Exams Topics B, REL 303 Japanese Religions

Myoe Koben

• What was Myoe's view of the relation between his waking life and his dream life on the theme of sexuality?
• What was the relation between Sakyamuni Buddha, the Kasuga Deity, and the Woman of Yuasa who was the medium of the Kasuga deity at the Kasuga Shrine?

Dogen - You should know what the following are:

• Soto Sect
• Sitting-only
• Dropping off body-mind
• Practice as awakening

Barbara Ruch, "The Other Side of Culture in Medieval Japan"

• Who was Zen master Mugai?
• Why does Ruch believe that Mugai is important for understanding the life of women in medieval Japan?
• What was Dogen's view of women's religious abilities in theory?
• In terms of gender, how was Dogen's monastic practice at his mountain temple of Eiheiji structured? (from lecture)

Shinran

• Tannisho: What is the difference between the first ten sections and the last eight sections?
• Tannisho: What place does this work have in relation to Shinran's own writings? (See Mark Unno, "The Nembutsu of No-Meaning.")
• The central practice in the Shin school of Pure Land Buddhism is saying the Name, Namu Amida Butsu. What does Namu refer to, and what does Amida Butsu signify?
• What is the relationship between "foolish being" and "Amida Buddha."?
• Who was Honen?

The Way of Tea

• What are the religious influences on Rikyu's Way of Tea, both Asian and Western?
• What are the four main philosophical principles of Rikyu's Way of Tea?

Shunryu Suzuki

• Beginner's Mind and Expert's Mind - what is the relationship between the two?
• Big Mind and Little Mind - what is the relationship between the two?
• What sect of Zen Buddhism does Suzuki belong to?