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Buddhism: a Tale of the Dalai Lama a Teacher’S Resource Guide

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1 Buddhism: A Tale of the Dalai Lama A Teacher’s Resource Guide Content Area Relevance: World History, World Religions Grade Level: Grades K-5 Duration: 4, 60-minute class periods Content Standards: See Appendix C below Authors: Shruthi Nagarajan, Cassidy Charles, and Arjun Kaul Email: [email protected] Driving Question ● How does learning about different religions help us develop our cultural awareness, and increase our understanding of global complexities? Learning Objectives: - Students will be able to identify and locate Tibet on a map. - Students will be able to identify Buddhism as a religion and list at least two or three teachings of Buddhism. - Students will learn about the Dalai Lama and core aspects of his teachings. - Students will learn about the spread of Buddhism to East Asia and the U.S. Quick Facts: - Buddhism began in India after Prince Siddhartha Gautama freed himself from the cycle of desire and suffering over 2500 years ago - The religion is based on the Buddha’s teachings of the Four Noble Truths and The Eightfold Path which allow us to reach Nirvana and end suffering - The three main tiers of the Eightfold Path are Wisdom, Morality, and Meditation - The three main sects of Buddhism are Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana Buddhism which each spread to different regions of Asia - Tibetan Buddhism follows a mix of Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism - The Dalai Lama is essential to Tibetan Buddhism as the head monk of the religion and a crucial part in Tibetan politics 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Background Information………………………..……………………….……3-4 2. Teacher Guidance…………………………………………………………… 5-9 a. Learning Activities 3. Appendix …………………………………………………………………...10-12 a. Appendix A: Resources for Students and Teachers b. Appendix B: Content Standards 3 Background Information Buddhism is an ancient religion based on the teachings of the Buddha. The term Buddha means “Awakened One” and was given to Prince Siddhartha Gautama after freeing himself from the cycle of desire and suffering over 2500 years ago. Buddhism began in India and then spread to central and southeastern Asia, China, Korea, and Japan. The Religion’s main beliefs are shaped around the Buddha’s teachings, known as the Four Noble Truths. The First Noble Truth is that life is made up of pain and suffering. We see this through pain, disease, frustration, and fear. The Second Noble Truth says that the cause for this suffering is craving the need to control things or desires. Examples include the desire to be wealthy or desiring to not be angry. The Third Noble Truth is that there is an end to suffering. By letting go of our desires and learning to live in the moment, then we can live free and happy on our way to reaching a state of Nirvana. The Fourth Noble Truth says that following the Eightfold Path is necessary to ending suffering. The Noble Eightfold Path outlines how followers should live their lives if they hope to free themselves of suffering similarly to how the Buddha did. The Path focuses on being mindful of your actions and thoughts. Also, the Buddha says that we should not live our lives with too much or too little, but instead should live in the middle with a balance. The Path to Nirvana follows the development of Wisdom, Morality, and Meditation. Right Understanding, Right Thought, and Right Speech fit under the category of Wisdom. The branch of Morality covers Right Action, Right Livelihood, and Right Effort. The tier of Meditation focuses on Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration. Through these three categories, the Eightfold Path teaches us to live the right way to reach Nirvana. Buddhism began in India and then spread throughout Asia in countries like Thailand, China, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, and Tibet. There are many different types of Buddhism because the religion blends with the country’s cultures and customs. Theravada Buddhism is the oldest division and is found in countries like Burma, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Laos, and parts of Indonesia, Vietnam, and Malaysia. Mahayana Buddhism is another major sect, and it is found in China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. Vajrayana Buddhism is found in Nepal, Mongolia, Tibet, and Bhutan. Tibet’s history with Buddhism dates back to the 7th century under king Songsten Gampo when his marriages led to the introduction of Buddhist scriptures and statues. The teachings started to merge with local culture and in the 10th century, Lamaism, Tibetan Buddhism was founded and spread to other regions. Tibetan Buddhism focuses on Yoga and is categorized under the Mahayana sect but also incorporates the symbolic ritual practices of the Vajrayana sect. The religion also uses features of the local native Tibetan Bon religion in its Buddhist practices. Tibetan Buddhism stands out because of its influences by symbolism from the Vajrayana sect and Bon religions, as well as relying on ritual postures, sacred speech, and sacred art. 4 Tibetan Buddhism is also special through its position of the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama, meaning Ocean of Wisdom, is the head monk of the religion and has been responsible for governing Tibet until 1959. Tibetan Buddhists believe that the Dalai Lama is the god of compassion who comes to Earth to help people. Tibetan Buddhism believes in reincarnation, which is the idea that after death, a person’s soul is born again into a new body. Thus, each Dalai Lama is a reincarnation of a past lama who decided to be reborn again to continue his important work, instead of moving on from the wheel of life. When a Dalai Lama dies, high-up government officials search for a boy born around the same time as the death of the Dalai Lama. The officials perform a series of tests to confirm the eligibility of the next reincarnation. The first is a dream in which one of the High Lamas may dream about some mark or location that will identify the boy. If the previous Dalai Lama was cremated, the next test is smoke where High Lamas will watch the direction of the smoke and search accordingly. The third test is Oracle Lake where High Lamas go to a holy lake, called Lhamo Lhatso, in central Tibet and watch for a sign from the lake itself. This may be either a vision or some indication of the direction in which to search. The current Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, was identified with the help of a vision from the Oracle Lake test. The vision led the officials to look in the direction of Gyatso’s village as it showed a three-story monastery with a gold and turquoise roof, and another vision of a small house with odd guttering. Once the high Lamas found Gyatso’s house, they presented him with a bell from the previous Dalai Lama to which he identified and shouted, “It’s mine, it’s mine.” Gyatso was enrolled in training and crowned at the age of 15 in 1950. As China planned to bring Tibet under its official rule, the new Dalai Lama fled from Tibet to India with thousands of followers. The Indian government allowed the Dalai Lama to form The Tibetan Government in Exile in Dharamshala in India. This allowed for the further exchange and spread of Tibetan language, culture, and religion in India. The Dalai Lama has gone on to travel to the west and promote ideas of Tibetan independence and peace. In 1989 he received the Nobel Peace Prize for maintaining a policy of non-violence with the Chinese government. References 1. Barrow, M. (2013). Buddhism Religion. Buddhism for Children. http://www.primaryhomeworkhelp.co.uk/religion/buddhism.htm 2. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (n.d.). Buddhism. Encyclopædia Britannica. https://kids.britannica.com/kids/article/Buddhism/352887 3. BBC. (n.d.). Buddhist Beliefs. BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zf8g4qt/revision/2 4. BBC. (2006). Religions - Buddhism: Dalai Lama. BBC. https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/buddhism/people/dalailama_1.shtml 5 Teacher Guidance This lesson will be effective if students already have some background information and familiarity with the Tibet region. Students do not require extensive knowledge as this lesson will be an introductory lesson. This lesson can be one part of a World Religion theme. To help your students build background knowledge, you could share the below videos and readings with them. Videos: ● Is Tibet a country? ● A day in the life of Tibetan Kids Articles: ● The Dalai Lama, BBC. ● All About Buddhism In preparation for this lesson, teachers will need to: ● Ensure students have access to a tablet or a similar device with internet access. ● Ensure students have access to learning materials in the format that suits their learning needs (hard copies or digital copies). ● Accessibility: Please ensure that captions are turned on for YouTube videos to support ESL and other students who might benefit from it. Teachers can also try to look for alternative options for learning materials to support different kinds of learners. Example: Look for software (e.x., Wideo, Kukarela, etc.) to convert an article/text into an audio file for auditory learners. Learning Activity *Note to teacher: The time breakdown is provided as a rough estimate. Please change the times to meet your classroom needs. Topic Student Activity Teacher Guidance Day 1 Students will learn the geographical location of Learning Objectives for this day: Students will be able to locate and 6 About Tibet and some basic facts about Tibet. identify Tibet on a Map. Tibet <20-30 Students will participate in activities as required. Materials: World Map, Tibet’s Map, Glossary list, all readings and Minutes> videos required, activity worksheets. Handouts: ● World Map (Handout 1) ● Tibet’s Map The teacher will begin the class by asking questions about Tibet to ● Tibet Basic Facts (Handout 2) activate students' background knowledge.
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