Friday, December 2, 2016

Essential Question: If everyone's point of view is relative, what does this say about how we form and expand perspectives? How do Watts' ideas connect to Abbey, Olson, and Hanh?

Agenda: 
1. Writing Prompt: How do we create our own perspectives? Write for 10 minutes.

2. Cornell Notes Template

3. Read: Watts "The Maya Doctrine"

4. Complete all following items in your Cornell Notes (put your findings on the right and the headings, for example: Vocabulary on the left) 
Vocabulary (Add to your Cornell Notes and add definitions as you read):

• Brahman
• Moksha
• Maya 

5. After reading Paragraph 1: What is Brahman not? (Three examples and explain)

6. Read Paragraph 2 and answer: What is Maya (provide three examples)?

7. Read Paragraph 3 and answer: 

• Redefine Maya
• How does Watts expand the concept? (Describe and provide an example)

8. Read Paragraph 4 and answer:

• According to Watts, why is this concept hard to understand?
• How does a “liberated” person see the world according to Watts?

9. Read Paragraph 5-6 and answer:

• What does it mean if something is relative?
• According to Watts in paragraph 5, how is the doctrine of Maya a doctrine of relativity?
• He gives the examples of WW1 and birth to explain how people’s points of view are relative. Describe one of these examples

10. Read Paragraph 7 and 8 and answer:

• What are two examples Watts gives to show that people could be described as both parts and wholes?

11. Summary:

• What is Maya?
• Give an example
• Why is Maya unwise?
• What does one achieve if one goes beyond Maya?

12. Make a connection:
How is the idea of “maya” similar to the idea of “the thing itself”

Assignments:
Your GoogleDoc for today should include: 

• Journal
• How do we create our own perspective?
• Cornell Notes (on items 5.-13.)