REL 101 Exam Topics B

I will not be overly picky about dates and names. However, you should know major figures and thinkers covered in the course so far and the major ideas associated with them:

Early Chinese Philosophical Schools

• What are are the four middles described by Jizang (Chi-ts'ang)?
• T'ien-t'ai School: Zhiyi's (Chih-i) conception of the human nature versus the nature of ultimate reality: karmically evil versus emptiness.

Ancient Chinese Mythology and Confucius

• Sage Kings - Who were they, and what did they do?
• Confucius and the Duke of Zhou (Chou)
• Key Terms: li (rites and rituals), yi (righteousness), ren (jen)(benevolence and humanity), hsiao (filial piety)

Confucius' orchestral vision of society - at least 5 aspects of this metaphor

• Fingarette - What do these mean: "Secular as Sacred," "Human Community as Holy Rite," "Way without a Crossroad," "A Confucian Metaphor - The Holy Vessel"

Laozi

• The Story of how the Daodejing (Tao te ching) was written
• Laozi's (Lao Tzu) ideal of society and government
• Laozi's (Lao Tzu) view of the relationship between intellectual knowledge and contentment

Zhuangzi

• The Story of how the Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu) was compiled
• Who was Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu) - lifestyle, family, contradictions in his story
• The relation between perspectivalism, illusion, and oneness in Zhuangzi's view of language, truth, and reality
• The social and philosophical significance of figures like Cook Ding (Ting) and Woodworker Qing (Ch'ing)

Bodhidharma and the founding of Chan/Zen Buddhism

• The encounter with Emperor Wu
• Dialogue with four disciples and transmitting the Seal of the Dharma to Huike (Hui-k'o)
• Possible Daoist and Confucian influences

The Origins of Japanese Religion

• The Unification of Japan and the Role of Religion: Confucian, Taoist, Buddhist, Shinto (Kami)
• Reason for bringing in Buddhism

The Myth-Histories of the Kojiki (Chronicle of Ancient Affairs) and Nihon Shoki (First Chronicle of Japan)

• Why were these written?
• What is the story of the Sun Goddess Amaterasu disappearing into the cave?
• What is the Hollow-Centered Balance Model proposed by Kawai?

Zen Master Dogen

• Why did Dogen go to China?
• What are his practices of Sitting-only and Practice-as-Awakening?