In the last half of the twentieth century up to the present, Buddhism has become increasingly popular in the West. What is the appeal of this religion, and why are so many people in the West looking to Buddhism to fulfill their spiritual needs? Buddhism emphasizes things to feel and do, rather than things to believe, nor does it recommend that anyone accept its teachings without experimentation. The ultimate goal of Buddhism is to end suffering, and attain absolute peace and joy. In western societies, we try to achieve happiness by acquiring material possessions, yet in the midst of wealth and abundance, suffering and unhappiness are rampant. Buddhism offers an alternative to end suffering by internal processes rather than external acquisitions.

SC1.07 - Demonstrate an understanding of the foundational importance of the life and teachings of Siddhartha Gautama in the Buddhist way of life.

PF1.04 - Examine the human search for meaning and purpose as found in the belief systems of Buddhist traditions (i.e. China, Japan, Tibet).

PF2.03 - Show reverence for the various dimensions of the sacred as found in Buddhism.

PF2.05 - Recognize the centrality of human dignity and personhood to the world's religious traditions.

PF3.01 - Articulate ways in which people search for the sacred in life.

PF3.05 - Name traditional and contemporary examples of people of faith and integrity.

CM1.07 - Demonstrate an understanding of the moral precepts found in the religions of Buddhism.

CM2.07 - Appreciate traditional and contemporary examples of moral living as found in the various religions of the world.

CM3.06 - Examine the importance of moral precepts for daily living Buddhism.

FL1.05 - State the stages of human faith development (i.e. from ego‑centric to group‑centred orientation, and eventually towards acceptance of universal principles and values).

RB3.01 - Categorize the practices and rituals of various religions (e.g., adhan, almsgiving, asceticism, atonement, anointing, covenant, sacrifice, holy days, dietary laws, vision quest);

RB3.02 - Identify the origin and significance of various practices, rituals, symbols, and festivals;

RB3.03 - Demonstrate an understanding of the role of sign and symbol in Buddhism.

RB3.04 – Demonstrate an understanding of important rituals and milestones in Buddhism.

Be sure to watch the pre-recorded seminar on Buddhism by clicking on the link below. You can follow along with the slide show presentation. Please attach the completed exit card below for assessment purposes and attach it to your unit guide.

Click here to see a pre-recorded seminar on Buddhism

Buddhism, founded in the late 6th century B.C.E. by Siddhartha Gautama (the "Buddha"), is an important religion in most of the countries of Asia. Siddhartha Gautama was the warrior son of a king and queen. According to legend, at his birth a soothsayer predicted that he might become a renouncer (withdrawing from the temporal life). To prevent this, his father provided him with many luxuries and pleasures. But, as a young man, he once went on a series of four chariot rides outside of his city where he first saw the more severe forms of human suffering: old age, illness, and death (a corpse), as well as an ascetic seer. These are known as the Four Sights.

The contrast between his life and this human suffering made him realize that all the pleasures on earth where in fact transitory, and could only mask human suffering. Leaving his wife—and new son ("Rahula"—fetter) he took on several teachers and tried severe renunciation in the forest until the point of near-starvation. Finally, realizing that this too was only adding more suffering, he ate food and sat down beneath a Boddhi tree to meditate. He came to the conclusion that the best course was the Middle Way, or a path between both extremes. He had attained Nirvana (Enlightenment), which provided both the true answers to the causes of suffering and permanent release from it.

You are required to answer all questions found throughout this unit using the Answer Recording Sheet found below. Download and save it to your Google Docs and work on your answers as you go through this page. You will need to print the questions and your answers as part of your unit submission. If you prefer to work on a hard copy, printed versions of this sheet are available at the religion counter.

Questions:

1. How is the story of Siddhartha's origins similar/different to those of other religious founders?

2. The Four Sights were shocking experiences that were necessary for Siddhartha to begin his spiritual journey towards enlightenment. What experiences have you had so far that made you learn something about yourself or the human experience?

3. What aspects of Hinduism did Siddhartha reject (see pp. 167-168 of Exploring World Religions found below)? Do you feel those aspects of Hinduism should have been rejected? What aspects of your own religion or culture do you disagree with? Explain your answer.

Return to the top of the page

The Buddha's thoughts on the nature of existence represent a radically different view of the world than the one accepted by most contemporary Canadians. Through observation and meditation, the Buddha came to a conclusion regardin gthe natural existence of things that represents one of the most important concepts in Buddhism. He believed that all things, outside of Nirvana, in the universe is subject to three characteristics:

• anicca. Everything is limited to a certain duration and, consequently, liable to disappear.

• dukkha. Everything is unsatisfactory. There is nothing that can be relied upon, there is nothing that can bring true happiness.

• anatta. Everything is deprived of a self. There is no self-inherent entity, nothing that can be controlled.

The Eight-Fold Path—often pictorially represented by an eight-spoked wheel (the Wheel of Dhamma) includes: Right Views (the Four Noble Truths), Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood/Occupation, Right Endeavor, Right Mindfulness (total concentration in activity), and Right Concentration (meditation).

TheEight-Fold Path is pervaded by the principle of the Middle Way, which characterizes the Buddha's life. The Middle Way represents a rejection of all extremes of thought, emotion, action, and lifestyle.

Questions

4. How are the Three Characteristics of Existence an important starting point on the journey of understanding the human experience? Explain your answer.

5. How do the Four Noble Truths inspire hope? Despair? Explain why you feel this way.

6. Do any of the points of the Eight-fold path to salvation compare to your our personal beliefs or practices?

Buddhism Teachings Kahoot

Return to the top of the page

Mantras

A mantra is a sequence of words or syllables that are chanted, usually repetitively, as part of Buddhist practice. An example of a mantra is om mani padme hum, which is associated with Tibetan Buddhism.

The function of a mantra is understood differently by the several schools of Buddhism, but at its most basic level, the chanting of a mantra is thought to evoke enlightenment. Sometimes mantras are used as a form of meditation

Mandalas

A mandala is a symbolic picture of the universe. It can be a painting on a wall or scroll, created in coloured sands on a table, or a visualization in the mind of a very skilled adept.

The mandala represents an imaginary palace that is contemplated during meditation. Each object in the palace has significance, representing an aspect of wisdom or reminding the meditator of a guiding principle. The mandala's purpose is to help transform ordinary minds into enlightened ones and to assist with healing.

Buddhism uses a series of symbols to convey abstract teachings that are hard for many people to grasp. They each convey their own specific meaning. See some of them below.

Question:

7. How is meditation an effective and relevant life skill for a student at Mary Ward?

8. Rank these 5 Buddhist symbols from 1 to 5, with number 1 being your favourite, and 5 being your least favourite. Explain your choices for your rankings.

Return to the top of the page

Be sure to complete the UNIT COMPLETION ASSESSMENT and consult with your teacher BEFORE you continue on to the Second Unit Task. If you prefer a paper copy of this sheet, it is also available for you at the religion counter.

Choose one of the following task ideas below to demonstrate your learning and complete this unit. It is always advisable to consult with your teacher while you work on this task to ensure you are meeting the expectations and getting the best possible mark. Be sure that all of your work is properly cited with appropriate analysis. As Mary Ward is a Self-Directed Learning system, you may also create and develop your own task in consultation with your teacher.

1. SELF DIRECT! Always recommended! Choose one topic in this unit that you were particularly interested in (i.e. Symbols, Rituals, History, Beliefs, etc . . . or a topic related to this unit that was not covered but worthy of exploring), then choose one style of presentation that you are confident with or would like to develop (i.e. written paragraph, website, documentary, video, slide presentation, art installation, podcast, etc . . . ) and consult/discuss with your teacher what the product will look like. You also have the option to make the task interdisciplinary with another course(s), and/or do a group project.

Some suggestions are listed below if it can be of any assistance to you as you self direct:

2. Write an opinion piece on what you think the spiritual and social issues (i.e. The Caste System, Dogmatic practices) were that lead to the creation of Buddhism. Consider the following: what other religions were in the area at the time of Buddhism’s creation? What religion was Siddhartha part of before he started Buddhism? What was life like in India at the time? What needed to be addressed that led to the creation of Buddhism?

OR

3. Create a design of a Buddhist Temple on Minecraft or other medium of your choice. You must be able to demonstrate your learning by incorportating the teachings of Buddhism in the architecture. Some ideas to include artistically are: The 3 Characteristics of Existence, The 3 Jewels: The Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha, The 4 Noble Truths, the 5 Precepts, The 8 fold path to salvation, etc . . . .

OR

4. Create a video or a powerpoint presentation on the benefits of meditation. You may interview people who you know regularly meditate, or conduct online research on the mental health benefits of meditation. You may use this topic as an interdisciplinary piece of work with other courses like Psychology, Film/Video, Communications Technology, or English if there is any overlap in their course material.

OR

5. Build a website (Perhaps another interdisciplinary project with Computer studies or Business) for a Buddhist Temple explaining the major beliefs, practices, symbols, and icons. It should have a home page, about us, major beliefs, practices, symbols, and contact us page. Consult with your subject teacher about your initial draft and outline before completing the website.

NOTE: All of your work must be properly cited. Work that is not cited properly will be returned to you to be redone with a stronger sense of academic integrity.

Return to the top of the page

Please see evaluation rubrics below for your task. Consult with your teacher for any clarification regarding your evaluation.

Be sure you have answered the following questions and completed the following tasks before submitting your unit to your teacher. This checklist needs to be signed by the religion counter for your unit submission to be accepted.

Return to the top of the page