Buddhism
Karen Fulop
Valley Forge High School
Parma, Ohio
Grade Level 9-12
Unit Description
Students will learn about the life of the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, and trace
the spread of his teachings as they became a philosophical religion known as Buddhism.
They will then examine objects in the Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) relating to
Buddhism. In the classroom, students will create a board game based on the life of
Buddha.
Section A
In the Classroom
I.
Concept Goals
• Who was Siddhartha Gautama and when did he live?
• What is Buddhism?
• How did Buddhism become a major world influence?
• How has Buddhism influenced the West?
II.
Skill Goals
• Research topics related to content
• Interpret and synthesize research material
• Identify use and purpose of literary techniques and elements in literature
• Basic familiarity with art criticism: description, analysis, interpretation,
judgment
III.
Ohio State Standards
• Acquisition of Vocabulary
o Recognize and identify how authors clarify meanings of words through
context and use definition, restatement, example, comparison, contrast,
and cause and effect to advance word study.
o Determine the meanings and pronunciations of unknown words by using
dictionaries, thesauruses, glossaries, and technology and textual features,
such as definitional footnotes or sidebars.
• Reading Process
•
•
•
•
•
IV.
o Apply reading comprehension strategies, including making predictions,
comparing and contrasting, recalling and summarizing and making
inferences and drawing conclusions.
o Answer literal, inferential, evaluative, and synthesizing questions to
demonstrated comprehension of grade-appropriate print texts and
electronic and visual media.
o Monitor own comprehension by note-taking or summarizing what has
been read so far in the text.
Reading Applications--Informational
o Analyze and critique organizational patterns and techniques including
repetition of ideas, appeals to authority, reason and emotion, syntax, and
word choice that authors use to accomplish their purpose and reach their
intended audience.
o Analyze and compile information from several sources on a single issue or
written by a single author, clarifying ideas and connecting them to other
sources and related topics.
Reading Applications--Literary Text
o Compare and contrast motivations and reactions of literary characters
confronting similar conflicts, using specific examples of characters’
thoughts, words and actions.
o Analyze historical, social, and cultural context of setting.
o Evaluate an author’s point of view in a literary text
o Analyze variations of universal themes in literary text.
o Compare and contrast varying characteristics of American, British, world,
and multicultural literature
o Evaluate ways authors’ develop point of view and style
Writing Process
o All prewriting, drafting, revising and editing indicators
Research
o Identify appropriate sources and gather relevant information from multiple
sources.
o Integrate quotations and citations into written text
o Use style guides to produce oral and written reports that give proper credit
Communications
o Deliver informational presentations that
ƒ present a clear perspective on the subject
ƒ present events or ideas in a logical sequence
ƒ support controlling idea with relevant information
ƒ include effective introduction and conclusion and use a consistent
organizational structure
ƒ use appropriate visual materials
ƒ draw from multiple sources
Vocabulary
ascetic
atman
bodhisattva
caste
compassion
dharma
Eightfold Path
enlightenment
Four Noble
Truths
guru
impermanence
Jataka tales
karma
lama
mudra
nirvana
reincarnation
rishi/sage
Sakyamuni
samana
samsara
sanga
the Middle Path
urna
ushnisha
For a complete set of terms concerning Buddhism, see: “A Glossary of Buddhist
Terms,” Buddhist Studies. Buddha Dharma Education Association & Buddhanet.
Sydney, Australia: 2004. Online: www.buddhanet.net
V.
Materials
• Books
o Armstrong, Karen. Buddha. New York: Viking Penguin, 2001.
o Saddhattissa,. Hammalawa. Before He Was Buddha: The Life of
Siddhartha. Berkeley, CA: Seastone, 2000.
o Hawkins, Bradley K. et al. “Pocket Idiot’s Guide to Buddhism.”
Indianapolis, IN: Alpha Books, 2002. (In spite of the name, this series is
a great place to start with basic ideas and complete overview of Buddhism
and its history)
o Hesse, Hermann. Siddhartha. New York: Bantam Classics, 1982.
• Movies/Video
o Little Buddha. Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci. Released in VHS and
DVD by Miramax Home Entertainment. 2003. Rated: PG. (This story
within a story unfolds Siddhartha’s path to enlightenment alongside a
Tibetan Buddhist storyline set in the present time. A good introduction for
students who have no background in the subject.)
• Web Sites
o Banerjee, Radha. “Buddhist Art in India.” IGNCA, 2001. On-line:
http://www.ignca.nic.in/budh0002.htm
o Buddhanet.net. BDEA, 2004. On-line: http://www.buddhanet.net (Large,
comprehensive web site covering all aspects of Buddhism)
o “Buddhist Studies for Secondary Students: Syllabus.” Buddhist Studies.
Buddha Dharma Education Association & Buddha Net. On-line:
http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhism/bs-s_syll.htm (Eight units
of study; sources available on line)
o Exotic India Newsletter Archives. Exotic India Art Pvt Ltd. 2000.
http://www.exoticindiaart.com (Topics of newsletters include: Evolution
of the Buddha Image, Buddha—A Hero’s Journey to Nirvana, The Life of
Buddha and the Art of Narration in Buddhist Thangka Paintings, Mudras
of the Great Buddha, many others for Hindu/Buddhist study.)
o “Following the Buddha’s Footsteps.” Instilling Goodness School.
Tallmadge, CA. On-line: http://online.sfsu.edu/~rone/Buddhism/footsteps.
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
VI.
(Basic but comprehensive outline of history and teachings, including
glossary and references; written on student level.)
“Life of the Buddha.” Special Topics Page. Metropolitan Museum of Art.
on-line: http://metmuseum.org/toah/hd/buda/hd_buda.htm
(Other special topics page: Ancient Trade Routes between Europe and
Asia, Tibetan Buddhist Art.)
“Online Research Projects.” Buddhist Studies for Secondary Students.
Buddha Dharma Education Association and BuddhaNet. On-line:
http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhism/research-projects.htm
“Origins of Buddhist Art.” About, Inc., 2004. On-line:
http://www.buddhism.about.com/cs/art/a/Art_Origins_p.htm
(About.com has series of informative articles on India’s history, art,
Buddhism, religious timelines among others.)
“Resources for the Study of Buddhism.” Compiled by Professor Ron
Epstein. On-line: http://online.sfsu.edu/~rone/Buddhism/Buddhism.htm
Links to Buddhism topics)
“Return of the Buddha: The Qingzhou Discoveries.” Arthur M. Sackler
Gallery and the Freer Gallery of Art. Smithsonian Institution, 2004. online: http://www.asia.si.edu/exhibitions/online/returnofbuddha/base.html
(Gallery collections and exhibit information/ notes and photographs)
“The Spread of Buddhism.” Encyclopedia.com
http://encyclopedia.com/printable.asp?url=ssi/section/Buddhism
(Full article includes: Introduction, Basic Beliefs and Practices,
Early Buddhism)
Wild, Oliver. “The Silk Road.” On-line article:
http://www.ess.uci.edu/~oliver/silk.html
Methodologies and Procedures
Suggested activities:
1. Information Search where students conduct web research to answer questions
about Buddhism (see suggested web sites listed in Materials):
a. Who was Siddhartha Gautama and when did he live?
b. How did he become the Buddha, the “Enlightened One”?
c. What did Buddha teach?
d. What ideas did Buddha teach with fables?
e. How did Buddhism spread after Buddha’s death?
f. Find an artistic representation of the historical Buddha. Is it different from
the way you have previously pictured Buddha? Why or why not?
2. Students may be directed to create one or more of the following products from
their research:
a. A time line of Buddha’s life
b. A time line showing the spread of Buddhism to other countries
c. Questions answered on a study guide
d. An oral presentation to the class based on one of the questions
e. A chart or poster that illustrates the main ideals of Buddhism
f. An annotated bibliography of the works used in research
g. An illustrated children’s book of one of Buddha’s fables
3. Study of the novel Siddhartha:
•
After becoming familiar with the life of the historical Siddhartha and the
basic teachings of Buddhism, students can read Hesse’s novel as the soul’s
individual quest for spiritual truth. During reading, students
o keep journal, responding to changes or choices made by characters
o keep track of motifs or symbols in the story
o make connections to one’s own life, ex: write personal responses to
incidents in the story, such as Siddhartha’s desire to leave his home
and his father’s attempt to keep him there.
4. View the film Little Buddha
• This film provides the students a basic outline of Siddhartha’s life as well
as a view of modern-day Tibetan Buddhism. A Tibetan lama searches for
the reincarnation of his teacher among three children, one of them an
American boy. The film simplifies the philosophy, but gives concrete
examples of basic tenets, and it provides good discussion opportunities
about finding meaning in one’s life. In advance prepare students by telling
them:
• The movie, Little Buddha, has two parallel plot lines: the first setting is
modern day and the second is the India of the historical Buddha,
Siddhartha Gautama, up to the day of his enlightenment. A Tibetan
Buddhist monk is searching for the reincarnation of his lama, or spiritual
guide and authority. “Lama” is similar to the ancient Sanskrit word
“guru.” With his fellow monks, Lama Norbu is exploring the possibility
that one of three children might be the manifestation of their lama, who
died nine years before. The monks’ search brings them to Seattle,
Washington, to an American family, the Conrads, who have a young son
named Jesse. Lama Norbu’s task is to convince the family to let them test
the boy to see if he might be the reincarnation of the lama. This would
involve his traveling to Bhutan.
• Tibetan monks, and their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, are living in
exile. After the 1959 takeover of Tibet by the China, the Chinese
communist government restricted free speech and the practice of religion.
When it was decided that the Dalai Lama’s life might be in danger, he left
Tibet to live in exile in India and work for a peaceful resolution to his
country’s occupation. Centers for Tibetan branch of Buddhism were
created in Australia, Europe, the United States, northern India, and Nepal.
The Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.
5. Students’assignment is to take notes on the movie, including characters and
plot, as well as ideas represented. Be ready to answer the discussion questions
listed below.
• Character list
King Shuddhodhana: Siddhartha’s father, member of the kshatriya caste,
king of Shakyas, a country at the foot of the Himalayan Mountains in
present day southern Nepal. His family, Gautama, was of ancient lineage
Queen Maya: Siddhartha’s mother
Siddhartha: name means “accomplishment of a goal”; the birth name of Buddha
Yasodhara: wife chosen for Siddhartha by his family
Chandaka: charioteer and companion to Siddhartha
Rahula: son of Siddhartha (name not mentioned in film)
Mara: lord of the darkness and his daughters, manifestations of evil
Raju and Gita: the two other children being considered by the monks
• Questions
o Why has the king kept his son so sheltered? What comments does the
story make about parents and their concerns about raising their
children?
o What is the difference between the way the American characters
handle loss in their lives and the way the monks do? Why did Jesse’s
father change his mind about going to Bhutan?
o Even though the Conrad family did not change their lives completely,
they still were affected by their experiences with the monks. Explain
how.
o Explain Buddha’s belief about the Middle Path.
o How are these ideas explained or represented in the film (by the
Buddha story line or the modern one)?
a. meditation
b. compassion
c. impermanence
d. reincarnation
e. ego
f. the Middle Path
6. Suggested assessment, after reading the novel:
Essay assignment: In many ways, Siddhartha is a universal story because it
describes the decisions and the obstacles that almost everyone faces at some
point in their lives. Find at least five of these “universals” and discuss their
importance in the characters’ lives. Address what you feel is Hesse’s
“solution” for a life of meaning.
7. Activity: Learning the Attributes of Buddha in Art
• Often, students with no exposure to Buddhism will identify the popular
ceramic figures of the fat, laughing monk of China—the kind imported to
Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries—as the representation of the
historical Buddha. In studying the spread of Buddhism from India to the
east and then to the rest of the world, students can see how each culture
contributed some of its own ideas and methods of representation.
• The artwork representing Buddha had its roots in Hindu culture, where
attributes and symbols were important parts of representing spiritual
ideals. Many of the resources listed contain examples of the positions and
mudras (hand gestures) that characterize depictions of the Buddha.
• The teacher may use simple overhead transparencies at first to identify
positions, mudras and attributes; then slides or transparencies showing
artwork. Study questions done with a partner—emphasizing the need to
look carefully and discuss what is seen—can prepare students for
discussion of various works.
SAMPLE STUDENT WORKSHEET
Views of Buddha
Name (s)_______________________
Fasting Buddha (CMA 1986.70)
1. What aspects of the traditional Buddha are represented? What is different about this
depiction?
2. What is the overall effect of the fasting Siddhartha? What aspect of his life is it
meant to represent?
Standing Buddha (CMA 1968.40)
3. The mudra shown in this statue of the Buddha is the “teaching mudra,” that is, the
right hand raised with thumb and forefinger forming a circle and the left reaching
downward with the fingers in the same position. What do you think this mudra tells
us? Describe how the facial expression and the body position of the figure contribute
to the overall mood.
4. Do you think the artist achieved a sense of balance in the sculpture? Why or why not?
Is it symmetrical?
5. What feeling do you think the sculpture is meant to project?
6. In this depiction, Buddha is teaching or preaching, yet he appears to be in repose.
How do you account for this apparent contradiction? How does it relate to what he is
teaching, that is, the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path?
Buddhism
Section B
At the Cleveland Museum of Art
I.
Concept Goals
• How did the Silk Road assist the spread of Buddhism?
• How did Europeans view Asia in the 17th -19th centuries?
II.
Skill Goals
• Compare and contrast characteristics of Buddhist art from India with other
Asian countries
• Identify attributes and symbolic features of Buddhist art
• Identify works of art that depict scenes from the life of Siddhartha Gautama or
depict Buddist beliefs, such as Maitreya, the Buddha of the Future.
III.
Materials
Suggested museum pieces:
• Barbarian Royalty Worshipping Buddha (CMA 1957.358), China, 10th
century, hand scroll, ink and color on silk.
• Birth of the Buddha (CMA 1959.349), India, 8th-12th century, black chlorite.
• Buddha Calling on Earth to Witness (CMA 1935.146), India, 9th century,
black chlorite
• Buddha Seated in the “European Manner” (CMA 1989.49), Thailand or
Burma, c.800s, bronze with gilding
• Buddha Sheltered by Mucalinda, the Serpent King (CMA 1963.263),
Cambodia, first half of 1100s, bronze.
• Fasting Buddha (CMA 1986.70), India, Kashmir, 8th century, ivory
• Finial with the temptation of Buddha by Mara (CMA 1964.93), Cambodia,
1175-1225, bronze
• Head of Buddha (CMA 1932.43), Cambodia, 7th century, sandstone
• Head of Buddha (CMA 1942.1087), Java, early 800s, volcanic stone
• Maitreya: Buddha of the Future, (CMA 1972.7), Cambodia, 600s, bronze
• Buddha of the Future [Maitreya] (CMA 1950.86), Japan, late 7th century, cast
bronze with gilding
• The New-born Buddha (CMA 1955.46), China, c. 400-500, gilt bronze
• Padmapani: Lotus Bearing Bodhisattva (CMA 1976.70), Western Tibet,
900s-1000s, brass with silver and gold
• Sakyamuni Buddha (CMA 1964.152), China, late 6th -early 7th century,
limestone
• Sakyamuni Buddha (CMA 1987.188), Korea, 6th-7th century, stone
• Seated Buddha (CMA 1961.418), Pakistan, Gandhara, first half of the 3rd
century, stone
• Standing Buddha (CMA 1966.30), Kashmir, late 10th-early 11th century, brass
• Standing Buddha (CMA 1973.15), Thailand, c. 600s, sandstone
• Standing Sakyamuni (CMA 1972.43), Pakistan, Gandhara, second half of the
2nd century, stone
•
Stele: Maitreya as the Future Buddha (CMA 1917.320), China, 4th - 6th
century, marble
• Temptation of Buddha by Mara and His Daughters (CMA 1997.151), India,
Gandhara, 2nd-3rd century, stone
Student Gallery Sheet (see below)
IV.
Methodologies and Procedures
1. Have students look at artwork depicting these aspects of Buddhism and
the Buddha:
a. Works depicting events of Buddha’s life
b. Works that depict various postures, mudras, or symbolism pertaining to
the Buddha
c. Works that show Buddhism’s movement to other countries, comparing
and contrasting the depiction of Buddha’s attributes in different cultures.
d. As there are so many examples of Buddhist works, students may be
assigned to work in groups of three to four that focus on one topic, or
students may look for one or two examples from each aspect, focusing on
one piece in each.
2. Students can also be assigned to find depictions of Asian people by Western
artists and vice versa for later discussion.
SAMPLE: STUDENT GALLERY SHEET
Gallery #________________
What time period/movement does this gallery represent?
Describe the gallery space. How are the art works arranged? (Chronologically? By
medium?) How are the objects placed on the walls? Does wall color affect your
viewing? Is there anything else distinctive that you notice (lighting, smell, freestanding
pieces [not in cases or against walls])?
Choose one of the works to examine closely:
Title:
Artist:
Date:
Country:
Medium:
Accession #:
What is the subject matter of the work?
Make a list of everything you see. Give factual information only. Describe the object as
well as elements of art such as color, line, texture, and space. Include the back of the
piece if viewable.
What is the dominant element?
Apply what you know about symbols, attributes, mudras, and body poses to the piece.
Identify them on your descriptive list.
What emotions or ideas do you think the piece expresses?
Why did you choose this work in particular? How do you think it works as an object that
represents Buddhism? How do you think it works as art?
Choose another piece with the same subject matter, but made in a different country.
Repeat the process of description and interpretation and judgment.
What differences did you find between the two works? Similarities?
Buddhism
Section C
Back in Your Classroom
Description
Students may work in pairs or individually, as they choose. Allot about two weeks of
time is to complete the assignment, and plan to schedule two class periods--one for
planning and one for reviewing progress—during the two weeks.
Siddhartha Project
Assigned: Create a playable board game that displays your knowledge of the following:
1. The novel Siddhartha, including Siddhartha, Govinda, Samanas, the Buddha,
Kamala, Kamaswami, Vasudeva, the son, the river, the mango tree, the pleasure
garden, the forest of the Samanas.
2. Elements of Hindu and Buddhist philosophy, including: samsara, dharma, karma,
nirvana, meditation, samanas, compassion, impermanence, and desire.
3. The attributes of Buddha seen in artistic portrayals, including: mudras (calling
the earth to witness, teaching, blessing, meditating), ushishna, urna, elongated
earlobes, lowered eyes, serene features, halo or aura.
Game object: The first player to reach “nirvana” wins; each player must begin at the
house of Siddhartha’s father and proceed through life by experiencing advancements or
setbacks. You may assume that your game-playing audience is informed, i.e, students
who have also studied this unit. Traditional methods, such as dice, spinning wheels, or
card directives, may be used or students can devise their own method.
To be submitted
• a fully designed and illustrated game board/playing space
• at least one sample of a player piece
• any cards or directives for the players
• a set of typed instructions and rules for playing the game
The games will be tested by the class on the due date. Comment sheets will be filled out
at that time, as students play each other’s games.
Methodologies and Procedures
While students are working on their board games, assign the following project:
• Impressions of Asian figures in the West.
After finding depictions of Asian people in the museum that represented a
Western view, students may search for other works of art. Likewise, they can
search for the view of Westerners by Asian artists.
o How are the scenes and figures from Asian life depicted? Do you feel
they are realistic? Why or why not?
o How do movies, fashion, music, sport, etc. affect our views of other
cultures today?
o Vocabulary: Define and give examples of chinoiserie.