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Do you think Buddhism is taught enough in schools?
My friends son, in his entire school years got two lessons on Buddhism and I heard he was lucky to get that, but I also heard that some other schools teach it a lot more. Do you think, in the majority of schools, it is taught enough?
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Comments
Religious education (R.E).
(Not teaching religion but about religion).
learning about religion in school deffinately could be a bit less one sided in my experience, but i think given everything they shouldn't teach any religion at school.
You haven't said which country you're talking about. I think it might vary according to the country and education system within it.
Kind wishes,
D.
(But I also think its important for all countries).
I went to a high school that had a religious-education class. Mostly, because of the country I live in, it was Christian-oriented. But it was just another class, like biology or English. There was a woman who lectured us one day on Buddhism ... and I really couldn't keep up with what she was saying. But overall, I count myself fortunate to have been exposed to something that touches/touched the society I live in. I take it as part of a decent education.
But my kids have been taught little or nothing about religion. They are aware of churches and temples and have friends who are Christian and Jewish. And then there is this old man with his incense and a small meditation hall in the backyard. I don't push it and the schools don't push it so ... learn now or learn later or remain ignorant ... it's the best I can figure.
Tell me about your country and if they accept religious education in schools.
Personally, I think it's very important to learn about other cultures and their way of thinking.
Very interesting.
Then you have religious schools, but they pretty much teach only their religion.
I don't think that teacher should have been fired for talking about his beliefs. Over here teachers talk about their beliefs all the time.
Just because children learn about different religions doesn't mean that they will become that religion, it just means that religion and even in the very rare circumstance that this does happen, it's not a bad thing but a good thing that the child is finding themselves and the personality within them.
We had visits from the vicar and people from the local mosque and even a Jew but this is not a bad thing. It seems that religion is most countries is frowned upon, which I totally disagree with, even speaking as an atheist (if you don't count Buddhism as a religion).
Looking into peoples belief means looking into people as a whole and understanding them. In England, their is no religious racism, say if a school boy said,
"Oh he's a seek, I won't be his friend.",
then many of his class mates would frown upon him. If you look also at American television, say, South Park, you see a lot of racism focused at children well religious education is one of the main steps forward to eliminate this racism.
I'm sure you wouldn't like it if racism was focused at Buddhism, so why let this unnecessary racism happen in your country? I may sound like a hippie here but why sit quiet? Why let this go on? If you want your country to be a kinder, more friendly and acceptant country then agree with religious education to be taught in school.
Sorry for babbling on there but I thought it was necessary.
Just think.
Thank you.
But, here in the States the public decides on the curriculum through elections and local boards of education. Apparently the population has decided to stay out of teaching religion in public schools. Or don't you believe in democracy? That's the dilemma.
And there isn't "racism" against Buddhism...no religion is taught in most public schools.
____________________
@10jellis -- A wonderful ideal and I agree with it, but the fact is that there are so many different kinds of investment that different people bring to their thoughts. My father (whose father was a Presbyterian minister ... meaning my father grew up abominating religion even as he learned a great deal about it) once tried to teach a college level course in the Bible as literature. Students were willing to sit still when he taught his more usual fare (Shakespeare), but seemed unable or unwilling to approach the Bible as something that might be studied as literature. The class collapsed of its own weight... or perhaps because my father was unwilling to allow the passion of belief to cloud the scene.
To ask people to think is to ask them to question the answers they arrive at. And since answers are supposed to answer (i.e. put a period on some sentence), the process of thinking becomes unending and exhausts the thinker. So then there is an inevitable stopping point -- a point beyond which the thinker is unwilling to proceed. Whether sooner or later, even thinkers seem to run out of steam, pick a conclusion ... and then go out for a beer.
Remember, there is no national curriculum. It's a state by state thing, with details being left to local communities (might be a county school system or a city or town school system...depends on the state). I would guess that the Indian reservations control their own curriculum.
You know, I think the question some people haven't thought of is -- what religions do you teach, which ones do you leave out?
Just chewing my cud here.
We were required to allow a "club" called "The Fellowship Of Christian Athletes". Which was goofy, since no one in the Christian club were athletes. And, we were required to provide a "sponsor", meaning an adult staff presence, but the club had to be organized by the students. Christian parents could be present, but again, not organize the club or its activities.
We also had a small group of students who would gather round the flag pole once a week for a morning prayer. Again, it was required to be organized by the students with a staff member present to merely supervise.
Virginia, almost surprisingly, wasn't a Bible Belt state in regard to the curriculum. My understanding is that the way intelligent design fits into the curriculum of some states is that is taught in biology (for example) as one equal explanation of evolution. I could be wrong on that.
In the school that I will be attending next year, they have a Religious Studies class which teaches about the 5 main religions.
MindGate is much closer to what the real situation is. The difficult issue is getting either the State Board of Education, or the local Board to approve a curriculum that includes comparative religion.
With that said, I think that the school system if they were to integrate such a practice into the curriculum of the children, would have to be very careful. There are so many teachers out there, and practitioners, who are so readily capable of passing on heavy, dogmatic teachings that children would just have absolutely no idea what to do with them, and in fact could actually be spiritually damaging. If children were to be taught meditation, they would have to be taught one thing, and that would be the four noble truths, because despite the fact that they really are so profound and difficult to learn to see for children and adults alike, they really are such a simple and straight forward lesson that can be applied and understood by every human alike.
It would really come down to who was teaching them. The authorities would have to be very selective in deciding which human being has the potential to inspire and uplift these kids with the true teachings of Buddha.
To my mind, all or any of this is unnecessary force-feeding. I don't teach my kids Buddhism and I certainly don't expect the schools to. I'm much more interested in encouraging decent, kind and honest human beings than I am in encouraging decent, kind and honest Buddhists.
Just my micro-take.
Someone mentioned teaching meditation. I'm not sure that's a public school's role. And, as soon as you tried it, someone would say, "See, you're trying to sneak in Buddhism."
Public education is America today is contentious enough. Let's not add any more controversy to it.
Back in the 1950s, when I was in elementary school, the four major Protestant churches in our small town were all one block away...one on each corner of the main intersection. One day a week we were allowed to (perhaps I should say forced by our parents) to leave school one hour early to go to religious instruction. The fact that the Catholic Church was further away...tough. That the house where the Mormons held their church was definitely not a walkable distance -- tough. That there was no synagogue in our town -- tough.
It seems to me that school has its "place" in society. And church (synagogue/temple) has its place in society, too...but they are different "places". Both can thrive in their different roles.
Just my view.
Let children be children..
In fact Children are the 'real' buddhists, and buddhas..They live in the NOW. they do fantastic jobs living life.
Teaching them religions and philosophy etc will only f8ck them up.
Its too deep.
Just teach them to be a good person and not to swear or talk to strangers etc etc..but as for 'way of life theorys, forget it)
Here is a zen quote:
'When the student is ready, the teacher will appear'
Leave them too it for now.
best wishes on your path.
(ps, i only comment once on questions and never ever look back so if anyone wants to address a comment at myself, then PM me. Im not getting into any debates, or arguements)
cheers, bless
And, are you going to have an opt-out, or opt-in program?
I think it is a nice subject to study but not a necessary one.
Jason
Religion is a necessary thing to be taught in schools. Whats more important? Learning about x = (-b +- sq.rt(b2 + 4ac))/2a or about how one should live their life? What the meaning of life is? What your weird neighbor who has a wife who dresses in all black believes and whether or not you should be terrified by him and her?
But then...I've always been mathematically challenged... :banghead:
P.S. Maybe the black-clothed neighbor's wife thinks she's in NY City.
Spiny