Buddhist Philosophy

The following lessons are intended to encourage students to study the Buddhist world view and are not intended to encompass fully the rich philosophical traditions of Buddhism's many schools. This section should also be only one part of the way you teach students about Buddhism, as all religions take their belief system and put it into practice in different ways to meet the needs of different historical moments.

Lesson 1: The Life of the Buddha. This lesson invites students to discover Buddhist belief through a series of readings about the life of Sakyamuni Buddha.

Lesson 2: The Glorious Deeds of Purna. One way to approach the study of Buddhist beliefs is to explore the avadanas, Buddhist parables that explore topics like how karma functions, how compassion can be put into practice, and what actions create merit. This lesson asks students to do a close reading of an avadana, The Glorious Deeds of Purna, written in the 1st century.