Topic 5 Reading Guide

Topic 5 Reading Guide

Heroes, Gods and Saviors
Introduction

How did Buddhism transform as it left India?
What happened when Brahmanism was transformed into Hinduism? How did the epics play a part in this transformation?

Epics
What do you find striking about these epics? What does their purpose seem to be (for example, were they made to entertain or to teach certain values or both or something else)?
How are people described in them? In what ways is a person’s gender important in regards to how they are described? What roles do men and women play?

Hindu Synthesis
What is Arjuna’s dilemma? How does Krishna solve it?
What is the purpose of yoga? How is it practiced?
What is Krishna revealed as?

Buddhism: Wisdom and Faith
What do you think is meant by “emptiness” and statements such as “there I no decay and death, no extinction of decay and death (paragraph 5)
What benefits does the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara bring?

Beliefs and Quests in China
What does Wang Ch’ung think of popular religion and Taoism?
Why is having a teacher so important? Why must one be careful of teachers?

Manicheism: Duality and Syncretism
What other religions influenced Manicheism?