Many teachers use images of the bhavacakra (wheel of rebirth, also referred to sometimes as samsāra-cakra) in class as way to prompt discussion. Here is a story of how these images came to exist. Note that it refers to a fivefold wheel, excluding the realm of the asuras (antigods, demons, demigods) that is sometimes added […]
The second session in our Key Concepts series for school teachers of the Buddhism part of the Highers/National 5 RMPS curriculum addressed the three marks of existence, namely the position that all of our experiences are dukkha (suffering/unsatisfactory), anicca (impermanent), and anattā (not-self). The powerpoint slides contain additional notes and links to resources, and the […]
We very much enjoyed this session, the first in our series of events for teachers of RMPS in Scotland, exploring the three jewels or refuges. We here share the powerpoint slides, which also contain – in the notes area – additional information and links. We also have a recording of the presentation (though not the […]
We are pleased to announce a new series of CPD sessions for school teachers. This series of talks addresses each area of the Buddhism section of the Nat5/Higher RMPS curriculum. Each session will begin with a presentation introducing the relevant concepts and some sources that might be used to explore them in the classroom, and […]
Buddhism through 108 objects in Scotland: Object 3 – Amida Buddha Statue in the National Museum of Scotland This statue in the collection of the National Museum of Scotland is a Japanese depiction of the Amida Buddha. It was bought in 1902 by the Scottish trader James Douglas Fletcher to decorate his large estate, Rosehaugh, […]
Buddhism through 108 objects in Scotland: Object 2 – Buddha statues for sale in Edinburgh supermarket The vast majority of Buddhist images in Scotland are purely decorative, such as these Buddha statues for sale in my local supermarket. A Buddha image is bought, alongside a gnome, as an ornament for one’s garden, home or business. […]
If you read the Scottish curriculum for the Buddhism portion of the National 5 / Higher qualification in RMPS (Religious, Moral and Philosophical Studies) you quickly notice something: all the terminology is in Pali. Pupils must learn about kamma, nibbana, the three marks of existence – anicca, anatta and dukkha…. This Pali terminology betrays a […]
This is a fun little story from the Pali Jataka book (so early Indian and Theravada in affiliation) that explores a Buddhist karmic response to Vedic sacrifice through the character of a goat: “Feast for the Dead” Jātaka (Matakabhatta-jātaka, Jātakatthavaṇṇanā 18) “If beings only knew…” The Teacher [the Buddha] spoke about the feast for the […]
Here is a short lecture from Dr Naomi Appleton on how Buddhists might respond to the classical “problem of evil”. This lecture relates to Highers / Nat 5 topics such as the three marks of existence, beliefs about human beings and kamma, and meditation practice. It might also be interesting for people studying what other religions […]
Here is a short story about illness and anxiety from an Indian Buddhist text called the Avadanasataka. The text is a Sanskrit collection from around the middle of the first millennium CE, and more information and a full translation of the story can be found in my book Many Buddhas, One Buddha (Sheffield: Equinox, 2020). What I […]
