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symbols of Buddhism

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overcoming suffering

three marks of existence

the middle way encouraged people to live in balance

three poisons desire, anger, and stupidity

Buddha never said if there were gods or not

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teachings of the Buddha

Buddha name Siddhartha Gautama

lived somewhere in the 4th to 6th century B.C.E

started in India

spread to Asia, China, Korea, and Japan.

2010 about 500 million follow

based on Buddha's teachings

book of Keels

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only one god called Allah

Friday is the Muslim holy day

Islam is an Arabic word meaning submission and obedience

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where
. North Africa,
The Middle East,
Southern,
and Central Asia

who started it
.Founder Muhammad

how many follow
.1.6 billion Follow Worldwide

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the word Islam means peace and its a word in the Arabic

the place of origin was Saudi Arabia

the sacred text and the holy book were called the Qur'an

a sacred building in the Islam religion was called the Mosque

these are some of the holy places in Saudi Arabia
Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem

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Buddhist worship at home or at a temple. Worshippers may sit on the floor barefoot facing an image of Buddha and chanting. It is very important that their feet face away from the image of Buddha. They listen to monks chanting from religious texts and take part in prayers.
Home
Buddhists will often have a shrine. There will be a statue of Buddha, candles, and an incense burner.
Temple
Buddhist temples come in many shapes. Perhaps the best known are the pagodas of China and Japan. Another typical Buddhist building is the Stupa (upside down bowl shape). All Buddhist temples contain an image or a statue of Buddha.

Buddhist Temples in Thailand
How to Buddhists Worship?
Buddhist worship is called puja. People chant to show their love for the Buddha. They make offerings of flowers, candles, incense and pure water at a shrine. People thank Buddha for his teachings.

When Buddhist worship alone they usually meditate and read from the Buddhist holy books.

Every month. most Buddhists have special religious days. These are often days when there is a full moon. Many Buddhists go to temples to worship on these special days.

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Understanding Buddhism for Children doing their homework

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Buddhism originated in India, based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, later known as Gautama Buddha. A Buddha is one who is said to be awake to the truth of life. Buddha is a Pali word which means "the awakened one." According to Buddhism, there were countless Buddhas before Gautama Buddha, and there will be many Buddhas after him.

Over the centuries, Gautama Buddha's teachings spread from Nepal to Central Asia, Tibet, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, China, Mongolia, Korea, Japan, Europe, North, and South America. Theravada Buddhism is most common in South Asia; Mahayana is most common further north. Buddhism exists in many different strands today, but all versions share basic ideas. About seven percent of the people of the world are Buddhist.

While many people see Buddhism as a religion, others see it as a philosophy, and others as a way of finding reality.

Background and Buddhist concepts

Siddhartha Gautama (563-483 BC) began life as the infant prince of a small kingdom in what is now the southern part of Nepal. As an adult, he left wealth and status behind to search for truth. The Buddha spent the next 45 years of his life traveling and teaching in the northern part of India. He died at the age of 80.

The Buddha focused much of his teaching on how to overcome suffering. He saw that all living things suffer. He taught that by overcoming suffering, a person will be truly happy.

He began teaching holy men or monks the Four Noble Truths of Life and the Eightfold Noble Path (see below). These teachings identify the causes of suffering and their cure. The Buddha taught that there are three marks of existence: He said life is best understood as being impermanent (everything changes), unsatisfactory (left on our own we are never truly happy), and interdependent (all things are linked).

In discussing suffering, the Buddha identified the "three poisons" of desire, anger, and stupidity, and he showed that we could end our suffering by letting go of desires and overcoming anger and stupidity.

The complete letting go of negative influences is called Nirvana, meaning "to extinguish," like putting out the flame of a candle. This end of suffering is also called Enlightenment. In Buddhism, Enlightenment and Nirvana often mean the same thing.

The Buddha taught that living in balance is the best way to live. He called this "the middle way." He also recommended meditation as a way to train the mind to see the world as it is.

The Buddha taught that actions have consequences for good or bad. People who make good decisions will be happier and have more peace of mind. This is called karma.

Another teaching of Buddhism is reincarnation - the idea that when people die, they will be reborn as someone or something else. They live their life the best they can in hopes of reincarnating as something better until they eventually reach enlightenment.

Buddhists would not say whether or not there is a God or gods. Buddhists do not believe that people should look to gods to save them or bring them enlightenment. Instead, they believe individuals should work out their own path the best they can. Many of the Buddha's ideas are found in other Indian religions, especially Hinduism.

Beliefs of Buddhism

The three jewels

Buddhists respect and treasure the Three Jewels, which are the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha.

The Buddha refers to the awakened one, the Dharma to the Buddha's teachings, and the Sangha to the people who follow the Buddha and his teachings.

Buddhists say "I take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha." They find comfort in these jewels or treasures.

Four Noble Truths

The Buddha's first and most important teachings are the Four Noble Truths.

1. Life is suffering.

2. The reason for this suffering is that we want things to be a certain way.

3. The way to cure suffering is to rise above this desire.

4. The way to rise above desire is to follow the Noble Eightfold Path, practices which help us change our minds and understanding.

Noble Eightfold Path

The Buddha told people to follow a special way of life called the Noble Eightfold Path if they want to understand the Four Noble Truths. These are:

1. Appropriate views. Know and understand the Four Noble Truths.

2. Appropriate thought. Turn your mind away from the world and toward the Dharma.

3. Appropriate speech. Tell the truth, don't gossip, and don't talk badly about others.

4. Appropriate conduct. Don't commit evil acts, like killing, stealing, or living an unclean life.

5. Appropriate livelihood. Earn your money in a way that doesn't harm anyone.

6. Appropriate effort. Work to make your mind more good and less evil.

7. Appropriate mindfulness. Remember the Dharma and apply it all the time.

8. Appropriate meditation. Practice meditation as a way of understanding reality.

Five precepts

Buddhists are encouraged to follow five precepts, or guidelines:

1. I will not hurt a person or animal that is alive.

2. I will not take something if it was not given to me.

3. I will not engage in sexual misconduct.

4. I will not lie or say things that hurt people.

5. I will not take intoxicants causing heedlessness.

If a person wants to be a monk or nun, he or she will follow other precepts as well.

Interesting facts about Buddhism

The term "Buddhism" was invented by Western scholars in the 1830s. Buddhists don't refer to their religion as "Buddhism."

The Buddha founded an order of monks and nuns known as the Sangha who have preserved his teachings.

Because of its emphasis on meditation and mindfulness, Buddhism is often considered to be a form of psychology rather than a religion.

In Buddhism, there is no single holy book.

Buddhists do not believe in a supreme being or creator God.

A Buddha is a person who has reached enlightenment.

Buddhist monks and nuns shave their hair.

In Buddhism, each person must work their way to enlightenment.

Related pages

Images for kids

An aniconic depiction of the Buddha's spiritual liberation ( moksha) or awakening ( bodhi), at Sanchi. The Buddha is not depicted, only symbolized by the Bodhi tree and the empty seat.

Living at the root of a tree ( trukkhamulik'anga) is one of the dhutaṅgas, a series of optional ascetic practices for Buddhist monastics.

A section of the Northern wall mural at the Lukhang Temple depicting tummo, the three channels ( nadis) and phowa

A Buddhist triad depicting, left to right, a Kushan, the future buddha Maitreya, Gautama Buddha, the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara, and a monk. Second-third century. Guimet Museum

Frontispiece of the Chinese Diamond Sūtra, the oldest known dated printed book in the world

In Spanish: Budismo para niños

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Top 10 facts

People who practise the religion of Islam are called Muslims.

There are about 1.6 billions Muslims in the world, living in many countries (mainly in the Middle East, north Africa and parts of Asia).

Muslims believe that there is only one God, called Allah.

Muslims believe that Allah sent many prophets to Earth to give his message. A prophet is someone who speaks for God on Earth. For Muslims, a man called Muhammad was the final prophet of Allah. He was responsible for starting the faith of Islam and is referred to as the Messenger of God or the Prophet.

Muhammad was born in Makkah (also known as Mecca), which is now in modern-day Saudi Arabia, in A.D. 570. Muhammad is so highly regarded by Muslims that they say "Peace be upon him" (pbuh) whenever they say or write his name.

The Qur'an, or Koran as it is sometimes known, is the holy book of Muslims.

The Qur'an is written in Arabic and Muslims always try to read and recite it in this language.

The mosque is the building where Muslims go to worship.

Friday is the Muslim holy day, the time of the week when Muslims go to the mosque and pray.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar; during Ramadan Muslims fast (consume no food or drink) from just before dawn until sunset.

Islam Timeline

Did you know?

Islam is an Arabic word meaning submission and obedience. It comes from a word meaning peace.

A mosque

Minarets, the towers on mosques

A Muslim man praying

Islamic patterns

Pilgrims praying at the Ka'ba in Makkah

The Muslim holy city of Makkah

The Qur'an, the Muslim holy text

Inside a mosque

The Bibi-Khanym Mosque

Like Christians and Jews, Muslims are monotheistic which means they only believe in one God, who they call Allah.

Although their faiths are different, Christians, Jews and Muslims do share many of the stories and traditions that are told in the Old Testament of the Bible. Muslims believe Jesus was a prophet.

Jerusalem is a holy city to Muslims as it is to Christians and Jews too.

Family life is very important in Islam and it is from their families that children learn about the Qur'an and how to pray. The mosque is also used as a place for children to have classes to learn the Qur'an.

Muslims believe that Allah's message was passed to the prophet Muhammad after he was visited by the angel Jibril (Gabriel). Muhammad memorised what he was told and wrote down the exact words; this is the content of the Qur'an.

The Shahadah - The declaration of faith, which Muslims repeat several times a day: "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is His messenger."

Salah - The five daily prayers, said in Arabic at dawn, just after midday, mid-afternoon, just after sunset and after dark.

Zakah - The duty to give money to help the poor (at least 2.5% of their savings and valuables every year).

Sawm - Muslims must fast during the month called Ramadan and not eat or drink during daylight hours.

Hajj - A religious pilgrimage to Makkah which Muslims are expected to make at least once in their lifetime if they are able to.

The name Qur'an means 'that which has been read or recited'. The Qur'an provides Muslims with guidance on all aspects of their life and the Islamic religion is very much based on what it teaches people. Muslims believe that the Qur'an was Allah's final communication with someone on Earth.

The Qur'an states five main duties for followers of Islam which are known as the Five Pillars.

One of the Five Pillars is Salah, the five daily prayers Muslims must perform. Muslims always wash their face, hands and feet before they pray and always face the direction of the holy city of Makkah.

Islam gallery:

Gallery

About

Islam is thought to be one of the fastest-growing religions. It is currently the second most popular religion in the world after Christianity.
Muslim people follow many laws and customs outlined in the Qu'ran. Life stages (birth, marriage and death) are marked by special ceremonies and traditions.
The religion itself began over 1400 years ago, when Muslims believe that Allah sent his final message to the Prophet Muhammad. In the Muslim faith there were many prophets before Muhammad (including Adam, Abraham, Moses and Jesus) but Muhammad is the Final Prophet, so highly regarded by Muslims that they say "Peace be upon him" whenever they speak or write his name.

The Five Pillars of Islam are the five duties that the Qur'an states any Muslim must follow. They are:

A mosque is a place of prayer and worship for Muslims. Friday is a holy day for Muslims; on Friday at noon, the most important religious service of the week is held. A religious teacher called an imam (a 'man of knowledge') leads local prayer and takes care of the mosque.

The very first mosque was the courtyard in the home of Muhammad, who founded the religion of Islam. If you look inside a mosque, you will see a big open space for people to pray and worship Allah. You won't find pews and seats like in churches; rugs or mats usually cover the floor instead. Mosques are often large buildings with beautiful towers and domes. Outside most mosques is a tall tower, called a minaret. In some mosques this is where a crier or muezzin calls Muslims to prayer from. Every mosque must also have running water as Muslims must wash their face, hands and feet before they pray (ablution). They also take off their shoes when they enter the mosque.

The Ka'ba (or Ka'bah) is an ancient shrine which rests on foundations built by Abraham and Ishmael. Muslims believe it to be holiest place on Earth and all Muslims must face the direction of the Ka'ba while they pray. The Ka'ba is covered in a black cloth, and embroidered in gold and silver with verses from the Qur'an. Every Muslim family, no matter where they live, knows what direction the Ka'ba is from their house.

Women and men don't worship together in mosques. Music and singing are not part of worship in Islam, and there are no pictures of people or animals in a mosque. The Qu'ran forbids the worship of images, and Muslim people also believe that art could never reflect the magnificence of Allah's creation well enough. Islamic art is dedicated to the design of intricate, colourful patterns and to calligraphy, beautiful writing.

Ramadan is part of the Islamic calendar and is the ninth month of the Muslim year. It is a time when Muslims celebrate Allah's message to Muhammad, the words of the Qur'an, by dedicating themselves to prayer and family. During Ramadan Muslims are expected to fast - not eat or drink - during daylight hours. Each day, Muslims traditionally break their fast with a meal at sunset called the iftar.

Eid means festival in Arabic and the two main festivals in Islam are Eid al-Fitr (Festival of the Breaking of the Fast) and Eid ul-Adha (the Festival of Sacrifice). The end of Ramadan is marked by the festival of Eid al-Fitr. It is a time when friends and family get together and worship at the mosque, good food is eaten, children are given presents and money is given to charity.

Hajj is the Muslim religious pilgrimage to Makkah. It takes place during the last month of the Islamic calendar and every adult Muslim who is physically able must perform Hajj at least once in their life. Muslims from all over the world go to Makkah for Hajj so it is the world's largest annual gathering. Pilgrims wear simple white cloths during the Hajj to show they are not thinking about their clothes or any material things.

The Qu'ran says that men and women should dress and behave modestly, so Muslim men must wear clothes that cover them from the navel to the knee. Some Muslim women wear a head covering called a hijab.

Food must be halal (allowed); all types of food are halal, except pork or pig meat, which is forbidden ( haram). Meat must be slaughtered and prepared according to Islamic principles to be considered halal. Alcohol is also forbidden.
Colour in some Islamic patterns
Dates and milk are traditional Muslim foods and they are offered to guests to welcome them to a Muslim home. Dates symbolise sweetness and milk symbolises purity.

Related Videos

Just for fun...

Try some Ramadan crafting projects: make mini lanterns, a good deeds calendar or a mosque mobile

Paint a watercolour mosque silhouette picture or make your own blue mosque domes

Make some delicious halal stars and crescent shaped Rice Krispie treats

Watch a video in which a Muslim explains his belief system to aliens

See an animated story in which a young boy called Omar is packing for a trip to Makkah

Print Eid colouring pages or make an Eid card or poster

Children's books about Islam

Find out more about Islam

Children's news programme Newsround offers a kids' guide to Islam

Read about the splendours of the Islamic world during the Middle Ages

See how the Islamic celebration of Eid al-Fitr is celebrated around the world with different sweet treats

Hear traditional stories from Islam (Prophet Muhammad and the Spider and Baby Isa speaks) on the British Library's website

Read a BBC guide to the Qur'an and hear some sections of it spoken in Arabic

Understand some of the differences between Sunni and Shi'a Muslims, and listen to a news report about Sunni and Shi'a Muslims in the UK

Find out more about every stage of the Hajj, the pilgrimage to Makkah Muslims complete at least once in their life

In a video for KS1 children, Charlie and her favourite soft toy Blue visit neighbour Seyed in his garden to find out more about the Muslim faith

A BBC video about the Qur'an, the holy book of Islam

Understand why Muslims celebrate Eid and see Eid celebrations in London

Watch videos about Muslim prayer

Watch a video about the five pillars of Islam

The Discover Islamic Art website highlights monuments, sites and artefacts from 14 countries in Europe and the southern and eastern Mediterranean

Glossary of Muslim terms

Allah - the Arabic word for God.

Eid al-Fitr - the festival which marks the end of Ramadan.

Five Pillars - the five acts of worship for followers of Islam.

Hajj - the religious journey to Makkah that all Muslims try to make at least once in their lives.

Imam - a teacher and religious leader in the Muslim faith.

Ka'ba - the first place built for the worship of Allah. All Muslims face it when they pray.

Makkah - the most holy city for Muslims, the place where the Ka'ba is found. Makkah is in modern-day Saudi Arabia.

Minaret - the tall tower in a mosque.

Mosque - the Muslim place of worship.

Prophet - a person who receives a message from God and shares the message with people on Earth.

Qur'an - the holy book of Islam.

Ramadan - the ninth month in the Islamic calendar, when Muslims fast during daylight hours.

Salah - the second of the Five Pillars, the prayers Muslims must perform five times a day.

See for yourself

Take part in Visit My Mosque Day, when 250+ mosques across the UK hold open days to welcome their neighbours from all faiths into their place of worship for an educational visit

See pages of the beautifully illustrated Sultan Uljaytu's Qur'an on the British Library website

See photographs of Ramadan around the world

Explore Islamic art according to the material it uses: ceramics, glass, stone, metalwork or textiles

Britain's first purpose-built mosque was Shah Jahan Mosque in Woking, built in 1889

Also see

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Information, videos and activities about Islam for KS1 and KS2 children to help with homework and at-home learning projects.

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The Muslim year is based on Lunar calendar.

(Ramadhan)
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and a time when Muslims across the world will fast (do not eat) during the hours of daylight.

The Muslim year is a lunar (moon) year, so Ramadan moves forward by ten or eleven days each year. The day Ramadan begins is decided by the sighting of the new moon.

Muslims believe that the gates of Heaven (Jannah) are open and the gates of Hell (Jahanam) are locked for the duration of Ramadan.

During Ramadan, Muslims celebrate the time when the verses of the Qur'an were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Ramadan is a time of worship and contemplation. A time to strengthen family and community ties.

Every Muslim is expected to fast from sunrise to sunset. Muslims must not eat or drink during daylight hours. During Ramadan Muslims get up early before dawn (Fajr) and have a light meal. This time is known as Suhoor.

At the end of each day (Maghrib), Muslims traditionally break their fast with a meal called the iftar. Following the custom of Prophet Muhammad, the fast is often broken with dates, then followed by a prayer and dinner.

Ramadan concludes with the celebration of Eid al-Fitr.

(Id-ul-Fitr)- The festival for the first day after Ramadan.
Eid-ul-Fitr marks the breaking of the fast for Muslims at the end of Ramadan. Lasting three days, it is a time for family and friends to get together, for celebrating with good food and presents for children, and giving to charity.

The Festival of Sacrifice which occurs 70 days after Eid-al-Fitr.Eid ul-Adha is the second most important festival in the Muslim calendar. It is to remember the time when Abraham was going to sacrifice his own son to prove obedience to God and marks the end of the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Makkah (Mecca). It takes place on the 10th day of Dhul-Hijjah, the last month of the Islamic calendar.

Dhu Al-Hijja:
The month of pilgrimage during which all Muslims, at least once in their life, should try to make the pilgrimage to Mecca.

Al Hijra:
The Islamic New Year begins on the day Muhammad left Mecca to travel to Medina.
Calendar of Religious Festivals 2008

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The Muslim year is based on Lunar calendar. (Ramadhan) Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and a time when Muslims across the world will fast (do not eat) during the hours of daylight. The Muslim year is a lunar (moon) year, so Ramadan moves forward by ten or eleven days each year.

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The religion based on the teachings of the Buddha is known as Buddhism. The Buddha was born with the name Siddhartha Gautama and lived sometime in the 6th to the 4th century...

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Islam is one of the world’s major religions. Its founder was Muhammad. The religion has more than 1.5 billion followers worldwide. Most of the followers of Islam, called…