This SAC (Structured Academic Controversy) comes from my podcast friend, Greg Soden. It asks students to read the Buddha's Sermon at Benares and then argue whether the first noble truth is pessimistic or optimisitc. Here is a link to the Sermon.
Intro to the Buddha/ Pear-deck
Here is a link, only visible in the FCPS drive, to a peardeck. Here is a link to the pdf
UWorld history for us All has a great group of lessons for Buddhism. They include primary soures for the four sites the Buddha saw when he left his place. Each source has at least one question for students to answer. The pdf also inlcudes isntructions for making aa personal mandala.
Creating a Personal Mandala
“Mandala” is Sanskrit for circle, polygon, community, and connection. The Mandala is an ideal model of the universe; a symbol of a man or a woman in the world. Mandalas often include geometric shapes and iconography but may also include representations of human beings, bodhisattvas, Buddhas, wrathful deities, and protector deities. In the Tibetan tradition Mandalas are designed to support a meditating person. Mandalas attract a person to awaken joy and help them imagine Nirvana.
In the attached document, you will find a description of the various parts of the Mandala. This is followed by instructions on how students can create their own mandala. They will need to develop an idea and draw it carefully on a sheet of white paper—using a compass and ruler!
I got the directions for this project from another religion teacher.
In the attached document, you will find a description of the various parts of the Mandala. This is followed by instructions on how students can create their own mandala. They will need to develop an idea and draw it carefully on a sheet of white paper—using a compass and ruler!
I got the directions for this project from another religion teacher.
What do Buddhist Believe/ Great intro from Step Back History
BODHISATTVA EXHIBIT AT METROPOLITAN MUSEUM, MARCH 27, 2021–OCTOBER 16, 2022
The Met has a pretty good online overview with views of the objects that can be enlarged.
Here is an essay about Bodhisattva Maitreya from Khan Academy, and Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara.
And the video below comes from Smarthistory. They explain how to view images of the Buddha, why he often has a smile, what he's doing with his hands, etc.
Hoping to come up with a class assignment using the online exhibit.
Here is an essay about Bodhisattva Maitreya from Khan Academy, and Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara.
And the video below comes from Smarthistory. They explain how to view images of the Buddha, why he often has a smile, what he's doing with his hands, etc.
Hoping to come up with a class assignment using the online exhibit.
INTRODUCTION TO THE RAMAYANA
Buddhism & its Artistic Expression
Google arts and culture has a terrific slide show "showcasing masterpieces of Buddhist Art from different parts of Indian sub-continent."
The Indian Museum, Kolkata, organized the exhibition. I may give students the link and have them create a foldable with the name of each piece and a short summary.
The Indian Museum, Kolkata, organized the exhibition. I may give students the link and have them create a foldable with the name of each piece and a short summary.
SECRETS OF THE STUPA
Jakarta tales
Haven't I Seen You Somewhere Before? Samsara and Karma in the Jataka Tales. This tale, called, Four on a log, is available here. The lessonplan comes from Edsitement.
- Ask students to read the story Four on a Log,. Divide students into small groups, and ask them to make a list of the characters in the story. They should write three characteristics describing each character next to the character’s name. Ask each group to contemplate the following questions:
- Who are the good and bad characters, and how are they identified?
- Does the status (as a good or bad character) of any of the characters change over the course of the story?
- What precipitates those changes?
- Introduce the concepts of karma and samsara. Ask students to identify these elements in the story. Karma and samsara are an interrelated cycle, and this story exemplifies the way in which one’s place in that cycle can move forward or slip backwards according to their behavior. Ask each group to identify where each character is in the cycle at the beginning of the story, in the middle and at the end of the story. Ask students to note:
- Whose position improved over the course of the story, and why?
- Whose position was lowered over the course of the story, and why?
Tibetan & Zen Buddhism
Here is a powerpoint that I use to introduce Tibetan Buddhism and Zen Buddhism. It includes links to short clips. For example there is a clip on Buddhism monks making a mandala from the Asia Society and a Cham dance that I found on Vimeo.
Here is a link to notes guide I made.
The Dalai Lama Explained
Here is a short clip about the last Dalai Lama from Andrew Mark Henry (Religion for Breakfast.)
How the Prince became the
Buddha
Here's a ten minute clip from the San Francisco Asian Art museum.
Land of the disappearing Buddha
Buddhist Parables
READING: THE MAGIC CITY (from Harvard Divinity)
This parable comes from the Lotus Sutra, an important Buddhist scripture.
Here, however, students will try to learn something about themselves by inferring from a Buddhist scripture.
Discussion questions follow the reading.
This parable comes from the Lotus Sutra, an important Buddhist scripture.
Here, however, students will try to learn something about themselves by inferring from a Buddhist scripture.
Discussion questions follow the reading.
What are Koans
Scripture as Quality of Personal Living
(Source: Harvard Divinity) "The following videos are testimonies of some Buddhists to the changes brought to their lives by chanting the Lotus Sutra, and especially by chanting just the title of this Buddhist scripture; they refer quite often to nam myoho renge kyo , which is a phrase in praise of the Lotus Sutra, using its title.
These videos were prepared by SGI (Soka Gakkai International), a modern Buddhist movement which originated in Japan in the twentieth century and has spread worldwide. It is a movement whose practices focus on chanting the Lotus Sutra. In its ideas and its practices, SGI is hardly representative of Buddhism as a whole, and as such, yet another reminder for us of the internal diversity of the Buddhist world."
Here is one of the videos. You can find discussion questions and analysis here.
These videos were prepared by SGI (Soka Gakkai International), a modern Buddhist movement which originated in Japan in the twentieth century and has spread worldwide. It is a movement whose practices focus on chanting the Lotus Sutra. In its ideas and its practices, SGI is hardly representative of Buddhism as a whole, and as such, yet another reminder for us of the internal diversity of the Buddhist world."
Here is one of the videos. You can find discussion questions and analysis here.
Buddhism comes to America
Here's an interesting web-quest that outlines how Buddhism first came to America. It includes the role of Henry Steel Olcott and the Theosophy Society, Soyen Shaku and the Parliament of World Religions, and Dwight Goddard and the Buddhist Bible.
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How the Budha Got his Face
Here is the link to an excellent essay from the New York Times about the spread of Buddhism, good for both religion student and AP World students.
"His image is so commonplace that you could believe it must always have existed — yet for six centuries after his death, he was never once depicted in human form."
The Story of the Buddha/ British Museum
The British Museum has an excellent site about the Buddha. You can read the story of the Buddha based on the museum stone reliefs.
You can also explore The Great Stupa at Amaravati and play a game matching Buddhist symbols but you will adobe shockwave to play.
You can also explore The Great Stupa at Amaravati and play a game matching Buddhist symbols but you will adobe shockwave to play.
Buddhism for Beginners
Here are a series of Workbooks from an online course about Buddhism. Each is about 10 pages aand might be good as a stuendt handout. They come fromt the Buddhist schaolar, John Dunne. Here are the titles and dropbox links.
Buddhism in Myanmar
Here's an excellent New York Times story about the persecution of the Rohingya in bouth Myanmar and Sri Lanka.
Buddhism Documentaries
- The Science of the Mind from National Geographic is a 50 minute documentary in which host, Wade Davis, travels to Nepal. Davis meets Trulshik Rinpoche, who was one of the main teachers of the Dalai Lama. He also meets up with Matthieu Ricard, who comes to help with the translations, and ends up as one of Davis’ best guides to the tradition.
- Seven Wonders of the Buddhist World from BBC. In this fascinating documentary, Bettany Hughes travels to the seven wonders of the Buddhist world and offers a unique insight into one of the most ancient belief systems still practiced today.
- Japan: The Way of Zen Buddhism: Pierre Brouwers has travelled the length and breadth of Honshu – the largest of the islands forming Japan – to provide an in-depth discovery of the “land of the rising sun”.
- Little Buddha, "Bernardo Bertolucci's "Little Buddha" tells the story of a young Seattle boy who may, or may not, be the reincarnation of a venerated Buddhist teacher."
- Ten Questions for the Dalai Lama, terrific documentary in which "filmmaker Rick Ray poses philosophical questions to the Dalai Lama while visiting his East Indian monastery." You can stream it from Netflix. Here questions students can answer as they watch.