Culture

• 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.
• 203Buddhism and Indigenous Cultures

  Analyze which indigenous cultures pre-existed Buddhism in at least five regions, and evaluate what has remained constant and what has transformed in Buddhist traditions based on cultural interactions.
• 204The Decline of Buddhism

  Analyze factors contributing to Buddhism’s decline historically, and create strategies to preserve dharma traditions in contemporary contexts.
• 209Classic Buddhist Stories and Parables

  Analyze Buddhist stories and parables to extract wisdom for daily living, and differentiate between the forms and functions of history, story, myth, and legend.
• 206Buddhist Rituals Across Traditions

  Categorize ritual practices across Buddhist traditions according to their functions (purification, mindfulness cultivation, merit generation), analyze how specific rituals engage body, speech, and mind simultaneously, and evaluate the role of ritual in preserving dharma transmission and fostering contemplative awareness.
• 125Buddhist Debate

  Analyze diverse perspectives through structured debate, and demonstrate the application of gestures and concepts from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition of debate.
• 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.
• 436The Story of the Frog in the Well

  Implement practices that cultivate an expansive, “bird’s eye view” perspective, and analyze the frog-in-the-well parable to illustrate the limitations of narrow viewpoints, and to remember that a bigger perspective is possible.
• 433Shrine Room Etiquette

  Analyze shrine room etiquette practices as external expressions of internal reverence for the three jewels; evaluate how mindful behavior in sacred spaces cultivates respect, awareness, and devotion; and implement appropriate ritual conduct while explaining how these practices function as mind-training techniques that transform outer behavior into inner spiritual development.
• 432Rituals for Personal and Group Practice

  Analyze various ritual forms that support personal practice, and design simple rituals that effectively guide and inspire group practice.