Exploring Buddhism and Shinto

Divided into five complete lessons, this SPICE resource is more complete and concise than any internet research one may attempt to do in order to prepare lessons on Japanese religious beliefs. With an introduction to the functions of cultural transmission and ways to introduce this simple yet complex idea to students, a foundation is laid for presenting new ideas, opening the minds, and connecting material to the lives of middle or high school students. A variety of background information about Japanese history and culture is provided for each of the five lessons, while connecting the concepts of cultural transmission, the history and tenants of Buddhism and Shinto, the practice of these two religions, comparing perspectives on the sacred, and examining the modern-day personal profiles of three faith leaders through primary sources. An appendix with descriptions of how the role Buddhism, Shinto, and Christianity have changed over time in Japan could be used alone as a supplement or background reading for other classroom lessons.
Taken either collectively or individually, these lessons provide a set of information and resources that are simple to use and easy to integrate into existing units. Each lesson comes with hands-on resources for the students such as graphic organizers, handouts, discussion activities, or maps. Vivid pictures on a CD, accompanied by a script in the guidebook, add another dimension for investigative activities and class discussion. While a teacher may use the a “See, Think, Wonder” framework where students are asked to describe that they see in the CD images, explain what they think about these observations, and develop questions verbalizing what they wonder about the images displayed, the images could also be used in a scramble activity where students match the script descriptions with the images shown or with the guided questions and activities described in the booklet. The role of Prince Shotoku is also examined as a case study for cultural transmission while many other figures can be compared throughout history as a follow-up class assignment. After presenting the history and background of these two systems of beliefs, a variety of activities comparing Buddhism and Shinto invite further collaboration, analysis, and the use of higher-order, critical-thinking skills. While many of the follow-up activities fit my middle school classroom well, they could easily be adapted for high school students in a Social Studies, philosophy, psychology, sociology, or religion class.