoid entertainment.

The Life of a Monk When a Buddhist decides to become a monk, they will join a monastery. Traditionally, Buddhists aged around age 20 when they join a monastery. This means they are old enough to make the decision for themselves. However, some monasteries accept children. When someone becomes a monk, they give up their possessions. This means they can focus fully on their religion.

The Life of a Monk Read the diary of a monk. Using it, complete the activity sheet to plan out your day compared to the day of a monk. Extension 1. Describe the main similarities and differences between your day and a monk’s day. 2. Could you live as a monk? Explain your answer.

Could You Live as a Monk? Yes No Take your sticky note and put it where you stand on this issue.