November 2009 Archives

"I think I am a reflection, like the moon, on water. When you see me, and I try to be a good man, see yourself " - Tenzin Gyatso (Dalai Lama) 

REMINDERS: We will take the Buddhism multiple choice quiz on Thursday. You can again bring 75 words of notes if that helps you organize the foreign terms, etc.

Tibetan Buddhism

Defining terms: King Songstan, Atisha, yana, Vajrayana, lama, Tantra, upaya, mantra, mudras, mandalas

Modern Tibet: The "Land of the Snows"- The Communist government of China overran Tibet in 1949-1951, beginning decades of hostile occupancy. In 1959, the unsuccessful Tibetan National Uprising occurred. The Dalai Lama and his government fled into exile in India, where they remain yet today.

Questions for Investigation: Use the Internet resources below, and feel free to look around elsewhere as well.

• What has been China's policy toward Buddhism in Tibet?
• What have been Amnesty International's chief human rights concerns in Tibet?
• What has been American policy on the issue of Tibet? What should it be?

• What role has the Dalai Lama played in international relations and human rights?
• Who is the Karmapa?
• Who is the Panchen Lama? What has happened to the Panchen Lama at the hands of China's government?
  
  

• Dreams of Tibet - PBS documentary
  
  

• Understanding Tibetan Buddhism
  

• Tibetan Government in Exile's Official Web Site
• The United States: Reassessing Tibet Policy
• A Lesson in Compassion from a Tortured Monk
• The Gere Foundation: Yes, it's THAT Richard Gere... The "Tibet Tragedy" slide show is interesting.
• Free Tibet's Panchen Lama

HOMEWORK for tomorrow - Tuesday, December 1st

Continue reading in the Buddhism chapter of Huston Smith's The World's Religions.

The Buddhism Blog Entry should be made by Wednesday, December 2nd.

The Buddhism Multiple Choice quiz will take place on Thursday, December 3rd. The Buddhism Short Essay questions are posted, and they will be due on Wednesday, December 9th.

"To grasp Zen, you must experience it. ...
You should withdraw inwardly
and search for the ground upon which you stand;
thereby you will find out what Truth is. "- Ummon

REMINDERS: Your Hinduism short essay responses are officially past due if I do not have them. They'll be penalized ten % per class period beginning next Monday.

I posted the Buddhism blog entry and that should be taken care of by Wednesday, December 2nd.

THERAVADA and MAHAYANA BUDDHISM

We can review anything that has you puzzled or confused from the time you spent last class period on the two major forms of Buddhism.

Defining terms: Asoka, Mahayana, Theravada (Hinayana), arhat, boddhisattva, Sangha

ZEN BUDDHISM

Ideally, you should making good progress in the Buddhism chapter in Huston Smith's The World's Religions by next Monday. The pages that contain today's information on Zen Buddhism are 128 through 139. The reading schedule actually has you finishing the chapter early next week. If you're not there yet, please keep going.

We'll start with showing you the Buddhism excerpt from Huston Smith's Wisdom of Faith series... It shares his personal experience with Zen Buddhism. I think it is a good starting point.

Basics of Zen Buddhism:

Defining terms: Zen, ch'an, "Flower Sermon", Bodhidharma, zazen, koan, kensho, sanzen, satori

* zazen- "seated meditation"
* koan- problems or questions designed to agitate the mind
* sanzen- interplay between master and student
* kensho- "True Thusness"- bursts of enlightenment
* satori- enlightenment, unity of all existence

Frequently Asked Questions from alt.zen is a nice, basic introduction to Zen. Several basic questions are asked and answered.

ZenGuide claims to be the "Ultimate On-Line Resource" on Zen Buddhism. You can browse their resources and judge for yourself...

Since Zen stresses EXPERIENCE as the only path to knowledge, today's lesson will minimize lecture and maximize experience. It is your job to give things a try and participate.

Daily Zen: You can get a daily Zen quote here. You can also access previous examples and even send someone a Zen greeting card... DO THIS: Send someone not in this class a "Zencard."

The Ten Oxherding Pictures is a classic collection of Zen art. DO THIS: View the collection of the ten pictures. See if you can figure out what the artist is trying to convey by reading the verses and studying the pictures. Who is the boy representing? What is the ox symbolizing?

Primary Zen Texts is pretty self-explanatory. You will find a number of usefulresources. DO THIS: Attempt to replicate the basics of Zen mediation by trying "How to Sit (Zazen)." It might help to try this with a partner or two who can take turns reading the instructions. DO THIS: An early Zen exercise it to simply count ten breath cycles. The trick is that you must return to 1 if any other thought enters your mind during that time. (Don't cheat. It takes most monks months to perfect this.) Try it a couple times.

The Gateless Gate is a collection of more than 30 koan. DO THIS: Browse through the collection reading at least a half dozen examples. Read and consider the commentaries provided. DO THIS: Try writing a koan of your own. Share it with the class.

HOMEWORK for Buddhism - Day #4

Continue reading in the Buddhism chapter of Huston Smith's The World's Religions.

The Buddhism Blog Entry should be made by Wednesday, December 2nd.

"Hatred does not cease by hatred but only by love;
this is the eternal rule."- Buddha

DAY #2- BASIC BELIEFS, MAHAYANA AND THERAVADA BUDDHISM

REMEMBER: Your "Measuring It - Pew Research" Independent Assignment is due today. Your Hinduism short answer "take home" exams are due tomorrow. I'll penalize late work at 10% per class period.

My plan is to do Zen Buddhism tomorrow, with Tibetan Buddhism and the film Kundun early next week.

Ideally, you would be through page 127 in the Buddhism chapter in Huston Smith's The World's Religions by the end of this week.  If not, you are a little behind at that point. Pages 119 through 127 look at the comparisons between Mahayana and Therevada Buddhism, and you'll make use of them later today.

The Eightfold Path: I asked you to take a look at this for today.

This is decent explanation of the Eightfold Path on the Web.

* Right Views
* Right Intent
* Right Speech
* Right Conduct
* Right Livelihood
* Right Effort
* Right Mindfulness
* Right Concentration

Basic Buddhist Concepts: This is a concise introduction to some of the core concepts. It is presented in a question and answer format for your convenience.

Defining terms: anatta, nirvana

* Do Buddhists believe in reincarnation?

* Do human beings survive bodily death?

* How does karma affect the lives of Buddhists?

* What is nirvana?

The Two Major Schools of Buddhism: Mahayana and Theravada

Defining terms: Asoka, Mahayana, Theravada (Hinayana), arhat, boddhisattva, Sangha

Resources to use in completing this chart: You download a copy of the chart below here. You can either print it out or complete it by computer.

You can make use of Huston Smith's The World's Religions- pages 119 through 127.

Mahayana Buddhism: This site gives you good deal of information on the Mahayana school of Buddhism.

Theravada Buddhism: Similarly, this site looks at Theravada (or Hinayana) Buddhism.

World Civilizations- Washington State University: This is described as "An Internet Classroom and Anthology." You might want to consult their sections on Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism.

HOMEWORK for Buddhism - Day #3

As mentioned above, your "Measuring It - Pew Research" Independent Assignment is due today. Your Hinduism short answer "take home" exams are due tomorrow.

"There has to be evil so that good can prove its purity above it." - Buddha

REMINDERS: We'll give you back your Hinduism Multiple Choice Exams so you can take a look at those. Overall, they went pretty well. Your Hinduism Short Essay Exams are due at the start of class on Tuesday, November 24th. You do three of those.

DAY #1 - INTRODUCTION TO BUDDHISM

You were asked to read through page 112 for today. If that didn't happen, try to get caught up ASAP.

The Life of the Buddha:

Defining terms: Siddhartha Gautama, "The Four Passing Sights," ascetic, "Great Awakening," bodhi tree, "Sermon in the Deer Park"

Lord Buddha does a nice job elaborating on the life of Buddha and retelling some of the most famous stories from his life.

If you are looking for more academic resources, you might check out what is offered in the Indian History Sourcebook. Scroll down a bit to find more links.

What is Buddhism?

Defining terms: Middle Path

Why does Buddhism break off from Hinduism in the 6th century BCE?

The Four Noble Truths:

Defining terms: dukkha, tanha

Here is an extensive, on-line summary of the Four Noble Truths.

* All life is dukkha.
* The cause of dukkha is tanha.
* Ending tanha will end dukkha.
* The way to ending tanha is through following the Eightfold Path

The Eightfold Path:

This is decent explanation of the Eightfold Path on the Web.

* Right Views
* Right Intent
* Right Speech
* Right Conduct
* Right Livelihood
* Right Effort
* Right Mindfulness
* Right Concentration

DO THIS: Pick two of the steps along the Eightfold Path. Using either the link above or the text's section beginning on page 103, prepare to explain your "steps" to the rest of the class. Use as many specifics and examples as possible.

Questions to consider:

• Is it possible to follow the Eightfold Path in modern society?
  
• Would it be desirable to more closely follow the Eightfold Path?
  
• In what ways do you follow the steps of the Eightfold Path?

DO THIS (if you want): Stories often referred to as the Jataka Tales are used to teach morals and lessons to young Buddhists. In some ways, they are very similar to Aesop's Fables. Consult this collection of the Jataka Tales. If you are ambitious, select one of them, read it, learn it, and be prepared to retell the story for the class. (You can decide how far you want to go in terms of characterization, voices, etc.)

HOMEWORK for Buddhism - Day #2

According to the reading schedule, you should be through page 127 in Huston Smith's The World's Religions by the time we come together on today. Since the reading is kind of front-loaded in this chapter, we'll save the articles for a couple days.

Your second Independent Assignment ("Measuring It" - Pew Research) should be posted by class time on Monday, November 23rd.

Your Hinduism Short Essay Exams are due at the start of class on Tuedday, November 24th. You do three of the questions.

Today can be pretty much whatever you want/need it to be. We got through all of the "new" material on Hinduism, but I'm happy to do as much reviewing as people feel would be useful.

Later in the block, we take the Hinduism Multiple Choice Quiz. It will be 25 questions. (Remember, you can bring in a sheet with up to 75 words of notes.) We can start that quiz anytime at/after 9 AM as people feel ready. (I don't want to start before that time, as that might curtail review and a quick discussion of your Smith blog postings on Hinduism.

"Bright but hidden,
the Self dwells in the heart.
Everything that moves,
breathes, opens, and closes,
lives in the Self.
He is the source of love
And may be known through love
but not through thought.
He is the goal of life.
Attain this goal!
- Upanishads

Mohandas Gandhi- "Mahatma"

Sati- ancient tradition of immolation of the widow upon her husband's funeral pyre. NOTE: This is not an exclusively Hindu practice. It might be more accurate to think of it through its association with rural India, rather than solely as a religious phenomenon.

Sati: Virtuous Woman Through Self-Sacrifice looks at the controversy surrounding this practice. In particular, consider the case study of Roop Kanwar. DO THIS: Try to understand both sides of the debate over the practice of sati. Be prepared to comment upon the role this ritual played, or may continue to play, in segments of Hindu society.

HOMEWORK for Hinduism - Day #6

We'll do some review/wrapping up on Day #6, but we'll also take the Hinduism Multiple Choice Quiz. It will be 25 questions. (If you'd like, you can bring in a sheet with up to 75 words of notes. That might help you with foreign words, etc.)

Your Hinduism Blog Entry is also due tomorrow before the start of class time.

Your second Independent Assignment ("Measuring It - Pew Research") is due on Monday, November 23rd.

Your Hinduism Short Essay Exams are due by the start of class on Tuesday,November 24th. You can find the questions on the page to the right side of the blog.

In religion all other countries are paupers;
India is the only millionaire.
- Mark Twain

We will divide into four groups. Two will do some research and reading on Sikhism, and two will do the same with Jainism. We will present and discuss your findings.

DO THIS: Two of the four groups will investigate each religious faith that branches off from Hinduism: Jainism or Sikhism. (Buddhism, which also has its roots in Hindu tradition, will get more thorough coverage beginning soon.) You will probably have a little more than a half-hour to consult the web pages and sources provided.

Your job is to develop a "top ten" list of things you believe it is important for someone wanting an introduction to the faith to know. Notice that you are "required" to include certain items for each of the faiths. Some portion of your group will present the list to the rest of the class.

You might consider answering questions like these: Obviously, they are not all applicable to both of the faiths.

* When and how was the faith founded?
* Who was the founder of the faith?
* What other religions, if any, were "blended" with this faith?
* What values or beliefs are central to the religion?
* What symbols or rituals are associated with the religion?
* Where are adherents to the faith most heavily concentrated today?
* About how many people adhere to the faith?

Jainism:

Required terms and concepts: Mahavira, ahimsa, "Three Jewels"

Suggested Web Resources: Consult texts/books provided as well.

General Facts About Jainism: Pretty much what it sounds like.

Jain Students Group at University of Michigan: This has good links to a number of useful resources.

About.com: Jainism: There are good links to a number of Jain resources here. This is a very user-friendly site.

Sikhism:

Required terms and concepts: Guru Nanak, Punjab, "Five K's", Golden Temple

Suggested Web Resources: Consult texts/books provided as well.

About.com: Sikhism: There are good links to a number of Sikh resources here. This is a very user-friendly site.

The Sikhism Home Page: This site contains a number of useful links and graphics on the basics of the faith.

The SikhNetwork: This Sikh-maintained site links to many useful resources.

History of the Sikhs: The title pretty much says it all on this one.

HOMEWORK for next session: Hinduism - Day #5

You should have completed reading the Hinduism chapter in Huston Smith's The World's Religions. Blog Entry #2 - Hinduism is due by the start of class on Thursday, November 19th.

Your second Independent Assignment (Measuring It - Pew Research) will be due on Monday, November 23rd.

The Hinduism Essay Questions will be due on Tuesday, November 24th.

We'll take a quick look at a couple of additional aspects of Hinduism, and we'll wrap it up with an excerpt from a series done by Bill Moyers and Huston Smith...

Here's an article about Lakshmi, the young girl whose "extra" limbs were removed two years ago in an operation.

Sacred Literature of Hinduism- As I mentioned, even attempting to read a small section of Hinduism's sacred literature might occupy a lifetime. Rather than attempting to be at all comprehensive, we'll highlight some of the more important works below.

Vedas - These are the oldest and most sacred of the Hindu scriptures, the "breath of the eternal." They were long known only in oral form, and they deal predominantly with ritual.

Divided into four samhitas (collections):

• Rig-Veda - composed 2300 to 1200 BCE? - hymns of praise to the gods
• Yajur-veda - largely about sacrifices to the gods
• Sama-veda - chants for worship
• Atharva-veda - healing, "magic" spells

Upanishads - "sitting down beside" - composed orally between 800 - 400 BCE, written down much later. They focus on two broad types of thought:

• What is the essence of the human self?
• What is the essence of the ultimate reality?

Mahabharata - considered the longest epic in the world, tells the story of a war between two Bharata tribes. This includes the full text of the Bhagavad-Gita , which is perhaps the most widely read of the Hindu sacred literature. It tells the story of the warrior Arjuna and his interaction with Krishna, one of the avatars of Vishnu. (Here are some interesting visual images from an edition of the Gita. Scroll down past the gurus and swamis and click on the images...)

Ramayana - This epic tells the story or Rama and his wife, Sita. Each represents an ideal model for Hindu life, and it is later revealed that each is a manifestation of the divine (Vishnu and Lakshmi).

The Laws of Manu - These were compiled somewhere between 200 BCE and 200 CE, and they serve as a sort of "guide" to ancient Hindu life. They offer rules and guidelines for caste, gender responsibilities, and many similar topics.

DO THIS: Browse a number of the links above to get a feeling for the various types of literature. Please bookmark or clip at least three quotations or other points of interest to share with classmates.

The Hindu Concept of Time - I've got a couple of visual representations of the reckoning of time according to the Hindu world view. While we are well into the "final" portion of this cycle of the universe, you can see that we don't exactly need to start panicking...

Questions to consider:

• According to each passage, how did creation happen?
• Based on these accounts, what general conclusions can be drawn about each religion's view on the role and meaning of human life?
• How are the views of creation in the passages similar? How are they different? Do they imply different views of the purpose and role of humans in the universe?
  
  

Sacred Literature links: We'll obviously do more with the sacred literature of specific faiths. Here are a couple of more general links that we didn't get to last time.

You might also want to take a look at World Scripture: A Comparative Anthology of Sacred Texts. Pick a couple issues and see what various works of sacred literature have to say on the subjects.

Others of you might be more interested in this. It is a site comprised of texts from various faiths.

If you are interested in comparing various "editions" of a work of sacred literature, in this case the Christian Bible, try this site.

• "Holy Missteps"
• "The Muslim Stereotype"
• "University Installs Footbaths to Benefit Muslims, and Not Everyone is Pleased"
• "It's a Simple Scarf, but Its Meaning is Much More Than Faith"
• "6 Imams Removed From Flight for Behavior Deemed Suspicious"
• "The Separation of Church and Job"

• What is a stereotype? What are the various types of stereotypes?
• Why do we stereotype?
• Is stereotyping always a bad thing?
• How do we best manage our tendency to stereotype?

• What is prejudice?
• Why does prejudice exist? Is it inevitable?
• What are the five levels of prejudice?

Tao Te Ching:
The Tao Te Ching is the sacred literature of Taoism. There are different speculations about it authorship, yet it is the second most widely translated "book" in the world, following only the Bible. The Tao Te Ching is composed of 81 very short "chapters" or verses. There are a series of them. Spend perhaps ten minutes passing them around and reading/ discussing them. Try to come up with any generalizations or insights that you can regarding the work and its meaning.

Check this site for more information on the Tao Te Ching. Compare several of the translations and consider the issues raised by different translations.

Creation Stories:
You will next look at some examples of creation stories for various religions. One of the purposes of sacred literature is to explain notions of "origin" and creation. Take a packet and work in a group of two or three students. Each group should select four stories and the Judeo-Christian story found in Genesis 1 and 2. Read the selections and jot down answers to the following questions. Your group should be prepared to show evidence of this work tomorrow.

* According to each passage, how did creation happen?

* Based on these accounts, what general conclusions can be drawn about each religion's view on the role and meaning of human life?

* How are the views of creation in the passages similar? How are they different? Do they imply different views of the purpose and role of humans in the universe?

If you have time remaining today, take a look at World Scripture: A Comparative Anthology of Sacred Texts. Pick a couple issues and see what various works of sacred literature have to say on the subjects.

Others of you might be more interested in this. It is a site comprised of texts from various faiths.

If you are interested in comparing various "editions" of a work of sacred literature, in this case the Christian Bible, try this site.

• Is religion a less powerful force today than it has been in the past? If so, why do you think it has declined in importance? If not, why has it remained strong? Be specific.
  
  
• On balance, is religion more a force of unity or division in today's world? Why?
  
  
• Do you think religion will ever become obsolete? Could human society and culture exist in a world without religion? Why or why not?

We can use the blog to hold "conversations" about reading in Huston Smith's The World's Religions. We'll certainly talk about some of the readings in class, but this gives you another chance to share your ideas.

Here's how we'll do this. Periodically, I'll post several questions by the time a given chapter or section is "due" to have been read. Each of you will be expected to post a comment before the beginning of the class on the day listed. You may respond to one or more of the questions, and you can also react to comments posted by others. I'll expect a comment of one good paragraph or more. (To me, that means 5-6 sentences at a minimum.) You do not need to worry about perfect grammar, spelling and punctuation, but they should be understandable. Remember that this is a public site, and you are responsible for the content of your postings.

Assume that each comment is worth 5 points. (5 points for solid or better comments, 4 for comments somewhat short of expectations, 3 or fewer for last-minute, little to no effort postings, and no points for those who have not posted.)

So, let's get started... By the end of this first unit, you are supposed to have read the Foreward, Preface and Chapter 1, "Point of Departure." You should post a response of at least one good paragraph to one or more of these questions. (You can also react to other posts.) ALL POSTS SHOULD BE MADE BEFORE CLASS STARTS ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10th.  (Of course, you are welcome to do it earlier...)

1. You get a number of clues regarding Smith's personal approach toward religion in these pages. (This is in contrast to his academic approach to the topic.) What do you think of his own outlook and the ways that he has incorporated religion into his own life?

2. Beginning on page 2, Smith describes four things that he says this book "is not." Do you agree or disagree with the author's decision to consciously avoid doing these things? Why or why not?

3. Beginning on page 3, Smith describes three things that he says this book "is." Which of the three do you think is/will be most important to you as a reader of the book over the semester? Why?

• "Form, Function and Controversy"
• "Dark Meat"
• "Use of Wiccan Symbol on Veteran's Headstones is Approved"
• "Muslim's Seek Nike's Apology"
• "Dispute Over Creche Pulls Down Tree and Menorah, Too"

Homework for Day #4 - Introduction to Religion

Please read the articles from the packet that are assigned for Day #4.  Our focus will be on the roles ritual and ritual behavior play in our lives and in religion in particular.

I've posted a blog entry for the initial chapter in Huston Smith's The World's Religions. They'll always be on separate blog postings, and the specific due date will be listed there.

Welcome to the class. This is probably my favorite class to teach. 18 years ago, I had three sections of a course called "Religion in Human Culture" on my teaching schedule during my first year at Eagan HS. I was scared to death, mostly because I knew relatively little about Christianity, and even less about any other faith. The more I prepared, the more interested I got. Each year, I learn a lot from the students in the class, and there are always additional facets to explore. I think you'll enjoy it.

Several things on the agenda for today:

• First, we'll do a couple introductory activities to make sure I remember all of you and to give you an overview of the course and important policies. The book we'll use in this course is Huston Smith's The World Religions: Our Great Wisdom Traditions. We'll make pretty extensive use of it, particularly following our introductory unit.
• Next, we'll do a "pre-test" to see where you are in your knowledge of world religions. No, it doesn't count.
• Finally, we'll start doing some thinking together about the idea and meaning of religion.
  
  

What is religion? We will try and derive a working definition of religion as a group. We'll refer to that most academic of sources, People magazine, for some help here...

What are the functions of religion? - Again, let's derive a list by brainstorming.

Why should we study religion(s)? - One more list to finish things off...

HOMEWORK for Day #2 - Introduction to Religion

Please read the articles from your packet as listed in the unit reading guide. We'll discuss them at the beginning of our next session.  (You'll also be expected to read the Foreword, Preface and Chapter 1, "Point of Departure," from Smith's The World's Religions during the course of this unit.)

We'll explain the process for making blog entries and other assignments at our next meeting.