Core Buddhist Pathways
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229Monastic TraditionsAnalyze the historical development and contemporary roles of monastic communities across Buddhist traditions, evaluate the relationship between ordained and lay practitioners in preserving and transmitting dharma, and demonstrate understanding of how monastic traditions adapt to cultural contexts while maintaining essential functions.
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232The Three Yanas: Vajrayana BuddhismIdentify the methodologies specific to Vajrayana Buddhism. Examine how tantric practices integrate ritual, visualization, and guru-disciple relationships, and evaluate how Vajrayana approaches to transformation relate to the foundational teachings preserved in Theravada and Mahayana traditions.
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223Sutta/Sutra StructureDifferentiate between source texts and commentaries, and analyze how these textual categories function within each of the three yanas.
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234Buddha, Dharma, and SanghaAnalyze which qualities of the Buddha, the teachings, and group practices resonate personally, and evaluate why these elements are meaningful, interesting or inspiring to your own path.
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218Twenty-one Praises to TaraAnalyze specific examples of Tara’s virtues (compassion, fearlessness, and wisdom) as described in selected verses from the Twenty-one Praises to Tara, and evaluate how devotional practices like chanting or recitation can cultivate positive mental qualities in practitioners.
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212Noble BeingsAnalyze the qualities of noble beings, evaluate which qualities to cultivate personally, and create strategies to incorporate these qualities into daily activities.
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209Classic Buddhist Stories and ParablesAnalyze Buddhist stories and parables to extract wisdom for daily living, and differentiate between the forms and functions of history, story, myth, and legend.
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208Sukhavati SutrasCompare Pure Land Buddhism with other forms of Buddhism, analyzing how the practice of chanting Amitabha’s name serves both as devotion and meditation and how visualizing a perfect realm can inspire positive daily actions.
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201Discerning Authentic DharmaAnalyze what is presented as buddhadharma by evaluating its source and differentiating its key characteristics from non-authentic teachings with a solid grounding in the core teachings to evaluate new ideas and avoid being misled.
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132EhipassikoAnalyze Buddha’s non-dogmatic teaching approach as exemplified by ehipassiko (“come and see”); contrast this method with authoritarian approaches to sharing knowledge; and implement communication strategies that invite inquiry and personal investigation rather than demanding acceptance of ideas based on authority alone.
