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SavannahYear 8
← Religion & Worldviews
Religion & WorldviewsHindu, Sikh and Buddhist traditions25 min★★ difficulty

Dharma, karma and rebirth

Two of the world's oldest living traditions share a vocabulary — dharma, karma, samsara — but use those words to build different pictures of reality.

Lesson overview

What you'll learn in this lesson

Describe beliefs about dharma, karma and rebirth in Hindu and Buddhist traditions

Key learning points

  • • Hindu ideas
  • • Buddhist ideas
  • • Sikh belief

This lesson at a glance

  • 25 minutes
  • 16 parts to scroll through
  • 4 quick checks
  • Marked quiz at the end
  • Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses

Words to know

beliefsdharmarebirthbuddhisttraditions

Scroll down — the lesson carries on below

Part 1 of 16 · Discover6%
1

Watch & discover

Part 1 of 16

Watch first

Dharma, karma and rebirth

An English teaching video on this topic from Illustrate to Educate. Watch it, then scroll down for the lesson.

In a nutshell

Describe beliefs about dharma, karma and rebirth in Hindu and Buddhist traditions

2

Learning cycle

Part 2 of 16

Learning cycle 1 of 2

Part 1 · Hindu ideas

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

3

Explore the idea

Part 3 of 16

Learn

Hindu ideas

Many Hindus believe in Brahman, an ultimate reality expressed through many deities, and in atman, the self that continues after death. Dharma is duty appropriate to your situation; karma is the principle that actions have consequences; samsara is the cycle of rebirth, and moksha is release from it.

4

Explore the idea

Part 4 of 16

Learn

Buddhist ideas

Buddhists follow the teaching of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha. The four noble truths state that suffering exists, has a cause in craving, can end, and that the eightfold path leads to that ending. Buddhism teaches anatta — no permanent self — so rebirth is described as continuity of process rather than a soul travelling on.

5

Quick check

Part 5 of 16

Quick check

What does karma mean in these traditions?

6

Quick check

Part 6 of 16

Quick check

What does anatta mean in Buddhist teaching?

7

Reset break

Part 7 of 16

Pause

That's sitting 1 of 2 done

Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.

Stop here for now
8

Learning cycle

Part 8 of 16

Learning cycle 2 of 2

Part 2 · Sikh belief

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

9

Explore the idea

Part 9 of 16

Learn

Sikh belief

Sikhi teaches one God, equality of all people, and honest work, sharing and remembrance of God. The Guru Granth Sahib is treated as the living Guru, and the langar — a free shared meal open to everyone — makes equality visible.

10

Quick check

Part 10 of 16

Quick check

What does the Sikh langar express?

11

Quick check

Part 11 of 16

Quick check

What is moksha?

12

Explore the idea

Part 12 of 16

Worked example

Worked example: comparing carefully

Both Hindu and Buddhist teaching use the word karma, but the frameworks differ: Hindu teaching usually connects karma to an enduring atman moving through rebirth, while Buddhist teaching denies a permanent self and describes karma as a chain of conditioned effects. Shared vocabulary does not mean identical belief — a point worth stating in any comparison.

13

Challenge round

Part 13 of 16

Game · Sort it

Which of these are true?

Drag each card into the right column. Tap a card first if dragging is fiddly.

True

Not true

14

Challenge round

Part 14 of 16

Game · Fill the gaps

Finish the sentences

Choose the word that belongs in each gap.

____ is duty appropriate to your situation; karma is the principle that actions have consequences; samsara is the cycle of rebirth, and moksha is release from it.

Buddhism teaches anatta — no permanent self — so ____ is described as continuity of process rather than a soul travelling on.

15

Mastery quiz

Part 15 of 16

Marked quiz

End of lesson quiz: Dharma, karma and rebirth

4 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.

  1. 1. What does karma mean in these traditions?

  2. 2. What does anatta mean in Buddhist teaching?

  3. 3. What does the Sikh langar express?

  4. 4. What is moksha?

16

Lesson round-up

Part 16 of 16

Lesson round-up

Ready when you are

Quiz score

Not sat

Games

Not played

Points this lesson

0

Best run

0 in a row

Luna: 0 out of 4 on the practice checks. Only if you feel up to it — one more?

Ask Luna

Do the work

Your written work for this lesson

This is the part you'd do in your book at school. Pick the pieces below, write here or on paper, and photograph anything you draw or work out.

Source

Two teachings on forgiveness

In Christian teaching, Jesus is asked how many times a person should forgive. He answers not seven times but seventy-seven — meaning forgiveness should not be counted at all. The Lord's Prayer links the two directions together: forgive us as we forgive others.

In Islamic teaching, one of the names of God is al-Ghaffar, the Ever-Forgiving. Muslims are taught that God's mercy is greater than any wrong a person can do, and that those who pardon others are closer to God than those who take revenge.

Both traditions distinguish forgiving from forgetting. A person may forgive and still expect justice, and may seek safety from someone who has harmed them.

Original paraphrases written for Good Learning Co.

Reading questions

  1. What does each teaching say about how far forgiveness should go?
  2. Explain how a believer might use one of these teachings after being hurt by a friend.
  3. "Forgiving someone means letting them off." Give two views on this and say which is stronger, with reasons.

  • Reading and response

    Reading

    Read the lesson text again — especially any scripture, story or quotation — then write what it teaches and how a believer would use it.

    2 paragraphs (PEE)

  • Extended writing

    Writing

    Answer the lesson's big question as an exam answer would: a clear view, a reason, a teaching or example as evidence, and a different view weighed against yours.

    250–350 words

  • Belief in your own words

    Writing

    Explain what this belief means and give one example of how it changes what people do.

    8–10 sentences

  • Different views

    Writing

    Write two different views on this question and say which you find stronger, and why.

    2 paragraphs

  • Symbol or belief diagram

    Diagram

    Draw the symbol, place of worship or idea from this lesson with labels explaining what each part means, then photograph it.

    1 labelled drawing

Saved as you type.

Part 1 of 16 · Watch & discover

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