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BUDDHISM THROUGH ARTA sequence of murals, sculptures, paintings, illustrated manuscripts, wallhangings and photographs; with background stories

and explanatory notes, quotations from ancient texts, a map and suggested classroom activities

GOODWILL TEACHING GUIDE — World Religions through Art

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LIST OF CONTENTSINTRODUCTIONPart 1LIFE AND SPIRITUAL JOURNEY OF THE BUDDHA-TO-BE

Part 2THE WORLD’S KINGDOMS OFFERED AND REFUSED BEFORE ENLIGHTENMENT

Part 3THE BUDDHA LIKENS HIMSELF TO A DOCTOR

Part 4BASIC ELEMENTS OF THE BUDDHA’S MESSAGE

Part 5THE ROLE OF ITS ART IN THE SPREAD OF BUDDHISM

Part 6WHERE RELICS OF THE BUDDHA WERE ENSHRINED Part 7FIRST WE MUST UNDERSTAND OURSELVES, SAYS BUDDHISM

Part 8FUTURE OF THE WORLD COMMUNITY OF BUDDHISM

Part 9 TEACHING & CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

Part 10 LOOKING AT THE IMAGESQueen Maya’s DreamGautama and his wife YashodharaGautama leaving the palace on his horse KanthakaIn a previous life the Buddha prepares to renounce his throneThe Lotus Pool at Bodh GayaMara’s army attacking GautamaBuddha touches the earth with his handAn earth-touching Buddha seated on a double lotus throneWheel of LawReclining BuddhaMeditating BuddhaDeath of the Buddha (Parinirvana)Head of a BuddhaThe Diamond SutraMaitreyaAvalokiteshvaraThe bodhisattva TaraThe bodhisattva ManjushriThe oldest existing stupa at SanchiThe Shwedagon PagodaWheel of LifeScene from an album of illustrationsYamantakaThe gesture of explanation (vitarka mudra)Reliquary stupa of the 16th KarmapaA standing BuddhaA novice accepting the Buddhist robeMonks on their early morning alms roundTibetan pilgrims at the Potala PalaceTypical Buddhist garden, JapanMAP

Maitreya in the Potala Palace

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INTRODUCTION

OF the world’s great religions, Buddhism is the least known in Europe. Yet it has an estimated 250 million adherents in Asia, in countries as far apart as Sri Lanka and Japan. One reason why Buddhism rarely ‘makes news’ is the nature of its teachings: the least militant of faiths, it lays emphasis upon gentleness, compassion and self-denial. Yet this is also the reason for the growing number of Buddhists in the western world — they find that its serenity provides a balance to high-pressure living.

The Buddha is an historical figure, who lived several centuries before Christ. As with Christ, there are no paintings or sculptures made of him in his lifetime, but this has been no barrier to artistic inspiration. In the temples of the East he is portrayed in many poses, each of profound significance to believers.

The ‘Three Jewels’ of Buddhism: the Buddha, the Law and the Order

The images accompanying this text have been assembled from a wide variety of sources and are designed to illuminate the nature of Buddhism and convey some idea of the countries in which it is most deeply rooted. On page 29 will be found a guide to sources in Britain from which more information on the religion may be obtained.

“A highly recommended resource”

This is a refreshingly adaptable series for schools...the selection provides a comprehensive and flexible series of pictures which, used in their entirety, provide a balanced introduction to each faith...the notes are clearly produced and provide a good overview of the faith.

Teachers from all key stages will find them a valuable resource although they will be of particular relevance at key stages 3 and 4. They could work very well in group activities.RE Today (reviewing the printed version)

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BASIC ELEMENTS OF THE BUDDHA’S MESSAGE

Noble Truths in his First DiscourseThe supreme symbol of the Buddha’s teaching is called the ‘Wheel of the Law’. Its meaning revolves around the doctrine of the Four Noble Truths:

1. Dissatisfaction‘Whatever is impermanent is dukkha’, says the Buddhist teaching.

The Pali word dukkha is a concept that has no easy equivalent in English. Usually translated as ‘suffering’, it lies behind a popular misconception that the Buddhist outlook is essentially pessimistic. But the Buddha himself was by no means miserable; one epithet often applied to him was ‘always-smiling’. Representations in painting and sculpture invariably depict him with a serene and radiant countenance, devoid of any trace of gloom. Yet dissatisfaction always exists because life is never quite as we would like it to be. Despite our efforts, there seems

Hatred does not cease by hatred at any time; hatred ceases by love.

(DHAMMAPADA, verse 5)

to be something in the nature of things that frustrates the desire to have everything ‘just right’. This idea of dissatisfaction is absolutely central to Buddhism.

The Buddha never denied that there is happiness in life — in work, family, friendships and so on. The point is that all experience, however happy it may make people at the time, is unsatisfying because it does not last. Life is inherently unstable. Everything is constantly changing. Nothing, absolutely nothing, in the phenomenal universe, is permanent. This lack of permanence creates an anxiety that stops people from enjoying lasting happiness.

The desire for something permanent is in itself natural. The problem is that people direct this to the outside world, where it can never be found. They seek security by clinging to jobs, social status, bank accounts, political parties and relationships. Yet such external factors can never provide lasting fulfilment, being themselves impermanent.

Wheel of the Law

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Looking at the images

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ADVICE FOR TEACHERS

Studying religions through their works of art can support teaching and learning in Religious Education in both learning from and learning about religion.

Learning about religion r This resource contains concise

information about the teachings, beliefs, practices and forms of worship within Buddhism.

r An extensive collection of images which can be used as a stimulus for investigation and dialogue, helping to develop skills of analysis, interpretation, and explanation.

r Content that helps to build a thorough vocabulary of specialist terms.

Learning from religion r The combination of images and

text can encourage students to be observant, creative, curious, informed and reflective.

r It can enable them to make connections between religious belief and real people and events.

r It can encourage questions about identity and belonging, meaning, purpose, truth, values and commitments.

r It can help to stimulate conversation around individual responses to artistic expressions within a religion.

Also supports Art teaching r By helping to build awareness

of the cultural, historical and social context in which art is used; developing understanding of how art expresses meaning, and how it is often directed for a specific audience and purpose.

r By providing many opportunities to encounter, explore, compare and contrast works of art from different periods, places and perspectives.

r By allowing students to investigate different styles of artistic expression, develop personal responses to art styles and use these to draw on for their own art.

Other aims r Themes and concepts have been

suggested that relate to specific images.

r Possible activities are suggested which can be adapted to meet specific learning objectives at different key stages.

r These can be used as starting points to stimulate questions and discussion about aspects of religious study or to develop extension activities.

Working with the pictures r Click* looking at the images to

see the 30 selected works. Click on the required image to go to the captioned picture, which can then be printed out and/or displayed on a whiteboard.

*Please note that the links are not active in this preview