OCR GCSE Religious Studies J625
Christianity: Beliefs and TeachingsGroup 1
Christianity: PracticesGroup 1
Islam: Beliefs and TeachingsGroup 1
Islam: PracticesGroup 1
Judaism: Beliefs and TeachingsGroup 1
Judaism: PracticesGroup 1
Buddhism: Beliefs and TeachingsGroup 1
Buddhism: PracticesGroup 1
Hinduism: Beliefs and TeachingsGroup 1
Hinduism: PracticesGroup 1
Christianity: Relationships and FamiliesGroup 2
Christianity: The Existence of GodGroup 2
Christianity: Religion, Peace and ConflictGroup 2
Christianity: Dialogue Between Religious and Non-Religious BeliefsGroup 2
Islam: Relationships and FamiliesGroup 2
Islam: The Existence of AllahGroup 2
Islam: Religion, Peace and ConflictGroup 2
Islam: Dialogue Between Religious and Non-Religious BeliefsGroup 2
Judaism: Relationships and FamiliesGroup 2
Judaism: The Existence of G-DGroup 2
Judaism: Religion, Peace and ConflictGroup 2
Judaism: Dialogue Between Religious and Non-Religious BeliefsGroup 2
Buddhism: Relationships and FamiliesGroup 2
Buddhism: The Existence of Ultimate RealityGroup 2
Buddhism: Religion, Peace and ConflictGroup 2
Buddhism: Dialogue Between Religious and Non-Religious BeliefsGroup 2
Hinduism: Relationships and FamiliesGroup 2
Hinduism: The Existence of Ultimate Reality and DeityGroup 2
Hinduism: Religion, Peace and ConflictGroup 2
Hinduism: Dialogue Between Religious and Non-Religious BeliefsGroup 2
Buddhism: Relationships and Families
- 6 subtopics
- 18 things to know
- Component Group 2
- Component Group 2, religion, philosophy and ethics from the perspective of one of the two Group 1 religions; all four themes are studied
What Buddhism: Relationships and Families covers
Buddhism: Relationships and Families is examined in Component Group 2, religion, philosophy and ethics in the modern world from a Buddhist perspective (J625/09), if this is the perspective studied. That perspective must be one of the student's two Group 1 religions. It covers Buddhist views on the family and the Sigalovada Sutta, Buddhist attitudes to marriage and its cultural forms, Buddhist ethics of sex, the Third Precept and same-sex relationships, Buddhist views on cohabitation, celibacy, contraception and divorce, Buddhist views on the roles of men and women and Buddhist teaching on equality, caste and gender discrimination.
Where it is assessed
Component Group 2
Religion, philosophy and ethics in the modern world, a two-hour paper worth 50% of the GCSE, if this religion is the perspective studied.
Check the OCR specification ↗The 6 subtopics
Each one has its own page.
- Buddhist views on the family and the Sigalovada SuttaThe householder's Vinaya and the six directions, duties between parents and children, the purpose of family, the six paramitas at home, family as a hindrance, the Buddha leaving his wife and son, and elderly parents.Open →
- Buddhist attitudes to marriage and its cultural formsMarriage's religious status, the duties of husband and wife, fidelity, the role of monks at a wedding, Sri Lankan, Thai and Western weddings, and what Queen Mallika taught King Pasenadi.Open →
- Buddhist ethics of sex, the Third Precept and same-sex relationshipsWhat counts as sexual misconduct, traditional and modern readings, sexual desire, monastic and lay sexuality, sex before marriage, the Pali Canon and the Dalai Lama on same-sex relationships, and civil partnerships.Open →
- Buddhist views on cohabitation, celibacy, contraception and divorceObjections to living together, celibacy for monastics and for lay people for a time, forms of contraception some reject, kamma and intention, divorce as compassion, concerns about divorce, annulment, and remarriage.Open →
- Buddhist views on the roles of men and womenChanging family roles, the Soma Sutta, the differing rules for monks and nuns, Taiwanese nuns as leaders, Tenzin Palmo, freedom of choice in raising children, the ordination restriction, and the shinbyu ceremony.Open →
- Buddhist teaching on equality, caste and gender discriminationThe Buddha on caste in Sutta Nipata 3.9, equality in the sangha, karuna, B. R. Ambedkar, Queen Mallika's daughter, culture and embedded inequality, the Lotus Sutra, and Buddhist women organising for equality.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
What is marriage for Buddhists, and what is it for?
What is the Third Precept?
How do Buddhists view cohabitation?
How are the roles of men and women in Buddhist families changing?
What did the Buddha teach about caste in Sutta Nipata 3.9?
What is the Sigalovada Sutta (Digha Nikaya 31)?
How do Buddhists view the religious status of marriage?
What counts as sexual misconduct in traditional Buddhist teaching?
Why might some Buddhists disapprove of cohabitation?
What justification do Buddhists give for equal roles in the family?
How did the Buddha put equality into practice in the sangha?
Which relationships do the six directions stand for in the Sigalovada Sutta?
What are the purposes of marriage for Buddhists?
How do many modern Buddhists interpret sexual misconduct?
Why do Buddhist monks and nuns practise celibacy?
How does the Soma Sutta (Samyutta Nikaya 5.2) challenge views about women?
What justifications do Buddhists give for equality?
Take Buddhism: Relationships and Families further
The same content, four other ways.
Commonly confused
Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.
Bhikkhuni vs Mae chi
Bhikkhuni: a fully ordained Buddhist nun keeping the full monastic code. Mae chi: a Thai white-robed woman renunciant keeping eight or ten precepts without ordination.
Third Precept vs First Precept
Third Precept: refraining from sexual misconduct. First Precept: refraining from harming or killing living beings.
Garudhammas vs Patimokkha
Garudhammas: eight extra rules placing nuns under the authority of monks. Patimokkha: the full monastic code recited on observance days.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
What is the Sigalovada Sutta (Digha Nikaya 31)?
Model answer
The Sigalovada Sutta is the Buddha's teaching to a young householder, Sigala, who worshipped the six directions. The Buddha reinterpreted the directions as six relationships with mutual duties.
- 2
Which relationships do the six directions stand for in the Sigalovada Sutta?
Model answer
East stands for parents, south for teachers, and west for wife and children. North stands for friends, below for workers, and above for religious teachers.
- 3
Why is the Sigalovada Sutta called the householder's Vinaya?
Model answer
The sutta sets out a code of conduct for lay people, as the Vinaya does for monks. Buddhists treat it as a guide to ethical family life.
- 4
What duties do parents owe their children according to the Sigalovada Sutta?
Model answer
Parents should keep children from wrongdoing and encourage them to do good. Parents should train them for a trade, help them marry suitably and pass on their inheritance.
- 5
What duties do children owe their parents according to the Sigalovada Sutta?
Model answer
Children should support their parents and carry out family duties. Children should keep up family traditions and make offerings in their parents' memory after death.
- 6
What is the purpose of the family for Buddhists?
Model answer
The family is where children first learn the precepts, generosity and kindness. A loving family provides stability for spiritual practice.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
Buddhism: Relationships and Families revision questions
- What does Buddhism: Relationships and Families cover in OCR GCSE Religious Studies?
- 6 subtopics: buddhist views on the family and the sigalovada sutta, buddhist attitudes to marriage and its cultural forms, buddhist ethics of sex, the third precept and same-sex relationships, buddhist views on cohabitation, celibacy, contraception and divorce, buddhist views on the roles of men and women and buddhist teaching on equality, caste and gender discrimination. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is Buddhism: Relationships and Families organised?
- By the OCR J625 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in Buddhism: Relationships and Families, on a schedule.
Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.
Or £46 a year, about £3.83 a month. Cancel anytime.