Core Buddhist Pathways

• 135Subjectivity

  Analyze how Buddhist teachings on dependent origination explain the subjective nature of perception; evaluate the limitations of individual perspectives by practicing systematic perspective-taking exercises; and synthesize understanding by applying multiple-viewpoint analysis to complex problems while demonstrating awareness of the relative nature of all viewpoints.
• 138Working with Miscommunication

  Analyze the role of dependent origination and subjective perception in creating miscommunication and conflict; evaluate various conflict resolution techniques through the lens of Buddhist principles; and implement mediation practices that help others recognize multiple perspectives while fostering mutual understanding and harmony.
• 130Measures of Wealth

  Analyze how conventional definitions of wealth based solely on material accumulation can lead to dukkha and competitive harm; evaluate alternative measures of success that incorporate ecological sustainability, community wellbeing, and psychological health; and synthesize understanding by designing career pathways that embody right livelihood principles while demonstrating how redefining wealth creates conditions for both personal contentment and collective benefit.
• 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.
• 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.
• 105Right Motivation in Leaders

  Analyze the motivations behind leaders’ decisions by evaluating evidence of the three poisons versus the three antidotes in their words and actions. Compare how leaders with altruistic versus self-serving motivations impact their communities, then develop criteria for assessing whether leadership decisions align with Buddhist principles of non-harm and benefit to others.
• 101Anatta and Service

  Analyze systemic issues within the community by evaluating their root causes and interconnected effects, then design and implement collaborative social action initiatives that prioritize collective wellbeing over individual recognition, while critically examining their own motivations to align actions with the principle of anatta (selflessness).
• 104Merit

  Analyze the relationship between virtuous actions and their karmic effects; evaluate how motivation influences the merit generated by specific behaviors; and synthesize understanding of merit by designing anonymous acts of service that demonstrate the Buddhist principle of selfless giving.
• 103Ahimsa in Society

  Analyze systemic structures through the lens of ahimsa (non-aggression) by identifying who benefits and who is harmed by specific economic, social, or political systems; evaluate personal participation in potentially harmful systems using Buddhist ethical frameworks; and synthesize understanding by designing alternative approaches that prioritize ahimsa and pratityasamutpada (dependent origination) in social change efforts.
• 117The Five Precepts

  Analyze the five precepts (pancha shila) as both restraints from harmful action and foundations for positive ethical development; evaluate contemporary applications of each precept in complex modern situations; and synthesize understanding by examining how precept practice creates conditions for mental purification and spiritual progress.