1.
Objectives
1.1 To teach about the
Buddha
To
introduce students to the life story of the Buddha in such a
way that they will be inspired to feel they can rely on his
teachings and follow his example.
1.2 To teach the Dharma
To
help students realise that the Dharma is truly unique, a precious
gift to us, conducive to personal and collective peace and happiness.
To inspire students to want to find out more about the Dharma,
with a motivation of genuine interest rather than for ulterior
motives such as material gain or praise.
To
awaken, encourage or nourish in students a love of peace and
truth for their own sake and a desire to live in a better world,
free from suffering, now and in the future.
1.3 To teach about the
Sangha (the monastic community)
To
help students understand the significance and role of the Sangha
and to give them a basic knowledge of the monastic tradition,
so deepening their insight into Buddhism.
1.4 To teach the history
and culture of Buddhism
To
enable students to put Buddhism into its historical context
and give them some familiarity with the cultural practices of
Buddhism.
2.
Teaching Units
The
course material, at both primary and secondary level, has been
organised into a syllabus and divided into teaching units. This
approach has been designed to enable the teacher work systematically
through the material. On the other hand the teacher could choose
to select items from the course material, using it as a resource
kit.
2.1 Primary level - eight units
Buddhist Studies for Primary Students (age 8 to 12 years) contains
introductory material. The text is also suitable for children
older than 12 years, if they are new to Buddhism.
Each
of the eight units is structured around a lesson sheet which
includes some or all of the following:
-
Material
which introduces students to the basic teachings, culture
and symbols of Buddhism.
-
Links
to an Illustrated Biography of the Buddha, with each page
including a line drawing (suitable for colouring in) and
text; a hard copy A4 size Colouring-in book version of this
biography is also available.
-
Dialogues
based on the Story of the Buddha which can be use as readings
or class plays.
-
Links
to selected teaching stories from the Jataka Tales (stories
of the past lives of the Buddha), which can be read in class
and discussed.
-
Links
to a course of seven Guided Meditations for the Classroom,
with instructions for the teacher.
-
Web multimedia (Flash) multiple-choice questionnaires based
on the material in each unit.
-
An
Activity Box at the end, with links to practical work material,
such as gifts to create, audio files (MP3) of Buddhist songs
and word puzzles.
2.2 Secondary level - eight
units
Buddhist
Studies for Secondary Students (age 12 to 18 years) contains
the fundamental teachings of Buddhism and expands on the material
covered in Buddhist Studies for Primary Students. All teachers
are encouraged to select material from these units for additional
Dharma instruction of younger children.
Each
of the eight units is structured around a lesson sheet which
includes some or all of the following:
-
Teachings on: the origins and history of Buddhism; principle
Buddhist concepts; ethics and morality; women and Buddhism,
family and society; the nature of humanity and suffering;
devotional practices.
-
The study of sacred writings and stories.
-
Links
to the Life of the Buddha, sixty-four stories with linked
exercises.
-
Links
to Buddhist teaching stories from the Jataka Tales (stories
of the past lives of the Buddha).
-
Systematic
instruction in Insight meditation and Loving-kindness meditation.
-
Discussions
of contemporary issues: the Buddhist approach to the contemporary
world.
-
Online
research projects where the students are encouraged to research
a Buddhist topic on the Internet.
-
Web multimedia (Flash) multiple-choice questionnaires
based on the material in each unit.
-
An
Activity Box at the end, with links to additional material
and text books which expand on the core material.
3.
Teaching Method
Essentially
the teaching method should be similar to that of the Buddha,
who taught gradually. It should be the same for older and younger
children; however for younger children one should use simpler
words, simpler contemplations and examples that they can relate
to. The units are designed to teach students about the Triple
Gem (Buddha, Dharma and Sangha), by including material on the
life story of the Buddha, his fundamental teachings (Dharma)
and the history of the Buddhist tradition. All the materials
needed for teaching are either within the teaching unit lesson
sheets, or connected to them by active links.
4.
Classes
4.1 Class structure
Essentially,
give no lectures; rather, guide the children to teach themselves.
Below is a suggested class structure. For a more detailed description
of the class components see below.
-
Five minutes silence / Loving-kindness meditation / Mindfulness
of Breathing to calm the mind.
-
Brief introduction: give aims of the lesson.
-
Reading or review of texts assigned for the lesson / viewing
a video.
-
Discussion of the lesson material. This should be an honest
evaluation based on personal experience and observations.
Children should be encouraged to use their own judgment,
rather than other people's ideas.
-
Additional contemplation (or meditation) practice, if time
permits. Students should be given a topic and guided by
the teacher.
-
Conclusion: summarise the main points of the lesson; review
the new concepts; help children to make personal resolutions
on what to abandon, what to cultivate or improve.
-
Brief instructions for the next week's lesson.
4.2 Class components
Lesson
sheets (one for each unit)
These sheets contain material that will be discussed or practiced
in each class. Ideally students should be advised of the content
of each lesson one week in advance. In this way:
-
Each class will be more effective, as students will already
be familiar with the text or topic before the class
-
There will be a continuum from one class to another without
long breaks, and students will more easily be able to
incorporate what they have learnt in their Buddhist classes
into their daily life
-
The method will be similar to that used in other subjects.
Students will develop good study habits and the discipline
of preparing for classes and reviewing what they have
learnt.
Discussions
Each discussion should be simple, focusing on one subject/phenomenon
and using simple examples from students' daily lives. To support
the discussions, teachers should utilise suttas from the Book
of Protection (See below, 5.3, Discourses from the Buddhist
scriptures).
Contemplations
(reflective thinking or meditations)
These are given in the units of study: the primary level has
a "Guided Meditations for the Classroom", with instructions
for the teacher; while the secondary level has "The Meditation
Class", which gives systematic instruction on Insight
and Loving-kindness meditation.
After the meditation students should reflect on their meditation
experience (e.g. reflect on the effects of meditation on the
mind).
5.
Materials
5.1 General texts
-
Illustrated Story of the Buddha
- an adaptation of A Pictorial Biography of Sakyamuni
Buddha by Gunapayuta, J. Hai, Z.A. Lu and Y. F. Lee.
Edited for Electronic Publication by Buddha Dharma Education
Association, Sydney, Australia.
- Life
of the Buddha: Parts 1 & 2 - by Rev. Siridhamma,
first published by the Buddhist Missionary Society. Edited
for Electronic Publication by Buddha Dharma Education
Association, Sydney, Australia.
- The
Buddha and his Disciples - by Ven. S. Dhammika, published
by the Buddha Dhamma Mandala Society, Singapore.
- Guided
Meditation in the Classroom - seven guided meditations,
with instruction for teachers. Buddha Dharma Education
Association, Sydney, Australia.
- Buddhist
Pilgrimage (PDF document) - by Chan Khoon San, Subang
Jaya Buddhist Association.
- Textbooks
by Buddhist Education Foundation (UK) (PDF document)
Web site: www.buddhisteducation.co.uk
Buddhism Key Stage 1: A Textbook on Buddhism for children
aged between 5-7.
Buddhism Key Stage 2: A Textbook on Buddhism for children
aged between 7-11.
5.2
Reference texts
Although
there are many texts of varying length and depth on Buddhism,
to gain a deeper understanding of Buddhism all teachers
are encouraged to study the following short but comprehensive
texts:
A
selection of Mahayana texts and more advanced Theravada
texts are available from BuddhaNet's web site. The texts
mentioned above, and many more, are available as PDF documents
in BuddhaNet's eBook Library.
5.3
Discourses from the Buddhist scriptures
Selected
discourses from the Book of Protection
(Venerable Piyadassi, 1981) are recommended to supplement
the lesson material. This text was originally intended for
beginners, but at present it is the most well known Buddhist
text in Sri Lanka. It contains 10 precepts and a collection
of 24 discourses taken from the Nikayas and compiled by
the Maha Theras of Sri Lanka.
The
discourses selected from the Book of Protection are beginner
level discourses and appropriate for older children under
the guidance of teachers. Even if students don't fully understand
them, these discourses will give the children insight into
Buddhist scriptures.
The
First Discourse, Analysis of the Truths and Discourse on
Loving-kindness are fundamental. The Jewels Discourse and
Banner Protection will help students to understand the qualities
of the Buddha and his students. The Blessings Discourse
will also help them to understand good qualities to develop.
Mahayana
discourses such as the Lotus and Heart Sutras are too advanced
for children. The Heart Sutra was not intended for beginners.
Hence we feel that the simpler Theravada texts are much
more suitable as an introduction to Buddhist scriptures,
as at the introductory level the main purpose of the scripture
study is to support the core teachings — the life story
of the Buddha and the Four Noble Truths. At this level it
is not appropriate to present students with a set of discourses
representative of both traditions irrespective of their
ability to understand them.
Hence
Mahayana discourses are not included in the core Buddhist
studies for young students. However, Mahayana texts and
more advanced Theravada texts are suitable as electives
for those students who show deeper interest in the Dharma,
and these can be chosen and discussed during the free lessons
as teachers feel appropriate.
5.4 Resources for teaching
Buddhist History and Culture
While
this material is designed for secondary students it could
be used for primary students as well, with the assistance
of the teacher.
The Buddhist World
[ link
to contents page ]
An Encyclopaedic Tour of the Buddhist World.
- The
monastic community.
-
The four holy sites.
- Buddhist
pilgrimage.
- Schools
of Buddhism.
-
Profiles of Theravada and Mahayana countries.
- The
spread of Buddhism.
Buddhist history and culture
[ link
to contents page ]
These
links lead to a variety of useful resources provided by
BuddhaNet.
-
Timelines
of Buddhist history: chronological events in the
evolution of Buddhism.
-
The
geographical spread of Buddhism in Asia: a chart
showing the spread of Buddhism in Asia.
-
An
explanation of the schools and lineages of Buddhism.
-
Brief
biographical details of major Buddhist figures,
historical and contemporary.
-
Early
disciples of the Buddha: pen portraits of some of
the eminent disciples of the Buddha.
-
Deities
and Bodhisattvas: popular Chinese deities.
-
Buddhist
Art & Architecture: Buddha image, temples, stupas,
mandalas, Tibetan art, tangkas, etc.
-
Major
Buddhist sites: information on the significant historical
and pilgrimage sites.
-
Scriptures:
the Tripitaka [Sanskrit], or Tipitaka [Pali], the
three baskets of teachings, is the canon of Buddhists,
both in the Theravada and the Mahayana traditions.
-
Frequently
asked questions (FAQs) on Buddhist culture.
-
Festivals
and Ceremonies: Buddhist devotional practices.
-
Buddhist
symbols / iconography.
-
Statistics
on the numbers of adherents in the major branches
of Buddhism.
-
A
glossary of Buddhist technical terms and Dharma
Data, a Buddhist dictionary.
-
Selected
book list: a reading list to facilitate study in
particular areas of Buddhist history.
5.5
Multimedia
- Buddhist
Studies for Schools CD-ROM (3nd edition)
This CD-ROM (PC and Mac) is produced by BuddhaNet.
It consists of web pages (html files) which be used
on an Intranet system. It contains the 8-unit Buddhist
Studies for Primary Students, the 8-unit Buddhist
Studies for Secondary Students and all the supporting
material needed to use these units.
Print-quality PDF files of most of the content are
also provided on the CD-ROM. All of the material,
including any updates, is also available in the Buddhist
Study section of the BuddhaNet web site. Teachers,
students and schools are welcome to copy this material,
but are asked not to substantially alter it without
permission.
- Buddhism
on the Internet
This CD-ROM (PC and Mac), is a multimedia interface
to the BuddhaNet web site. It contains over sixty
PDF documents or e-Books on general Buddhism, meditation
and the Buddhist scriptures.
- The
Illustrated Dhammapada
CD-ROM -
with Audio in Pali and English.
-
Meditation:
Insight and Loving-Kindness CD-ROMs
Two Audio CDs with instruction and guided meditations;
a Video tape (with a booklet) demonstrating the
postures in sitting, and detail instruction in walking
meditation, by Ven. Pannyavaro.
»
The above titles can be ordered
from the Buddha Dharma Education Association, Sydney
Australia.
5.6
Web sites
