A selection of articles mostly from Wikki and youtube videos about a young Nepali Buddhist who at the age of about 13 was inspired to go into the forest / jungle and meditate for six years sitting under a tree - in a similar way to the Buddha. His tree became a focus of pilgrimage and tourism. The Discovery documentary team went to investigate and filmed for 96 hours without a break - proving that he did not eat, drink or move from the spot in all that time (something that science does not recognise as possible.) Also info about the American Buddhist monk Steve Hagen and some of his books.

Christmas is the time of year when Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus - but we do not know when Jesus was actually born. Why did Christians take mid-winter as the time for their celebration? How do Jews and Muslims feel about living in a society which is traditionally Christian? How is the current fashion for atheism affecting the way we celebrate Christmas? Can you trust a text which is attributed to someone well known and respected. The Ben Stein article is not all it seems. This resource includes a range of articles to get our pupils thinking.

I try to share the things that are interesting, things that make me think about life - not just the outer details of my days. Because I do have an active spiritual life and practise meditation daily, this may bring a slightly different and more interesting perspective to things. But I also share some of my weaknesses and the battles I fight. I have been encouraged to continue my blog by some very kind and sincere teachers. I think we have little that we can offer to the world other than who we are - so this is a bit of me. Happy Christmas to everyone.

the first article is from the BBC website and relates to the banning of Gay marriage in Anglican churches. I aim to add more. Please send me a pm if you have any good links.

this is a fairly comprehensive article about the 2911 Census with table of statistics - How Christianity rose in some regions but decreased overall but Hinduism Sikhism Islam and Buddhism all increased slightly. A great article from the Guardian with articular focus on the changing patterns of religious belief and practise.

An excellent article about the so called charity 'Operation Christmas Child&' and the way it is actually a cover for the most right-wing American Evangelism. Marketed to schools all over the UK, the gifts provided by schools for needy children around the world are sent with evangelical material and these leaflets are regarded as the &';real gift' by the organisation - which celebrates those who are converted to Christianity as a result. An article warning schools about the project but also a good one to use with older classes when exploring prejudice and Fundamentalism.

This is a collection of links to other resources including inspiring quotes by Einstein, Native American Quotes, Christian texts and quotes, The Bhagavad Gita with highlighted texts, some ppt Slide Shows with inspiring and interfaith texts etc. It will save people who want good quotes from having to trawl through a lot of other resources to find good quotes. Listed both as a guide and for posters or displays as there is material to use for both here.

Crazy weekend. The car broke down at my mother's house on Sunday night. It took me all night to get back to London and to work. Then the bike-lock had seized up and wouldn&'t release my bike. Years ago, before he was 8 I guess, my son coined a phrase for times like this 'Cheerfulness Challenge, mum!' (You win the challenge if you stay cheerful.) The kitties had to stay at Mum&';s until after work yesterday when I went back by train and collected them. Two nights with almost no sleep! Have a great week, Love and Peace - DurgaMata

In haste - several hours of research here but many things still not covered. It will give anyone planning to explore Hindu Wedding in an experiential or role-play way, some ideas and basic information. I hope to add to this.

I gathered this material in response to a request for a lesson about prayer. A friend has found this really powerful - using it effectively in relation to several problems in school and at home. With the inspiration of the question on a thread about how to make a lesson on prayer more experiential and less theoretical - I was inspired to spend a few hours researching into it. I aim to add to this resource - and especially add more links to videos from youtube which could be used in class. I suggest you introduce this in lessons about - Prayer, forgiveness and the existence of God.

An overview of Quakers and some of the important issues that they take a stand on - Peace, Simplicity, The Environment etc. A great denomination to use to highlight the diversity that exists within one religion. Quakers also don't have the outer sacraments as they take the view that all of life is sacramental and the outer sacraments invite hypocrisy.

This is a series of anecdotes and reflections from a book I am writing called 'Sunlight and Shadow, Spirituality at Work in School.&' Uploaded as a resource in response to a teacher asking about anti-Semitism, it begins with reflections on a class visit to a synagogue and then explores the question of &';Why are there so many religions? Sri Ramakrishna's models of God and other models which explore the concept of oneness and diversity in religion are also included.

what Jesus says about Love. Where might a Christian start when reading the Bible - Students can have little idea about how Christians seek guidance, through prayer and Bible reading. This starts with a post from a conversation with an atheist. I've added a bit which reflects on Jesus in an inter-faith way. The Sunday School experience story is in italics. Use with exam classes - to give students insight into what it is like to practise a religion Other resources which relate to this passage and to text-analysis and understanding the Bible are added

in haste - the prev site is full so starting another. Sorry not a regular blog at the moment, Life is a bit hectic. Bella-the kitten who just caught a mouse at Mums is sitting on my knee purring like a steam engine, very proud of herself. Love and Peace DurgaMata

some ideas of mine plus others from the forum. I will add to these. In haste

material here from several different websites - will save a lot of time but still needs some unpicking. The Lotus symbolism explained in different ways, including symbolism of the colour. Lotus in Chinese art -

This is a visualisation or meditation that I have used a lot. It is based on Buddhist philosophy of loving kindness. Do give some feedback if you use it - what age and ability group, size of class, responses, artwork and poems etc. One year 10 group objected because they said we are not all good - what about all the bad people - which led to some great analysis of the causes of crime. I have added a bit to the outline and introduction with this possible problem in mind.

two interesting articles about Islam in society and the way that the Western press like to stereotype Muslims. Some great images to encourage discussion and counter prejudice if you can link to internet - I couldn't get them to download - and an article which explores the likely causes of the attack against the embassy in Benghazi - which it would seem was exploiting the film, using it as an excuse - rather than caused by it.

two articles relating to the attacks and what seems to have motivated them. Some lovely images of 'angry Muslims&' (actually ordinary people just being people - a great bit of satire.

This is a conversation from a thread on the Unemployed teacher's forum in which I was inspired to share something of why I think RE is important. I would love to have some responses from other RE people to get a clearer and stronger picture which I think may help us to fight for our subject more effectively. Lat&'s three principles for good RE - engaging spiritual and rigorous offer a great framework, too.