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PURPOSE: TO APPLY WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED FROM THIS COURSE BY TEACHING SOMEONE ELSE.
Prompt: You are creating a resource for a high school World History course. Your audience is American high school students who have no background in the study of religion generally and no previous knowledge of Buddhism, other than what they may have seen in social media or other kinds of popular culture. Your goals are:
to pique their interest (why learn about Buddhism?)
to inform (what is Buddhism?)
to correct misconceptions and stereotypes
This will be written in the form of a lecture
For lecture: a paper of 600 words (approx.)
you must include the following:
most important concepts in Buddhism
short history of Buddhism
examples of different types of Buddhism that demonstrate the diversity within the religion
debunk a popular stereotype about Buddhism
enough specific detail that teachers with little knowledge of Buddhism can present it
full MLA citations for all your sources
Draw upon material from the course and textbook only. All sources must be cited fully in MLA format and available in our D2L course. You may use your previous writing and ideas from the first three assignments and/or discussions 2-6 if you wish, but remember that you are addressing an audience that has NOT taken this course. Attatched are discussion posts from the course and other assignments. Text book is : John Powers. The Buddhist World. Routledge; 2016.
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Anatta challenges conventional ideals of an independent self. The term
is often mis-translated to the meaning ‘no-soul’ or ‘no-self’. However, I
believe that the term anatta does not necessarily deny the existence of
an individual self. Instead, it proposes a less fixed and unchangeable
understanding of one’s own identity. Rather than suggesting that the self
is not a permanent thing, it suggests that it is an interconnected
prioccess that is dynamic in nature. Essentially, it tells us that our own
perceived idea of “self” is a compilation of ever-changing components.
For example, annata can be observed in our day to day emotions and
interactions with others. Lets say you get into an argument with a
classmate that results in you feeling an intense amount of anger.
According to the idea of annata, that fear isn’t connected or fixed to a
part of the unchanging self. This emotion that is being felt is a
combination of past experiences, current circumstances and the
interpretation of the events that happened, and not a soul that is
permanently stuck in that state. You can use this to observe the fact that
your current emotion may rise, intensify and then eventually subside.
One way to think about anatta is through the framework of the five
skandhas, which are pretty much the main components that amount to
an individual’s experience. These skandhas are the form or physical
body, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness. The
physical body undergoes constant changes, feelings arise and pass
away, perceptions are subject to others and our own interpretation,
mental formations evolve as time goes on and as we grow older and
experience new things, and consciousness is in an ever changing state,
not always at rest.
Prompt: Buddhism places a significant emphasis on the concept of personal
responsibility. The individual’s actions, intentions, and choices are seen as central to
their spiritual development and the consequences they experience. In this discussion,
please explore the role of personal responsibility in Buddhism and its implications for
daily life. Use these questions to guide your response:
● How does anatta/anatman relate to the question of individual responsibility?
● Buddhism emphasizes the notion of cause and effect in understanding the world.
How does this belief influence personal responsibility in Buddhism? Consider the
4 Noble Truths.
● In what ways can personal responsibility be applied in daily life according to
Buddhist principles? Explore specific examples of how individuals can integrate
personal responsibility into their thoughts, words, and actions.
● How were Buddha’s final words “Conditions are subject to ceaseless change,
strive onwards with care” (Batchelor) relevant to personal responsibility? (In reply
to his cousin Ananda’s question about finding a teacher and leader after
Buddha’s death).
● What is the relevance of the movie “Groundhog Day” to the question of personal
responsibility in Buddhism? (See the reading on this.)
Anatman or anatta refers to the idea that there is no permanent unchanging self, and
the appearance of a stable unchanging person is an illusion. There is no soul or
essence that grounds the existence of a person. When I consider how anatta relates to
individual responsibility, I think of four different things, Interconnectedness,
impermanence, karma and dependent origination, or pratītyasamutpād, which I found
on the internet.
Anatta emphasizes the interconnectedness and nature of phenomena that occurs
around us at all times, and suggests that individuals aren’t necessarily independent
entities, but are all connected through a broader web of existence, but physically and in
thought. This means that interconnectedness affects one’s actions, and those actions
arent solely determined by an individual self but are shaped by other external factors
and relationships. Acknowledging the universality of suffering, buddhism emphisizes a
cause and effect relationship. Personal responsibility is introduced as individuals are
encouraged to recognize their own attachments and desires. The path to ending
suffering, outlined int eh eightfold path underscores personal responsibility through
mental practices, and practitioners are called to engage in overcoming desires and
cultivating wisdom witht he end goal of breaking the cycle of cause and effect.
Individual responsibility is also affected y impermanence, and the fact that all things,
including oneself, are subject to change at all times as a constant flowing entity. This
challenges the idea that the self is fixed and does not change that could be held
responsible for actions that occur. Instead, actions are seen as momentary events
influenced by various conditions like emotion. For example, when given a challenging
situation, instead of focusing on a fixed outcome, one can recognize the nature of
circumstance approach the situation with a more open mind. This plays into the idea of
dependent origination, which suggests that all phenomena happens dependent on
various causes and conditions, and implies that actions and their consequences are
linked with a web of factors.This means that attributing ultimate responsibility on the
individual self is almost impossible, as outside factors are always changing the self.
When I think of personal responsibility, the idea of karma stands out to me the most,
and restates the idea that ones individual self cannot be blamed for actions that have
multiple, interconnected conditions.
The words “Conditions are subject to ceaseless change, strive onwards with care”
(Batchelor) can be seen as guidance for individuals to walk the path of personal
responsibility because instead of being a passive recipient of circumstance, the
individual is challenged to instead actively engage with life. Ultimately, this means one
will accept impermanence and uncertainty in life while paying careful attention to moral
conduct.
The movie, “Groundhog Day” dives into the idea of personal responsibility in Buddhism
by highlighting cyclic existence and impermanence. As the protagonist finds himself in a
time loop, he mirrors the buddhist samsara, meaning “wandering.” This refers to the
cycle of birth and rebirth (or death and redeath) to which all beings are subject until they
reach moksha, or liberation. As he relives the same day over and over, he realizes that
his circumstances are the same no matter what, and feels a sense of impermanence
that becomes a catalyst for personal responsibility as he learns to navigate the changes
in himself emotionally and the changes in the world around him.
In Southeast Asian Theravada Buddhism, Buddhist women are not
allowed to be ordained while the men are. There are many people who
are fighting against the idea that women can obtain the same power or
place as the men do. “The campaign for proper female ordination is an
issue of rights and may be understood as a protest against prevailing
views of official Saṅgha councils supported by some scriptures that
place women lower than men” (Powers, p.83). Many people and even
monks see this as a negative protest and are not accepting. A woman
named Dhammapitaka is actively speaking out about the issues of
women being ordained. She describes how slowly, many are coming
around to the idea and even believe women should have fair opportunity
despite traditional beliefs. The reading continues explaining how women
are seen in the community, “Because mae chees are not considered
monastics or laypeople, their status is in limbo. Usually they work as
temple hands, cooking and cleaning for the monks, and they rarely
receive any education” (Barendsen, p.2). Traditional Theravada beliefs
follow the original ideas and practices of Buddhism unlike others. Young
men in the community are to be ordained as monks even for short
periods of time, while women are not given the same opportunities.
Women are seen to play the roles or working for the ordained men rather
then working amongst them. There has been no significant changes,
many are highly against the idea and women are still fighting to be seen
as equals in the practiced religion.
Barendsen, K. (2023, December 10). Ordained at last. Lion’s Roar.
https://www.lionsroar.com/ordained-at-last/
John Powers. The Buddhist World. Routledge; 2016. Accessed February
12, 2024.
https://search-ebscohost-com.ezproxy2.library.arizona.edu/login.aspx?di
rect=true&db=nlebk&AN=1077256&site=ehost-live
While this story has been traditionally regarded as China’s first
encounter with Buddhism, scholars show much doubt on its historical
accuracy, and instead propose that Buddhism might have arrived via the
Silk Road in the first century CE (Powers 89). Adding on to this,
Japanese scholars critique these legends for perpetuating stereotypes
and promoting political subservience (Powers 91). Despite its status, this
tale serves a crucial purpose in Chinese Buddhist context by providing a
legitimizing origin story for the integration of Buddhist practices into
Chinese culture.
The development of Pure Land and Chan Buddhism emphasizes the
idea of an unbroken lineage of teachers to establish continuity and
authenticity within the tradition (Powers 90). The emphasis on lineage
shows us the importance of the perceived authority of teachings traced
directly back to the Buddha himself and it reinforces the credibility of
tradition within Buddhism.
Discussed in the reading story, the spread of Buddhism across China,
Korea, and Japan was facilitated by various factors, including the Silk
Road trade routes that served as a pipeline for cultural exchange during
the time. Additionally, Buddhism resonated with existing religious views,
such as Confucianism, Shintō, and Daoism, adapting and incorporating
elements from these traditions in many different aspects(Powers 88).
Though this is true, obstacles in the spread of Buddhism in China during
the 3rd-6th centuries included cultural and linguistic barriers, as well as
resistance from those who feared the religion or the influence it might
bring at the time. Critiques, such as the Sutrā on the Great Peace, which
chastised Buddhism for deviating from Confucian values, posed
challenges to its acceptance (Power 94). Although this is ture, figures
like Emperor Ming played significant roles in overcoming these barriers
leading to acceptance of Buddhism within Chinese society.
I think Tibetan Buddhism’s roots in Mahayana Buddhism are very
significant, as highlighted by the emergence of tantric Buddhist traditions
in the Indian subcontinent coexisting with the entry of Buddhism into
Tibet (Powers, Ch.6). The historical context suggests a straight path
from Mahayana Buddhism to Tibetan Buddhism, with the latter evolving
within the framework of the long pre established former, Mahayana
Buddhism. Adding onto that, Tibetan Buddhism shares many central
principles with Mahayana Buddhism, such as the pursuit of
enlightenment for the benefit of all beings, albeit with slight variations in
interpretations between the two m(Powers, Ch. 4).
Adding onto the branch approach of thought, the development of Tibetan
Buddhism as one of the diverse communities subscribing to Mahayana
Buddhism highlights its position as a school within the Mahayana
tradition, rather than its own entity. As Powers explains, these
communities were actively engaged in composing new scriptures,
discourses, rituals, and art that aligned with the evolving Mahayana
framework (Powers, Ch. 6). Tibetan Buddhism’s growth and adaptation
within a broader Mahayana context infers continuity of thought and
practice rather than a complete departure from Mahayana principles,
while having room for separate practices and traditions.
However, Tibetan Buddhism’s unique interpretation and further
expansion of Mahayana Buddhism in itself is enough reason to give the
idea of existing as a separate entity consideration. While it draws from
Mahayana teachings as its foundational elements, Tibetan Buddhism
has developed its own distinctive practices, rituals, and philosophical
views over time. These innovations contribute to its individual identity as
a school within Mahayana Buddhism, showcasing strong similarities and
differences from its parent tradition.
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