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What You Need to Know
The Buddhist Education Aspirations (BEA) Framework includes 175+ Learning Goals across five domains. Each Learning Goal is a teaching target—not a full lesson. The framework sets standards, while you create the lesson content and activities.
What Are Learning Goals?
Learning Goals define the objectives for what we aspire students will learn about a concept. Three essential components are:
- ACTION: What students demonstrate with their knowledge and understanding
- UNDERSTANDING: Key insights students will grasp, the deeper insight
- CONTENT KNOWLEDGE: Information students will learn and remember
You choose which component you wish to emphasize. In many Western countries, ACTION is typically emphasized, whereas KNOWLEDGE or UNDERSTANDING could be equally valid targets for the lesson.
Five Domains
The framework contains 175+ Buddhist-inspired learning goals organized into five developmental domains.
Each domain builds essential life skills, and combining goals from multiple domains ensures well-rounded student growth.
CLEAR THINKING Develops analytical and philosophical skills to understand experience through Buddhist concepts like impermanence, dependent origination, and emptiness. Students examine key texts and practice Buddhist epistemology to develop precision in analysis and the ability to cut through confusion while cultivating comfort with paradox.
CREATIVE EXPRESSION Integrates creativity and contemplative awareness through artistic practice. Students balance disciplined technique with spontaneous freedom, exploring how art becomes active meditation. They practice creativity as offering rather than ego-enhancement, developing sensitivity to beauty and transforming ordinary activity into contemplative art.
CULTURAL WISDOM Develops appreciation for wisdom traditions and respectful cross-cultural dialogue. Students explore Buddhist transmission across cultures, learning to discern what aspects of tradition to preserve, adapt, or transform while building bridges across diverse wisdom lineages and engaging respectfully across cultural differences.
ETHICAL LIVING Teaches living with integrity through frameworks like the Four Noble Truths and Five Precepts. Students develop skills in mindful communication, conflict resolution, and community building, learning to act with effectiveness while maintaining compassionate motivation and contributing to positive social transformation.
INNER AWARENESS Cultivates contemplative skills and emotional regulation through meditation practices including shamatha, vipassana, and the Four Immeasurables. Students integrate mindfulness into daily activities, develop sustainable practice routines, and learn to work skillfully with obstacles while maintaining equanimity.
Next Steps
- Start planning: Lesson planning guide with step-by-step instructions
- Answer 3 questions to access a quick tutorial on effectively searching the framework
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