TERMS AND GUIDE QUESTIONS FOR FILM

Buddhism: Footprints of the Buddha - India

Sri Lanka: South Asian Island nation off the southern coast of India. The country became independent in 1948 as Ceylon, but changed its name to Sri Lanka in 1972. Bodh Gaya: north Indian site of the Buddha’s enlightenment and early preaching.

Pali: an Indo-Aryan language used as the liturgical and scholarly language of Theravada Buddhism.

#1. What was the Buddha's message? What does it mean to “purify your mind”?

#2. Describe briefly a young novice’s initiation.

#3. What is the relationship between the monks and the laity in this film?

#4. What role do local religious practices play in these communities that profess to be predominantly Buddhist?