ZAMAN Volume 1 Issue 8
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL NEWSPAPER
“You’re going to reach the top with us.” 15 February 2004
History of Buddha and Buddhism M
eak Bochea day celebrated at 5 Fabruary in Cambodia. As newspaper team we also celebrate Meak Bochea day and happy to write an article about Buddhism.
A Life of Luxury Siddharta Gautama was born around the year 580 BCE in the village of Lumbini in Nepal. He was born into a royal family,
Birthday of Buddha The history of Buddhism is the story of one man's spiritual journey to Enlightenment, and of the teachings and ways of living that developed from it. Siddhartha Gautama — The Buddha The name Siddhartha means "he who has reached his goal through finding the path to Enlightenment". By finding the path to Enlightenment he was led from the pain of suffering and rebirth towards the path of Enlightenment and became known as the Buddha or "awakened one". ZAMAN CAMBODIA A. Yusuf Guleker, Founder Zulfi Erken, Editor -in-Chief Murat Tutumlu, Editor at Large Oum Vantharith, writer Malik Ates, writer Zaman International School Newspaper dedicated to educating students and training journalists. Published 2 times a month in Zaman International School. Copyright 2003 by the Zaman International School. All rights reserved. No part of this periodical may be reproduced in print or electronically without the consent of The Zaman International School.
and his privileged life insulated him from the sufferings of life; sufferings such as sickness, age, and death. Discovering Cruel Reality O n e d a y, a f t e r growing-up, marrying and having a child, Siddhartha went outside the royal enclosure where he lived. When he went outside he saw, each for the first time, an old man, a sick man, and a corpse. This greatly disturbed him, and he learned that sickness, age, and death were the inevitable fate of human beings — a fate no-one could avoid. Siddartha had also
seen a monk, and he decided this was a sign that he should leave his protected royal life and live as a homeless Holy Man. Siddartha's travels showed him much more of the the suffering of the world. He searched for a way to escape the inevitability of death, old age and pain first by studying with religious men. This didn't provide him with an answer. Siddartha encountered an Indian ascetic who encouraged him to follow a life of extreme self-denial and discipline. The Buddha also practiced meditation but concluded that in themselves, the highest meditative states were not enough. Siddartha followed this life of extreme asceticism for six years, but this did not satisfy him either; he still had not escaped from the world of suffering. He abandoned the strict
lifestyle of self denial and ascetism, but did not return to the pampered luxury of his early life. Instead, he pursued the Middle Way, which is just what it sounds like; neither luxury, nor poverty, and sought another way. Enlightenment One day, seated beneath the Bodhi tree (the tree of awakening) Siddartha became deeply absorbed in meditation, and reflected on his experience of life, determined to penetrate its truth. He finally achieved Enlightenment and became the Buddha. T h e M a h a b o d h i Te m p l e (above) at the site of Buddha's enlightenment, is now a pilgrimage site. Buddhist legend tells that at first the Buddha was happy to dwell within this state, but Brahma, king of the gods, asked, on behalf of the whole world, that he should share his
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ZAMAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL NEWSPAPER
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AND ALSO understanding with others. The Teacher Buddha set in motion the "wheel of teaching": rather than worshipping one god or gods, Buddhism centres around the timeless importance of the teaching, or the dharma. For the next 45 years of his life the Buddha taught many d i s c i p l e s, w h o b e c a m e Arahants or "noble ones", who had attained Enlightenment for themselves. The Last Years Shakyamuni Buddha passed away around 486 BC at the age of eighty. Although he has left the world, the spirit of his kindness and compassion remains. The Buddha realized that that he was not the first to become a Buddha. "There have been many Buddhas before me and will be many Buddhas in the future," The Buddha recalled to his disciples. "All living beings have the Buddha nature and can become Buddhas." For this reason, he taught the way to Buddhahood.
we think. Clear and kind thoughts build good, strong characters. 3. Right Speech. By speaking kind and helpful words, we are respected and trusted by everyone. 4. Right Conduct. No matter what we say, others know us from the way we behave. Before we criticize others, we should first see what we do ourselves. 5. Right Livelihood. This means choosing a job that does not hurt others. The Buddha said, "Do not earn your living by harming others. Do not seek happiness by making others unhappy."
THE FIVE PRECEPTS All religions have some basic rules that define what is good conduct and what kind of conduct should be avoided. In Buddhism, the most important rules are the Five Precepts. These have been passed down from the Buddha himself. 1. No killing Respect for life 2. No stealing Respect for o t h e r s ' p r o p e r t y 3. No sexual misconduct Respect for our pure nature 4. No lying Respect for honesty 5. No intoxicants Respect for a clear mind
THE NOBLE EIGHTFOLD PATH When the Buddha gave his first sermon in the Deer Park, he began the 'Turning of the Dharma Wheel'. He chose the beautiful symbol of the wheel with its eight spokes to represent the Noble Eightfold Path. The Buddha's teaching goes round and round like a great wheel that never stops, leading to the central point of the wheel, the only point which is fixed, Nirvana. The eight spokes on the wheel represent the eight parts of the Noble Eightfold Path. Just as every spoke is needed for the wheel to keep turning, we need to follow each step of the path. 1. Right View. The right way to think about life is to see the world through the eyes of the Buddha--with wisdom and compassion. 2. Right Thought. We are what
6. Right Effort. A worthwhile life means doing our best at all times and having good will toward others. This also means not wasting effort on things that harm ourselves and others. 7. Right Mindfulness. This means being aware of our thoughts, words, and deeds. 8. Right Concentration. Focus on one thought or object at a time. By doing this, we can be quiet and attain true peace of mind.
No killing The Buddha said, "Life is dear to all beings. They have the right to live the same as we do." We should respect all life and not kill anything. Killing ants and mosquitoes is also breaking this precept. We should have an attitude of loving-kindness towards all beings, wishing them to be happy and free from harm. Taking care of the earth, its rivers and air is included. One way that many Buddhists follow this precept is
by being vegetarian. No stealing If we steal from another, we steal from ourselves. Instead, we should learn to give and take care of things that belong to our family, to the school, or to the public. No sexual misconduct Proper conduct shows respect for oneself and others. Our bodies are gifts from our parents, so we should protect them from harm. Young people should especially keep their natures pure and develop their virtue. It is up to them to make the world a better place to live. In happy families, the husband and wife both respect each other. No lying Being honest brings peace into the world. When there is a misunderstanding, the best thing is to talk it over. This precept includes no gossip, no back-biting, no harsh words and no idle speech. No intoxicants The fifth precept is based on keeping a clear mind and a healthy body. One day, when the Buddha was speaking the Dharma for the assembly, a young drunkard staggered into the room. He tripped over some monks who were sitting on the floor and started cursing loudly. His breath reeked of alcohol and filled the air with a sickening stench. Mumbling to himself, he reeled out the door. Everyone was astonished at his rude behavior, but the Buddha r e m a i n e d c a l m. " G r e a t assembly!" he spoke, "Take a look at this man! He will certainly lose his wealth and good name. His body will grow weak and sickly. Day and night, he will quarrel with his family and friends until they abandon him. The worst thing is that he will lose his wisdom and become stupid." Little by little, one can learn to follow these precepts. If one sometimes forgets them, one can start all over again. Following the precepts is a lifetime job. If one kills or hurts someone's feelings by mistake, that is breaking the precepts, but it was not done on purpose.
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EDUCATION
The Challenge of Being Healthy Preventing Physical Diseases
sites that can cause problems in humans. Preventing a physical disease W a s h i n g y o u r involves keeping the germs, hands is a good viruses or other agents from w a y t o a v o i d attacking the body and pro- many diseases. A viding natural defenses from person with dirty such agents. Cleanliness, h a n d s m a y good health and vaccinations unconsciously rub are common ways prevent or his eyes or nose, allowing germs defend against disease. into the body. Cleanliness Good health Cleanliness is the most common protection from the If you are in good germs, bacteria, viruses, fungi, health and avoid and mold spores that may poisons or irritants infect a person and cause a that can weaken disease. These agents need a your immune sysplace to gather and grow out- tem, you have a side the body, so keeping better chance of areas clean can reduce the warding off illness or disease. threat. Obviously, eating contami- In a large number nated food is a good way to o f c a s e s, t h e allow disease-causing agents body is very sucinto the body. Food should be cessful in defeating the discleaned thoroughly before eat- ease. In fact, the body can even build up a resistance to ing. Many meats contain germs, many diseases that have prebacteria, and even small para- viously attacked, so that the sites. Heating the meat to high defense will be more effective. temperatures long enough to When the body is attacked by kill these agents is an essential foreign agents, such as bactepractice to avoid possible dis- ria, viruses, mold spores, fungi ease. Some religions forbid eat- and even physical objects, speing meat such as pork, cialized cells in the body go because it often contains para- into action to destroy the
Challenging Problems English Find two words which spelled and pronounced differently and have plurals spelled the same but pronounced differently. ***
Mathematics SEND +MORE -- --------=MONEY The symbols S, E, N, D, M, O, R, and Y represent different digits, which must be deduced. ***
Science
invaders or to encapsulate them and expel them from the body. In most cases, physicians depend on letting the body cure the disease. The proverbial "Take two aspirins and call me in the morning" means to say, "Your body will take care of the problem.� Vaccinations Vaccinations are often given to bolster a person's natural immune system for a specific disease. The idea is to give a mild form of the disease, so that the body builds up resistance. If there is an attack of that disease, the body will be able to readily provide a defense. Viruses for some diseases--like the flu or colds--mutate every year, thus making it difficult to maintain a good resistance. That is why flu shots are given each year. In conclusion Keeping your food and body clean helps to prevent disease. Being in good health allows the body to do a better job at fighting and preventing a disease from taking hold. Vaccinations help the body build a natural defense against specific diseases.
A man walks one mile due South, then one mile due East, and finally one mile due North, and ends up where he started. He's not at the North Pole. Where is he? *** Answers of previous issue. English: Aside from "angry" and "hungry" and words derived therefrom, there is only one word ending with "-gry" in Webster's dictionary. "aggry." *** Mathematics: 22 times. it takes 360/5.5 minutes for them to meet each other once. So they will meet t(24 * 60) / (360/5.5) times in a day which is equal to 22. *** Science: Because of buoyancy, the helium balloon on the string will want to move in the direction opposite the effective gravitational field existing in the car. Thus, when the car turns the corner, the balloon will deflect towards the inside of the turn. *** You can give your answers with in 7 days. Rewards goes to; English: No correct answer Science: No correct answer Maths: No correct answer
15 February 2004
ZAMAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL NEWSPAPER
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SCIENCE
How The Things Work
Question and Answer
I
s there a specific chemical in our brains and/or nervous systems that causes anger and aggression? If so,what is this agent and how does it work What processes are involved?
sage across the gap between the two nerves (Nerve A and Nerve B), called the synapse. Neurotransmitters are responsible for this transfer. The way this happens is that an electrical impulse travels along Nerve A ggression is very complex . until it hits the end. Now at the One chemical in the body end of Nerve A are lots of balthat may play a role is the neu- loons filled with neurotransmitr o t r a n s m i t t e r, s e r o t o n i n. ter. As the electrical pulse Serotonin has also been impli- reaches the end, it causes cated in a number of other psy- these balloons to empty into chological and behavior t h e s y n a p s e . T h e s e funcitons such as depression, neurotransmitters float across anxiety, sleep, and lots more. the gap and fit into receptors on Nerve B, thus triggering the How neurotransmitters work electrical pulse to start off in When one nerve needs to pass Nerve B. a signal to the next nerve, it has to do so by getting the mes- There are a number of
A
neurotransmitters in the body and serotonin is one of them. Scientists deduce that serotonin plays a role in these various f e e l i n g s based on the effects of SEROTONIN specific drugs like prozac on patients. The drug group, A z a p i r o n e s, appear to effect agitation, aggression, anxiety and mood.
These drugs are specific for the serotonin receptor, subtype1A.
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ZAMAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL NEWSPAPER
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CULTURE
ILLUMINATION AND GILDING
K
nown as 'tezhip' in Turkish, this is an old decorative art. The word 'tezhip' means 'turning gold' or 'covering with gold leaf' in Arabic. Yet 'tezhip' can be done with paint as well as with gold leaf. It was mostly employed in handwritten books and on the edges of calligraphic texts. T h e a r t o f ilumination has been practiced as widely in the West as it has in the East. In the Middle Ages in particularly it was widely used to decorate Christian religious texts and prayer books. Gradually however, picture illustrations became more popular, and illumination became restricted to decorating the capital letters in main headings. Among the Turks, the history of illumination goes back to the Uyghurs, and first began to be seen among the Uyghur people in
the 9th century. The Selujks then brought it to Anatolia, and the art saw its culmination in Ottoman times. Mameluke artists in 15th century Egypt developed their own style, and great advances in the art of illumination were made at the same time in Persia and then in such
cities as Herat, Hive, Bukhara and Samarkand which were ruled by the Timurs. The style that developed in Herat later had great influence on the Persian art of illimunation. As a result of growing ties with Persia in the 15th and 16th centuries, the Ottomans adopted many
of the features of the Herat School in their own work, and created new syntheses. In the 18th century, the Ottoman art of illumination began to fade, with crude decoration replacing the classical motifs. In the 19th century, the Western influence that could be seen in almost all areas of art also began to make its presence felt in the art of illumination. For example, flower motifs that used to be employed singly on vases during the classical period now began to appear in groups in pots. The main ingredient in illumination is gold or paint. Gold is used in a thin leaf prepared by beating it to an extreme fineness. The gold leaf is powdered in water and mixed with gelatine, and then brought to the desired thickness. Earth paints tended to be preferred in terms of paint, although synthetic paints were employed later. The illuminator, known as the 'm端zehhip,' first uses a needle to impress the designs he has drawn onto paper attached to a hard boxwood or zinc base. He then places the perforated paper onto the material he intends t o d e c orate, and fills the holes with a sticky, black powder. When the paper is removed, the design is left behind. The motif is t h e n rounded out and filled with the gold leaf or paint.
15 February 2004
ZAMAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL NEWSPAPER
6
ENTERTAINMENT
Why the English language is completely crazy!
E
nglish is the most widely used language in the history of our planet. One in every 7 humans can speak it. More than half of the world's books and 3 quarters of international mail is in English. Of all the languages,it has the
largest vocabulary - perhaps as many as 2 MILLION words. Nonetheless, let's face it English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't
invented in England or French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat. We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square a n d a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig. And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce a n d hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of b o o t h beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? One index, 2 indices? Doesn't it
seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend, that you comb thru annals of history but not a single annal? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it? If teachers taught, why didn't preacher praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? If you wrote a letter, perhaps you bote your tongue? Sometimes I think all the English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane. In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell? How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and wise guy are opposites? How can overlook and oversee be opposites, while quite a lot and quite a few are alike? How can the weather be hot as hell one day and cold as hell another? Have you noticed that we talk about certain things only when they are absent? Have you ever seen a horseful carriage or a strapful gown? Met a sung hero or experienced requited love? Have you ever run into someone who was combobulated, gruntled, ruly or peccable? And where are all those people who ARE spring chickens or who would ACTUALLY hurt a fly? You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which an alarm clock goes off by going on. English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race (which, of course, isn't a race at all). That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it, but when I wind up this essay, I end it.
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ZAMAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL NEWSPAPER
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ENTERTAINMENT
Capitals of Every Country
Can you find the hidden names of capitals? KABUL TIRANE ALGIERS BUENOSAIRES CANBERRA BAKU DHAKA BRUSSELS SARAJEVO BRASILIA PHNOMPENH YAOUNDE OTTAWA BEIJING COPENHAGEN QUITO TALLINN PARIS BERLIN BUDAPEST JAKARTA DUBLIN TOKYO ASTANA BISHTEK ULAANBAATAR KATHMANDU AMSTERDAM MANILA MOSCOW SINGAPORE COLOMBO BANGKOK ANKARA WASHINGTON TASHKENT HANOI HARARE CARACAS LONDON ASHGABAT
15 February 2004
ZAMAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL NEWSPAPER
SPORT
B
Basketball - Fastest Game
asketball is one of the fastest team sports. You score points by successfully shooting a ball through a basket at a fixed height. If you play in official competition, the team with the higher score wins, there is no tie like in football, and you have to play overtimes as long as the winner is determined. But for the unofficial game you can also play up to certain score, for example the team who reaches first 21 points wins. You can set your own rules! An official game involves two teams of 10-12 players each of which 5 are on court. But basketball has a unique character: on grassroots level, you can play 4 against 4, 3 against 3, 2 against 2 or 1 against 1. You could play even on your own shooting at the hoops; you can play in mixed teams with girls and boys and try to find balanced teams when playing 3 against 2 if you don't find an equal number of players on your playground. Nobody has to sit and watch! You can play basket ball at home, on a playground or in a gym as long as there is a backboard and a hoop to shoot at. Number of players If you want to play basketball for fun you have the possibility to play on your own. But you can also play team games with either 1, 2, 3, or 5 players on each teams. Teams can be mixed with boys and girls or not. On a competition level, a team is made of 5 players playing on the court and 5 players sitting on the bench that can be used for substitution during the game period. Each player is assigned a position when playing. This position is usually determined by the height of the player. The tallest guy usually plays “center” or “position 5”, while the medium size ones play
“forwards” or “position 3 and 4” The shortest players then play “guards” or “position 1 and 2”. Scoring A player scores when he manage to put the ball into the basket from above. Scoring a basket increases the team score by 3, 2 or one point. If the player successfully shoots from outside of the 3 points line, the basket is worth 3 points, other wise it is worth 2 points. It is also possible to score one point when shooting from the free throw line, after a foul for instance. Violations A violation occurs when the player infracts the rules of Basketball. A violation results in the awarding of the ball to the opponents. It happens when the player takes more than 2 steps without bouncing the ball on the floor. This is called Traveling. An other violations is when a player stops dribbling and then starts dribbling again or bounces the ball with its two hands at once. We call this a double Dribble. You can also commit a violation if you twist your hand , when in contact with the ball, pass the vertical. This is called Carry, as the ball must always remain on the top of the ball. Fouls A foul is an illegal action that can commit a player from one team to a player from the adverse team. Basketball is generally said a non-contact game. If, in particular occasion this is not respected, a foul is committed. There are two types of fouls. The first ones are called defensive fouls. They occur when the offensive player is being fouled by the defender. Defenders should not block,
push, trip, strike or hold the player in possession of the ball. The second ones are the offensive fouls. For example a player in offense commits an offensive foul when charging into a stationary defender. Referee signals
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