So
far, we have studied Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism in the class. The
midterm will have three types of questions testing your knowledge of the
material from the readings and lectures. First, there will be multiple choice questions. Second, there will be fill-in-the-blank questions. Third, there will be short answer
questions. The first two types of questions are straight forward.
Choose the answer or fill in the blank as best as you can. For the
short answer questions, you will be given a list of concepts we have
studied (such as the Jain leaky boat, the Upanishads’ ‘Tat Tvam Asi’,
the Buddhist metaphor of the monkey mind, etc, in bold below)
from which you must select four and write a comprehensive third to a
half page explanation for each you select. You should demonstrate that
you understand the meaning of the concept, that you can connect it to
other material from the class, and that you can apply it to examples
from your own experience or outside material (print or video, fictional
or nonfictional). If you demonstrate each of these three things and
complete the required page length, you will get full points for your
answer.
Hinduism (Vedas, Upanishads, Epics & Orthodox Schools)
Hinduism a rich diversity of traditions and schools, Vedas lead to Upanishads that lead to Vedanta, many gods/one god/monism,
Brahma vs. Brahman, Six orthodox schools & three unorthodox schools
rise in the golden age of Indian thought after the Upanishads, three
paths of worship & devotion (Bhakti, Raja & Jnana yoga), Bhakti
Shaivism & Vaishnavism, Vishnu as preserver/savior & Shiva as
destroyer/transformer, darshana as seeing/being seen, intermediate goal
of better rebirth and ultimate goal of moksha/nirvana, additional goals
of dharma, kama & artha (discipline, pleasure & comfort), wootz
and mathematical concepts of zero, variable & infinite series
important to algebra, knowing the self (atmavidya), self vs. no-self
(atman & anatman), Vedic passages questioning the gods, Does Indra
exist, purchase Indra for modest price, boneless One, frogs like
priests, Upanishads (‘sitting down beside’) use Vedas as metaphors about
the self & cosmos, Tat Tvam Asi
(That Is You), essence mudra, appeal beyond the caste system, beyond
knowledge & non-knowledge, becoming as destruction, Jabala’s fig
seed & salt water, Ramayana, Mahabharata & Arjuna’s duty, Maya
as illusion/trickster/demon, Vedanta schools of Shamkara vs. Ramanuja
(monism vs. theism), Vaisheshika school of Kanada & atomism,
general/particular/inherence, fire as energy, sound as impermanent,
water cycle & inertia, Nyaya school of Gautama, debates & proofs
The Unorthodox Schools of Indian Thought (Charvaka & Jainism)
Charvaka skepticism & materialism, gods, afterlife & all inference as illusion,
comparison with Wittgenstein’s ‘facts, not things’, consciousness as
fermentation of alcohol, Jainism as relative of Buddhism, two Jain principles of skepticism (non-one-endedness & truth is hypothetical), seven points of view (describable & indescribable), absolute vs. relative truth debate,
pot as being/non-being, teaching & discipline in spite of
relativism, cycles of the cosmos (kalpas), Tirthankaras, karma as
bondage & bad, Jain leaky boat, radical non-violence & vegetarianism
Buddhism (India, Tibet, China & Japan)
Life
of the Buddha, the four sights (sick, old, dead, holy), period of
austere Jain-like practice, balance over self-hate/annihilation, Buddha
vs. Budai the laughing monk, four noble truths, eightfold path, five
abilities (wisdom highest), the middle way, impermanence, monkey mind, codependent arising, emptiness as openness/compassion, dueling mudras, meditation practices, Theravada (“Hinayana”) vs. Mahayana, three vows, three ways of being involved in the sangha, popular movement of Mahayana, naga princess story, Buddha nature (from seed to reality), bodhisattvas & vow, superiority to arhats, completion of wisdom sutras, questioning Subhuti
to demonstrate understanding transmission, Buddhist logic, dominant
causes vs. essences, study, reflection & meditation, Nagarjuna &
the Madhyamaka school vs. Yogachara school, the catuskoti
Tibetan
culture transformed by Buddhism, Indian sutras & Nagarjuna kept,
demons & profane/sacred images, Chinese Zen controversy, celebrity
debaters, Book of the Dead, Chinese Han weakening as Buddhism gaining a
foothold, Daoism appeal, Chinese concrete vs. Indian abstract, issue with monastery vs. traditional family, Pure Land practice, Shinran & Jodoshinshu, gradual vs. sudden enlightenment, Neo-Confucian use of Buddhist teachings, modern Chinese interpretations, Nishida Kitaro
Zen sitting, unorthodox methods, Buddha holds up a lotus, Bodhidharma vs. Emperor Wu, Hui Neng’s verses, flag, wind & minds moving, Joshu’s dog, Gutei’s finger, Nansen, Joshu & the cat, Joshu’s avoid picking & choosing, compulsive passions are Buddha, tale of old woman burning down the hut, girl in the kimono, samurai & the gates of hell, Basho’s frog
