Exam Topics - REL 440/540 Buddhist Scriptures

The exam will be in two parts. Part I will be on matters related to Writing Papers. Part II will be on topics covered thus far in the readings and lecture material. You must receive prior permission for absence as well as to take the exam separately. Only exceptional cases will be allowed.

The exam will be multiple choice, and as covered in the syllabus, will count 15% of your grade. There is only one right answer per question. If there appears to be more than one right answer, pick the best answer.

If you have any questions about the exam or the topics included in the exam, please ask me. You can come in during office hours, make an appointment or send me email.

Part I: Writing Papers

Read the following essays and guidelines that are posted on the Writing Papers links on my web pages:

I. Four Keys to Writing in the Humanities

II. Four Stages of Writing

III. Paper Writing Guidelines

In these guidelines I do not cover the proper use of commas or the defintions for independent and subordinate clauses which you need to know in order to use commas properly. If you have any questions about this, please refer to any standard writing manual or ask at the beginning of class before the exam.

IV. Writing: The Bridge between Consciousness and Unconsciousness

Part II: Readings, Notes, and Lectures

Notes and Key Terms REL440 Early Buddhism, Two-fold Truth, and Emptiness (link to terms)

You will not be tested on the last section on the Four-fold Dialectic. Some of the terms we did not cover in class. However, they are basic to studying Buddhism and have been covered in all lower-level classes related to Buddhism.

Bodhisattva Ideal, Skill in Liberative Means (Upaya), Theory of the Three Buddha-bodies (Dharmakaya, Sambhogakaya, Nirmanakaya) including the relation between the earthly Buddha (Nirmanakaya) and the Cosmic Buddhas (Sambhogakaya).

Robert A. F. Thurman, trans., The Holy Teaching of Vimalakirti

The significance of the figure of Vimakakirti and the Goddess as layman and female, respectively, who question the status quo of the monastic institutions as they existed at that time. The significance of Vimalakirti's illness (discussed in class but not in the readings - You can ask at the beginning of class before the exam if you don't remember).

 

Leon Hurvitz, trans., Scripture of the Lotus Blossom of the Fine Dharma

Sakyamuni as earthly and eternal Buddha, the parable of the fire and the three sons as an allegory of upaya as well as of the three vehicles (Two of the vehicles, that of the pratyekabuddha [those who attain enlightenment on their own] and the sravaka [those who attain enlightenment through listening to the Dharma], refer to early (Nikaya) Buddhism. The third is the Bodhisattva vehicle.)

 

Hisao Inagaki, The Three Pure Land Sutras: A Study and Translation (link to summary)

Material covered in the summary, including Bodhisattva Dharmakara, Buddha Amitabha, the 48 Original Vows of Amitabha, Pure Land of Amitabha. Additionally, you should know the following figures: King Bimbisara, Queen Vaidehi, Prince Ajatasatru, and Devadatta.

 

Thomas Cleary, trans., Entry into the Realm of Reality: The Gandavyuha (link to summary)

Material covered in the summary, including the basic idea of Sudhana and his journey and the theme of cosmic light. In addition, you should know who the Buddha Mahavairocana is.

 

William Lafleur, "Chapter 2 In and out of the Rokudo," from his Karma of Words

According to LaFleur, what are the four main ways of escaping the vicious cycle of rebirth? (49-59).