New
New
Year 10
AQA

The role and significance of Puja for Buddhists

I can explain the nature, role and significance of puja for Buddhists today.

New
New
Year 10
AQA

The role and significance of Puja for Buddhists

I can explain the nature, role and significance of puja for Buddhists today.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Puja is a devotional ritual that can be performed by Buddhists in the home and temple.
  2. Puja includes chanting important texts, e.g., the Three Refuges.
  3. Many Buddhists perform mantra recitation and use malas to aid concentration.
  4. The practice of puja at home enables lay Buddhists to adapt worship to their everyday lives.
  5. Puja at the temple enables the Sangha (community) to come together.

Keywords

  • Chanting - singing or rhythmic repetition of a word, prayer, or sound

  • Malas - strings of beads used as a prayer aid

  • Mantra recitation - a short sequence of words or syllables chanted repetitively as a form of meditation

  • Puja (devotional ritual) - the name given to ceremonies that involve meditation, prayer, and offerings

Common misconception

Puja in Buddhism is the worshipping of a god or gods, in the same way as in some other religions.

The Buddha is not a god, but a teacher who reached enlightenment. Puja is a way to show respect, devotion and strengthen commitment to the Buddhist path of enlightenment.


To help you plan your year 10 religious education lesson on: The role and significance of Puja for Buddhists, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Listen to audio clips of Buddhists chanting key texts or mantras to consolidate the learning in this lesson.
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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

Download quiz pdf

6 Questions

Q1.
Generosity (dana) is one of the perfections in Mahayana Buddhism.
Correct Answer: six, 6, Six
Q2.
What is the main purpose of a Buddha rupa?
to worship the Buddha
to gain fortune
Correct answer: to inspire devotion to the Dhamma
Q3.
What might Buddhists place in a shrine as an offering?
clothes and jewellery
Correct answer: food and incense
books and scrolls
Q4.
Why are certain artefacts used during puja?
to decorate the temple
to attract visitors
Correct answer: to focus the mind during worship
Q5.
What is dana in Buddhism?
Correct answer: a practice of giving
a type of chanting
a form of meditation
Q6.
What is a common misconception about the Buddha rupa?
that it is made of gold
Correct answer: that it represents a god
that it comes from Hindu Dharma

Assessment exit quiz

Download quiz pdf

6 Questions

Q1.
Taking in the Three Jewels shows commitment to the Buddhist path.
Correct Answer: refuge, Refuge
Q2.
What is the main purpose of puja for Buddhists?
to ask for miracles
Correct answer: to show devotion to the Buddha’s path
to honour the gods
Q3.
What might a Buddhist do during puja?
Correct answer: meditate and chant
bake bread
draw mandalas
Q4.
What does the wisdom mudra represent?
Correct answer: the Buddha’s teachings
the Three Jewels
enlightenment itself
Q5.
What is a Buddha rupa?
a holy book
a place of pilgrimage
Correct answer: a statue or image of the Buddha
Q6.
What is a common misunderstanding about puja in Buddhism?
that it’s done alone
Correct answer: that it involves the worship of a god
that it involves chanting