Liberation (Ages 15-18)

• 402Vipassana Meditation

  Analyze the distinction between awareness and its objects during vipassana practice, evaluate how investigating the three marks of existence (impermanence, suffering, non-self) through direct observation leads to insight, and synthesize understanding by creating guided practices that help others develop insight.
• 403Shamatha Meditation

  Explore shamatha meditation as a way to calm the mind and support both insight (vipassana) practice and everyday mental habits; evaluate personal experience with meditation; and demonstrate the practice by leading shamatha sessions that guide breath-based concentration while recognizing common challenges, obstacles, and their antidotes.
• 415Karma and Habit

  Analyze the relationship between Buddhist teachings on karma and neuroscientific understanding of habit formation; evaluate how conscious repetition of wholesome thoughts, words, and actions creates positive neural pathways; and synthesize understanding by implementing deliberate habit-change practices that demonstrate the intersection of contemplative training and brain plasticity.
• 437The Qualities of the Buddha

  Analyze the Buddha’s qualities as described in traditional texts across multiple sources; evaluate which Buddha qualities most effectively inspire personal development; and implement contemplative practices that cultivate specific Buddha qualities while assessing their impact on daily ethical decision-making and relationships with others.
• 459Anatta Overview

  Explain the truth of selflessness and how clinging to a sense of self affects our experience. Apply insight of the impermanent, changing quality of the self to be more at ease with different experiences.
• 463The Paramita of Dhyana/Meditation

  Differentiate between ordinary concentration and the paramita of dhyana as described in Buddhist texts; analyze the role of meditative absorption (samadhi) in developing wisdom and compassion; and demonstrate competency by designing and leading basic meditation sessions that cultivate both individual focus and group harmony.
• 111Practicing Refuge for Others

  Implement awareness practices to generate a calm, grounded center, and evaluate how being present and nonjudgmental serves as effective support for others.
• 458Buddhanature

  Analyze how the concept of buddhanature may affect one’s outlook on life; compare and contrast the principle of buddhanature with other religious or philosophical beliefs; and assess how the understanding of innate goodness transforms relationships.
• 115Ten Virtues

  Categorize the ten virtuous and non virtuous actions according to body, speech, and mind; analyze the causal relationship between specific actions and their karmic consequences; and evaluate contemporary ethical dilemmas by applying the ten virtues framework to complex real-world situations involving technology, environmental issues, and social justice.
• 127Karma and the Practice of Life Release

  Evaluate the Buddhist practice of life release within contemporary ecological contexts, analyze the ethical complexities of wildlife conservation and animal welfare, and design compassionate actions that authentically preserve life while considering environmental impact and cultural sensitivity.