Assignment:
Please write a 3 to 4 page essay and submit it electronically. Please follow the general instructions outlined in the syllabus and discussed in class. Likewise, students whose work possesses basic errors (e.g., in citation formatting, proper indication of titles, integration of passages, etc.) that were corrected in paper 1 WILL NOT receive higher than a B (85) on the assignment (e.g., ten-point deduction).
Please choose from the following topics:
1.) Please select either from The Dhammapada and carefully and thoroughly unpack the guidance it is offering regarding the right path we need to take. Be sure that you focus on specific details in the text, and that you relate the prescriptions you choose to discuss to at least two of the basic doctrines discussed in class. Be sure you include at least 6 direct citations from the primary text and two from the Smith text.
2.) Please write an essay in which you explain the Buddhist idea of salvation and how it relates to the self and the phenomenon of desire. Be sure to describethe Buddhist idea of salvation and carefully explain how Buddhism thinks we obtain it. Be sure to reference primary sources and explain both similarities and differences. Be sure you include at least 6 direct citations from the primary text and two from the Smith text.
3.) Please write an essay that compares the Theravada ideal of the arhat to the later Mahayana ideal of the bodhisattva. How are they similar anjlllkjmd different? What is the metaphysical logic behind the ideal of the bodhisattva? Using references to the theories covered in class explain how the idea of the bodhisattva can be said to follow logically from the principal doctrines of Buddhism. Be sure you include at least 6 direct citations from the primary text and two from the Smith text.
Papers must be typed, double spaced, and have 1" margins. Papers are due at the deadline. No late papers will be reviewed. Papers received after the deadline will automatically receive an F. Students who fail to submit a paper altogether will receive a zero. Thus, it is better to hand in a paper late than not hand in a paper at all. Late papers must be received with 48 hours of the stated deadline to avoid receiving a zero. All papers are expected to;
a.) articulate and argue an explicit thesis
b.) be clear and coherent in presentation
c.) be free of spelling and grammatical errors
d.) use direct quotations to substantiate central claims
e.) cite all direct and indirect quotations correctly and include a works cited reference (MLA format required).
Rough drafts are not required, but I would be happy to review or discuss drafts should you so desire. Unless otherwise indicated, the deadline for rough drafts is two class periods prior to the deadline of the paper.