Please draw on as much of the material from the course as you can – the sultanas and the commentaries in Glenn Wallis, Basic Teachings; Known, Buddhism, chapters 2-4; chapters Introduction and 3 in Strong, The Buddha: A Short Biography; the PBS movie “Buddha”; Janissary Bikini “There is No Self”; and anything discussed in class. If you read the optional material, “Introduction” to Wallis, Basic Teachings and Ge thin, Foundations of Buddhism, pp. 133-139 and 159-162, feel free to include that.
Write an essay on the Buddhist path that has been laid out so far in this course. Offer an overview of the path (which is sure to include, and perhaps even be structured around, the four noble truths {or “four preeminent realities” in Wallis’ translation})! Include discussion of the sultanas. How does the life story of the Buddha (as laid out in PBS’ “Buddha” and Strong, Buddha: A Short Biography) fit into and exemplify the teachings? What is the importance of karma? How does Buddhist cosmology, especially the six realms of rebirth, figure in the tradition? Feel free to structure your essay as you think best, but try to include all of these elements.
NOTE: This is something I will be having to memorize in the morning and write it down during the exam. So no need to make it all fancy. As long as the main ideas and answers to the questions are all talked about.
