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Buddhism for week 4 read: Chapters 5 in Invitation to World Religions Chapter 5 Selected Readings from the World’s Religious Traditions In Sacred Readings: From the Paili Canon on Impurity http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/dhp/dhp.18.budd.html Dhamapada – Verse 5 http://www.tipitaka.net/tipitaka/dhp/verseload.php?verse=005 …
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Address the history and ideology of some of the specific schools within Mahayana Buddhism such as: Tibetan, Tantric, Zen, Nichiren and Pure Land. (You don’t have to write about all of them.) Write about the importance of monasticism or meditation in Buddhist tradition. Consider doing some research on the current Dalai Lama and presenting it…
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Discuss Jainism along with its ideologies, scriptures and practices. Compare it to the Hindu culture from which it evolves. How is Jainism similar and dissimilar to Buddhism? 6. Answer Review Questions 2 and 4, and Further Reflection question # 3 on page 214 (2nd edition) or page 219 at the end of the Invitation…
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A few of you may have some interest in the gods and goddesses of Hinduism. You could write an essay on the role of particular divinities represented in Hindu tradition and some of their ascribed attributes.
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Discuss some of the aspects of Hindu worship and devotion such as puja and the yogas. How was Hindu practice reformed during the 19th and 20th centuries? What are some of the practical differences between “folk Hinduism” (a literal belief in the many gods and goddesses) and those who espouse a more “monistic” or “henotheistic”…
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Answer any 2 questions from the Indigenous North American “Review Questions” or “For Further Reflection” questions from page 55 (2nd edition) or 57 of Invitation to World Religions.
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Generally outline several of the following basic notions in the Hindu world-view such as: karma, dharma, samsara, caste, moksha, atman, ahimsa, Brahman and maya. Provide an explanation of your own understanding of these concepts (some or all) and how they ideologically fit into the lives of Hindus.
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Describe one particular religious practice or element among African, Native American or Meso-American cultures. Examples might be drawn from the following list: vision quest, peyote, ancestor cults, village gods, ancestor or power figures, use of masks, Meso-American temples, burial practices, rites of passage, witches, twins in African lore, role of African kings, shamans, Meso-American gods,…
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Address some of the major themes and ideas that appear in the early Hindu Scriptures (Vedas, Upanishads, Brahmanas). How are the Vedas different from the Upanishads? What are some of the concepts addressed in the Laws of Manu, Mahabharata, Ramayanna, Bhagavad-Gita and Puranas? Why are each of these works considered to be important? (You don’t…
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Outline some of the aspects of Meso-American polytheistic belief. How might you explain the propensity for human sacrifice among the native religions of Mexico?