What you'll learn
The teachings of the Buddha and how Buddhists put them into practice.
Key beliefs
- The Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama) and his Enlightenment.
- The Four Noble Truths: there is suffering (dukkha); it is caused by craving; it can end; the way to end it is the Eightfold Path.
- The Eightfold Path (right view, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, concentration).
- The Three Marks of Existence: dukkha, anicca (impermanence), anatta (no fixed self).
- Karma, samsara and nibbana (the goal — release from suffering).
Practices
- Meditation (samatha — calm; vipassana — insight).
- Puja and devotion at shrines; the role of the Sangha (community).
- Ethical living guided by the Five Precepts.
Exam tips
- Learn the Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path in order.
- Explain how the beliefs lead to the practices (e.g. meditation develops mindfulness).
Common mistakes
- Treating the Buddha as a god.
- Confusing anatta (no fixed self) with there being no person at all.