To get your thinking started, please have a look at these ideas derived from Kundun. The ideas are connected to Buddhism, Hinduism (and many other religions too), but for your next project we'll just stick with Buddhism and Hinduism.
Apres Kundun
The Dalai Lama of Tibet is one of the world’s most revered
leaders. The film Kundun follows the
journey of a young boy, Lhamo, as he becomes the spiritual and secular leader
of Tibet. We also see the struggles of
the Tibetan People as they face conflict with China, embracing a stance of
nonviolence and embodying what it means to be a compassionate human being.
Use the following questions to reflect on
your own approach to conflict resolution.
Personal Practice
What does being compassionate mean? How do
you practice compassion in your daily life?
The Dalai Lama states that “all beings
desire happiness…” How can remembering this help you in situations of managing
or resolving conflict?
While playing with one of his Teachers,
the young Dalai Lama loses a game. In reaction to the Dalai Lama’s
disappointment, the Teacher replies, “Today you lost. Tomorrow you may win.
Things change.” Though some games are
designed to have a winner and a loser, does conflict always have to be a
win/lose situation? What does it mean to
win or lose in a conflict situation? Can
you think of a time that you came to a mutually beneficial or win/win
resolution to a conflict? What did it take to get there?
Family Interactions
How does Lhamo’s family interact with one
another? How much time do you spend
talking about appropriate ways to handle conflict within your family?
Throughout the film there are varying
degrees of sibling conflict, including feelings of jealously at points. What are
ways you can help your siblings to manage
their feelings and conflict situations in order to help foster close
relationships that will last into adulthood?
School/Work Interactions
Throughout the film, the Dalai Lama is
inquisitive and asks questions to find out more information in order to make
good decisions or to find another
perspective. How can this way of
interacting help to create a more positive school or work environment or help
to resolve conflict in your life?
Community and Political Interactions
When the Tibetan ambassadors refuse to
meet with China to try to talk through a peaceful resolution, the Dalai Lama asks
them to resign. What does this say about
his beliefs about conflict resolution on a political level?
When the Dalai Lama leaves his parents’ home
and is placed in the care of the Tibetan Monks, they become a community of
teachers in a variety of subjects, while still including his parents in the
teachings of things like kindness and etiquette. What places in your community do you find as
resources for teaching yourself or your family about positive conflict
resolution techniques?
General Practice
A running theme throughout the movie is
the power of listening in conflict. Challenge
yourself two time per day to become a better listener and see how that impacts
your relationships both inside and outside of conflict situations.
A guiding question in Buddhism is:
“The path of nonviolence
and compassion is often difficult;
what do you
gain by taking this approach?
No comments:
Post a Comment