Question 1 Part A
You will investigate one form of Mahayana Buddhism that is well-known today. This branch is called Tibetan Buddhism. Tibet is a region in China. The spiritual leader of this movement is the Dalai Lama. His followers call him “His Holiness.” Who is the Dalai Lama? Why is he significant to his followers? Start your research with this information about the significance of the Dalai Lama. Write your response in one or two short sentences.
Part B
The Dalai Lama says he has three main commitments in life. Start your research with this information about the three main commitments. As you read, paraphrase what you think each commitment means in the second column of the table. After paraphrasing the Dalai Lama’s beliefs, fill in the third column of the table. Explain how his ideas reflect the Buddha’s teachings. Write a sentence or two to explain how these ideas connect to the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.
Part C
You’ve read about what the Dalai Lama believes and how his beliefs reflect Buddhist teachings. Next, you’ll read about the Dalai Lama's daily routine. As you read, pick three of his daily activities and explain how his actions reflect his commitment to Buddhism. Write your answers in bullet form.
Question 2
In this unit, you learned about an ancient Hindu text called the Rig Veda. The Rig Veda includes a creation myth. In this story, the gods divide a being named Purusha to create life. The story includes a metaphor that later served as the basis of the caste system.
Read this section from the Rig Veda:
When they divided Purusha how many portions did they make?
What do they call his mouth, his arms? What do they call his thighs and feet?
The Brahman was his mouth, of both his arms was the Rajanya made.
His thighs became the Vaishya, from his feet the Shudra was produced.
Think about what you’ve learned about varnas and the caste system in the unit. Explain how each respective body part is used as a metaphor for the different castes. Put your answers in the following chart.
Question 3
You studied the Chinese philosopher Confucius in this unit. As you learned, the teachings of Confucius were written in a book called the Analects. The table below has two excerpts from the Analects that discuss Confucian ideas about filial piety. In the space provided, explain what each excerpt is saying in the second column of the chart.