TRIBS
Dhamma for everyday decisions
Free of charge. Offered in goodwill.
All TRIBS courses and certificates are free of charge, offered in goodwill through Dhamma service. A donation is not a condition of learning or receiving an eligible certificate. Certificate eligibility still follows the published programme requirements.
Buddhist learning for children, teenagers, youth and young adults, adults and seniors. Understand the teaching, examine a situation, choose a responsible action and reflect on its effects.
Four domains, in every question
Every question is considered through all four domains. Longer responses also include References and Works Consulted. A multiple-choice selection alone cannot show every domain: add a reason, a next action and a supporting value, using spoken, visual or written responses. Domain marks and task weightings must be stated in the assignment brief; these are not automatically equal.
Knowledge and Understanding
Explain the relevant teaching accurately; distinguish the source teaching from a modern example.
Critical Thinking
Identify what is known, what is assumed, whose interests matter and why another option is weaker. Consider intention, context and consequences.
Application
Propose a specific, workable action, explain how to carry it out and how to repair harm or check the result.
Dhamma Value
Show honesty, non-harm, compassion, responsibility and wisdom in the response. We assess the reasoning and conduct demonstrated in the task, not spiritual attainment or a person’s worth.
References and Works Consulted · longer responses
Identify and use relevant sources, passages and authors or translators; separate quotation, paraphrase and personal interpretation. Cite sources you actually checked. AI is not the authority for a sutta it mentions.
Borrowing: permission is the beginning
Follow the owner’s agreed conditions. Care for the item and return it where the owner asks. If no location is specified, return it to the place it came from when appropriate; ask if uncertain or if that place is unsafe. If it is damaged, lost or misplaced, tell the owner and help put it right.
This is a practical application of the second precept, care and responsibility, not a verbatim canonical return-location rule. Forgetting, carelessness, deliberate disregard and intentional appropriation are different. Do not automatically call every misplaced item theft. Consider intention and effects, then repair what can be repaired.
Advanced work: two supported routes
Where the advanced assignment offers this choice: up to 500 self-written words, or up to 1,000 AI-assisted words. Follow the specific brief. Both routes use the same four domains and References criterion; longer AI output does not earn extra marks by itself. The 200–250 word task remains a separate, shorter format.
- Disclose the tool, how you used it, relevant prompts or a short process summary, what you changed and which claims you checked.
- Read the original sources and verify quotations and references. Identify errors, bias or weak reasoning in AI output. You remain responsible for the final work.
- Be able to explain and defend your reasoning in a short discussion. Keep a brief draft or process record.
- Keep personal, student and private temple information out of AI prompts. No paid AI subscription is required.
- A fully supported non-AI route remains available. Younger learners use teacher-mediated activities and age-appropriate tools; independent child AI accounts are not required. Any permitted language or accessibility support should be disclosed according to the brief.