Session 2 (July 30) - Lori Meeks, USC

[Mike Hagiwara]

Definitely agree with you on how interesting it is that Buddhism spread into Japan. Despite early resistance to Buddhism, it is now so ingrained into society that you only need walk a few hundred feet before encountering a Buddhist temple! The way that Japanese society places importance and reverence to both Buddhism and Shintoism is remarkable as well-from the Shinto-based "Coming of Age Day," which celebrates adulthood to "Obon," which is grounded in the Buddhist belief that the spirits of the departed return to their ancestral homes and families. 

[Jonathan Tam]

Whoa! Thanks for sharing. Your lesson idea actually sounds amazing and I think that mapping one of Xuanzang's routes would definitely give students an understanding of the endeavor that he underwent. It might also be a great cross-section for discussing trade and politics at the time as well.

[Maria Cardenas]

Yes, we compare and contrast in history classes. This idea can be tweaked in different ways depending on what you want students to do. I am teaching geography so I will be helping the history and science teachers on similar topics we cover.

[Cindy Nguyen]

Thank you, Tom and Jessica, for your ideas on how to introduce Buddhism into the class. I always felt I was limited on time to dive into the rich and long history of this school of thought. But if I borrow both of your ideas about assigning students into research groups, I think I might be able to cover a good portion of it. I like the idea of delegating countries to different groups of students and having them research Buddhism and then presenting their finds to the class. There are many benefits to doing an assignment this way. Students only have to responsible for one country, an opportunity to present, and listening skills.

[Cindy Nguyen]

Thank you for sharing  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVIQpMQik4E! I like how Nancy Berliner provides a clear and thoughtful explanation of the difference between Buddha and Bodhisattva. I would use this quick and simple explanation of Guayin as an introductory video to the Buddhism unit. Before the video, I would ask my students to fill out a Knowledge and Want to Know (KWL chart) on Buddhism and then after the video to complete the rest of the KWL chart. This chart allows students to compare and contrast their knowledge of Buddhism.

[Juana Evink]

I remeber first learning about Buddhism from India, in college and later how it spread to East Asia. I have always been fascinated about Buddhism's idea od Nirvana and and the different representation of the Buddha and how each country has it own version of it. Professor Meeks does an excellent job exlaining Buddhism spread from India to Japan, China, and Korea. As a middle school teacher, I teach about Buddhism, and now I;m thinking of having students compare and contrast the spread, development, and the resistance it faced by supporters of traditional native religions in these countries. I would use excerpts from Donald Mitchell's book Buddhism: Introducing the Buddhisyt Experience,  for the students to use as evidence of how Buddhism crossed boundaries.

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