New
New
Year 10
AQA

The nature and importance of diverse places of worship for Buddhists

I can explain the nature, purpose and importance of different places of worship for Buddhists today.

New
New
Year 10
AQA

The nature and importance of diverse places of worship for Buddhists

I can explain the nature, purpose and importance of different places of worship for Buddhists today.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Buddhist places of worship include: temples, gompas, viharas and shrines.
  2. Buddhist places of worship share many features, including meditation halls, shrines, libraries and stupas or pagodas.
  3. The Kimsila Sutta highlights the importance of learning the Buddha's Dhamma.
  4. Buddhists may attend a place of worship to make offerings to the Buddha.
  5. Places of worship are important for offering Dhamma and meditation classes, which can support lay Buddhists.

Keywords

  • Gompa - a Tibetan monastery associated with learning and studying the Dhamma

  • Monastery (vihara) - a building that houses monks and nuns; it may have space for study, as well as accommodation

  • Shrine - a room or part of a room which contains a Buddha rupa, candles, an incense burner, and sometimes other offerings

  • Temple - a structure/building for religious or spiritual activities, such as meditation

Common misconception

All Buddhist places of worship have the same features and purpose.

Buddhist places of worship differ in appearance, size and function. This is often dependent on the location and which school of Buddhism it belongs to.


To help you plan your year 10 religious education lesson on: The nature and importance of diverse places of worship for Buddhists, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Print images of different features and places of Buddhist worship. Ask pupils to annotate the pictures to consolidate learning in the lesson.
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Equipment

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

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5 Questions

Q1.
Match each keyword to its correct meaning.
Correct Answer:Buddha,the one who has reached enlightenment

the one who has reached enlightenment

Correct Answer:Dhamma,teachings and truth from the Buddha

teachings and truth from the Buddha

Correct Answer:meditation,training the mind

training the mind

Q2.
The is the name for the Buddhist community.
Correct Answer: Sangha, sangha
Q3.
What does 'enlightenment' mean in Buddhism?
being rich and powerful
Correct answer: understanding the truth and ending suffering
reading all of the Buddhist scriptures
Q4.
Which symbol is often used to represent the Eightfold Path?
Correct answer: a wheel
a tree
a star
Q5.
What is the name of the sacred texts in Buddhism?
Correct answer: the Tripitaka
the Torah
the Bible

Assessment exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
A is often the centre of a Buddhist community.
Correct Answer: temple, Temple
Q2.
A is a place where monks and nuns live and study.
Correct Answer: monastery, Monastery
Q3.
A is a special space used to honour the Buddha.
Correct Answer: shrine, Shrine
Q4.
What is the purpose of a Buddhist gompa?
it's a place for farming
it's a place for shopping
Correct answer: it's a place for learning the Dhamma
Q5.
According to the 2021 census, what percentage of people in England and Wales are Buddhist?
Correct answer: 0.5%
2%
10%
Q6.
Do all Buddhist temples look and work the same?
yes, they follow one design everywhere
Correct answer: no, they vary by tradition and country
yes, they are copied from ancient plans