Film:Tsundu Becoming a Lama

Theme: Movement and Cultural Difussion

Instructional Objective: Students will be able to identify many ways in which Buddhist beliefs have affected Tsundu's life?

Central Question: How has Buddhism shaped Tsundu's Life?

Motivation: What are some decisions your parents have made that you do not agree with that have affected you?

Activity: Students will watch the film and answer the following questions?

1) Where is Tsundu living?

2) What decision did his parents make that affected his life?

3) What are some of the parts of Tsundu's daily routine?

4) How is his life different than many other children?

5) How often does Tusndu come home?

6) Why dont his parents want him to come home too often?

7) What shows how Tsundu feels about his life in the monastery?

8) What do his parents say about Tsundu's future?

9) What is Tusndu able to learn in the monastery that will help him in school?

Background information:

KOPAN MONASTERY
Kopan monastery is situated on a quiet little hill outside of Kathmandu city, the capital of the kingdom of Nepal. This monastery was es­tablished in 1970 by Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche as a monastery for the monks and nuns of Solo Khumbu, an area on the foothills of the Himalaya moun­tains in the eastern part of Nepal. It is the homeland of Sherpas, an ethnic group who are Buddhists, but also famous for climbing high Himalayan peaks. Today Kopan, which is a Gelugpa monastery, is home to about 210 monks and 100 nuns who come from Nepal,
India and Tibet. Here they live and study Ti­betan Buddhism. Tsundu is one of the monks in this monastery.
Kopan monastery is a part of the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradi­tion (FPMT), an international network of some ninety centers dedicated to the study and prac­tice of Buddhism. It has attracted many West­erners who visit Kopan every year to attend Buddhist teaching and meditation courses.
4. MONK SELECTION PROCESS
Kopan generally accepts children that are above 12 years of age as student monks. In Ti­betan religious culture, parents traditionally
send their second son to become a monk. By becoming a monk, you not only acquire reli­gious knowledge and religious merit, but life’s daily needs such as shelter and food are also provided by the monastery.
Usually parents bring their children to a par­ticular monastery on the recommendation of friends, relatives and lamas. Tsundu’s parents first talked to Lama Lhundrup, the head abbot of Kopan, after Tsundu’s teacher at a secular Tibetan school recommended Kopan mon­astery. He was 10 years old at the time. After observing Tsundu to see if he had the poten­tial to become a monk and after giving him some examinations, Lama Lhundrup asked his parents to bring Tsundu only the following year. When a new monk enters monastic life he is given a new name, symbolizing that he is no longer an ordinary person. Lama Lhundrup gave “Tsundu” as his monastic name.
5. TSUNDU’S FAMILY BACKGROUND
Tsundu’s parents and grandparents came to Nepal from Tibet as refugees more than 20 years ago. They live in a two-bedroom apart­ment near the holy Buddhist shrine Sway­ambhu in Kathmandu. Tsundu’s grandmoth­ers from both of his parents sides live with his family. Both parents work for a Tibetan carpet factory. Tsundu has an older brother of 18

Assignment: Write an essay explaining how the ideas of the Buddhist religion have affected Tsundu's life