Illuminating+the+Lesser+Amida+Sutra

=**Title: Illuminating the Amida Sutra**=

**Status: NOT YET MODERATED**

Objective:
After this lesson, the student will have:
 * a more personal connection to the Lesser Amida Sutra.
 * will know the most important parts of the Lesser Admida Sutra

This is a multi-day lesson (at least 4 days) although it can be shortened to just the Worksheet.

Materials:

 * English translation of the Smaller Amida Sutra [[file:SmallerAmidaSutra.pdf]]
 * Worksheet [[file:Worksheet_LesserAmidaSutra.pdf]]
 * Blank sheets of paper and pens
 * Scents: after-shave lotion, cinnamon, chocolate power (Quik) in a plastic bag. Wet down the chocolate power.

Preparation:

 * Make sufficient number of copies of the Worksheet

Method:

 * 1) Opening Gassho
 * 2) Set the stage.
 * 3) Explain Objective
 * 4) Explain agenda
 * 5) Pass out the blank paper and pens
 * 6) Sitting meditation
 * 7) Start w/ gassho.
 * 8) 5 minutes at most.
 * 9) Explain to students that the need to
 * 10) End w/ gassho
 * 11) Imagination Exercise
 * 12) Ask the students to write down the words or draw picture that come to mind when the teacher says these words. Give 30 seconds for each. They must be quiet. No talking.
 * 13) "Amida", "Pure Land", "Enlightenment", "Fragrant", "Prism"
 * 14) Pass around the scents. Again have the students write down words or draw picture that comes to mind
 * 15) Discuss
 * 16) Ask each student what they thought of with the words. Write down each word on the whiteboard.
 * 17) Same with the scents.
 * 18) Worksheet
 * 19) Explain that like the earliest Theravadan monks who created drawings of the Amida Sutra, we're going to "illuminate" the Amida Sutra. However, we will use the media of this age. We break up into teams with each team illuminating their verses of the Amida Sutra.
 * 20) Get into teams.
 * 21) Fill out Worksheet
 * 22) Decide on media and concept.
 * 23) Present proposal to rest of class
 * 24) Do research (this might take more than one day)
 * 25) Work on their illumination (this also might take more than one day)
 * 26) Record the iilumination (this also might take more than one day) (optiional)
 * 27) Present their illumination to the parents.
 * 28) Discuss what they learned

Evaluation:

 * Quality of the presentation to the parents
 * Post project discussion

Note:
Translation from BDK

Author:
Mas Nishimura, nish221.at.gmail.com. San Jose Buddhist Church Bestuin, 2014 ||