Academic Area Pathways

• 416Refraining from Sexual Misconduct

  Analyze the Buddhist understanding of sexual misconduct within the context of consent, honesty, and non-harm; evaluate how the principles of respect and mindfulness apply to intimate relationships; and synthesize understanding by examining how this precept supports both personal integrity and healthy community relationships.
• 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.
• 407Sympathetic Joy

  Analyze the nature of sympathetic joy; guide unscripted meditation practices for cultivating this quality; and develop the practice of responding by rejoicing when witnessing others’ happiness.
• 408Fame and Anonymity

  Evaluate personal motivations regarding fame and notoriety, and implement actions that are free from both craving recognition and fearing obscurity.
• 409Right Effort

  Implement the principles of right effort in daily life; analyze opportunities to cultivate wholesome thoughts and actions; and evaluate how this practice transforms well-being and relationships.
• 406Loving-Kindness

  Analyze the nature of metta/loving-kindness; improvise a guided meditation that generates this quality; and initiate kind actions based on understanding all beings’ desire for happiness.
• 411Right Speech

  Evaluate speech patterns by identifying personal examples of any of the four non-virtuous speech actions; then design and implement communication strategies that integrate Buddhist principles of truthfulness, kindness, and timing to create more harmonious interactions with others.
• 326The Three Trainings

  Analyze the interconnected relationship between ethical conduct, concentration, and wisdom within the three trainings’ framework; then evaluate how each training supports the others in personal transformation. Evaluate how your personal practice of the three trainings fits into daily life in a balanced way that will reduce harm and increase clarity, compassion, and discernment.
• 335Buddhist Debate

  Analyze diverse perspectives through structured debate, and demonstrate the application of gestures and concepts from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition of debate.
• 327Sukha or Contentment

  Analyze different definitions of happiness; evaluate how equanimity transforms our relationship to pleasant and unpleasant experiences; and experiment with showing “no preference” toward perceived beauty and ugliness.