REL 201-I: REACTION PAPER #1

QUESTION: PLEASE CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING OPTIONS:

1) Review the basic philosophy of Buddhism, and consider the following: many scholars
have argued that Buddhism is a pessimistic religion. How accurate is that assessment? Is
Buddhism a pessimistic religion? An optimistic religion? A realistic religion? Defend
your answer with specific evidence from course materials.

2) Analyze the practices of early Buddhists. Are they consistent with Buddhist
philosophy or are they inconsistent? Are there some of each? For the practices
consistent with Buddhist philosophy, argue that they are consistent with Buddhism by
presenting specific evidence. For those that are inconsistent, propose a rationale for why
such practices existed. Defend your answer with specific evidence from course
materials.

3) Comment on the role of women in early Buddhism. Was early Buddhism a positive
development for women at the time or was it a negative development? Was early
Buddhism fair to women or not? Defend your answer with specific evidence from course
materials.

4) Some Buddhists and some scholars have maintained that the Buddha was a social
activist. In doing so, they point to the Buddha’s teachings, the openness of the Buddhist
community to all, the role of town-dwelling monks, the Buddha’s advice to rulers, and
the policies of Emperor Ashoka. How accurate is this assessment of early Buddhism?
To what extent is early Buddhism involved in this-worldly issues? To what extent did
early Buddhists see their religion as an avenue for improving the social conditions of the
area? Defend your answer with specific evidence from course materials.

WRITING GUIDELINES:
1) The most important thing to do is to ANSWER THE QUESTION and address any
issues raised in the question. Papers that are off the topic or that include long tangents
that stray from the topic will NOT get the grade you want. You cannot get a C without
answering the question, and you may not even get a D.

2) Your paper should have a THESIS STATEMENT, or in other words, an OPINION

put forth at the BEGINNING of the paper that requires you to defend it throughout the
paper. The questions are written so as to assist you in coming up with a thesis statement.
You cannot get a B without a thesis statement, and you may not even get a C.

3) You need adequate EVIDENCE to support your thesis. This can be in the form of
direct quotations from the readings, or paraphrases from readings or lecture notes. You
cannot get an A without enough evidence (including at least SOMETHING from the
readings), and you may not even get a B (or even a C, if there's really very little or what
you have does not support your point). In other words, a paper full of your personal
opinions with maybe an anecdote or two from your own life won't cut it.
4) It is expected that you can write grammatically correct sentences, unified and relevant
paragraphs, and an organized paper. If you have questions about any of these, please see
me, and it never hurts to stop by THE WRITING LAB (Ritter Library, 2 nd Floor).

5) You are required to use proper documentation, ideally Chicago Style (MLA or APA
are also acceptable), including in-text citations or endnotes or footnotes as well as a
bibliography (i.e. works cited page). External Links are available on Bb to Chicago style
formatting. You must cite any information quoted OR paraphrased from our textbooks
or from any outside sources you use. Course handouts and course films should also be
cited, based on any bibliographic information available. Information from lectures
should also be cited in the notes with the professor’s name and the date of the lecture;
however, lectures do not need to be included in the bibliography. A general rule to
follow is that if you include a fact you did not know before taking this course, cite where
you learned it. If you already knew it, it probably falls under “general knowledge” and
does NOT need to be cited. If it is your own opinion or analysis, it should NOT be cited.
An ideal paper will have an even balance of cited and uncited sentences, showing that
there is a significant about of your own analysis and also that this analysis is based on
verifiable evidence from reliable sources.

6) The essay should be 4-6 pages in length, NOT including the Bibliography, so 5-7 pages with
the Bibliography. It should be in 10-point or 12-point font, and double-spaced with one-inch
margins. It is due electronically by 11:59 PM on Sunday, February 21st.

TERMS OF THE UNIT (To keep handy for the final exam): Siddhartha, Gautama,
Shakyamuni, Tathagata, Bodhisattva, Buddha, Pratyeka Buddha, Renunciation,
Asceticism, Jataka Tales, The Middle Way, The Three Marks of Existence, Duhkha,
Impermanence, Anatman, The Five Skandhas, The Four Noble Truths, The Eightfold
Path, Samsara, Nirvana, Karma, The Five Precepts, The Six Realms of Rebirth, Arhat,
Streamwinner, Pali Canon, Tripitika, Sutra, Vinaya, Abhidharma, Town-Dwelling
Monks, Forest-Dwelling Monks, Punya, Sila, Posadha, Vesak (Vaisakha), Buddhist
Pilgrimage, Stupa, Emperor Ashoka, Rock Edicts, Bhikkhu, Bhikkhuni, Prajapati,
Visakha, The Therigatha, The Eight Rules of Subordination, Taking Refuge, The Three
Jewels, Buddha, Dharma, Sangha