Specialist leader of education training: be ready for a businesslike approach
'Sometimes
the training borrows too much from business leadership and management
models, rather than education.' Teacher Andrew Jones reflects on his SLE
preparation
From May 28 to January 17, Cambridge’s Museum of Archaeology and
Anthropology will house “Buddha’s Word: The Life of Books in Tibet and
Beyond,” an exhibition that explores Tibetan texts from historical,
anthropological, linguistic, artistic, and scientific angles. Visitors
to the Li Ka Shing gallery of the museum will see examples of text used
as a ritual object, learn how traditional Tibetan texts are made and
analyzed, and trace the path of the Buddha’s words across Asia.
Visit Cambridge News for details. Photo courtesy of the Hamilton Kerr Institute and the Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge.
** With the good spirit of our wonderful Buddhist community, we are growing ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dearest supporters of Bhikkhunis,
I am writing to you with a heart full of joy and compassion. Through your selfless contributions of volunteer time and funding, and the hard work of our volunteer organization, Alliance for Bhikkhunis is going through some good, positive changes!
My name is Michael Bratton, I have been the Vice President for the AfB since last year. During this time I have seen some ups and downs in our organization, but our trend has been up. And we have you to thank for making it possible for us to help serve the Bhikkhuni community in ways that support their efforts. We have seen increased interest on both our webpage and our Facebook page, all of which spreads the word about the life and work of the Bhikkhunis worldwide. This additional exposure brings additional duties to of all of us here at AfB, which is exactly what we’ve volunteered for!
Children Full of Life - learning from a wise teacher
In the award-winning documentary Children Full of Life, a fourth-grade class in a primary school in Kanazawa, north-west of Tokyo, learn lessons about compassion from their home-room teacher, Toshiro Kanamori.
East/West differences in meditation: Spirituality or technique
University of Oslo:
In
Western tradition, meditation is linked to a personal relationship with
God. Asiatic meditation places more emphasis on techniques, according
to new research. Meditation is practiced in Norway as well as in India.
With or without a religious purpose. And with a wealth of different
techniques. Meditation has been performed for several thousand years,
and appears in all the major religions. But what is meditation? What
role does it play in various cultures? And how is it practiced in
different parts of the world?
From:
Sophie Agrotis [mailto:sophie@religiouseducationcouncil.org.uk] Sent: 20 May 2014 17:07 To: Sophie Agrotis Subject: RE PD Portal
Dear
Member representative,
As
you will be aware, the RE Council recently launched the PD Portal, a
one-stop shop for teachers and others involved in RE to find out about professional
development opportunities of all kinds.
We
are now looking to populate the database with PD opportunities for the
forthcoming academic year. I would be grateful if you could let me know the
course information for any PD provisions you will be providing in the next
school year, using the guidelines and form on the PD Portal website: http://www.theredirectory.org.uk/pdportal/submit-pd.
I
would also very much appreciate it if you could forward this message to anyone
else you think might have information to submit.
From: Sally Turner<sturner@dharmaschool.co.uk>
Date: 19 May 2014 15:00 Subject: A unique UK school, with mindfulness at its heart, is seeking a new Head Teacher To:
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
I am writing on behalf of The Dharma Primary School – in
Brighton, UK – to let you know that we are seeking a new Head Teacher. Our
unique primary school is rooted in Buddhist principles, with mindfulness at its
heart, and we would be most grateful if you felt able to share news of this specialist
post with your network of contacts.
This is a unique opportunity for an
experienced educator, with an established connection to a Buddhist sangha, to lead
the school into an exciting new phase of development. Anyone interested
in the position is invited to send a letter of introduction to headship@dharmaschool.co.uk prior
to entering into a more formal recruitment process.
Thank you. I have also attached a version of the above as a pdf document which includes our school logo.
The Dharma Primary School, The White House Ladies Mile Road Patcham Brighton BN1 8TB
Limited Company No: 2763238 Registered Charity No: 1015691
The Dharma Primary School is
committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young
people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
Google's head of mindfulness: 'goodness is good for business'
Chade-Meng Tan, the search engine giant's Jolly Good Fellow, on meditation, acceptance and the power of positive business
Chade-Meng Tan's job description would never get past most companies'
human resources departments. As the head of mindfulness training at
Google, his role is to enlighten minds, open hearts and create world
peace.
But he hopes that one day, his role will become
commonplace. A growing awareness of the importance of our emotional
fitness, he says, is mirroring the same journey of acceptance that physical exercise took in the last century.
And he believes that scientific evidence of the benefits of the
Buddhist practice of mindfulness will be instrumental into catapulting
it into the very heart of the business world.
PM Cameron's Message to Buddhist Community for Vesak
The Prime Minister, David Cameron, sends his best wishes to all Buddhists celebrating Vesak.
David Cameron:
I’d like to send my best wishes to Buddhists in Britain and around
the world celebrating Vesak, the sacred festival commemorating the
birth, enlightenment and the passing away (Parinirvana) of the Buddha.
For millions of people it is a time to reflect on the Buddhist
teachings of tolerance and compassion, and to make offerings to those in
need. It is a special occasion that reminds us of the sincere and
enduring principles espoused by Buddhists throughout the world.
At this time I’d like to especially praise Britain’s Buddhist
communities for the outstanding contribution they make to our country.
You play a valued and important part in our Island story and I thank you
for everything you do.
To Buddhists in the UK and the world I wish you a happy and peaceful Vesak.
All Party Parliamentary Group to study the benefits of bringing mindfulness into public policy
Ruby Wax will join experts and parliamentarians to
launch an all party parliamentary group on mindfulness in the Houses of
Parliament today.
Following growing scientific evidence on the use of mindfulness to
combat depression, stress and improve well being, the group will run a
nine month inquiry into the potential role mindfulness could play in
areas of public policy such as health, education and criminal justice.
The Religious Studies Project at a Glance: An Archive
The Religious Studies Project has been on the go since January 2012 and,
as such, we have accumulated quite a vast range of material already. We
wanted to give you, our audience, an easy way to access everything that
we have done in the one place, so that you can find material quickly,
and easily share this information with friends and colleagues.
We’ll try to keep this archive as up-to-date as possible, and to expand
it to include themes for easier browsing. But, for now, please see below
for links to all of our compilation podcasts, interviews, roundtable
discussions, features essays and useful resources.
Thanks for listening! The RSP Team
PS Don’t forget that you can subscribe on iTunes, follow us on Twitter, and ‘like’ us Facebook.
When contention arises in the courtroom, it is a common practice in many
countries to call upon experts to help validate or discredit arguments,
made either by the defendant or by the plaintiff. These experts, often
professionals or scholars, can use the specialised knowledge gained in
their field to clarify any points that may otherwise be misunderstood by
the general public or the jury.
This lecture was delivered at the C. G. Jung Institute of Los Angeles in 2003 as part of a series on mortificatio, the alchemical process of psychological or inner death inherent in such diminishing experiences as depression, illness, failure, aging, and dying.
Prayer. Communicating with a Transcendent deity is a nearly universal
and integral part of many ‘religions’ around the world. For many western
traditions, prayer can be done anywhere, at anytime and by anyone.
There are even discussions
about whether or not an atheist can, or even should pray. Theologians
have typically divided prayer up into three ‘types’. There is “inward
prayer” that centers on self-reflection, “outward prayer” that is
directed towards others, and “upward prayer” that seeks to give thanks
to, and typically connect one with, a deity. Prayer is said before
meals, some pray five times a day; others simply pray that this
Transcendent deity will guide them throughout life. Many considered
prayer as something extremely personal and private. As such, prayer
might seem like an unlikely phenomenon for scientific inquiry. Moreover,
can science say anything meaningful about prayer? Absolutely, according
to prominent psychologist of religion Dr. Kevin Ladd.
Some challenges of living a contemplative life today
There are several topics that come up a lot for me of late, and they
seem to bring up some discomfort and concern around how Buddhism is
integrating into Western culture. The issues are:
1) The subject of dana and generosity, and how it has not very successfully been translated here; and
2) The issue of gender inequality and the general lack of (recognized
as such) realized women teachers within the Buddhist institution — the
same can be said for lack of racial diversity; as well as
3) The challenges for monasticism, particularly for women in the Theravada tradition.
Conference Papers
(be aware some of these files are
BIG] all papers are in English.
James Barnett -
An intervention - download [PDF -
1.9Mb]
Prof. Bob Jackson
- The Council of Europe and the European Wergeland Centre: Towards a Road
Map for Disseminating Policy on Learning about Religions and Non-religious
Worldviews in Europe - download [PDF -
9.6Mb]
Dr
Valentin Kozhuharov - Eastern and Western European RE:
similarities, differences and learning from each other - download [PDF - 389kb]
Prof. Bert Roebben
- “Learning in difference” Social cohesion and the role of (religious)
education at school - download [PDF -
1.1Mb]
Katharina von
Schnurbein, BEPA, Brussels, Europe's future and the contribution of
faith communities - download [PDF -
74kb]
Peter Schreiner -
Religion in the Context of a Europeanisation of Education- download [PDF - 336kb]
Thanks to the
Klingenthal for supporting this conference
Teaching about religions and
beliefs must be provided in ways that are fair, accurate and based on sound
scholarship. Students should learn about religions and beliefs in an environment
respectful of human rights, fundamental freedoms and civic
values.
2.
Those who teach about religions and
beliefs should have a commitment to religious freedom that contributes to a
school environment and practices that foster protection of the rights of others
in a spirit of mutual respect and understanding among members of the school
community.
3.
Teaching about religions and
beliefs is a major responsibility of schools, but the manner in which this
teaching takes place should not undermine or ignore the role of families and
religious or belief organizations in transmitting values to successive
generations.
4.
Efforts should be made to establish
advisory bodies at different levels that take an inclusive approach to involving
different stakeholders in the preparation and implementation of curricula and in
the training of teachers.
5.
Where a compulsory programme
involving teaching about religions and beliefs is not sufficiently objective,
efforts should be made to revise it to make it more balanced and impartial, but
where this is not possible, or cannot be accomplished immediately, recognizing
opt-out rights may be a satisfactory solution for parents and pupils, provided
that the opt-out arrangements are structured in a sensitive and
non-discriminatory way.
6.
Those who teach about religions and
beliefs should be adequately educated to do so. Such teachers need to have the
knowledge, attitude and skills to teach about religions and beliefs in a fair
and balanced way. Teachers need not only subject-matter competence but
pedagogical skills so that they can interact with students and help students
interact with each other in sensitive and respectful ways.
7.
Preparation of curricula, textbooks
and educational materials for teaching about religions and beliefs should take
into account religious and non-religious views in a way that is inclusive, fair,
and respectful. Care should be taken to avoid inaccurate or prejudicial
material, particularly when this reinforces negative
stereotypes.
8.
Curricula should be developed in
accordance with recognized professional standards in order to ensure a balanced
approach to study about religions and beliefs. Development and implementation of
curricula should also include open and fair procedures that give all interested
parties appropriate opportunities to offer comments and advice.
9.
Quality curricula in the area of
teaching about religions and beliefs can only contribute effectively to the
educational aims of the Toledo Guiding Principles if teachers are professionally
trained to use the curricula and receive ongoing training to further develop
their knowledge and competences regarding this subject matter. Any basic teacher
preparation should be framed and developed according to democratic and human
rights principles and include insight into cultural and religious diversity in
society.
10.
Curricula focusing on teaching
about religions and beliefs should give attention to key historical and
contemporary developments pertaining to religion and belief, and reflect global
and local issues. They should be sensitive to different local manifestations of
religious and secular plurality found in schools and the communities they serve.
Such sensitivities will help address the concerns of students, parents and other
stakeholders in education.
THE NECESSITY OF INTER-RELIGIOUS EDUCATION IN THE MODERN PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM
by Polikarpos Karamouzis
During the twentieth century, European societies have passed through a process of secularization. That means that the institutional organization of states was separated from the religious ideas and churches have declined considerably. This approach was the result first of all of confessional diversification,3 and secondly of the Enlightenment’s critique against the religion that had three clearly distinguishable dimensions: a cognitive one, directed against metaphysical and supernatural religious worldviews, a practical – political that was against ecclesiastical institutions and a subjective expressive – aesthetic – moral directed against the idea of God. However with the emergence of the modern world, religious organizations had to adapt to two new circumstances.
In many ways I am in agreement with Professor Jensen, and see myself as a partner in the campaign to establish a ‘Religious Studies based’ Religious Education in state funded schools throughout Europe and indeed the world. Since experiencing a ‘road to Damascus’ conversion from Theology to Religious Studies on my teacher training year and Lancaster University MA in the mid-1970s (see Cush 2009), I have spent nearly forty years passionate about the ‘Religious Studies Approach’ and applying it in a variety of educational settings. I have also concerned myself throughout that time with the relationship between Religious Studies as understood at university level, and religious education in schools, both in academic publications (see for example Cush, 1999) and on various professional and policy committees on religious education. I currently represent the university Theology and Religious Studies sector (TRS-UK) on the Religious Education Council of England and Wales and its subcommittees, and was on the Steering Group for the new National Curriculum Framework for Religious Education, part of the recent Review of Religious Education in England (REC, 2013) – full report available at http://resubjectreview.recouncil.org.uk/re-review-report.
by Silvia Avram, Jaap Dronkers, European University Institute
Table of contents:
1 Introduction........3 2 Religiosity in Europe........3 2.1 Indicators of religiosity.....4 2.2 Religiosity and demographics....7 2.3 Religiosity and tolerance.......8 2.4 Religiosity and gender attitudes.....9 2.5 Final remarks.....10 3 Educational Systems in Europe......11 4 School Choice Processes in Europe....16 5 Linking religiosity, educational system design and school selection processes..20 Appendix 1: Religious belonging in various demographic groups-by country..22 Appendix 2: Religious believing in various demographic groups-by country..30 Appendix 3: Educational systems in the European Union...38 Appendix 4: Variables used to predict school choice.......63 Appendix 5: The coefficients of the logistic regression predicting the choice of a private-dependent school relative to a public school per country, including tuition......69
Teaching About Religions in European School Systems
by Luce Pepin
Contents Preface: The ‘Religion and Democracy in Europe’ initiative 5 About the author and advisory group 6 Introduction 9 Context 9 Objectives of the study 11 ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 1 Europe and diversity 13 1.1 The context of teaching about religions 13 1.1.1 Separation of church and state and secularization 13 1.1.2 Religious freedom and freedom of education 16 1.1.3 Cultural and ethnic diversity 17 1.2 The place of teaching about religions in education systems and the different approaches adopted 18 1.2.1 Character and status 19 1.2.2 Place in the curriculum 25 1.2.3 Teachers 28 1.2.4 Taking account of religious diversity 29 1.2.5 Religious symbols in school 32 1.2.6 Research and pedagogy 33 ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 2 Common trends and challenges for the 21st century 36 2.1 Developments and trends 36 2.1.1 Adapting to new realities 36 2.1.2 Some disquieting trends 39 2.2 Common challenges 42 2.2.1 High‑quality teaching for all students 43 2.2.2 A basis in intercultural and citizenship education 45 2.2.3 Taking religious diversity effectively into account 48 Conclusion 52 Towards a European Reference Framework on the conditions for high‑quality intercultural teaching about religions and other convictions in state education 54 Appendix A Main bibliographical sources 56 Appendix B Main networks and organizations 58 Appendix C National profiles 60 Czech Republic 60 England 63 France 68 Romania 74 Spain 78 Sweden 82 The Netherlands 87
It is particularly disturbing that confessional (indoctrinating) religious education classes form a compulsory component in publicly-funded schools in some EU Member States. We have evidence of confessional religious education being taught when it is not supposed to be, generally as a result of a teacher or headteacher being enthusiastically religious themselves.
The Pew Research Center’s 2013 Global Attitudes survey asked 40,117 respondents in 40 countries what they thought about eight topics often discussed as moral issues: extramarital affairs, gambling, homosexuality, abortion, premarital sex, alcohol consumption, divorce, and the use of contraceptives.1 For each issue, respondents were asked whether this is morally acceptable, morally unacceptable, or not a moral issue. The chart below displays the median responses for each question across the 40 countries.
Start of programme: October 2014 Mode of Attendance: Full Time or Part Time Who is this programme for?:
The
programme is designed to appeal to policy-makers, analysts, journalists
and researchers in either international, national or regional
institutions and organisations engaged in policy formation,
inter-religious dialogue and community development, social work,
development, conflict resolution, peace building or diversity
management. It will also provide a solid basis from which to pursue
doctoral study. The programme is intended to enable professional
development in the area of ‘Religion and Politics’ as well to provide
pre-doctoral research training in social scientific analyses of
‘Religion and Politics’.
The Dharma Has Come West:A
Survey of Recent Studies and Sources
By
Martin Baumann - University
of Hannover
Buddhism's dramatic growth in Western countries, observable
for about the past three decades, has been accompanied
by an increased number of Buddhist books and scholarly
studies. Whereas the former publications focus mainly
on personal experiences and religious expositions given
by Buddhist practitioners, the latter historically describe
and sociologically analyze developments of the transplantation
and adaptation of Buddhist traditions in Western countries.
Enrollment
is rising at the Aung Thawada Nunnery School on the northern border of
Yangon. The nuns, whose ages range from 9 to 94, join for a variety of
reasons, including to escape poverty or abuse.
Professor Graham Donaldson to lead Review of the Curriculum and Assessment in Wales
Professor Graham Donaldson is to lead a
comprehensive, wide ranging, review of the National Curriculum and
assessment arrangements in Wales, Education Minister Huw Lewis announced
today.
A report exploring the potential for giving more explicit attention
to Values, Beliefs and Faiths within the existing curriculum of Further
Education colleges, concentrating on the strengthening of what’s already
there, rather than creating an additional burden.
The project was funded by the Learning and Skills Improvement Service
through the RE Council of England & Wales (REC) and the National
Council of Faiths and Beliefs in Further Education (FBFE).
Download Emerging Voices: Breathing spaces for Values, Beliefs and Faiths in the Further Education Curriculum
This paper
was sent by the RE Council to David Laws, Minister for Schools, at his
request following a meeting in which REC representatives argued that in
terms of league table points, RE was a special case. Their reasons are
set out in this paper.
The provision and training of teachers of Religious Education: Guidance for headteachers of primary schools
The purpose of this paper is to make headteachers aware of the findings and recommendations of Religious Education: the Truth Unmasked, which reports the outcomes of the recent inquiry held by the All Party Parliamentary Group for RE (APPG).
A
new strategy for RE professional development has been launched. It aims
to make sure there are more robust arrangements for training and
supporting teachers of RE and is based on Recommendation 4 of the REC's
Review of Religious Education in England (2013). This pilot has been
developed jointly by NATRE, the REC and Culham St Gabriel's. The two
agreed documents (available on the Culham St Gabriel's Website) will
help teachers and others involved in RE to develop a regional strategy
in their own area, with the possibility of funding to support pilot
initiatives.
What Theology and Religious Studies graduates do after they graduate by Deborah Weston
Those of you promoting the study of Religious Studies at A level or at degree level, may find this document useful. It demonstrates that almost 30% of Theology/Religious Studies Graduates last year found employment in the legal, social and welfare professions whereas only 6.7% were either unemployed or about to start work when the data was collected. The breadth of subjects is also fascinating and shows how the field has diversified since it began life as the original university degree in the UK. View document
Improving RE through collaboration and outreach A FREE training conference for specialist leaders in education, lead and leading practitioners and advanced skills teachers in RE This one-day conference will support the development of the senior or middle leader involved in working with individuals or teams in their own and other schools. Using the RE Quality mark as a benchmark for RE professional development and school improvement, delegates will be prepared for REQM assessor accreditation. There will be a focus on the sharing of good practice, group discussion and practical activities.
10 Beginnings for Foundation Stage RENATRE 10 flexible sets of learning ideas for children in the 4–5 age group. View document
10 Beginnings for RE in the Reception ClassNATRE Here are 10 flexible sets of learning ideas for children in the 4–5 age group. What could your school make more use of from this list? Which ones are you already doing well? And what would be numbers 11–15 if you wrote them? How does each idea connect to Early Learning Goals and to other curriculum areas of learning? View document
10 Ideas for better visual learning in RENATRE Everyone signs up to the importance of visual learning these days, but there’s a risk that it stops with adding a few illegal pictures from the web to your worksheets. After deciding that visual learning matters, then what? How can the strategies of visual learning enhance RE? Images may add zip, pzazz and vim to tired lessons, but can they also deepen learning, broaden awareness and challenge attitudes? Try these ten ways forward. View document
10 Ideas for rubbish RENATRE Rubbish RE: The ten worst examples we could find!! View document
Making the
case for GCSE Full Course (for all?) in your school
At the start of
the new calendar year, many schools begin to turn their attention to planning
their curriculum for the next academic year. The fact that from 2014 the short
course no longer counts towards the performance measures, even though it
remains an accredited GCSE qualification for pupils, has put some provision for
RS at risk. It is NATRE’s position that short course remains a valuable means
of accrediting pupils’ learning at key stage 4. This article suggests however, that
in many schools around the country, full course RS for all might be a serious
and viable option which is in the best interests of both the pupils and the
school as a whole.
A new method of
calculating school performance based on each student's progress between key
stage 2 and 4 was confirmed by the government in October 2013. This measure is
called the Progress 8 score. The Progress 8 score will complement the
Attainment 8 score. Reformed GCSEs will be awarded at grades 1 – 8 as they are
introduced. Attainment 8 and Progress 8 measures will be used to measure school
performance from 2016.
These two
indicators of school performance are based on pupils’ performance across 8
subjects. These subjects are:
A)
a double weighted English element (the best result of the English Language and
English Literature qualification will count for this element, but will only
be double weighted if the pupil has also taken both qualifications);
B)
a double weighted mathematics element;
C)
three slots reserved for other EBacc subjects (sciences, computer science,
geography, history and languages).
D)three
slots that can be taken up by further qualifications from the range of EBacc
subjects, or any other high value arts, academic, or vocational
qualification. RS GCSE counts as one of these 'high value' academic
qualifications. The other English qualifications not counted in (A) can also
count in this group of subjects.
How will
Progress 8 work?
Pupils with a
point score of 29 on their Key stage 2 tests achieve, on average, 8 C grades at
GCSE. If a pupil with this level of prior attainment achieves 8 B grades in a
GCSE then she has made an average of one grade more progress than expected. The
average of all pupils’ progress scores across 8 subjects will create a school’s
result.
The Progress 8
measure replaced the 5 A* - C score as the main measure in performance
tables.This means schools will be
deemed to fall below the floor standard if pupils make an average of half a
grade less progress than expected across their 8 subjects. However, schools in
which pupils make an average of one grade more progress than expected across
their 8 subjects will not be inspected by Ofsted during the next academic year.
So a school that
wishes to give its pupils the best opportunity to demonstrate the most progress
and also wants to achieve the highest possible Progress 8 score should
obviously be looking closely at the value added scores of individual subjects,
especially those in category D above.In
many schools, most students already take two sciences, in which case, only ONE
further EBacc subject is required to complete category C.
Some students,
despite the best teaching, find particular subjects, including EBacc subjects
more difficult than others. This may apply to languages for example or history/
geography. In these circumstances schools that have compelled all students to
study each of the EBacc subjects may not only be reducing pupils opportunity to
demonstrate the best progress and attainment, but may well find themselves
falling down the performance tables.
Likewise, schools that maximise their
students' opportunity to achieve the highest value added score will be
encouraging them to study the subjects where they are most likely to make most
progress within a broad and balanced key stage 4 curriculum. These schools will
usually be rewarded by a break from OfSTED for the next year recognising the
good service they are providing their pupils.
So how does the value added score for RS
full course in your school compare with other subjects in category D? If RS is
one of the top three, then the argument is compelling that all students should
study full course RS and study it for the recommended time of 120-140 hours
Naropa University presents Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi & "The Fourth Turning"
Published on Apr 16, 2014
The conversations about Buddhism
speak of the three turnings of the Buddhist wheel. However, Rabbi Zalman
Schachter-Shalomi finds that the work of His Holiness the Dalai Lama,
and specifically the work of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, has extended to
the world at large and has introduced a new phase for Buddhism as well
as for other religions and traditions.
There is another story about our
strong tendency to search, to look for the treasure out there, a story told by
Ajahn Brahm, loosely rendered here.
Once upon a time, there was an old monk who would travel from place to
place. A few days before the rain retreat, he stoppedat random by a house, in the middle of
nowhere. There was a poor family living there, consisting of the husband, his
wife, and their children.
The husband offered to put up the monk for the rain retreat, and feed him. In
return, the monk would teach them Buddhism and give advice as needed.
The monk agreed and so he stayed throughout the rain retreat. Things went along
smoothly, but eventually the rain retreat drew to an end and the old monk was
about to take his leave.
The family had grown fond of him and begged him to stay indefinitely.
However the monk declined the offer, he had things to do, but to cheer them up,
told them he had had a dream in which he saw that there was a big treasure
buried in the vicinity, and gave them instructions on how to find it : tomorrow morning, the husband must stand with
the bow and the arrow at the doorway, facing in the direction of the rising
sun. He should then release the arrow, and where it dropped they would unearth
the treasure, no mistake about it.
But the husband was to follow the instructions correctly. Then, the monk
left.
So, the next morning, the husband did what he was told. He fired the arrow
and the arrow flew into a rich man's land. They found it, and they started
digging on the spot. A huge hole was dug up but there was no treasure to be
found. Along came the land's owner, a
rich man. On seeing the massive hole in his ground he grew rather upset, and
demanded an explanation. The poor family told him they were just following an
old monk’s instructions. . Being a Buddhist himself, the land owner felt that
the old monk wouldn't tell lies. "No, old monks tell the truth, you must
have done something wrong," said the rich man. “Being poor and not
well fed, my guess is you did not shoot the arrow with enough strength !Let me have a go at it tomorrow morning”
So, the next morning the rich man stood with his shoulder to the main door, and
at sunrise he fired the arrow, after
pulling the sting to breaking point. This time round, the arrow flew well over his
fields, and landed into his neighbour’s orchard, an importantArmy General.
Off they went to find the arrow. Again they dug up a big hole, even deeper than
before, but to no avail.
Woken up by the commotion, the General was seething with anger when he saw the
damage caused to his cherished orchard, and was about to send the whole family
to their final journey, but they were so convincing in maintaining that they
were acting on instructions by a Venerable old monk, that he did not have the
heart to chop their head off.
As it happened,the general was a
Buddhist himself, and wouldn’t question the good intentions of the old monk. So
he put it down to lack of expertise, how pathetic these civilians could be !
"This is not the way to shoot the arrow! I am a fine General. I will show you
the correct way tomorrow morning" , he said through his teeth.
So, the next morning, the General stood at the place where the rich man and the
husband had once stood and fired the arrow himself, with dignity, precision and
strength. The arrow flew against the rising sun for what appeared to be a never
ending interval, as if magically suspended in the air. Eventually it hit the
ground in the Royal Gardens, surrounding theKing's palace.
It took them a while to get there, but fortunately the guards on watch were
still fast asleep, so they had time to dig an enormous hole in the garden, but
alas, no treasure was found there either. So frustrated they were by now, that
their moaning and complaining woke up the guards on whatch, and in no time the
King himself was informed of the misdeed.
The poor family, the rich man and the General were all imprisoned and
beaten up, but the King was so incensed that one of his own most trusted
Generals should behave in such a manner, that he wanted a personal
explanations. And so like everyone else he learned about the old monk’s dream,
and as we all know old monks do not lie. Besides he needed some funds for his
next military campaign, and so decided there and then to give it a shot
himself.
But he wanted to hear the instructions directly from the Venerable’s mouth,
because the uneducated plebs were more than likely to have misunderstood them…
Off the soldiers went to seek out the old monk. He had not gone too far, well suspecting that
he would be called upon once again. And so he let himself be led to the Court
and gave precise instructions again, with the added condition that the treasure
should not be kept for oneself only, but divided equally among all involved.
The King agreed to that, and the next morning stood at the doorway with the
old monk by his side. He asked," Is this the correct position?" The
monk answered Yes.
He faced the rising sun and asked, "Are we aiming in the right
direction?" The monk nodded.
The King raised the bow and asked, "Is this correct?" The monk
confirmed that it was.
After firing the arrow , the King asked," Is this correct?" The
monk answered “NOOOO! The instruction
was let go of the arrow, drop it. It was
not to shoot the arrow !"
The King finally understood, with a smile, and let the arrow drop, and it hit
the ground between his feet, and true enough an invaluable treasure was
unearthed at the very spot where the arrow had dropped.
We are forever
shooting our arrows against some target. And that will land us always in
trouble. It is only when we actually accept to be where we are, and stop
searching, that we will find the peace in our heart.
When the rising
sun finally dispels the fog of our delusions, the treasure is magically found
under our own feet, as ‘LOOK at the place where your own feet stand !’ kindly reminds
us.
Interestingly,
it takes a royal effort in order to reeeeally let go, half measures will not
do…
A
new strategy for RE professional development has been launched. It aims
to make sure there are more robust arrangements for training and
supporting teachers of RE and is based on Recommendation 4 of the REC's
Review of Religious Education in England (2013). This pilot has been
developed jointly by NATRE, the REC and Culham St Gabriel's. The two
agreed documents (available on the Culham St Gabriel's Website) will
help teachers and others involved in RE to develop a regional strategy
in their own area, with the possibility of funding to support pilot
initiatives.
