Kim Jago
Tampa Preparatory School
727 W. Cass St.
Tampa, Fl. 33606
kjago@tampaprep.org
Kim Jago
Tampa Preparatory School
727 W. Cass St.
Tampa, Fl. 33606
kjago@tampaprep.org
Grade Level: 9th and 10 th
Classtime: Two to Three class periods (supposing 45-60 minute classes)
Objectives:
Materials:
Day One
Reflective Journals
I. Buddhism
Prince Siddartha Encounters Old Age, Sickness And Death
First Sermon - The Middle Path (c. 6th Century BCE)
The Buddha Enters Nirvana
II. Hinduism
The Moment Of Death As Described By The Upanishads
III. Jainism
Jain Doctrines And Practices Of Nonviolence: The Example
Of Mahavira
State, Society, And The Quest For Salvation In India
Day Two
Mandalas
Introduction to Mandalas
The Value of Mandala Art
Mandala Basics
Constructing the Mandala
Drawing the Mandala
What is a journal? A journal can be different things for different people in a variety of settings. Usually it is an opportunity to reflect and synthesize experiences.
In World History, a journal will usually be part of our daily schedule. Either at the beginning or towards the end of class, you may be asked to reflect upon the day’s discussion or other pertinent issues. Sometimes you will address a specific question, while other days you will be free to reflect upon the ideas, comments, stories, experiences, and information from class. In the latter case, which one essential gem is worth remembering one year from now? Can you make a connection between class and your daily life, another class, or previously covered information? Take time to write on an aspect of the class which is worth gleaning. Finally, there may be instances when you are asked to write in your journals for homework.
The writing does not have to be in perfect paragraph form. Your journals
will be evaluated several times each term. The grade they will receive
will be based upon your thoughtfulness and originality (the degree to which
your ideas either deviate from or go beyond thoughts already expressed in class)
critical and analytical thinking (not merely restating the same idea but
breaking it into a smaller context), and relevance (how well you respond
to the issues at hand), not grammar, spelling, or topic sentences. With
the exception that each entry should focus on one idea, just write whatever
comes to mind.
You may also edit your journals. If you do not want me to read an entry
concerning a frustration about a class or an assignment, then you are welcome
to delete that entry from the ones you hand in, fold over the page or clearly
mark “do not read.” But be sure that you have the correct
number of assignments. You may also want to highlight the entries which
you want me to read carefully; I will, however, glance through the rest of the
journal.
I hope that you enjoy applying this strategy of reflective writing not only
to history, but also to your life in general. Taking time to reflect is
an aspect of learning we tend to neglect, particularly in this day and age when
we are constantly running from either one class or one commitment to another.
Whole days pass without taking time to reflect upon the value of an individual
experience. With these journals, I hope that we can take time with ourselves
and learn more about ourselves, our experiences, and how we fit into the world
around us.
Primary Sources:
Probably the definitive site for all historical primary sources:
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/india/indiasbook.html#The%20Formation%20of%20Religious%20Traditions
From: http://alexm.here.ru/mirrors/www.enteract.com/jwalz/Eliade/225.html
(' Digha-nikaya, ' XIV [ 'Mahapadana suttanta' ])
Now the young lord Gotama, when many days had passed by, bade his charioteer make ready the state carriages, saying: 'Get ready the carriages, good charioteer, and let us go through the park to inspect the pleasaunce.' 'Yes, my lord,' replied the charioteer, and harnessed the state carriages and sent word to Gotama: 'The carriages are ready, my lord; do now what you deem fit.' Then Gotama mounted a state carriage and drove out in state into the park.
Now the young lord saw, as he was driving to the park, an aged man as bent as a roof gable, decrepit, leaning on a staff, tottering as he walked, afflicted and long past his prime. And seeing him Gotama said: 'That man, good charioteer, what has he done, that his hair is not like that of other men, nor his body?'
'He is what is called an aged man, my lord.'
'But why is he called aged?'
'He is called aged, my lord, because he has not much longer to live.' 'But then, good charioteer, am I too subject to old age, one who has not got past old age?'
'You, my lord, and we too, we all are of a kind to grow old; we have not got past old age.'
'Why then, good charioteer., enough of the park for today. Drive me back hence to my rooms.'
'Yea, my lord,' answered the charioteer, and drove him back. And he, going to his rooms, sat brooding sorrowful and depressed, thinking, 'Shame then verily be upon this thing called birth, since to one born old age shows itself like that !'
Thereupon the raja sent for the charioteer and asked him: 'Well, good charioteer, did the boy take pleasure in the park? Was he pleased with it?'
'No, my lord, he was not.'
'What then did he see on his drive?'
(And the charioteer told the raja all.)
Then the raja thought thus: We must not have Gotama declining to rule. We must not have him going forth from the house into the homeless state. We must not let what the brahman soothsayers spoke of come true.
So, that these things might not come to pass, he let the youth be still more surrounded by sensuous pleasures. And thus Gotama continued to live amidst the pleasures of sense.
Now after many days had passed by, the young lord again bade his charioteer make ready and drove forth as once before. . . .
And Gotama saw, as he was driving to the park, a sick man, suffering and very ill, fallen and weltering in his own water, by some being lifted up, by others being dressed. Seeing this, Gotama asked: 'That man, good charioteer, what has he done that his eyes are not like others' eyes, nor his voice like the voice of other men?' 'He is what is called ill, my lord.'
'But what is meant by ill?'
'It means, my lord, that he will hardly recover from his illness.'
'But I am too, then, good charioteer, subject to fall ill; have I not got out of reach of illness?'
'you, my lord, and we too, we are all subject to fall ill; we have not got beyond the reach of illness.'
'Why then, good charioteer, enough of the park for today. Drive me back hence to my rooms. 'Yea, my lord,' answered the charioteer, and drove him back. And he, going to his rooms, sat brooding sorrowful and depressed, thinking: Shame then verily be upon this thing called birth, since to one born decay shows itself like that, disease shows itself like that.
Thereupon the raja sent for the charioteer and asked him: 'Well, good charioteer, did the young lord take pleasure in the park and was he pleased with it?'
'No, my lord, he was not.'
'What did he see then on his drive?'
(And the charioteer told the raja all.)
Then the raja thought thus: We must not have Gotama declining to rule; we must not have him going forth from the house to the homeless state; we must not let what the brahman soothsayers spoke of come true.
So, that these things might not come to pass, he let the young man be still more abundantly surrounded by sensuous pleasures. And thus Gotama continued to live amidst the pleasures of sense.
Now once again, after many days the young lord Gotama . . . drove forth.
And he saw, as he was driving to the park, a great concourse of people clad in garments of different colours constructing a funeral pyre. And seeing this he asked his charioteer: 'Why now are all those people come together in garments of different colours, and making that pile?'
'It is because someone, my lord, has ended his days.'
'Then drive the carriage close to him who has ended his days.' 'Yea, my lord,' answered the charioteer, and did so. And Gotama saw the corpse of him who had ended his days and asked: 'What, good charioteer, is ending one's days?'
'It means, my lord, that neither mother, nor father, nor other kinsfolk will now see him, nor will he see them.'
'But am I too then subject to death, have I not got beyond reach of death? Will neither the raja, nor the ranee, nor any other of my kin see me more, or shall I again see them?'
'You, my lord, and we too, we are all subject to death; we have not passed beyond the reach of death. Neither the raja, nor the ranee, nor any other of your kin will see you any more, nor will you see them.'
'Why then, good charioteer, enough of the park for today. Drive me back hence to my rooms.'
'Yea, my lord,' replied the charioteer, and drove him back.
And he, going to his rooms, sat brooding sorrowful and depressed, thinking: Shame verily be upon this thing called birth, since to one born the decay of life, since disease, since death shows itself like that I Thereupon the raja Questioned the charioteer as before and as before let Gotama be still more surrounded by sensuous enjoyment. And thus he continued to live amidst the_ pleasures of sense.
Now once again, after many days . . . the lord Gotama . . . drove forth.
And he saw, as he was driving to the park, a shaven-headed man, a recluse, wearing the yellow robe. And seeing him he asked the charioteer, 'That man, good charioteer, what has he done that his head is unlike other men's heads and his clothes too are unlike those of others?' 'That is what they call a recluse, because, my lord, he is one who has gone forth.'
'What is that, "to have gone forth"?'
'To have gone forth, my lord, means being thorough in the religious life, thorough in the peaceful life, thorough in good action, thorough in meritorious conduct, thorough in harmlessness, thorough in kindness to all creatures.'
'Excellent indeed, friend charioteer, is what they call a recluse, since so thorough in his conduct in all those respects, wherefore drive me up to that forthgone man.'
'Yea, my lord,' replied the charioteer and drove up to the recluse. Then Gotama addressed him, saying, 'You master, what have you done that your head is not as other men's heads, nor your clothes as those of other men?'
'I, my lord, am one whose has gone forth.'
'What, master, does that mean?'
'It means, my lord, being thorough in the religious life, thorough in the peaceful life, thorough in good actions, thorough in meritorious conduct, thorough in harmlessness, thorough in kindness to all creatures.'
'Excellently indeed, master, are you said to have gone forth since so thorough is your conduct in all those respects.' Then the lord Gotama bade his charioteer, saying: 'Come then, good charioteer, do you take the carriage and drive it back hence to my rooms. But I will even here cut off my hair, and don the yellow robe, and go forth from the house into the homeless state.'
'Yea, my lord,' replied the charioteer, and drove back. But the prince Gotama,. there and then cutting off his hair and donning the yellow robe, went forth from the house into the homeless state.
Now at Kapilavatthu, the raja's seat, a great number of persons, some eighty-four thousand souls, heard of what prince Gotama had done and thought: Surely this is no ordinary religious rule, this is no common going forth, in that prince Gotama himself has had his head shaved and has donned the yellow robe and has gone forth from the house into the homeless state. If prince Gotama has done this, why then should not we also? And they all had their heads shaved and donned the yellow robes, and in imitation of the Bodhisat they went forth from the house into the homeless state. So the Bodhisat went up on his rounds through the villages, towns and cities accompanied by that multitude.
Now there arose in the mind of Gotama the Bodhisat, when he was meditating in seclusion, this thought: That indeed is not suitable for me that I should live beset. 'Twere better were I to dwell alone, far from the crowd.
So after a time he dwelt alone, away from the crowd. Those eightyfour thousand recluses went one way, and the Bodhisat went another way.
Now there arose in the mind of Gotama the Bodhisat, when he had gone to his place and was meditating in seclusion, this thought: Verily, this world has fallen upon trouble-one is born, and grows old, and dies, and falls from one state, and springs up in another. And from the suffering, moreover, no one knows of any way of escape, even from decay and death. 0, when shall a way of escape from this suffering be made known-from decay and from death?'
------------------------------------------------------------------------
From Clarence H. Hamilton, Buddhism (New York, 1952), pp. 6-11, quoting translation by E. H. Brewster, in his Life of Gotama the Buddha, pp. 15-19. See also Rhys Davids, Dialogues of the Buddha, part 2 (Oxford, 1910), pp. 18 ff., which follows Brewster's translation closely
From: http://acc6.its.brooklyn.cuny.edu/~phalsall/texts/bud-ser1.html
from T.W. Rhys Davids and Herman Oldenberg, trans, Vinyaya Texts , in F. Max Mueller, ed., The Sacred Books of the East , 50 vols., (Oxford: Clarendon, 1879-1910), Vol 13 . pp. 94-97, 100-102 repr. in Alfred J. Andrea and James H. Overfield, The Human Record: Sources of Global History ,Vol 1 , 2d. ed., (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1994), pp. 72-74
[Andrea Introduction] Many parallels exist between the legendary lives of the Mahavira (the founder of the Indian philsophy of Jainism) and the Buddha, and several of their teachings are strikingly similar. Each rejected the special sanctity of (the Old Indian) Vedic literature, and each denied the meaningfulness of caste distinctions and duties. Yet a close investigation of their doctrines reveal substantial differences.
Like the Mahavira, young Prince Siddhartha Gautama, shrinking in horror at the many manifestations of misery in this world, fled his comfortable life and eventually became an ascetic. Where, however, the Mahavira found victory over karma in severe self-denial and total nonviolence, Prince Gautama found only severe disquiet. The ascetic life offered him no enlightenment as to how one might escape the sorrows of mortal existence. After abandoning extreme asceticism in favor of the Middle Path of self-restraint, Gautama achieved Enlightenment in a flash while meditating under a sacred pipal tree. He was now the Buddha.
Legend tells us he then proceeded to share the path to Eulightenment by preaching a sermon in a deer park at Benares in northeastern India to five ascetics, who became his first disciples. Buddhists refer to that initial sermon as "Setting in Motion the Wheel of the Law," which means that the Buddha had embarked on a journey (turning the wheel) on behalf of the law of Righteousness (dharma).
The following document is a reconstruction of that first sermon Although composed at least several centuries after Siddhartha Gautama's death it probably contains the essence of what the Buddha taught his earliest disciples
And the Blessed one thus addressed the five Bhikkhus [monks]. ' "There are two extremes, O Bhikkhus, which he who has given up the world, ought to avoid. What are rhese two extremes'? A life given to pleasures, devoted to pleasures and lusts: this is degrading, sensual, vulgar, ignoble, and profitless; and a life given to rnortifications: this is painful, ignoble, and profitless. By avoiiding these two extremes, O Bhikkhus, the Tathagata [a title of Buddha meaning perhaps "he who has arrived at the truth"] has gained the knowledge of the Middle Path which leads to insight, which leads to wisdom which conduces to calm, to knowledge, co the Sambodhi [total enlightenment], to Nirvana [state of release from samsara, the cycle of existence and rebirth].
The Eightfold Path
"Which, O Bhikkhus, is this Middle Path the knowledge of which the Tathagata has gained, which leads to insight, which leads to wisdom, which conduces to calm, to knowledge, to the Sambodhi, to Nirvana? It is the Holy Eightfold Path, namely,
Right Belief [understanding the truth about the universality of suffering and knowing the path to its extinction],
Right Aspiration [a mind free of ill will, sensuous desire and cruelty],
Right Speech [abstaining from lying, harsh language and gossip],
Right Conduct [avoiding killing, stealing and unlawful sexual intercourse],
Right Means of Livelihood [avoiding any occupation taht brings harm directly or indirectly to any other living being],
Right Endeavor [avoiding unwholsome and evil things],
Right Memory [awareness in contemplation],
Right Meditation. [concentration that ultimately reaches the level of a trance],
This, O Bhikkhus, is the Middle Path the knowledge of which the Tathagata has gained, which leads to insight, which leads to wisdom, which conduces to calm, co knowledge, to the Sambodhi, to Nirvana.
The Four Noble Truths
"This, O Bhikkhus, is the Noble Truth of Suffering: Birch is suffering; decay is suffering; illness is suffering; death is suffering. Presence of objects we hate, is suffering; Separation from objects wc love, is suffering; not to obtain what we desire, is suffering. Briefly,... clinging to existence is suffering.
"This, O Bhikkhus, is the Noble Truth of the Cause of suffering Thirst, which leads to rebirth, accompanied by pleasure and lust, finding its delight here and there. This thirst is threefold, namely, thirst for pleasure, thirst for existence, thirst for prosperity.
"This, O Bhikkhus, is the Noble Truth of the Cessation of suffering: it ceases with the complete cessation of this thirst, -- a cessation which consists in the absence of every passion with the abandoning of this thirst, with doing away with it, with the deliverance from it, with the destruction of desire.
"This, O Bhikkhus, is the Noble Truth of the Path which leads to the cessation of suffering: that Holy Eightfold Path, that is to say, Right Belief, Right Aspiration, Right Speech, Right Conduct, Right Means of Livelihood, Right Endeavor, Right Memory, Right Meditation....
"As long, O Bhikkhus, as I did not possess with perfect purity this true knowledge and insight into these four Noble Truths... so long, O Bhikkhus, I knew that I had not yet obtained the highest, absolute Sambodhi in the world of men and gods....
"But since I possessed, O Bhikkhus, with perfect purity this true knowledge and insight into these four Noble Truths... then I knew, O Bhikkhus, that I had obtained the highest, universal Sambodhi....
"And this knowledge and insight arose in my mind: "The emancipation of my mind cannot be lost; this is my last birth; hence I shall not be born again!"
From: http://alexm.here.ru/mirrors/www.enteract.com/jwalz/Eliade/230.html
(Ashvagosha, 'Buddhacarita,' XXVI, 83-6, 88-106)
Thereupon the Buddha turned to his Disciples, and said to them: 'Everything comes to an end, though it may last for an aeon. The hour of parting is bound to come in the end. Now I have done what I could do, both for myself and for others. To stay here would from now on be without any purpose. I have disciplined, in heaven and on earth, all those whom I could discipline, and I have set them in the stream. Hereafter this my Dharma, 0 monks, shall abide for generations and generations among living beings. Therefore, recognize the true nature of the living world, and do not be anxious; for separation cannot possibly be avoided. Recognize that all that lives is subject to this law; and strive from today onwards that it shall be thus no more ! When the light of gnosis has dispelled the darkness of ignorance, when an existence has been seen as without substance, peace ensues when life draws to an end, which seems to cure a long sickness at last. Everything, whether stationary or moveable, is bound to perish in the end. Be ye therefore mindful and vigilant! The time for my entry into Nirvana has now arrived. These are my last words!',
Thereupon, supreme in his mastery of the trances, He at that moment entered into the first trance, emerged from it and went on to the second, and so in due order he entered all of them without omitting one. And then, when he had ascended through all the nine stages of meditational attainment, the great Seer reversed the process, and returned again to the first trance. Again he emerged from that, and once more he ascended step by step to the fourth trance. When he emerged from the practice of that, he came face to face with everlasting Peace.
And when the Sage entered Nirvana, the earth quivered like a ship struck by a squall, and firebrands fell from the sky. The heavens were lit up by a preternatural fire, which burned without fuel, without smoke, without being fanned by the wind. Fearsome thunderbolts crashed down on the earth, and violent winds raged in the sky. The moon's light waned, and, in spite of a cloudless sky, an uncanny darkness spread everywhere. The rivers, as if overcome with grief, were filled with boiling water. Beautiful flowers grew out of season on the Sal trees above the Buddha's couch, and the trees bent down over him and showered his golden body with their flowers. Like as many gods the five-headed Nagas stood motionless in the sky, their eyes reddened with grief, their hoods closed and their bodies kept in restraint, and with deep devotion they gazed upon the body of the Sage. But, well-established in the practice of the -supreme Dharma, the gathering of the gods round king Vaishravana was not grieved and shed no tears, so great was their attachment to the Dharma. The Gods of the Pure Abode, though they had great reverence for the Great Seer, remained composed, and their minds were unaffected; for they hold the things of this world in the utmost contempt. The Kings of the Gandharvas and Nagas, as well as the Yakshas and the Devas who rejoice in the true Dharma-they all stood in the sky, mourning and absorbed in the utmost grief. But Mara's hosts felt that they had obtained their heart's desire. Overjoyed they uttered loud laughs, danced about, hissed like snakes, and triumphantly made a frightful din by beating drums, gongs and tom-toms. And the world, when the Prince of Seers had passed beyond, became like a mountain whose peak has been shattered by a thunderbolt; it became like the sky without the moon, like a pond whose lotuses the frost has withered, or like learning rendered ineffective by lack of wealth.
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Translation by Edward Conze, in Conze (ed.), Buddhist Scriptures (Penguin Books, 1959), pp. 62-4
From: http://alexm.here.ru/mirrors/www.enteract.com/jwalz/Eliade/160.html
When this self gets to weakness, gets to confusedness, as it were, then the breaths gather round him. He takes to himself those particles of light and descends into the heart. When the person in the eye turns away, then he becomes non-knowing of forms.
[When his body grows weak and he becomes apparently unconscious, the dying man gathers his senses about him, completely withdraws their powers and descends into the heart. Radhakrishnan.]
He is becoming one, he does not see, they say; he is becoming one, he does not smell, they say; he is becoming one, he does not taste, they say, he is becoming one, he does not speak, they say; he is becoming one, he does not hear, they say; he is becoming one, he does not think, they say; he is becoming one, he does not touch, they say; he is becoming one, he does not know, they say. The point of his heart becomes lighted up and by that light the self departs either through the eye or through the head or through other apertures of the body. And when he thus departs, life departs after him. And when life thus departs, all the vital breaths depart after him. He becomes one with intelligence. What has intelligence departs with him. His knowledge and his work take hold of him as also his past experience. (Brihad-aranyaka Upanishad, IV, 4, 1-2.)
Verily, when a person departs from this world, he goes to the air. It opens out there for him like the hole of a chariot wheel. Through that he goes upwards. He goes to the sun. It opens out there for him like the hole of a lambara. Through that he goes upwards. He reaches the moon. It opens out there for him like the hole of a drum. Through that he goes upwards. He goes to the world free from grief, free from snow. There he dwells eternal years. (ibid.,.V, II,I.)
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S. Radhakrishnan (editor and translator), The Principal Upanishads (New York: Harper & Row, 1951) pp. 269-70, 296
From: http://alexm.here.ru/mirrors/www.enteract.com/jwalz/Eliade/221.html
('Akaranga-sutra, I, 8, 1-3-IV-8)
Vardhamarma Mahavira ('The Great Hero') was a contemporary of the Buddha. He
is said to have left his home at the age of thirty and wandered for twelve years
in search of salvation. At the age of fortytwo he obtained enlightenment and
became a 'conqueror' ( jina , term from which the Jain took their name). Mahavira
founded an order of naked monks and taught his doctrine of salvation for some
thirty years. He died in 468 B.C., at the age of seventy-two, in a village near
Patna.
I
3. For a year and a month he did not leave off his robe. Since that time the
Venerable One, giving up his robe, was a naked, world relinquishing, houseless
(sage).
4. Then he meditated (walking) with his eye fixed on a square space before him
of the length of a man. Many people assembled, shocked at the sight; they struck
him and cried.
5. Knowing (and renouncing) the female sex in mixed gathering places, he meditated,
finding his way himself: I do not lead a worldly life.
6. Giving up the company of all householders whomsoever, he meditated. Asked,
he gave no answer; he went and did not transgress the right path.
7. For some it is not easy (to do what he did), not to answer those who salute;
he was beaten with sticks, and struck by sinful people. . . .
10. For more than a couple of years he led a religious life without using cold
water; he realize.1 singleness, guarded his body, had got intuition, and was
calm.
11. Thoroughly knowing the earth-bodies and water-bodies and firebodies and
wind-bodies, the lichens, seeds, and sprouts,
12. He comprehended that they are, if narrowly inspected, imbued with life,
and avoided to injure them; he, the Great Hero.
13. The immovable (beings) are changed to movable ones, and the movable beings
to immovable ones; beings which are born in all states become individually sinners
by their actions.
14. The Venerable One understands thus: he who is under the conditions (of existence),
that fool suffers pain. Thoroughly knowing (karman), the Venerable One avoids
sin.
15. The sage, perceiving the double (karman), proclaims the incomparable activity,
he, knowing one; knowing the current of worldliness, the current of sinfulness,
and the impulse.
16. Practicing the sinless abstinence from
killing, be did no acts, neither himself nor with the assistance of others;
be to whom women were known as the causes of all sinful acts, he saw (the true
sate of the world). . . .
III.
7. Ceasing to use the stick (i.e. cruelty) against living beings, abandoning
the care of the body, the houseless (Mahavira), the Venerable One, endures the
thorns of the villages (i.e. the abusive language of the peasants), (being)
perfectly enlightened.
8. As an elephant at the head of the battle, so was Mahavira there victorious.
Sometimes he did not reach a village there in Ladha.
9. When he who is free from desires approached the village, the inhabitants
met him on the outside, and attacked him, saying, 'Get away from here.'
10. He was struck with a stick, the fist, a lance, hit with a fruit, a clod,
a potsherd. Beating him again and again, many cried.
11. When he once (sat) without moving his body, they cut his flesh,
tore his hair under pains, or covered him with dust.
12. Throwing him up, they let him fall, or disturbed him in his religious postures;
abandoning the care of his body, the Venerable One humbled himself and bore
pain, free from desire.
13. As a hero at the head of the battle is surrounded on all sides, so was there
Mahavira. Bearing all hardships, the Venerable One, undisturbed, proceeded (on
the road to Nirvana). . . .
VI
1. The Venerable One was able to abstain from indulgence of the flesh, though
never attacked by diseases. Whether wounded or not wounded, he desired not medical
treatment.
2. Purgatives and emetics, anointing of the body and bathing, shampooing and
cleaning of the teeth do not behoove him, after he learned (that the body is
something unclean).
3. Being averse from the impressions of the senses, the Brahmana wandered about,
speaking but little. Sometimes in the cold season the Venerable One was meditating
in the shade.
4. In summer he exposes himself to the heat, he sits squatting in the sun; he
lives on rough (food); rice, pounded jujube, and beans.
5. Using these three, the Venerable One sustained himself eight months. Sometimes
the Venerable One did not drink for half a month or even for a month.
6. Or he did not drink for more than two months, or even six months, day and
night, without desire (for drink). Sometimes he ate stale food.
7. Sometimes he ate only the sixth meal, or the eighth, the tenth, the twelfth;
without desires, persevering in meditation.
8. Having wisdom, Mahavira committed no sin himself, nor did he induce other
to do so, nor did he consent to the sins of others.
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Translation from Prakrit by Herman Jacobi, Jaina Sutra, part 1, in
Sacred Books of the East, (Oxford, 1884), PP. 85-7
From:
Traditions and Encounters, 2/e
Jerry H. Bentley, University of Hawai'i
Herbert F. Ziegler, University of Hawai'i
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Chapter 9
Overview
This chapter addresses the significant developments in classical India between about 520 B.C.E. and 550 C.E. during which two influential empires emerged in northern India: the Maurya and the Gupta. Although these two state systems were not permanent, they contributed to the growth of long-distance trading networks, the consolidation of cultural traditions, and the promotion of several significant religions. More specifically, India, during this period of one thousand years or so, witnessed the following important developments.
A high volume of manufacture and trade with regions as far east as China and as far west as the Mediterranean basin.
The consolidation of the social traditions of patriarchal families and caste distinctions, the latter becoming more elaborated with the appearance of subcastes called jati usually based on occupation.
The emergence and spread of salvation-based religions: Jainism, Buddhism, and
popular Hinduism.
Contents
N.B. I did this with 9 th graders after introducing Buddhism to them
and watching a video on Tibetan Buddhism. Day Two was phenomenally successful.
After introducing the purpose and procedure, there was absolute silence
for the remainder of the hour. The kids sat in their seats or lay on the
floor in the subdued light (almost dark,) and then when the mood struck they
returned to their spot and started drawing. My bulletin board is covered
with these brightly colored expressions.
Mandala in nature
The basic pattern of the circle with a center is found in nature and is seen
in biology, geology, chemistry, physic,s and astronomy.
On our planet, living things are made of cells and each cell has a nucleus–-all display circles with centers. The crystals that form ice, rocks, and mountains are made of atoms. Each atom is a mandala.
Within the Milky Way galaxy is our solar system and within our solar system, is Earth. Each is a mandala that is part of a larger mandala.
Flowers, spider webs, and the rings found in tree trunks all reflect the primal mandala pattern. The "circle with a center" pattern is the basic structure of creation that is reflected from the micro to the macro in the world as we know it.
What is the value of mandala artwork?
First of all, by drawing these symbols, we shift our attention from external preoccupations and concerns and connect to our own inner space. This inward attunement is often quite relaxing, refreshing, and energizing.
Second, mandala art is a private process of self-confrontation and self-expression for which we need not depend on a guide or therapist or outside consultant. In the search for the meaning of our experiences in life, we can sit down anytime we want to, draw a circle, fill it in, capture a reflection of what is going on inside and figure out what it means.
Third, through the mandala we can discover where our energies are blocked, where our resistance lies, in what roles and patterns we are stuck. Or, in compelling and graphic ways, we can celebrate our successes, portray the things which have inspired or touched us in life and, in this way, learn the most from them.
Fourth, mandala art can help us connect to, accept, love and learn from the very center of ourselves, the Higher Self so to speak, which struggles to live ever more freely and creatively in the world. One of the greatest challenges in life is to discover and nourish the deep springs of inner wisdom that flow within us, and spending time with mandala art encourages our inner genius to awaken, communicate, and express itself directly.
Fifth, mandalas can help us see the larger cycles that operate in our lives if we do them regularly, then review a series of drawings that have developed over time. Last, mandalas are powerful images to share with others. Through them we can share our inner realities with family and friends in honest and open ways, whenever we choose, and by this encourage our loved ones to share with us their depths as well.
We need to find ways to connect to our inner depths, to heal our wounds, and nurture the growth of new potential within us. Mandala art is one of the most creative, direct, and transformative ways to accomplish these important goals.
http://www.raywhiting.com/mandala/
A mandala created by an artist is both a spiritual expression AND a piece of artwork in its own right. The majority of mandalas that you will create might not quality as "art" in the common sense of the term, but it is art just the same. You are putting onto paper a spiritual expression of your self. No one else is qualified to judge if it is "right" or if it is "good" art. They don't know.
And, because it is NOT "art" in the strict sense, it doesn't matter
if you can't draw a straight line, or can't make a realistic looking house or
dog or flower. Whatever you put onto paper, and what you decide it represents,
that is what it means and that is what it should be... exactly so. There can
be no judgment when you are dealing with Mandalas. NONE!
Quiet Your Mind
(you may choose to put on the Tibetan Music as you do this).
You may already have a favorite form of meditation process, prayer, or other
technique that you use to quiet the outside world and enter the sacred space
within yourself. If your religion devotes its attention to a named god or goddess,
please follow the concepts of your own faith in finding a peace inside.
The Mindfulness Meditation
The Mindfulness Meditation technique is a simple meditation procedure that can create a deep state of relaxation in your mind and body. As the mind quiets down but remains awake you will experience deeper, more silent levels of awareness.
As you finish your meditation or prayer, you may wish to offer a word of thanksgiving to your God or to the Universe at large for the gifts of paper and colors with which to do this exercise. You may also wish to request guidance -- it is VERY common for mandala artists to feel an inner compelling to draw a shape here or fill in a shaper with a particular color, and they have come to understand that is one of the ways the prayer for guidance is answered... you might not see a flashing image in your head, but a quiet urge to use one special color, or to draw a particular shape or design inside your circle.
First, place your plate or other round shape flat down on the paper and with a light color or pencil, trace around it. (If you don't want the perfect shape, do what you feel…)
Your task is only to fill the shape with whatever you feel belongs there. Fill it with whatever designs, colors, combinations feel right to you. There are no rules here, and only very few guidelines. Also, there are no accidents -- what seems like a squiggly mistake at first can become one of several ripples on water, or smoke wafts of winter winds.. or whatever you feel it should be.
Mandala art is a tool of integration for many reasons. The creation of these symbols involves many parts of us. Our body is involved in the mechanical act of drawing, and we experience our own nervous system in a new way in the fine movements required by the act of drawing. Our mental patterns are reflected in the specific forms and structures that emerge within the circle. Our feelings are reflected by our use of color.
You will be drawing rather quickly, simply allowing your inner spirit to express onto paper. Try not to censor yourself, or to allow "rules" to interfere. If you feel like drawing a green cat under a purple moon, go right ahead. Also, there is no need to be concerned about if your drawing LOOKS like what it symbolizes to you. An oval shape with a long tale and four legs and pointy ears can be a cat... or a wolf... or a stuffed animal. It is whatever it tells you it is, and nothing else matters at this point.
You will notice after 30 minutes or so that the mandala seems to be telling you, "stop". If you feel compelled to continue on, you may do so. Or you may feel more comfortable setting it aside for the day and coming back another time, starting over with the meditation time to relax your brain once again.
Once your mandala is finished, date it. If you have worked on it over several days, right down the date of each day it was worked on.
Post your mandala to the wall where you can see it regularly. Each day spend a few moments simply looking at it, and allow it to explain itself to you. As you get new thoughts about what it might mean, write these observations in the margins around the edge of the paper.