This morning, Year 3 were learning all about Buddhism. We began by looking at all religions and we created a timeline for their times of origin. The children really impressed me with their memory skills and presentation in books.
Next, we focussed primarily on Buddhism and looked into the founder, the place of origin and number of world and UK followers. Here’s what we found:
- The founder of Buddhism was a man named Siddartha Gautama (Buddha).
- Buddhism originated in India.
- Number of worldwide followers: over 520 million – it is the fourth-largest world religion.
- Number of UK followers: Roughly 290,000 (as of 2021 UK census).
Finally, we looked into the life of Buddha and how he achieved enlightenment. Siddartha Gautama was a prince that lived a life of luxury. When he saw other people suffering, he decided to leave his palace and life among holy men in search for truth. His search took him six years, but he became enlightened by meditating under a fig tree. From then on, he was respected as a role model and teacher – his teachings spread far and wide, particularly across Asia.
Help at home:
Buddhism is a way of life that teaches people to be kind, calm, and wise so they can be happy and help others be happy too. Talk to your child about their learning on this and how this links to our school vision (St James is a happy and healthy place to achieve and believe). Do we share some of the same values as Buddhists?