Karma, samsara and moksha
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain what samsara, moksha and karma means to different Hindus.
Key learning points
- In the cycle of samsara, every living being is reincarnated into a new form after death.
- Every living being's future destiny will depend on karma from their previous life.
- The ultimate goal is to reach moksha, unity with Brahman.
Keywords
Samsara - the cycle of life, death and reincarnation
Moksha - achieving freedom from samsara and being one with Brahman
Atman - a living being's soul
Common misconception
Hindus believe in heaven.
Hindus believe in reincarnation as part of samsara. The ultimate goal for Hindus is moksha, or being released from the cycle of samsara.
Teacher tip
As this lesson touches on beliefs about death, you might want to ensure that any pupils who have recently had a loss are made aware of the lesson's content before you teach this lesson.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is a mandir?
Q2.What is a murti?
Q3.For Hindus, what is the ultimate reality of the universe called?
Q4.What is the purpose of puja?
Q5.What item is often used during puja?
Q6.Why do Hindus celebrate Diwali?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is samsara?
Q2.What is moksha?
Q3.What is the atman?
Q4.How does karma affect samsara?
Q5.When reincarnated, a person's true essence ...
Q6.Christians and Hindus agree on which of these beliefs?
To help you plan your 6 religious education lesson on: Karma, samsara and moksha, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 6 religious education lesson on: Karma, samsara and moksha, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 religious education lessons from the Hindus: how do Hindus see Brahman? unit, dive into the full primary religious education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.