hij Teacher Resource Bank GCE Religious Studies Unit 3G: World Religions 1:- Buddhism - Hindusim - Sikhism Schemes of Work Copyright © 2008 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved. The Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (AQA) is a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (company number 3644723) and a registered charity (registered charity number 1073334). Registered address: AQA, Devas Street, Manchester M15 6EX. Dr Michael Cresswell, Director General. Teacher Resource Bank / GCE Religious Studies / Scheme of Work Unit 3G: World Religions 1: Buddhism / Version 1.0 A2 Unit 3G World Religions 1 Buddhism 1. Themes in Mahayana Buddhism Topic Outline Teaching approach, including differentiation Additional notes Themes in Mahayana Students could complete an introduction on Mahayana This approach to delivering the Specification follows the Buddhism Buddhism by compiling a chart on the spread of Buddhism via a order of topics within the Specification; this is not a map, (possibly three – incorporating the three areas of Buddhist requirement of teachers. development). A flow chart showing the spread of the different Buddhist schools and how they all relate back to Theravada The detail in the previous column gives ideas as to a would be a useful addition too. breakdown of the Specification. Students need to engage with the material through a variety of techniques and styles A more simple ‘teacher-created’ chart with gaps on for the less in each and every aspect. These could include able to complete with the different ‘streams’ of Buddhism may presentations, devising board games, PowerPoint serve as an alternative. displays, role play, mix and match exercises, and games based on TV shows such as Who wants to be a The more able could do some extension work by focusing on the millionaire, Family Fortunes, Countdown and Blockbusters, first two councils of Buddhism and what was agreed there at etc. A basis for games in AS Level could be found in the Rajagraha and Vesali respectively, along with some further series Skills Challenge by Terence Copley and extension work on something on the spread of Buddhism with Adrian Brown. Spider diagrams and mind maps are useful Asoka. How was Asoka ‘good’ for Buddhism? In what ways ways of engaging the less able in the study of these topics, was Asoka ‘bad’ for the spread of Buddhism? but may also stimulate all to get involved in discussion but particularly the less able. For each of these areas of the Specification past paper questions from the legacy Specification will be a useful teaching tool as well as the appropriate specimen questions found to accompany this Specification. Similarities between A recap on the teachings of the Buddha from the AS unit will Theravada and Mahayana show much of what is shared between these two schools and Buddhism suffice. klm Copyright © 2008 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved. 1 Teacher Resource Bank / GCE Religious Studies / Scheme of Work Unit 3G: World Religions 1: Buddhism / Version 1.0 A2 Unit 3G World Religions 1 Buddhism 1. Themes in Mahayana Buddhism Topic Outline Teaching approach, including differentiation Additional notes Differences between Some work on the main causes of the rise of Mahayana might be a good lead in perhaps through Theravada and PowerPoint presentations and /or group work. Issues to include might range from: the rigidity of the Mahayana Buddhism Theravada School in the eyes of many, to Hindu gods and bhakti influences to the seeds of Mahayana being there in Theravada anyway. (N.B. The more able might address this latter point.) This area of the Specification could be explored as a major piece of work as there is plenty to work on. Students at the very least should consider the following: • How the Buddha is viewed • Bodhisattva and arhat ideals • The Trikaya doctrine • Teachings on samsara and nirvana • The way of devotion and faith vs. the way of discipline – equal emphasis in the Mahayana school on compassion and wisdom. There are some less essential, nevertheless worthy, areas such as monastic and lay views, the main areas of the world in which the two schools are mostly practised and the writings that are important in Mahayana schools but are not part of Theravada scriptures. The more able could start to explore the fully worked out doctrines of the Madhyamaka and Yogacara school in how they go further in their philosophical treatment of reality and Buddha nature. The concept of the An explanation of the paramitas might be teacher-led. The significance of there being six earthly Further reading for the bodhisattva paramitas and four heavenly ones. more able could be page 204 from Developmental work could be along the lines of setting presentation work in pairs on different bodhisattvas Mahayana Buddhism which includes the need to explain each of the bodhisattva’s qualities to their peers and provide an by Paul Williams information sheet. A puppet show on the story of each bodhisattva may be a fun thing to inject into the lesson with this topic! 2 Copyright © 2008 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved. klm Teacher Resource Bank / GCE Religious Studies / Scheme of Work Unit 3G: World Religions 1: Buddhism / Version 1.0 A2 Unit 3G World Religions 1 Buddhism 1. Themes in Mahayana Buddhism Topic Outline Teaching approach, including differentiation Additional notes Skill in means, other The bodhisattva path could be a diagram done as a diagonal line on the board and then the perfections power and transfer of added onto the line with what each means and its popular forms, e.g. Stage 1. Dana (giving) the joyful merit stage and Stage 2. Sila (morality) the stainless stage, etc. Pure Land Buddhism Chinese Buddhism was dominated by two particular trends: 1. Popular Devotion, and 2. Inner Mystical A number of power Experience. point slides developed by the Principal It would be useful to do some work on the history of Buddhism in China in the form of a flow chart to see Examiner for World which schools developed where and a time line too. Religions 2 are available on request The Popular Devotion School or Pure Land (sometimes called Amida Buddhism) was founded by Hui-Yuan from AQA. These in the latter part of the 4th century CE. Students could research what it is like and why it was initially focus on a variety of popular and report back to the rest of the class if it was smaller group work. themes in Buddhism. The other school of Ch’an or the Inner Mystical School could be researched along the lines of the previous M.R. Thompson in his school, again finding out and reporting on what its main beliefs were and why it was initially popular. book Buddhist Teaching and Practice Concentration on Pure Land based on the premise that enlightenment is possible for all and as a school has a starting point for sets out to make it accessible to all classes and levels of people would be a good basis for some paired basic information on work with mix and match-up tasks on its main beliefs and main practices. For the less able, some of the Chinese Buddhism. beliefs and practices could form part of a template that they have to fill in correctly to assess whether it is a belief or a practice. Images of Sukhavati (the Pure Land heaven) would be relevant here as class work. klm Copyright © 2008 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved. 3 Teacher Resource Bank / GCE Religious Studies / Scheme of Work Unit 3G: World Religions 1: Buddhism / Version 1.0 A2 Unit 3G World Religions 1 Buddhism 2. Aspects of Buddhist philosophy Topic Outline Teaching approach, including differentiation Additional notes Tibetan Wheel of Life Recap from work previously done on the AS unit on the Tibetan Wheel of Life with a commentary. Prajnaparamita Students could fill some detail around a picture of the wheel and consider / research each of the sections. This would cover akusala in the middle symbolised by the pig, the cockerel and the snake, followed by good and bad karma on the next ring, then the six realms a Buddhist believes they can be reborn into, followed by paticcasamuppada or the 12 Nidanas which are the links / factors which tie Buddhists to samsara. For the less able (and maybe others) www.buddhanet.net/wheel2.htm has an interactive Wheel of Life. Madhayamaka Madhayamaka philosophy was founded by the Indian scholar Nagarjuna in around the first century CE. A School of Buddhism biographical focus could be completed by the students. It literally means ‘the middle way’ and is a nice way of linking back to the AS unit, if studied previously. The belief that there should be a middle way between the extreme views of believing that things really exist and believing that nothing exists at all is at the heart of Madhyamaka and worthy of a formal class debate, particularly if candidates are studying Philosophy of Religion as their other option. The more able could do some research work on Shunyata (emptiness) and the Heart Sutra. 4 Copyright © 2008 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved. klm Teacher Resource Bank / GCE Religious Studies / Scheme of Work Unit 3G: World Religions 1: Buddhism / Version 1.0 A2 Unit 3G World Religions 1 Buddhism 3. Meditation Topic Outline Teaching approach, including differentiation Additional notes Aims of meditation A list of aims and purposes of Buddhist meditation would be a good start. Students could brainstorm their A stilling meditation ideas. What is the ultimate aim? Why would Buddhists wish to ‘still the mind’? Can you really encounter a exercise could be a higher reality or truth? The more able students could consider some of the by-products of meditation such whole class activity.