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The Yuen Yuen Institute
The
teaching has directly addressed the learning of English and the cultivation of good character. Students involved have
participated in periodic 'Webinars' with project leaders in the US, working on their own English, and character, and
planning project activities.
The Yuen Yuen Institute is the only temple in Hong Kong dedicated to all three major Chinese philosophies or religions:
Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism. The first three Chinese characters of the Institute's name denote the essence of Buddhism,
Taoism and Confucianism respectively, so as to advocate the integration and realization of the three religions' teachings.
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The Templeton Foundation
About John Templeton Foundation Funding....
In
1999 the Templeton Foundation issued a request for proposals to "increase scholarly and pedagogical
understanding of an approach to character education which employs the learning and employing of practical moral principles
encapsulated in the form of maxims, proverbs, aphorisms, and wise sayings.
That
effort, and this project, is guided by Sir John Templeton's book Worldwide Laws Of Life: 200 Eternal Spiritual Principles. The
Templeton Project "Children and Proverbs Speak the Truth" resulted in a useful book describing the project proposal,
its methods, and showing student drawings and describing the plays they wrote. It also provides insights into the proverbs
most studied by the students and the earliest indications of the impact of such study on student attitudes and behavior.
Templeton Project - "New Assessments and Measures of Virtues"
“Wherever we find ourselves in life, whatever the circumstances, whatever habits may be influencing our
decisions,” Sir John Templeton wrote, “we can transform each situation into a learning and growing experience.
We can determine how to be the masters of our habits so that our habits can be useful servants to us.” For Sir John,
such self-awareness and personal growth depended on a deeper understanding of the circumstances in which good character flourishes
and of the roots of good character in human nature, whether understood from a scientific, philosophical, or religious point
of view.
The Foundation supports a broad range of programs, publications, and studies focused
on the universal truths of character development, from childhood through young adulthood and beyond. The qualities of character
emphasized by Sir John in the Foundation’s charter include awe, creativity, curiosity, diligence, entrepreneurialism, forgiveness, future-mindedness, generosity, gratitude,
honesty, humility, joy, love, purpose, reliability, and thrift.
We remain open to other possibilities for extending our activities in the area of character development, especially
projects that deal with the crucial relationship between culture (as expressed in beliefs, values, and worldview) and behavior.
As Sir John emphasized in the "Laws of Life" that he saw as the key to character development, "When you rule
your mind, you rule your world."
Templeton Biography - As a member of the Presbyterian Church, Templeton was dedicated to his faith. However, Templeton eschewed
dogma and declared relatively little was known about the divine through scripture, espousing what he called a "humble approach"
to theology and remaining open to the benefits and values of other faiths
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Other Guiding Influences
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In the West, many famous people have collected and issued the good advice of 'Wise Sayings' for us to
consider in creating a good life. Socrates, Shakespeare, Benjamin Franklin, Will Rogers, and many others have contributed. Benjamin
Franklin:
The Art of Virtue The Way to Wealth
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.brainyquote.com/link/quotebr.js"></script> <small><i><a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes_of_the_day.html" target="_blank">more
Quotes</a></i></small>
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