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REMINDER: Your third Independent Assignment is due today.

These are the articles from the Buddhism reading packet that are due today:

•  "Simmering Resentments Led to Tibetan Backlash," The New York Times, March 18, 2008
• "Fed Up With Peace," The New York Times, May 18, 2008
• "An Olive Branch From the Dalai Lama," The New York Times, August 7, 2008
• "After the Games, Tibet," The New York Times, August 14, 2008

We'll continue with the film today. I'll set it so we finish before the end of the hour. (If you missed the first part, I have two copies of the film that I am happy to lend out to you.)

Kundun: This is a film of the early years of the Dalai Lama made by Martin Scorcese. If you want a little background on the film, here's one review of the work. Here's what "Rotten Tomatoes" has to say.

HOMEWORK for Buddhism - Day #6

Please read the articles for Buddhism - Day #6 from the packet.

"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion." - Dalai Lama

REMINDER: Your third Independent Assignment is due on Tuesday, October 14th. That's our next class meeting.

These are the articles from the Buddhism reading packet that are due today:

• "Dalai Lama Lite," The New York Times, September 19, 2003
• "Searching for the Dalai Lama," The New York Times, April 6, 2008
• "Young Spiritual Leader Arrives in New York, Ready to Teach and Be Taught," The New York Times, May 16, 2008
• "Lamas Seek the Holy Child, but Politics Intrude," The New York Times, October 1, 1990
• "China's Buddha Complex," The New York Times, December 3, 1995
• "Praise for Beijing by a Lama It Appointed," The New York Times, December 27, 2005

Given the number of people missing for the MPA Cultural Fair and for other conflicts, we're going to change the schedule up a bit here. Let's watch the film these next two sessions, and we'll pick up Tibetan Buddhism after that.

Kundun: This is a film of the early years of the Dalai Lama made by Martin Scorcese. If you want a little background on the film, here's one review of the work. Here's what "Rotten Tomatoes" has to say.

HOMEWORK for Buddhism - Day #5

Please read the articles for Buddhism - Day #5 from the packet.

Your third Independent Assignment is due on Tuesday, October 14th.

"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 that they are late. The Hinduism blog entry is also late as of now, but you'd still get partial credit, so submit them.

These articles from the Buddhism packet were assigned for today.

• "In Japan, Buddhism May Be Dying Out," The New York Times, July 14, 2008
• "A Very Old Zen Master and His Art of Tough Love," The New York Times, December 9, 2007
• "Joke's Not Funny? Blame It on Buddha," The New York Times, September 2, 2003
• "On the Journey That Is Buddhism, There Are Many Paths" The New York Times, April 13, 2007
• "Buddhism Nears Mainstream in U.S., Author Says," The New York Times, January 29, 2000

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

You were given resources to use in completing this chart: (Download if you need one.)

You were given some web resources on Buddhism -Day #2, and you can make use of Huston Smith's The World's Religions- pages 119 through 127.

ZEN BUDDHISM

Ideally, you should making good progress in the Buddhism chapter in Huston Smith's The World's Religions. The pages that contain today's information on Zen Buddhism are 128 through 139. The reading schedule actually has you finishing the chapter for today. 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

If you haven't already done so, please finish up the reading in the Buddhism chapter of Huston Smith's The World's Religions. I'll get the Buddhism blog entry posted soon.

Please read the articles from the Buddhism article packet assigned for Day #4.

Your third Independent Assignment is due on Tuesday, October 14th.

"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 Hinduism short answer "take home" exams are due today. I'll penalize late work at 10% per class period.

My plan is to do Zen Buddhism on Wednesday, with Tibetan Buddhism on Friday. That leaves us two days for watching Kundun.

Ideally, you would already be through page 127 in the Buddhism chapter in Huston Smith's The World's Religions. If not, you are a little behind at this 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

According to the reading schedule, you should be finishing up the Buddhism chapter in Huston Smith's The World Religions. You all have several articles from the Buddhism reading packet to look at for Wednesday.

Your third "Independent Assignment" is due a week from Tuesday, October 14th.

"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 Monday, October 6th. 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 reteling 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 Monday. Since the reading is kind of front-loaded in this chapter, we'll save the article packet until Monday.

Your Hinduism Short Essay Exams are due at the start of class on Monday, October 6th. You do three of the questions.