Do Buddhists go to church?
From World Religions by Frank Robertson, et al.
& WhyDo Bad Things Happen? by Charlene Brotman

Goal:
To learn about the beliefs and practices of Buddhists.

Preparation:
• Print “The Story of Buddha”
• Print “The Four Noble Truths”
• Print the Symbol of Buddhism. Make enough copies for everyone to have one to decorate and use to remember the 8-fold path.
• Print Mudras
• Locate books in your local library with pictures of Buddha sculptures and Buddhist temples.

Activities:
1. Read “The Story of Buddha”

Discuss:
Buddha did not believe in idols, sacrifices, or prayers. He believed people found peace by controlling their own minds. If a person lived and meditated in right ways, he or she could stop the cycle of life-suffering-death-rebirth and reach nirvana, that indefinable state beyond all forms of suffering when one will be enlightened.

Buddhist temples exist as places of meditation and reflection on the teachings of Buddha. They do not have structured worship services and people do not have to go to a Buddhist temple to practice Buddhism.

Talk about suffering. Give each family member an index card. Ask them to write down a brief description of a time when they experienced physical suffering and a time when they experienced great worry, or stress, or emotional hurt. Share your experiences, emphasizing that everyone experiences some suffering in life. Then, on the back of the card, ask them to write down what they see as the causes of suffering. Share your ideas. Then introduce Buddha’s Four Noble Truths and the 8-Fold Path.

2. Make a poster of the Four Noble Truths and the 8-Fold Path, using the symbolic Buddhist Wheel.

3. Make a Buddha sculpture out of clay.
• Find pictures of Buddha statues in books in your local library or on the web.
• See how many different mudras you can find in the pictures of Buddha.
• Make your own Buddha sculpture out of clay.