Theme 1 The History of Buddhism
Unit 1. Our Religion
Buddhism, which is more than 2,500 years old and was founded by the Buddha who lived in India in the sixth century B.C., is avery great religion. India is known as the birthplace of Buddhism and from there it spread to other parts of the world.
Buddhism is a religion of self-help. It teaches man to depend on himself, to be courageous and confident in his own ability. It advices man to strive and work hard to achieve his goals, material or spiritual, through his own efforts, nor through prayer or mere wishful thinking.
Buddhism is a religion of free thought. It discourages blind faith and urges man to think freely. It believes in man’s potentials and teaches that men are capable of attaining the highest state of spiritual liberation. Buddhism also teaches that all men are born equal and are free to choose whatever is best for themselves.
Buddhist teachings are logical and scientific. Many Buddhist principles can be understood through logical reasoning, others can be realized through a proper process of experimentation. The teaching of the Buddha, though very old, is still valid and practical and can be followed with advantage by all people of the world.
Buddhism teaches man to be kind and gentle. Buddhists are peace-loving people. Because Buddhism is a religion of self-help, it is suitable for the strong-minded. Because it encourages free thinking, it enjoys a special place in the hearts of modern free thinkers. Because its teachings are scientific, it is highly respected by the intellectual. The Buddhist emphasize on peace and loving - kindness makes the religion appealing to peace-loving men all over the world.
Vocabulary
1. to found ( V.) – ก่อตั้ง, สถาปนา
2. to spread (V.) – แพร่กระจาย
3. self-help (N.) – การพึ่งพาตนเอง
4. to depend on (V.) – เชื่อใจใน, ขึ้นอยู่กับ, พึ่งพา
4. courageous (Adj.) – กล้าหาญ เก่งกล้าสามารถ
5. confident ( Adj.) - มั่นใจ
6. to strive (V.) - มานะ, พากเพียร, บากบั่น, อุตสาหะ
7. material (N.) – วัตถุ
8. spiritual (Adj.) – เกี่ยวกับจิตใจ
9. effort (N.) – ความพยายาม
10. to discourage (V.) - ทำให้หมดกำลังใจ, ทำให้ท้อแท้, ทำให้เสียกำลังใจ
11. faith (N.) - ความศรัทธา, ความเลื่อมใส, ความเชื่อถือ,
12. to urge (V.) – กระตุ้น, เร่งเร้า ผลักดัน
13. potential (N.) – ศักยภาพ, สมรรถภาพ
14. capable of (Adj.) - ซึ่งสามารถ,มีฝีมือ,มีสติปัญญา,มีวิชา
15. to attain (V.) – ถึง, ไปถึง, บรรลุเป้าหมาย, สำเร็จ
16. liberation (N.) – การปลดปล่อยให้เป็นอิสระ, ความสุขุม, รอบคอบ
17. logical ( Adj.) – มีเหตุผล
18. experimentation (N.) – การทดลอง,
19. valid (N.) – ซึ่งมีเหตุผล
20. strong-minded (Adj.) – เด็ดเดี่ยว, ซึ่งมีใจเข้มแข็ง
21. appealing (Adj.) - ดึงดูดความสนใจ
22. intellectual (N.) - ผู้มีสติปัญญาสูง, ผู้รอบรู้, ผู้มีความรู้, ปัญญาชน
Questions
Discuss with your partner to find out the answer.
1. What are the facts from this story?
2. Are you materialism? What do you feel when someone say you are materialism?
3. What could go wrong if people are not peace-loving?
4. What are the benefits from practicing Buddhism?
5. Are there any ways to stop people from blind faith?
6. What is the main point of this story?
NB
I am doing a selective course design : Buddhism English for upper secondary students. I am planning to include the topics about Buddhism and exercises about reading comprehension, vocabulary and grammar points. Thank you for suggestions.
Wow!! It's good to see you here.
I'll read the next peice of your writing, see you.
Thank a lot, for good writing.
Kru Ketwilai Thepha School.
Dear Kru J,
Would you allow me to share my thoughts about this reading? I find it very interesting.
This is a good piece of reading for students. They can learn a lot of new words. However, students can contribute to this lesson by telling thier own stories about some concepts based on this reading such as "self-help", "to strive", "effort", "logical", and etc. Students can talk about these concepts in groups and present their stories to the class. This is what I think may work well with Thai students.
Thank you for sharing your expertise and ideas.