DHARMA THEMES AT MWS
UNSEEN WORLD
Step into The Unseen World, an exciting new Dharma thematic unit currently being co-created by MWS’s teacher-researchers. This dynamic, evolving curriculum invites bold inquiry into what lies beneath and beyond ordinary perception—through topics like archaeology, microbiology, emotions, more-than-human beings, communication, social justice, the arts, spiritual inquiry, sound, and more.
Grounded in core Buddhist teachings such as Anicca (impermanence) and Pratītyasamutpāda (interdependence), this unit encourages learners to explore the subtle processes and unseen conditions that shape experience. Students are invited to notice the ever-changing nature of thoughts and emotions, investigate the hidden causes behind suffering (Dukkha), and reflect on how actions ripple outward through systems of relationship and responsibility (Karma).
Blending curated readings, systems thinking, and creative practices, learners are encouraged to spark curiosity, deepen awareness, challenge assumptions, and engage with the often-invisible dimensions—both inner and outer—that shape our shared reality.
Essential Question
Why does it matter to ‘see’ the unseen?
Guiding questions for reflection and conversation:
- Is magic “real”? What is “real”?
- When does the seen become unseen?
- Why is it important to see/perceive/experience the unseen?
- Can you imagine what is happening inside the planet or under the ground?
- What can you not see but know is there? And how?
- What can’t be named? What words cannot be translated- only experienced?
- How does understanding the microscopic world change how we see ourselves and our world?
- What do you imagine far outer space to be like?
RECOMMENDED READING
For children
- Inside In: X-Rays of Nature’s Hidden World
- Invisible Things
- The Dam
- The Universe in You: A Microscopic Journey
- The Book of Mythical Beasts and Magical Creatures (Mysteries, Magic and Myth)
- Seen and Unseen: What Dorothea Lange, Toyo Miyatake, and Ansel Adams’s Photographs Reveal About the Japanese American Incarceration
- Sound: Discovering the Vibrations We Hear
- What Feelings Do at Night
- Just in Case: Saving Seeds in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault
- Hidden Systems: Water, Electricity, the Internet, and the Secrets Behind the Systems We Use Every Day
- Unseen Jungle: The Microbes That Secretly Control Our World
- From Bulb to Tulip
- The Vibes Book
… and many more!!
JOIN US!
Parents and caregivers of enrolled MWS students are invited to join the Dharma Committee at any time. We currently meet in person monthly. It’s a joy! To learn more, please contact us at [email protected].