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: view the video called "The Land of Samsara" found on the Blackboard course materials page; it 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 2009 Kevin Trainor Last updated: 1/11/09