Buddhism Today
Buddhists in Britain respond to ethical issues
A fascinating insight into Buddhist ethical belief and practice, demonstrating the range and diversity of Buddhism in Britain today. Filmed in situ, senior Buddhist men and women respond to challenging ethical issues in the light of their Dharma practice. Each programme includes a clear and lively explanation of the relevant Buddhist teaching.
Curriculum relevance
- Religious Education and Religious Studies
- Citizenship
- Key Stage 4 Agreed Syllabuses
- GCSE short and full courses
- AS/A2 Level
- Scottish Levels SG and HS
The aims of the resource are to:
- introduce pupils to a range of Buddhist traditions practising in Britain today
- explore practising Buddhists' responses to a selection of current ethical issues
- enhance pupils' understanding of key Buddhist teachings relevant to these issues
- encourage pupils to reflect on their own responses to these issues
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The six programmes cover:
1. Today's Buddhists:
The Buddhist Sangha in Britain - we visit five Buddhist establishments in the UK, where leading Buddhists of these establishments talk about their own daily life and practice. They outline the distinctive features of their tradition, and how it became established in the West. They also describe the effects that the encounter with Western culture has had on their tradition, and outline what they hope to contribute to the West.
2. What's life all about?
Meaning and purpose, suffering, God, death and the afterlife - in response to questions about the meaning of existence programme 2 introduces the key Buddhist teaching of the Three Marks, or signs of being:
Dukkha, or unsatifactoriness;
Anicca, or impermanence;
Anatta, or no fixed self.
Three young men go on retreat to Vajraloka retreat centre in the heart of Wales and explore this essential Buddhist teaching. This programme gently and skilfully leads the student towards a clear grasp of this formulation and of its significance to Buddhists.
3. Who cares about the Environment? This programme visits Holy Island which lies off the West coast of Scotland. Here the monks and nuns of the Tibetan Monastery of Samye Ling, in Eskdale Muir, Dumfriesshire, bring together the ancient wisdom of Tibet with the latest technology in order to create a blueprint for relating to the environment. Against this inspiring backdrop two central Buddhist teachings which relate to environmental issues are explored: interconnectedness; karma
4. Matters of Life and Death: The Sanctity of Life - abortion, euthanasia and animal life. This programme faces with sensitivity and clarity the question of the sanctity of life. We follow a working day in the life of a Buddhist consultant in the University of Southampton Medical School as we unfold the principle which underpins Buddhist ethics - Ahimsa, or non-violence
5. Marriage, Family and Relationships In the setting of the Dharma School, Britain's only Buddhist school, this programme explores the traditional Buddhist attitude to marriage, divorce and the family. The programme goes on to explain Buddhist guidelines on sexual relationships and their relevance to a young person growing up in today's world, including: Marriage and divorce in Buddhism; attitudes to the family;
the third precept, covering sexual conduct
6. Why Work? Attitudes to work and Leisure - hundreds of young people gather near Glastonbury for the annual Buddhafield Festival, which is the backdrop for the Mahayana teaching of the Six Perfections:
generosity; ethics; patience; energy; meditation; wisdom
Imaginatively conceived and produced, Buddhism Today offers a clear and lively presentation of key Buddhist themes and perspectives. It convincingly shows the relevance of Buddhist teachings to contemporary issues and dilemmas; there is much here to prompt reflection and debate in the classroom.
Hampton School
A few interview extracts follow...
Venerable Pandith Vajiragnana
Head monk of the London Buddhist Vihara (Theravada)
When I used to go to the temple with my parents I was fascinated by the work done by the monks when they preached, when they did chanting and when they did meditation - all these things attracted me. I wanted to become a monk, and that worked in my mind for a number of years as a small boy. Then I expressed my wish to my parents - they were not happy at the beginning but when I continued insisting that I should become a monk, they approved. When I was thirteen years old I was given to the temple - I stayed in the temple as boy for one year then I was ordained as a novice monk - that's how I became a monk.
Venerable Sangharakshita
Founder of the Western Buddhist Order and the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order
I started a new Buddhist movement in London in 1967 because I felt that a new one was needed. At that time one must remember there was only the Buddhist Society, under Christmas Humphries, and there was the English Sangha Association which was strictly Theravadin and there seemed to be so many other ways of practising the Buddhist path.
Reverend Professor K.T.Sato
The Three Wheels Temple (Japanese Pure Land School), Acton, London
My first encounter with my Master, Ekai-sama, made me want to become a Buddhist. It took place when I was fourteen years old. Before my encounter with my master I had wanted to become a scientist.
This encounter with Ekai-sama led me to change the whole course of my life. My Master was actually a lady who was really Enlightened and we call her 'Dharma Mother'. In the way she lived her life I found a real, vital Buddhism.
Lama Yeshe
Abbot of Samye Ling Monastery (Tibetan Buddhist), Eskdalemuir, Dumfriesshire, Scotland
I think that Samye Ling has been here now almost thirty-odd years. Why it is unique from all other places is, we never ask people what religion they follow. We never try to sell them Buddhism. We know that they have the potential. When young people come here seeking my help, first I lay out my own conditions, saying, 'If you want to take my own dose of medicine then I can make you better. But if you don't want to take this medicine and still want to continue your own sort of a medicine then I can't be helpful to you! ...'
Reverend Saido
Vice Abbot, Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey, Northumberland, Order of Buddhist Contemplatives (Soto Zen)
Before I became a monk, my job was in water pollution, and sewage works - sort of cleaning up dirty water - so I have, over a number of years, tried to do something about the environment. Over that time, it became really obvious to me that the real things which drive pollution - which drive everything that people find as environmental issues - are human greed, hatred, and a sort of general confusion. It's these internal factors which manifest externally as pollution, as forests being knocked down, or just as the general environmental damage that gets created.
Reviews:
- Joint Publication of the Year (2000),
News & Views, BFSS National RE Centre
- Prog. 4, 'Matters of Life and Death'
Highly Commended,
Sandford St Martin Trust Awards 2001
- "Highly recommended!"
Manchester Grammar School