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Unlock This CourseIn the Buddha's lifetime, monks and nuns walked from place to place teaching. Buddhist tradition says that in the rainy season it was hard to travel, so they stayed in one spot. Supporters built simple shelters for them. These were the first viharas. Over time, viharas grew into monasteries, where the ordained Sangha lives, studies and teaches, and where lay people come to learn and worship.
Buddhists also built stupas. Buddhist tradition says that after the Buddha died, his remains were divided and placed in mounds. Later, the emperor Ashoka is said to have built many more across India. A stupa is not a hall to go inside. It is a sacred monument that Buddhists walk around.
Key terms:
There is no single Buddhist design. Buildings follow the style of the country, so they look very different.
A rounded mound, often white or gold, that holds relics. Pilgrims and worshippers walk round it clockwise.
In China, Japan and Korea, many temples have curved roofs and pagoda towers. In Thailand a monastery is called a wat. In Tibetan traditions a monastery is called a gompa.
Many viharas in the UK are ordinary houses that Buddhists have converted. A living room becomes the shrine room and a larger room becomes the prayer hall.
The design is not the point. What matters is that the place is calm, clean and kept for Buddhist practice.
At the front is the buddharupa. Buddhists give offerings in front of it, such as flowers, candles, incense, water or fruit. Flowers wither, which reminds them that everything is impermanent. A candle stands for the light of the Buddha's teaching. People take their shoes off and sit lower than the statue as a sign of respect. The buddharupa is not a god. It reminds them of the Buddha's qualities such as calm and wisdom.
Many viharas grow a bodhi tree in the grounds or have a picture of one. The Buddha is said to have become enlightened under a bodhi tree. It is a living link to that event, and it reminds Buddhists that enlightenment is possible.
Here people chant together, meditate and listen to teaching. Sitting in a group helps people to keep going and feel part of the community. It is often the largest room.
The library holds the scriptures, such as the Tripitaka and the Dhammapada, along with books on Buddhist teaching. Monks, nuns and lay people study there, because understanding the Dhamma is part of the path.
Many Buddhists say a shrine room, a group and a teacher make practice easier and more joyful. Most Buddhist traditions have monasteries or temples.
Others say the Buddha taught that freedom comes from the mind and the Noble Eightfold Path. So a person can meditate at home, with a small shrine, or anywhere. A building cannot make anyone enlightened.
Paper 2 (a) [AO1] Outline two features of a vihara. [4 marks]
Paper 2 (b) [AO1, AO2] Explain why places of worship are important for Buddhists today. [6 marks]
Paper 2 (c) [AO1, AO2] "Buddhists do not need a special building to practise their religion."
Discuss this statement, considering the arguments for and against. In your answer you should include reference to teachings, other (divergent) points of view, and your own opinion using reasoned arguments. [10 marks]
(a) One feature is the shrine room (1), which has a buddharupa and offerings to show respect to the Buddha (1). Another is the library (1), which holds the scriptures so that monks, nuns and lay people can study the Dhamma (1).
(b) Places of worship are important because they give Buddhists a calm place to meditate away from daily stress (1). They keep the Buddha's teachings alive through the library, classes and the ordained Sangha (1). They bring the community together for festivals such as Wesak, which helps Buddhists feel part of the Sangha (1). This is especially useful for Buddhists in countries like the UK, where few others share their faith (1). Lay people support the monks and nuns with gifts and so gain merit (1), while the Sangha teach them in return (1).
(c) Plan. For: the Buddha taught that the way to end suffering is the Noble Eightfold Path, which can be followed anywhere; meditation needs only a quiet mind; some Buddhists keep a shrine at home. Against: a vihara gives a teacher, a group, scriptures and a community, which help people keep practising; festivals and retreats happen there; the Sangha need somewhere to live and teach. Divergent view: some Buddhists stress the value of monasteries and temples, while others stress practice in everyday life. Conclusion: a building is helpful, but the teachings show that practice is about the mind, so I agree that it is not essential, although most Buddhists would find it very useful.
In the 4-mark question, give each feature a developed point: name it, then say what it is for. In the 6-mark question, every point needs a "because".