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
- 20 parts to scroll through
- 4 quick checks
- Marked quiz at the end
- Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses
Words to know
Scroll down — the lesson carries on below
Watch & discover
Part 1 of 20
Visual introductionPicture this
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.
In a nutshell
Describe beliefs about dharma, karma and rebirth in Hindu and Buddhist traditions
Learning cycle
Part 2 of 20
Learning cycle 1 of 2
Part 1 · Hindu ideas
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 3 of 20
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.
Reset break
Part 4 of 20
Pause
That's sitting 1 of 5 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.
Explore the idea
Part 5 of 20
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.
Quick check
Part 6 of 20
Quick check
Part 7 of 20
Reset break
Part 8 of 20
Pause
That's sitting 2 of 5 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.
Learning cycle
Part 9 of 20
Learning cycle 2 of 2
Part 2 · Sikh belief
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 10 of 20
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.
Quick check
Part 11 of 20
Reset break
Part 12 of 20
Pause
That's sitting 3 of 5 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.
Quick check
Part 13 of 20
Explore the idea
Part 14 of 20
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.
Challenge round
Part 15 of 20
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
Reset break
Part 16 of 20
Pause
That's sitting 4 of 5 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.
Challenge round
Part 17 of 20
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.
Challenge round
Part 18 of 20
Game · Recall cards
What does karma mean in these traditions?
Card 1 of 4
Mastery quiz
Part 19 of 20
Marked quiz
End of lesson quiz: Dharma, karma and rebirth
4 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.
1. What does karma mean in these traditions?
2. What does anatta mean in Buddhist teaching?
3. What does the Sikh langar express?
4. What is moksha?
Lesson round-up
Part 20 of 20
Lesson round-up
Ready when you are
Quiz score
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Points this lesson
0
Best run
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Luna: 0 out of 4 on the practice checks. Only if you feel up to it — one more?
Ask LunaPart 1 of 20 · Watch & discover