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Knocking on Buddha's Door

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KNOCKING ON BUDDHA'S DOOR: A Journey into the Cultural Context of Tibetan Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhist Art as a Spiritual Journey Towards Compassion By Veda Mata Bachelor of Arts, 1996 A Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of Requirements for the Degree in MASTER OF EDUCATION In the Area of Curriculum and Instruction Department of Curriculum and Instruction © Veda Mata, 2009 University of Victoria ABSTRACT Within the field of Curriculum Vision, educators are presently engaged in a conversation about Spiritual Education. Due to the multicultural/multi-religious aspects of today's social demographics and pluralistic backgrounds of students, it is required that dialogue and curriculum avoid religious content. Also, multiculturalism is tending to adopt themes of exclusion rather than inclusion, contrary to the nature of its original envisioning. Consequently, spiritual education is bound within this potentially volatile discussion, implicating spiritual with religious. The tendency is to sidestep spiritual curriculum altogether. There is, however, a need to address the growing problematic arising within schools and society as a whole. Values of peace, interconnectedness, community, justice, equality, and freedom (values inherent in our national constitution) need to be reinstated in classrooms in ways that can be understood and received within a diverse cultural context. As a concerned educator and parent, it has been my intention to investigate one particular aspect of my spiritual journey, Tibetan Buddhism, within its cultural context to evaluate whether the foundational premises of Buddhism could be transposed into the framework of spiritual curriculum in a generic way, that would be appealing rather than offensive. The value of art as a means of self expression and meaning making offers education an avenue through which this could be accomplished. This project offers insight into another culture and an innovative perspective to the field of spiritual education, pointing towards a curriculum that embraces a Pedagogy of Happiness. i OFFERING STATEMENT I would like to offer this paper to the Three Jewels: the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. Until I attain enlightenment, I will work for the happiness and well being of all sentient beings. I do this in support of the great work of the Dalai Lama who has stated: I believe that every human being has an innate desire for happiness and does not want to suffer. I also believe that the very purpose of life is to experience this happiness. I believe that each of us has the same potential to develop inner peace and thereby achieve happiness and joy. Whether we are rich or poor, educated or uneducated, black or white, from the East or the West, our potential is equal. (2001, p.5) I would also like to dedicate this paper to my first Enlightened master and teacher, Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (Amma), an embodiment of the Divine Mother, who said in an address to the United Nations General Assembly: If we look back through history, we can see that all conflicts originate from conflict within the individual. And what is the source of this inner conflict? It is the lack of awareness of our true nature, the one living power within us, of which we are all a part. The role of spirituality, true religion, is to awaken this awareness and to help us develop such qualities as love, empathy, tolerance, patience and humility . If world peace is to become a reality, peace and harmony first have to fill the heart of every individual. Love for humanity has to be awakened within us. Love and unity are not alien to human nature – they are our most fundamental instincts, the very foundation of our existence. (2004, pp. 22-23) ii TABLE OF CONTENTS PART I: PROJECT CHAPTER ONE . .1 Introduction Project Focus and Intention Cultural Location Personal Location Curriculum Vision Cross-cultural Pedagogy Spiritual Pedagogy Tibetan Buddhism and Pedagogy Art Education as Spiritual Curriculum The Mandala as Spiritual Art Spirituality and the Spiritual Journey CHAPTER TWO . .19 Research Methods and Inquiry Self Knowledge and the Nature of Truth Lived Experience and Phenomenology Narrative Inquiry Buddhism Buddhist Doctrine Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhist Cosmology and Iconography The Pantheon of Deities Tibetan Art CHAPTER THREE . .45 Vedamata's Narrative Spiritual Origins Pre-journey – Entering the Way of the Bodhisattva The Red Chenrezig Teaching and the Practice of Compassion iii PART II: JOURNEY CHAPTER FOUR . 54 Map of the Journey The Journey Nepal Mount Everest – Statement of Intention India Bodh Gaya Varanasi Sarnath Dharamsala Clement Town – Mindroling Monastery Nepal Boudhanath, Kathmandu The Autonomous Region of Tibet Overland Tour Lhatse Shigatse Gyantse Nyetang – The Great Buddha Lhasa CHAPTER FIVE . 107 Homeward China Chengdu Beijing India McLeod Ganj Clement Town – Mindroling Monastery – Final Blessings iv PART III: REFLECTIONS CHAPTER SIX . .123 Post Journey Reflections on Learning The Narrative The Journey into Tibetan Culture Lost Children Spirituality and the Tibetan Buddhist Journey Sacred Space – Shrines, Altars and Art The Red Chenrezig Practice Stating Intention as a Ritual Act The Power of Blessings Mandala Practice as an Agent of Change Mandala Art Project. .137-138 CHAPTER SEVEN . 147 Buddhist Methodology in Education Buddhism – Education and Curriculum Vision A Science of the Mind Four Thoughts that Turn the Mind Mindfulness and Meditation Buddhism and Adult Learning Art Education in the Classroom CHAPTER EIGHT . 161 Conclusion A Personal Reflection APPENDIX . .166 Chart of Tibetan Buddhist Iconography The Eight Auspicious Symbols Glossary REFERENCES . .176 v RED CHENREZIG (Postcard image, photographer unknown) vi PART I: PROJECT CHAPTER ONE Introduction Project Focus and Intention This project addresses an important aspect of my personal spiritual inquiry and reflects commitment to understanding and furthering myself towards the ‘true nature of the mind’ and altruistic intention of compassion. The paper represents one segment of my spiritual journey – a pilgrimage into the cultural landscape of Tibetan Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhist Art, depicting its co-relation to an ongoing process of self-education and adult learning that I have established for myself. It introduces new information into the conversation of holistic, peace, and spiritual education that is presently taking place in the field of pedagogy. The project and paper also address the need to contextualize cross- cultural curriculum to enhance understanding and support learning, particularly in the area of spirituality and art. The endeavor is a qualitative study based on phenomenological methodology through narrative inquiry. It is represented in a descriptive manner to best adhere to the nature of both the research and the researcher, rendering the representation authentic. It has taken the form of a travelogue, in part, to establish the ‘journey’ within a personal context. It reflects and establishes the relationship of the ‘pilgrim’ to the experience through the praxis/ point of contact between the outside world and the subjective mind. This 1 research has been a ‘real life’ experience and is represented as such. As the traveler, upon entering the journey, it was necessary to set aside preconditioned notions of identity and reality to the best of my ability in order to adopt an open, receptive stance within the walk and not project limitations on my view of the experience, the ideas and people encountered. Within the course of this paper, I propose to (a) establish the relevance of spiritual inquiry through the spiritual journey, (b) introduce content of Tibetan Buddhism and its sacred art, (c) authentically represent (as much as possible) the cultural context of Tibetan Buddhism and its art in relation to the present predicament of the Tibetan people and their culture, (d) establish the relationship and relevance of my spiritual quest to that of Buddha and Tibetan Buddhist reality, and (e) show an actual experience of interfacing the Western1 European-Anglo subjective reality with that of an Eastern Tibetan Buddhist one. I hope to establish, through my conclusions, a direct relationship between the material/secular North American predicament existing within the cultural and pedagogical landscapes and the incorporation of Buddhist ideology – a relationship offering possibilities of revision and evolution. Also, I would like to substantiate the relevance of art education and artistic practice to the development, expression, and representation of the spiritual reality as a viable addition to education curriculum2. 1 Within the context of this paper, Western refers to European /Anglo/Christian derivation. 2 In ancient times, addressing the aspect of spirit and spirituality was included in educational discourse. It has only been since the Renaissance that education has become secular, devoid of any spiritual context. 2 Cultural Location My intention journeying into the heartland of Tibetan Buddhism by visiting its culture and land of origin on various travels in 2005 through 2008 was to support my learning and better understand the Tibetan Buddhist teachings that I had been involved in since the late 1980's, particularly the foundational teaching of compassion. I wanted to know how this travel would affect my learning and attitude towards the Tibetan Buddhist teachings and Tibetan art. Would the experience support and anchor me in my spiritual process and if so, how? Would I experience change or transformation? Would
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