Sessions 8&9 - May 8

[Tara Corral]

I think during the discussion it was mentioned how Buddhism ended up being inter mingled with Shinto beliefs and the Kami's of the region or spirits. I thought that was interesting probably played an important role in of Buddhism being adopted because the Kami was in things that the Japanese were already familiar with. I imagine that plays a huge part in the integration of new ideas and beliefs into any culture, to see if it mixes with what is in place before the new ideas arrived. 

I agree how it is quite interesting to see that Buddhism was accepted peacefully into the country despite what we may have seen from other religions throughout the world and the prosecution that comes with new beliefs.

[Tara Corral]

I was reading your response Sean, and I was thinking how important it must be to teach the connections that separate cultures have with one another. You mentioned how in Massachusetts their is little mention of the connection that China, Japan and Korea had on one another, and it made me think that if we choose to ignore these connections we may be creating more division. As you stated that the other two countries look down upon the Korean Writing System I can only imagine that if we and other teachers around the world took more effort to show how everyone is connected there would be less division between people. I know this is reaching a bit but just thinking out loud that maybe if students knew somehow that they were connected to other students or people from different parts of the world their may be less hostility to people who are different from ourselves. 

[Miguel Diaz]

I found the explanation concerning the arrival of Buddhism in Japan to be quite fascinating. It almost seems like a small group of people (the emperor, his court, and the Soga clan played a vital role in the introduction and acceptance of Buddhism in Japan. 

The Mononobe and Nakatomi clans we’re concerned that Buddhism would offend the indigenous kami, or spirits. The idea that natural spirits were living together with people in harmony, especially in nature, is very interesting.

I believe that the introduction of Buddhism to Japan would make a nice lesson if paired with the introduction of Christianity to any country in the West.  

[Miguel Diaz]

Thanks for your comment Morgan. I don’t think there’s any rule against making connections between Nirvana, Maslow’s Self-Actualization, or Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development. You have actually just introduced me to Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development. I am looking forward to learning more about them. 

I am more familiar with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. I have been preaching self-actualization for years. Atul Gawande, in his remarkable book titled, “Being Mortal,” commented that psychologists have in recent years used the word “transcendence” to describe the desire of people to help others -- after they have reached their potential. He went on to say that this transcendence is above the level of self-actualization in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

[Melina Melgoza]

I found the readings to be quite fascinating. The focus on women’s history in China, really spoke to me. Throughout history, in China, and similarly other places, women’s life stories have been neglected and women have been historically marginalized in textbooks. Women need to be acknowledged as the activists that they are, and have been throughout history. Without women, change would have never come to any country, state, or region. Women continue to be forgotten in historical moments. As an Ethnic Studies, World History, and U.S. history teacher, I’d love to center key historical events, such as WWI, WWII, or the Cold War, on key women who played a role and impacted the moment in question. How can we center history around women, so, their experiences aren’t considered second-class stories? Who writes history texts (historically and today)? How might that impact the way we learn.

[Taylor Bub]

Melina I love your idea to focus on key women throughout these historical moments.  I think it is so important for our students to see strong women who were real people and not just characters on a tv show.  So many students only learn about male figures in history and in classes about culture.  As a science teacher, I have students explore female scientists as well as scientists who were people of color as a project.  There are so many women, Asian, Black, Latinx, and other people of color who are not recognized in favor of white males throughout history.  I always think of Rosalind Franklin, who discovered DNA, but her spotlight was taken by Francis Crick and James Watson.  I wonder how many other women or people of color this has happened to throughout history that we do not even know about.

[Miguel Diaz]

 Johnny, I agree that Hungry Ghosts and zombies would make for excellent student engagement – which can be used to inspire creativity, humor and deeper analysis. Your ideas are very thorough. I like how you plan to incorporate the historical context of the time period during which the hungry ghosts were created. I believe that your students will gain a better understanding of real life at that time, and they will also gain an appreciation of the social commentary that was made through art in that time period. Your lesson will help students to appreciate the mind of an artist and the reasons why they create art. 

[Deirdre Harris]

Hi Daniella,  I also found the readings and the webinar very interesting, and caused me to do further research as well.  I found various articles that talked about how a growing number of women in China are secretly adopting Christianity as their new religion.  More women than men are adopting it, possibly because of the repression of religions in the 1960's and 1970's. At that time many Christians were imprisoned.   It arrived after Buddhism and before Islam.  People had to go underground to follow their beliefs.  Some say it's China's fastest growing religion now in the 21st Century.  It would take a lot for someone in China or Japan to believe that their savior, who lived over 2,000 years ago, died for their sins in a country so far away.  From my readings, it says that most present-day Christians are women, and mainly live in the developed Eastern Coast.  

I find this interesting to compare that in the West, some say that approximately 1% of the population claim to be Buddists, and follow Buddism. I think that many Westerners want to share in the Eastern religions, and learn about the ways of Buddhism.  Like you say, learning the teachings of famous teachers like the Dali Llama, and Thich Nhat Hanh, as their messages are needed at such a difficult time, in our present day.  We all need to find some peace, and through many of the beliefs of Buddhism, we are trying to heal ourselves, stay calm and joyful, and lead a balanced life during these times of difficulty.  Luckily we have freedom of religion here in the West, and don't have to go underground to practice our religious beliefs.  

I also find it interesting that Buddhism was so easily accepted into Japan coming from China, but based upon Indian practices.  It seems that it found it's way into Japan via the Silk Road with travelers and immigrants in the first half of the six-century.  Monks arrived with scriptures outlining Buddhism and was finally introduced to the Elite Ruling classes of Japan.  At the time, the emperor had to ask his officials if they thought they should worship this Buddha.  They were worried it would upset the Kami of Japan, by worshiping a foreign deity.  It was tested, by only a small clan, the Soga clan, to test its efficacy.  Ultimately, Shotoku was seen as an accomplished bodhisattva, who is now seen as the true founder of Buddhism in Japan.    

I think that as teachers of upper grade students, we can show how various religions have spread all over the world, from "pole to pole" and that people want to be free to choose their own belief systems, and what a valuable a freedom this is.  

 

 

[Deirdre Harris]

Hi Johnny,  As I was reading your comment above, it was very disturbing to me also to hear that during this very divisive and political time in our country's history, that there are Americans who are pushing their right-wing agenda, through the guise of religion and Christianity to people in China. Who knows where else this is happening for that matter.   I feel that so many people around the world are so easily swayed by the most outrageous ideas and beliefs.  It's very disheartening to think that large groups of people could be taught "fake news" so to speak, and it could be printed, and possibly  and passed off as truth to the young or conform non-believers to a new way of thinking.  We are living in dangerous times in so many ways, and it would be a shame if someone is trying to teach non-truths to anyone, in any country, would be a risk, as you say.  I do hope that the State Department does monitor religious activities with possibly political agendas in order to help a particular interest worldwide.  

[Anastasia Brown]

When I teach our unit on religion, we often focus on the Buddhism and the different types of Buddhism. Zen Buddhism was one that I found that was so interesting. Buddhism is fascinating to begin with, and with how it developed in Japan with its disttnctive especially with the interaction with the Shinto religion & beliefs. For my students to see the continuity of Buddhism from India, through China and Korea and eventually into Japan, they can see that the trade route of the Silk Road was more than for goods but ideas that flourished and planted its seeds. The fact that the different schools were based on how it was within China and India. The influences were important for the how it was during the Heian Period, with the temples. I think that they would find it interesting as I did about how big they became with the number of families and slave they had which isn't usually associated with Buddhism. The reading on Buddhism in Japan would be good to use in my class, the break up of the different schools of thought could show my students how each one was unique

[Cynthia Jackson]

Today, we were asked if we taught religions in our courses and if so, then how do we approach doing so. I find it difficult to prioritize teaching religions as there seem to be so many other cultural factors and history to teach. I find that I highlight the ways economics influenced leadership and how ethnic and racial dynamics shaped social structures, whereas other teachers sometimes omit these topics in favor of others such as religion and gender roles. I don’t avoid teaching about religion, but it rarely gets highlighted as a lesson by itself. The most attention it gets is during the Southwest Asia mini unit when I teach about Islam because students can hold pretty harmful stereotypes about Muslims and because it’s intertwined with our learning about current issues in Turkey, Iran, and Syria. Instead of forming stand out lessons, religion is blended into our source analysis or learning about daily life and politics. Since religion influences so many aspects of individual lives and national policies around the world, I’ll briefly teach about a religion’s main ideas and focus more on the impact it has. Next year, I would like to take more time to highlight the origins of the world’s major religions, examine where and how they spread over time, and identify major beliefs of each one.

[Cynthia Jackson]

Next year, I think it would be a good idea to also learn about religious minorities in East Asia. As the persecution of religious minorites is an ongoing issue, is might be possible to introduce the spread of Islam in East and Southeast Asia by learning about it as part of the Yuan Dynasty’s identifying characteristics. If I show students the empire’s territory and discuss the ethnic and religious diversity of this empire, students will have an easier time drawing connections to Islam spreading from Southwest Asia to Southeast Asia through both trade and ethnic groups conquering each other. They will also have a better understanding of Asia as a connected continent instead of imagining Southwest Asia and East Asia as regions on opposite sides of the globe.

[Bin He]

When it comes to the influence of Christianity on contemporary China, we must talk about Christmas.

"Chinese-style" Christmas is a fascinating Chinese contradiction: on the one hand, Christmas has become a trendy holiday in China, and the related business is very prosperous, but on the other hand, because China is not a religious country, The government has always been cautious about Western religious culture.

But what is interesting is that Christmas in China is becoming more and more Chinese. Maybe we, as teachers, can use it as an example of cultural transfer and localization when teaching.

 

1. People treat Christmas more like St. Patrick's Day or Valentine's Day. In other words, it is a happy day. People go out to meet with friends instead of spending time with their families like Westerners. Typical ways to celebrate Christmas include watching movies, singing karaoke, or shopping. Christmas Eve is an important shopping time of the year. Young couples or couples have always regarded it as a romantic day.  Watching movies, engaging in promotions, big bargains, big sales...

2. On Christmas Eve, a gift called "Peace Fruit." Because the Chinese word Ping An and the first letter of Apple are homophonic, so everyone will be superstitious about the custom of sending "Ping An Fruit" on Christmas Eve. Of course, it is only seen in China.

 

 

[Bin He]

Do the Han people in China have faith?

 

Now some scholars have put forward a new perspective: the Han people do not have true religious beliefs.

First, they think there is no supernatural and supersecular being in the Chinese, and there is no creation myth in the Chinese. Maybe the Chinese people once had, but then disappeared. For example, Pangu made the sky and the earth separate,  but he is not creating the world, so he cannot be counted as the world's god. Nuwa was the creator of humans. Before she created humans, the loess already existed, so she was not the creator of the world. God. There is no god in the Chinese who said, "There must be light, so there will be light." Without the creation god, the Chinese would not have the ultimate creator. So does the Chinese believe in anything? Yes, the Chinese believe in gods and Buddhas and so on. But the Chinese believe in these things pragmatism, Guanyin Bodhisattva, Taishang Laojun, Tathagata Buddha, Land Father-in-law, Mazu, and their own ancestors. Multiple beliefs are no beliefs, and believing in everything is equivalent to not believing in anything. There is a saying in China called "Believe it if it's useful, don't believe it if it's useless."  Some people say that you have to pay respects to a certain temple. It is very spiritual, and so on. All in all, Chinese worship is pragmatic, there are so many objects of worship, and each of these gods has its own division of labor.  

 

Therefore, the civilization of the Han people is characterized by ghosts and gods without religion, worship without belief.Do the Han people in China have faith?

 

Now some scholars have put forward a new perspective: the Han people do not have true religious beliefs.

First, they think there is no supernatural and supersecular being in the Chinese, and there is no creation myth in the Chinese. Maybe the Chinese people once had, but then disappeared. For example, Pangu made the sky and the earth separate,  but he is not creating the world, so he cannot be counted as the world's god. Nuwa was the creator of humans. Before she created humans, the loess already existed, so she was not the creator of the world. God. There is no god in the Chinese who said, "There must be light, so there will be light." Without the creation god, the Chinese would not have the ultimate creator. So does the Chinese believe in anything? Yes, the Chinese believe in gods and Buddhas and so on. But the Chinese believe in these things pragmatism, Guanyin Bodhisattva, Taishang Laojun, Tathagata Buddha, Land Father-in-law, Mazu, and their own ancestors. Multiple beliefs are no beliefs, and believing in everything is equivalent to not believing in anything. There is a saying in China called "Believe it if it's useful, don't believe it if it's useless."  Some people say that you have to pay respects to a certain temple. It is very spiritual, and so on. All in all, Chinese worship is pragmatic, there are so many objects of worship, and each of these gods has its own division of labor.  

Therefore, the civilization of the Han people is characterized by ghosts and gods without religion, worship without belief.

 

References:

http://indi.cssn.cn/zhx/zx_zhyj/201501/W020150129534068553293.pdf

https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/41452128.pdf

http://news.bbc.co.uk/chinese/simp/hi/newsid_7770000/newsid_7775200/7775287.stm

 

 

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