Liberation (Ages 15-18)

• 120Skillful Communication in Action

  Analyze complex communication scenarios (family conflicts, social tensions, leadership challenges, literary or public media sources) and synthesize Buddhist speech principles with conflict resolution techniques to create approaches that promote healing, understanding, and positive social change.
• 121Empathy and Compassion

  Differentiate between cognitive empathy, emotional empathy, and compassion by analyzing how each contributes to understanding others’ perspectives and experiences; evaluate how dependent origination explains the uniqueness of individual viewpoints using examples like “The Blind Men and the Elephant”; and implement mindful listening and perspective-taking practices that cultivate empathy and transform it into compassionate action for alleviating others’ suffering.
• 123Preservation of the Dharma

  Evaluate choices that might contribute to the preservation of Buddhist traditions, and create strategies that ensure the continuation of dharma practices and teachings over time, supported with knowledge of historical efforts to protect and preserve the Buddhadharma.
• 124Engaged Buddhists

  Analyze the work of exemplary, socially engaged Buddhists; implement their principles in daily life; and evaluate how modern engaged Buddhism aligns with the Buddha’s original teachings.
• 131Sangha

  Evaluate the impact of one’s social connections; identify the qualities and virtues that make a good friend; implement boundaries with non-virtuous influences; and analyze the definition and importance of sangha in Buddhism.
• 141Three Poisons: Greed

  Evaluate unsustainable practices; design alternatives that challenge materialist mindsets; and analyze how craving and desire influence consumption patterns.
• 200Lineage Traditions

  Compare how the three main Buddhist traditions (Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana) pass down teachings, evaluating the strengths of each approach. Examine your own cultural and family traditions, and analyze which ones benefit people and which might cause harm. Evaluate how these ideas were transmitted to you, and how you transmit them to others, and develop criteria for responsibly choosing which ideas and traditions are worth continuing or changing.
• 202The Buddha and Social Hierarchies

  Analyze the radical nature of the Buddha’s teachings on caste, and evaluate their significance within the cultural context in which they emerged.
• 100Diligence and Optimism

  Differentiate between ordinary hope and authentic optimism in Buddhist practice; analyze how joyful effort (virya) transforms obstacles into opportunities for growth; and implement sustained diligent practice that maintains positive engagement with challenging tasks while cultivating realistic expectations based on dharmic principles.
• 102Alleviating Dukkha

  Apply the four noble truths framework to analyze a specific community issue by identifying the suffering, investigating its causes, envisioning cessation, and designing a path to resolution; evaluate the effectiveness of proposed solutions through the lens of reducing kleshas (mental afflictions); and implement community action that demonstrates understanding of both relative and ultimate approaches to alleviating suffering.