World Religions is my specialty area, so if you would like to contact me regarding ANY questions you have, or for more resources, please do!!
Hinduism
The Upanishads - appended to the Vedas, these texts illustrate the essential concepts of atman, brahman and moksha, and what the journey toward self-realization means in Hinduism.
Dharma literature - The Laws of Manu (Manava Dharma-shastra) - essential to illustrating HInduism as a 'way of life', the concept of dharma, the four varnas (Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra), and life stages for men and women.
The Hindu Temple - great video on YouTube from the Asian Art Museum.
The Mahabharata -- DVD (Peter Brooks): The first two hours of this are not to be missed! Students will love the relationship drama in the first hour. This is a useful teaching tool for illustrating epic mythology as stories dealing with crises of living according to dharma. Here is an excerpt from YouTube illustrating the Bhagavad Gita.
Source I use for lecturing: Contemporary Hinduism: Ritual, Culture and Practice, edited by Robin Rhinehart (2004) - this book is simply amazing.
Dharma literature - The Laws of Manu (Manava Dharma-shastra) - essential to illustrating HInduism as a 'way of life', the concept of dharma, the four varnas (Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra), and life stages for men and women.
The Hindu Temple - great video on YouTube from the Asian Art Museum.
The Mahabharata -- DVD (Peter Brooks): The first two hours of this are not to be missed! Students will love the relationship drama in the first hour. This is a useful teaching tool for illustrating epic mythology as stories dealing with crises of living according to dharma. Here is an excerpt from YouTube illustrating the Bhagavad Gita.
Source I use for lecturing: Contemporary Hinduism: Ritual, Culture and Practice, edited by Robin Rhinehart (2004) - this book is simply amazing.
Buddhism
Here's a thoughtful and extensive introduction to Buddhism, by Dr. C. George Boeree (2000)
The Flower Sermon is the foundational text for Zen Buddhism.
Here's a link to a video on YouTube showing the creation of mandalas, which are important in Vajryana Buddhism. Think of mandalas as impermanent dwelling-places of the divine.
At the end of my Buddhism unit, I do a day on the subject of Buddhism and abortion, which gives kids a chance to think about this social issue from another religious perspective from what is predominant in the media. We always have a lively discussion! Here are two articles from the BBC and About.com
Very cool organization with a Buddhist perspective on ecology and climate change.
Interesting article. "Living with the Devil: A Buddhist take on good and evil" by Stephen Batchelor
Sikhism
"Seeking Sikhism" is a very entertaining web TV show on Sikh spirituality. There are some interesting parallels between Sikhism, Islam and Christianity that have to do with focusing on the love of God.
Guru Granth Sahib is the living sacred text, called the "last guru" in Sikhism.
Guru Granth Sahib is the living sacred text, called the "last guru" in Sikhism.
Judaism
Before my Judaism unit, I do a couple days on the Bible, and have students read exceprts from Friedman's _Who Wrote the Bible_, which is an introduction to the Documentary Hypothesis.
Nicholas Delange's Introduction to Judaism has some chapters that are great for providing a lot of detail on Judaism in a short span.
Nicholas Delange's Introduction to Judaism has some chapters that are great for providing a lot of detail on Judaism in a short span.
Islam
New Muslim Cool -- documentary film about Hamza Perez, a Puerto RIcan-American Muslim rapper and community organizer. Released in 2009.
30 Days: Muslim & America - TV show episode where West Virginia man goes to live with a Muslim family in Michigan for 30 days. Very cool!
30 Days: Muslim & America - TV show episode where West Virginia man goes to live with a Muslim family in Michigan for 30 days. Very cool!