Key People And Facts

Question 1

The Buddha

Answer 1

The name given to Siddhartha Gautama, an Indian prince born in 563BCE, after he achieved enlightenment; the central figure of Buddhism

Question 2

Channa

Answer 2

Siddhartha’s servant

Question 3

Dalai Lama

Answer 3

The spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism

Question 4

Siddhartha Gautama

Answer 4

An Indian prince born in 563BCE who became the Buddha. He died in 486BCE

Question 5

When did Buddhism begin, how many followers and where do they live

Answer 5

Buddhism began in India over 2500 years ago. It is now the fourth largest religion in the world, with approximately 500 million followers. 99% of Buddhists live in Asia. 50% live in China

Question 6

Reincarnation

Answer 6

Buddhists believe that everyone is travelling through a cycle of birth, death and rebirth called samsara. A person’s actions in this life can affect his or her next one (karma)

Question 7

Who was the buddha

Answer 7

Buddhism was founded by a prince called Siddhartha Gautama. From childhood Siddhartha noticed the suffering of other creatures

Question 8

What we’re the 4 sights and how old was he when he left the palace

Answer 8

When he was 29 years old, Siddhartha saw four things that changed his view of life: old age, sickness, death and a holy man. He gave up his life of luxury and set out to discover how to end suffering by living as an ascetic

Question 9

•middle way/path

Answer 9

Siddhartha eventually realised that denying his body what it needed was as bad as living in luxury. He settled on the Middle Way. Eventually, while sitting under a Bodhi tree, he found enlightenment, nirvana and became the Buddha.

Question 10

Tibetan buddhism

Answer 10

The third main school of Buddhism is Tibetan Buddhism. Tibetan Buddhists have slightly different beliefs, including the belief that between death and rebirth people spend time in a state called bardo

Question 11

Who is the leader of tibetan buddhism

Answer 11

The leader of Tibetan Buddhism is the Dalai Lama, who was forced into exile after China invaded Tibet in the 1950s

Question 12

How is the Buddha honered

Answer 12

Buddhists honour the Buddha in art such as huge statues and sculptures.

Question 13

Festivals

Answer 13

The key Buddhist festivals are Wesak (marking the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and death), Vassa (when monks remain in their monasteries during the rainy season) and Kathina (when people celebrate the end of the rainy season by bringing gifts to the monks).

Question 14

Main sites

Answer 14

There are four main sites of Buddhist pilgrimage: Lumbini, Bodh Gaya, Sarnath and Kusinara. There are where Siddhartha was born, enlightened, and where the Buddha taught his first sermon and entered parinirvana.

Question 15

How many Buddhists live I’m the uk

Answer 15

There are more than 200,000 Buddhists in the UK today.