Tag Archives: philosophy/religion

Cultural Literacy: Zen

Here is a Cultural Literacy worksheet on Zen. This is a half-page worksheet with a reading of three longish sentences and three comprehension questions. When you open this, I wonder if you’ll find, like I did, that things are a bit crammed together and crowded in this document. It may need some work–perhaps like turning it into a one-page affair.

Of course I would be interested in hearing what you think.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Northern Wei Sculpture

“Northern Wei sculpture: Chinese sculpture, dominated by simple images of the Buddha, dating from the eral of the Northern Wei dynasty (AD 386-534/535). The art represents the first major influence of Buddhism on China, and may be divided into two major periods. The first style (c.452-494), an amalgam of foreign influences traceable to the Buddhist art of India, is characterized by heavy stylization of blocky volumes. The second style (c.494-535) clothes the Buddha in the costume of the Chinese scholar and emphasizes a sinuous cascade of drapery falling over an increasingly flattened figure.”

Excerpted from: Stevens, Mark A., Ed. Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Encyclopedia. Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster, 2000.

The Weekly Text, 24 May 2024, Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month Week IV: A Reading and Comprehension Worksheet on al-Ghazali

This week’s Text, the fourth for Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month 2024, is a reading an Al-Ghazali (full name Abū Ḥāmid Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad al-Ṭūsiyy al-Ghazali– the diacritical marks are courtesy of a cool copy-and-paste from Wikipedia), the Persian Islamic theologian and polymath, along with its attendant vocabulary-building and comprehension worksheet.

If you find typos in these documents, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Shwe Dagon

“Shwe Dagon: Pagoda in Yangon (Rangoon) that is the center of Burmese religious life. A Buddhist temple complex begun in the 15th century, Shwe Dagon is constructed of brick in the form of a cone and is completely covered with gold. Raised over a relic chamber, it was rebuilt several times and was brought to its present height of 326 feet (99 meters) in 1841 by King Tharrawaddy. The pagoda sits atop a hill that rises 168 feet (51 meters) above the city.”

Excerpted from: Stevens, Mark A., Ed. Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Encyclopedia. Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster, 2000.

The Weekly Text, 17 May 2024, Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month Week III: A Reading and Comprehension Worksheet on the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path

For the third Friday of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month 2024, here is a reading on the Four Noble Truths and the Eighfold Path along with its accompanying vocabulary-building and comprehension worksheet.

I guess that is enough said.

If you find typos in these documents, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Ibn-Khaldun on Geometry

“Geometry enlightens the intellect and sets one’s mind right.”

Ibn-Khaldun, Muqaddimah vol. 3 (ca. 1380)

Excerpted from: Schapiro, Fred, ed. The Yale Book of Quotations. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2006.

Cultural Literacy: Vishnu

Here is a Cultural Literacy worksheet on Vishnu, the Hindu deity known as The Preserver. This is a half-page worksheet with a reading of two simple sentences and two comprehension questions. Once again, just the basics.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Satnami Sect

“Satnami sect: Religious community in India that challenges political and religious authority by worshiping the supreme god Satnam. Combining practices from Islam and Hinduism, Satnamis typically reject both the worship of images and the caste system, while retaining an underlying orthodox Vedanta philosophy. Modern Satnamis are confined almost entirely to the low-status Camar caste, and they advocate social equality as well as ethical and dietary self-restraint.”

Excerpted from: Stevens, Mark A., Ed. Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Encyclopedia. Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster, 2000.

The Weekly Text, 10 May 2024, Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month Week II: A Reading and Comprehension Worksheet on Nebuchadrezzar II

For the second Friday of Asian American Pacific Islander Month 2024, your Weekly Text is this reading on Nebuchadrezzar II along with its attendant vocabulary-building and comprehension worksheet. There seems to be a couple of different ways of spelling the name of this Babylonian tyrant’s name; if you click on that preceding hyperlink, you will see his name spelled as Nebuchadnezzar. This reading, from the Intellectual Devotional series, notes that Nebuchadnezzar is an alternate spelling of his name.

If you find typos in these documents, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Bharhut Sculpture

Bharhut sculpture: (mid-2nd century BC) Indian sculpture that decorated the great stupa, or relic mound, of Bharhut, in Madhya Pradesh. It is now mostly destroyed; the railings and gateways that remain are in Calcutta’s Indian Museum. The ornamental medallions depicting legends of the of the Buddha’s previous births and event in his life are labeled, and so are indispensable for an understanding of Buddhist iconography. The Bharhut style marked the beginning of Buddhist narrative relief and decoration of sacred buildings that continued for several centuries.”

Excerpted from: Stevens, Mark A., Ed. Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Encyclopedia. Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster, 2000.