Key Idea: Taoism, Jainism and the Baha'i Faith make up Section C of paper 1, and one question must be answered from it. They are the three traditions candidates prepare least and the questions are no harder — a small amount of precise knowledge goes a long way here.
Tested as
- The same shape as every paper 1 question: extract, 3 marks, then 6
- Key concepts: the Tao and wu wei; ahimsa; progressive revelation
- Application of a concept to the extract
Watch for
- Translating wu wei as doing nothing
- Treating Jain ahimsa as identical to Hindu or Buddhist non-violence
- Saying Baha'is believe all religions are the same
Use
- The Tao Te Ching's own statement that the Tao cannot be named
- Jain diet and occupation as evidence of ahimsa's scope
- Manifestations of God as the Baha'i term
| Tradition | Central idea | What it rules out | Evidence to cite |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taoism | The Tao — the way, the pattern underlying everything | Forcing; elaborate intervention | Wu wei; water; the uncarved block |
| Jainism | Ahimsa — non-violence to all living things | Harm in thought and speech as well as action | Vegetarianism; care over root vegetables; occupation |
| Baha'i Faith | Progressive revelation through Manifestations of God | That the religions contradict each other | Equality of women and men; universal education; harmony of science and religion |
Wu wei is not inaction. It is action without forcing — working with the grain of a situation. Jain ahimsa is wider in scope than the non-violence of the other Indian traditions: all living things, and thought and speech as well as act. Baha'is do not hold all religions to be the same. They hold them to be successive stages of one revelation, so the differences are explained rather than dissolved.
Explain how the Taoist idea of the Tao shapes Taoist advice about how to live.
🔒 Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
Explain why the Baha'i teaching of progressive revelation matters for Baha'i attitudes to other religions.
🔒 Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
What does wu wei mean? Non-action, or action without forcing: acting with the grain of a situation rather than imposing on it. It is not idleness.
How wide is Jain ahimsa? It applies to all living things, not human beings alone, and to thought and speech as well as to action — which is why it shapes Jain diet, ascetic care and traditional occupation.
What are Manifestations of God? The figures through whom Baha'is hold God has made himself known — Abraham, Moses, the Buddha, Jesus, the Prophet Muhammad and Baha'u'llah — each bringing teaching suited to its time.
Name three Baha'i social teachings. The equality of women and men, the elimination of prejudice, universal education — and the harmony of science and religion is a fourth.
Exam tips
- Section C is where a little precision pays most. Three terms per tradition is enough.
- Correct the standard misreading in your answer — wu wei, ahimsa's scope, or progressive revelation.
- Give one concrete practice as evidence. Jain root vegetables, Taoist water, Baha'i education.
- Do not rank the traditions. The command terms ask you to explain, never to evaluate a religion.