Life after death - Buddhism

Lesson Title:
Buddhism: Life After Death – Samsara, Enlightenment and Nirvana (GCSE Religious Studies)

Description:
This comprehensive and thought-provoking KS3 or GCSE RE lesson explores Buddhist beliefs about life after death. Students examine key concepts such as samsara, karma, enlightenment and nirvana through engaging retrieval tasks, video reflection, and creative activities like storyboarding the life of Siddhartha Gautama.

Lesson Aims:

Understand the life of the Buddha and the significance of his enlightenment

Define samsara, karma and nirvana in the context of Buddhist belief

Explore how the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path guide Buddhists toward enlightenment

Examine how desire and attachment cause suffering

Reflect on the quote “The root of suffering is attachment and desire”

Compare Buddhist beliefs about the afterlife with those from Hinduism, Christianity and Islam

Analyse why Buddhists aim to escape the cycle of rebirth and reach Nirvana

Evaluate the challenges of following the Eightfold Path in modern life

Practise skills through quizzes, ranking tasks, quote analysis and discussion

Perfect for lessons on life after death, Buddhist beliefs, or interfaith comparisons. Suitable for GCSE Religious Studies (AQA, Edexcel, OCR) and KS3 RE programmes.