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TEACHER’S G UIDE
Follow-up Discussion __________________________
• Discuss the influences that play a major role in Buddhism. H ow does
Buddhism relate to Hinduism?
• Compare and contrast the fi ve Buddhist precepts with the Ten
Commandments.
• C o m p a re and contrast re i n c a rnation in both We s t e rn and Eastern theological thought.
TEACHER’S GUI DE
TEACHER’S G UIDE
• www.thebuddhistsociety.org/resources/index.html
The Buddhist Society provides information about the principles of the
major Buddhist schools and traditions.
• www.dalailama.com/
Learn about the Dalai Lama’s personal beliefs, teachings and daily routines
through this informative site from the Office of His Holiness the Dalai
Lama.
• Describe how other re l i gions like Christianity, Islam and Judaism deal
with the issue of fairness in life. How do the Buddhists? Is there such a
thing as fairness in reality?
• www.tibetanculture.org/culture_traditions/religion/buddhism.htm
The Conservancy for Tibetan Art & Culture showcases a wide variety of
Tibetan art and traditions as well as basic information on the practice and
customs of Buddhism.
• Buddhism is often criticized in the West as a nihilistic re l i gion.
Nothingness, emptiness and the end of the personal soul in oblivion are
its goals. Discuss how this view is practiced.
Suggested Print Resources________________________
• Reflecting on the story of Buddha’s death, why do you think he ate the
food, knowing it was poisoned?
• Can anyone be a true Buddhist regardless of their religious background?
• Buddhism has its largest fo l l owing in Asia. Do students think that it
could grow to be one of the major religions in the United States? Why or
why not?
• Ganeri,Anita. Buddhism. Barrons Educational Series, Inc., Hauppauge, NY;
2006.
• Metcalf, Franz. Buddha in Your Backpack: Everyday Buddhism for Teens.
Seastone/Ulysses Press, Berkeley, CA; 2002.
• Worth, Rich a rd . Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gya t s o ). Chelsea House Publ i s h e rs,
Philadelphia, PA; 2004.
Follow-up Activities ____________________________
• Have students research and develop a chart that displays the major sects
of Buddhism and their similarities and differences.
• Have students research Zen and determine how it fits into varied human
activities such as being a warrior, athlete, artist or monk.
Grades 9 & up
TEACHER’S GUIDE CONSULTANT
• As a ve h i cle to ex p l o re the theological questions re g a rding human
n a t u re as good, evil or neither, o rganize a cl a s s room debate. Fi rst, h ave
one group of students re s e a rch karma and another group re s e a rch fre e
will. Then, have them create and present arguments for each philosophy
on human nature.
• Have students create their own mantras that are refl e c t i ve of their ow n
backgrounds and have special meaning for them. Place them on decorative posters.
Paul J. Sanborn
Assistant Professor of Intelligence, American Military University
Historian, Freedoms Foundation
• AFRICAN AND AFRICANAMERICAN RELIGIONS
• ANCIENT RELIGIONS OF
THE MEDITERRANEAN
• BUDDHISM
• CONFUCIANISM & TAOISM
• HINDUISM
• ISLAM
• JUDAISM
• NATIVE AMERICAN SPIRITUALITY
• ORTHODOX AND ROMAN
CATHOLIC CHRISTIANITY
• PROTESTANT CHRISTIANITY
• RELIGIONS OF SMALL SOCIETIES
• SHINTO
• SKEPTICISM & RELIGIOUS
RELATIVISM
Teacher’s Guides Included
and Available Online at:
800-843-3620
Internet Resources ____________________________
(Continued)
5
12/05
Teacher’s Guide ©2000, Schlessinger Media, a division of Library Video Company
P.O. Box 580,Wynnewood, PA 19096 800-843-3620
Program Series © 1998 Religions of the World, LLC
under license from Liberty International Entertainment,
Inc. Produced and directed by Greenstar Television
All Rights Reserved
he study of world religion is the examination of
the specific beliefs, customs and traditions of a
particular re l i gion as well as its impact on wo r l d
c u l t u re and history. The Religions of the Wo rl d video
series and its accompanying Te a ch e r ’s Guides are
designed to supplement World Cultures and History
curriculum. These teaching aids are meant to invite
cl a s s room study and dialogue and ch a l l e n ge students
to make connections between the past and the
p re s e n t . Questions and insights are like ly to deve l o p
and will reveal striking similarities and vast differences
among the wo r l d ’s major religions as well as the
unique perspective of its many individual cultures.
T
TITLES IN THIS SERIES
• Present the students with some Buddhist riddles, or ko a n s , and have
them solve them and react to them. Then, have students study and write
their own koans.
• www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhism/
This site, sponsored by the Buddha Dharma Education Association and
BuddhaNet, provides a wealth of resources from e-books to general
information about Buddhism.
BUDDHISM
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V7701
Historical Overview ______________________________
Buddhism is a religion with millions of fo l l owe rs who seek spiritual enlightenment. It is an ancient tradition that began in northeast India and dates back
to 560 B.C.E. when it was founded by Siddhartha Gautama, who later became
known as the Buddha or “Enlightened One.” His teachings of Dharma and the
Four Noble Truths are the essence of Buddhism. O ver the centuries,
Buddhism has been embraced by many Asian cultures — from the Mahayana
Buddhists of China and Ko rea to the Dalai Lama and the Buddhists of Ti b e t
and today, has a growing We s t e rn fo l l ow i n g . Buddhism teaches pacifism and
nonviolence, philosophies that have shaped the destinies where Buddhism
has predominated and has made it an enduring and influential world religion.
Time Line ______________________________________
560 B.C.E. — Birth of Siddhartha Gautama in northeast India, the founder of
the Buddhist faith.
200 B.C.E.–100 C.E. — Mahayana Buddhism develops as a major Buddhist
sect and spreads from India to China, Ko re a , Japan and southeast Asia. It is
believed to have been founded by Nagarjuna.
300–400 C.E. — The very influential Lotus Sutra texts are written in Sanskrit
and later translated into Chinese.
Four Noble Truths — Achieved through meditation, these are the four main
tenants of Buddhism: (1) life brings suffe ring; (2) the desire for pleasure ,
p ower and immortality are the roots of suffering; (3) suffe ring ceases when
desiring ends; and (4) desire ends via the Noble Eightfold Path of right views,
intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, awareness and concentration.
Sangha — The original monastic community established by the Buddha after
he achieved enlightenment. Today, it is a term for any Buddhist monastery.
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Mendicant — A holy man who travels and teaches while relying on the generosity of others for clothing, shelter and food.
Bodhisattva — An enlightened human being in the Mahayanist sect who
spreads insights to help others and refuses to enter Nirvana until eve ryo n e
has done so.
Lama — Tibetan for high priest.
Buddha — Means “Enlightened One” or “Awa ke n e d .”This title is gi ven to
Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism.
Theravada — Primarily practiced in southeast Asia,Theravada Buddhism is a
more conserva t i ve interpretation of Buddha’s teachings than Mahaya n a
Buddhism.
Dharma — The ort h o d ox belief of Buddhism which must be known in
order to be enlightened. It is the sublime religious truth.
Dhammapada — Summary account of Buddha’s teachings on meditation
and moral issues in the Theravadic scriptures.
Ascetic — A person, who, for re l i gious reasons, practices rigo rous selfdiscipline by leading a life of meditation and self-denial.
Tantric — The sect of Buddhism that focuses on yoga with ritual chants to
discipline the mind and body to go beyond desires to achieve enlightenment.
Bodhi Tree — Siddhartha Gautama meditated under this tree for seven days
until he achieved enlightenment and became the Buddha.
Mantra — In Sanskrit, the “ s a c red uttera n c e ,” w h i ch is a sound or group of
sounds used to focus the mind in meditation on the inner realities.
Nirvana — The ultimate state of freedom from the cycle of birth and rebirth
by achieving selflessness through the understanding that all reality is one.
Bardo Thodol — The Tibetan Buddhist Book of the Dead.
2
Focus Questions ______________________________
3
Zen — From the Sanskrit wo rd “Dhya n a ,” meaning meditation. That sect of
Buddhism mainly found in Japan where meditation is used to achieve enlightenment.
c1250 C.E. — Eisai, a Japanese Buddhist monk, brings the Ch’an Buddhist tradition from China to Japan, where it becomes the foundation of the Samu ra i
tradition and Zen Buddhism.
Samsara — The cycle of birth and re b i rth based upon one’s karma; also
known as reincarnation or transmigration of souls.
(Continued)
• Start a discussion and generate a list of familiar Buddhist words, symbols
and ideas found in current events or recent films about the Dalai Lama.
Koans — Riddles used by some Zen pra c t i t i o n e rs to help students bre a k
through their perceptions into the true reality in an act of sudden enlightenment.
Selflessness — Ach i eved through Buddhist meditation, it allows people to
serve others and concentrate on the true perception of re a l i t y, an understanding that there are no boundaries between one’s self and the reality of
the universe.
c1222–1282 C.E. — The Japanese monk Nicherin promotes Buddhist reform
based on the Lotus Sutra.
Vocabulary ______________________________________
• Using a map, point out and discuss the areas of the world where
Buddhism predominates.
1. What do accounts say about the origins and early life of the founder of
Buddhism?
2. What happened to Siddhartha Gautama when he was twenty-nine years
old, and why was it significant to Buddhism?
3. What truth did Siddhartha Gautama learn from his meditation and
ascetic practice?
4. Why does Buddhism follow the Middle Way and what does that mean?
5. What is the key mood of Buddhist enlightenment?
6. What is the significance of the Deer Park Sermon?
7. What are Buddha’s Four Noble Truths?
8. What are the precepts of the Noble Eightfold Path?
9. Have the students discuss the nature of reality. What do they think it is?
What pro blems do we have with defining the true nature of what
is real?
10. What is karma?
11. What is the connection between karma and reincarnation?
12. What is the primary goal of Buddhist meditation?
13. How does meditation play a beneficial and essential role in Buddhism?
14. What does Zen Buddhism suggest is the difference between becoming
a good person and becoming a human being?
15. What does nirvana mean?
16. What are the four Great Unlimitables?
17. What is the cause of suffering in Buddhist thought? How can suffering
be eliminated?
18. What does the Lotus flower symbolize and suggest about the spirit of
Buddhism in the Mahayanist sect?
19. What does the story of Buddha’s death say about his ultimate beliefs
and his integrity of spirit?
20. H ow do the Theravada Buddhists differ from the Mahayana Buddhists
in belief?
21. Who is the Dalai Lama and how is he chosen?
22. How did Buddhism become important to Japanese culture?
23. What is Zen Buddhism? What is its primary goal?
24. What does the Zen goal of emptiness contribute to attaining
enlightenment?
Karma — The cosmic principle of cause and effect, which rewards human
goodness and punishes human evil through the tra n s m i gration of souls into
better or lesser situations of rebirth.
Mahayana — A major sect of Buddhism founded by Nagarjuna and means
the great or universal path of salva t i o n . It used a new body of scriptures
called Sutras (Lotus, Heart and Diamond). Open to all, one can ach i eve
enlightenment at any stage in the cycle of birth and rebirth.
c550 C.E. — Buddhism arrives in Japan.
P re-viewing Discussion ________________________
Zazen — The Zen sitting form of meditation.