Study Guide Questions and Alternative
Assignments
Berger:
This is the first chapter of Peter Berger’s late-1960’s analysis of religion
from a social-science perspective. Berger defines religion as one
aspect of a broader dynamic of cultural “world-building.” What does
Berger mean by world-building, and what role does religion play in it?
What does he mean by "cosmization” (see p. 25)? Try to think of an
example of religious world-building.
Rosaldo: Renato Rosaldo is an anthropologist at Stanford
University who has studied the Ilongot people of the Philippines.
Why wasn’t he able to understand the Ilongot practice of headhunting at first;
what allowed him to feel that he did understand? If all understanding
is “positioned,” what does that mean for our efforts to understand other
cultures and, in particular, other religious traditions?
Gross: Rita Gross, emerita professor of comparative religion
at the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, writes about the Buddhist tradition
both as a feminist and as a Buddhist practitioner. What does she mean
by “androcentrism” and how has it shaped the study of religion? How
might Gross critique the section from Berger’s book that you read?
Think about the general issues that these three texts raise for the study
of religion. What role should “subjectivity” play in our efforts to
understand the Buddhist and Christian traditions?
Doniger: Wendy Doniger teaches History of Religions
at the University of Chicago and specializes in South Asian mythology.
What are the two basic interpretive perspectives (microscopic/telescopic)
that she describes, and how are they related to each other? What do
other people’s myths have to teach us?
Keown, 1-13; 69-82; 108-123, and Frankiel, 6-56: Damien
Keown is Senior Lecturer in Indian Religions at the University of London;
Sandra Frankiel is an independent scholar. The authors provide general
historical overviews of the two traditions. Given the wide geographical
and historical diversity of these traditions, what factors have contributed
to their coherence and intergrity?
Keown, 28-55; 96-107: How would you characterize his
approach to presenting the Buddhist tradition? Would you characterize
it as critical or sympathetic (or both)?
Frankiel, 57-89, and Fredriksen, 70-93: Frankiel
notes that Jesus is the “central symbol” of the Christian tradition, and
stories of his life constitute the central myth or set of myths around which
the tradition is structured (p. 57). In what respects is Jesus represented
as a model and exemplar for all Christians, and in what respects is he
represented as utterly unique? In what sense is “salvation” in the
Christian tradition (see pp. 59-61) equivalent to nirvana in the
Buddhist tradition? How would we go about comparing them to each other?
How does Fredriksen’s examination of ancient Israel illuminate your understanding
of the Christian tradition?
“Footprint of the Buddha”: This is one episode in a
series of films produced by the BBC in the late 1970’s. This episode
focuses on the Theravada tradition in Sri Lanka. What did you see
in this film that provides you with a different perspective on Buddhism
from the one that emerges from reading Keown?
Gospel of Matthew: The gospel of Matthew is the first
book of the Christian New Testament (first in the order in which it appears,
not chronologically speaking) and it is one of the four accounts of the
life of Jesus that were included in the New Testament. Most secular
scholars date Matthew’s gospel sometime around 90 CE, though traditionally
it has been connected with the apostle Matthew, one of the original twelve
disciples. Given what you know about Christianity at this point, why
might it be important for communities of Christians to trace this account
back to an eyewitness of Jesus’ ministry? Pay particular attention
to the account of Jesus’ birth; what is the author of this text telling us
about the identity and significance of Jesus (consider Fredriksen’s discussion
of the Jewish background of the Christian movement as you think about this)?
What evidence do you see of Jesus’ charisma?
Story of Gotama Buddha: This is a selection from the
Nidana-katha, which is part of the introduction to the commentary
on the Jatakas, a collection of 547 stories about previous lives
of Gotama Buddha included in the Theravada Buddhist Tipitaka, the
sacred scriptures of the Theravada tradition. This introduction was
probably written down sometime in the 5th century CE, but is based on much
earlier traditions about the Buddha’s life (scholars date the Buddha sometime
between the 6th-4th centuries BCE). The selection opens with the future
Buddha living as a celestial deity in one of the heavens just before his final
rebirth as Gotama. Pay particular attention to the account of the future
Buddha’s birth (pp. 66-71). How does this compare with the account
of Jesus’ birth in Matthew (chs. 1-2)? Compare the accounts of Satan’s
temptation of Jesus (Mt. 4:1-12) and Gotama’s temptation by the evil deva
Mara (pp. 95-99). Identify one episode in the text that highlights the
future Buddha’s humanity, and one that emphasizes his superhuman character.
Give some thought to basic similarities and differences in the depictions
of the two religious figures. Do the Buddha and Jesus Christ play
equivalent roles in the lives of their respective followers? Can one
say that the Buddha liberates his followers in the same way that Jesus saves
Christians?
Luther’s “Freedom of a Christian”: This treatise, first
published in Germany in 1520, provides an introduction to some of the central
points of dispute between Luther and the Roman Catholic hierarchy concerning
fundamental issues of Christian faith and practice. What does Luther
object to and how is this related to his understanding of Christian faith
(see esp. pp. 56-62)? On what grounds does Luther reject traditional
Roman Catholic practice, and on what basis does he defend his radical reformulation
of Christian life? What do you think might have made Luther’s reforms
attractive to some of his contemporaries? Why might others have rejected
his understanding of Christian life?
Keown, 56-68: What points of continuity and what points
of divergence do you see between the Theravada Buddhist religious ideal
and the ideal espoused by the followers of the Mahayana? How did the
teachers of the “great vehicle” authenticate their interpretation of the
Buddha’s teaching (p. 60)? What are some of the implications for Buddhist
belief and practice of asserting that ultimately samsara and nirvana
are not different, and how is this related to the teaching of the “emptiness”
(shunyata) of all dharmas (see pp. 66-67)? How does the Mahayana
ideal of the bodhisattva differ from the arhat ideal of the Theravada?
“On the Paramita of Ingenuity”: This is a selection
from a Mahayana text which is part of a collection of 49 Mahayana scriptures
called the “Great Mound of Gems” (Maharatnakuta). The collection
as a whole no longer survives in the original Sanskrit, but it was translated
into Chinese and Tibetan and it forms a part of the Mahayana canon of sacred
scripture in those languages (note that G. Chang is the general editor
of the modern edition, not the author; Mahayana tradition attributes the
text to the Buddha Gautama, though modern secular scholars would date it
centuries later). The term “ingenuity” in the title is a translation
of the Sanskrit kaushalyaupaya, “skilful means” (see Keown,
p. 61). How is this notion of “ingenuity” important to Mahayana practice,
and what role does it play in efforts of Mahayana followers to authenticate
their reformulations of traditional teachings? What is the ideal
of the bodhisattva represented in this text? What gender issues do
you see here?
“Land of the Disappearing Buddha”: This is another film
in the “Long Search” series by the BBC, this one focusing on Buddhism in
Japan. If you had to pick one thing that distinguishes the forms of
Buddhism represented in this film from the Sri Lankan Buddhism depicted
in the first film, what would it be? Are Japanese Buddhism and Sri
Lankan Buddhism part of the same religion? What kind of answer do
you think you would get if you asked a Japanese Buddhist and a Sri Lankan
Buddhist this question? Are you in a better position to make an informed
judgment on this question than they would be? Consider the nature
of reform in the two traditions. Are these two reform movements basically
“conservative” or “revolutionary”? What sorts of factors might have
contributed to an individual’s decision to follow the new teaching, or to
reject it as false?
Rule of St. Benedict: The Rule of St. Benedict dates to
the 6th century, and it became the most influential model for monastic
life in medieval Europe. Pay particular attention to the imagery
found in the prologue in which Benedict sets forth his view of the ideal
of Christian perfection, and the role of the Rule in realizing it.
What is the function of the abbot, and how is this related to the ideal
of obedience and the broader Christian worldview?
“Discourse on the Applications of Mindfulness”: This
text is part of the Tipitaka and it is the most influential sutta
on meditation in the Theravada tradition. How does paying attention
to the breath serve the goal of gaining insight and liberation from samsara?
What seems to be the purpose of the cemetery meditations?
Selections from the Book of the Discipline (Vinaya):
These Vinaya selections focus on the establishment of the sangha.
How does the sangha’s dependence on the laity shape the life of monks
and nuns?
Driver: Tom Driver was a professor of systematic theology
at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. What are some of
the basic aspects of ritualization as he understands the term? Think
of an example of ritualization in your daily life.
Chronicle of the Thupa: This text, written in Sri Lanka
(called “Tambapanni" in this text) sometime in the 13th century CE, provides
an account of a relic enshrinement there in the 2nd century BCE. How
are sacred time and sacred space created in the ritual of enshrinement?
What is the role of the monks in the ceremony; of the king and laity?
How does the ritual both reflect and reinforce certain attitudes toward the
Buddha and his relics? What does the behavior of the nagas (serpent
deities) indicate about the proper response to relics of the Buddha?
“The Relics of St. Petroc” : This is a 12th-century
CE account of a theft of relics from a monastery in England, their translation
(the term for the movement of relics to a place of enshrinement) to France,
and their return to their original monastery in England. According
to the author, why are the relics stolen, and what is the ultimate outcome
of their return? What ritual activity do you see performed here?
What does this account reveal about the way that relics were regarded in
medieval Christianity? How does the theft of these relics compare with
the theft of the Buddha’s relics from the nagas?
“Catholicism: Rome, Leeds and the Desert”: What
sorts of ritual are depicted in the video? How do they help to produce
a common Catholic identity? What are some of the points of similarity
in the various Catholic communities depicted here; what are some of the
differences?
“The Jerusalem Syndrome”: What is the author’s interpretive
approach to religious experience? How does her approach compare
with those we’ve examined in the course? What do you think contributes
to the sense that Jerusalem is a “sacred” place?
Wanderings of Felix Fabri: This account of a pilgrimage
to Jerusalem by a German Dominican priest was written in the late 15th
century. Do you see any examples of “liminality” in the account?
What sorts of physical actions do people perform? Consider pg. 343
(Felix’s “mistake”); what’s going on here?
Mahavamsa (The Great Chronicle): This is a selection from
a 6th-cent. Sri Lankan text called the Mahavamsa, the “Great Chronicle”;
it gives a very influential traditional account of the origins of Sri Lanka,
particularly the Buddha’s visits to the island, and the establishment of
the Buddhist tradition. How are future pilgrimage sites validated by
this account? How is sacred space established? Yakkhas
are powerful non-human beings who are often depicted as dangerous.
“To Be a Pilgrim”: This is an account by a British visitor
to Sri Lanka who participates in a pilgrimage to a sacred mountain in Sri
Lanka. Is Barbara Gunn a pilgrim? Why or why not?
Selections from Hildegard of Bingen: Hildegard of Bingen
was a 12th-century German visionary and abbess of several monasteries.
These selections are taken from two works, the Scivias, a collection
of divine visions, and the Symphonia, a collection of religious
music, all of which, according to Hildegard, she received in divine visions.
How does Hildegard’s gender shape the character of her religious experience?
What do her hymns to Mary suggest about her understanding of “femaleness”
and religious experience?
Elders’ Verses II (Therigatha): These selections
come from a Tipitaka collection of verses attributed to nuns who
became arahats in the time of the Buddha. Do you see anything
distinctively “female” about the imagery in these verses? How is the
experience of the three nuns shaped by the fact that they are women?
How is the body viewed in these verses?
Alternative Assignments
Each of the following written assignments is a substitute for two of the
twice-weekly critical reflections. If you do more than one, you can
submit them in any order you choose. Each should be two pages long
(about 600 words), typed and double-spaced, and each must be submitted
on the Thursday of the week that the two critical reflections are due that
it is replacing. You can submit a maximum of three of these
during the semester.
- Web site assignment:
find a Web site devoted to some aspect of the Buddhist or Christian
tradition, preferably one that represents a particular community of religious
practitioners (e.g., a specific Buddhist temple or Christian church). Provide
the site's URL (Web address, beginning "http://..."), give a basic description
of what the site contains, and explain how this site compares with what
you've learned about the Buddhist or Christian tradition up to that point.
About half of your report should describe the site, and the other
half should be your analysis of how the site compares with your sense of
the tradition that it represents. Be sure to give specific examples
from the site that support your conclusions.
- Image analysis:
go to the course home page
and study the images of Gotama Buddha and Jesus Christ found there. What
seems to be the key information that each image communicates about the figure
that it depicts? How do these representations reflect what you think
are important differences between the two traditions? What, if anything,
do the representations have in common?
- Devotional song
analysis: click here to view a
video that shows scenes of Buddhist devotional sites in Sri Lanka coordinated
with a popular song, "The Land of Samsara" (Sasara Danawe), written
by a Sri Lankan monk and sung by a famous vocalist named Amaradeva. To
see a text of the lyrics, click here.
How would you characterize the basic emotional tone of the music and
the images? What does it suggest about the relationship between contemporary
Sri Lankan Buddhists and the Buddha? Is this consistent with what
you thought to be the case before seeing this?
Copyright 2003 Kevin Trainor
Last updated: 9/5/03