WORK TO BE DONE BY OCTOBER 16th

1. Carefully read 164-196 in your Hopfe textbook.

2. There are many fundamental or "big" questions to which all religions respond. Examples of "big" questions would include:

• What is ultimate reality/God?
• What is the nature of the cosmos?
• What is the nature of a person?
• What is the purpose of human life? Or how can we achieve "salvation"?
• What happens to us after death?
• What is morality or what is the basis of morality?
• What is the meaning of history?

Compare and contrast how Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism would each answer three of the "big" questions above. Make sure you refer to specific doctrines or concepts—e.g. nirvana, or the Eightfold Path— not ungrounded, abstract statements--as you answer these questions. Post your answer on your blog.

3. During the week, write at least one more post on a religion topic of your choosing. This could be comments on the assigned reading or from the introductory class material; a link to an interesting and relevant webpage, video, book review, or article (along with an explanation of why you’ve chosen it); questions that you might have for me or other students in the class; a description of a conversation or experience you have that’s connected with the course content; suggestions for further reading or thinking; etc

Some possibilities:

-- Read the Kabir poems handed out in class and reflect on them. In what ways do they reflect the teachings of Sikhism?

--Read Karen Ellison’s Mastering Your Own Mind article, Psychology Today 9/2006 found at psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-4146.html and discuss how its findings agree or disagree with the view of meditation taken by eastern religions.

--Read selections from the Analects of Confucius. You may get a copy from a bookstore or library or read it at one of the following two links:

• http://www.wam.umd.edu/~stwright/rel/conf/Analects.html
• http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/CHPHIL/ANALECTS.HTM

and write about what you learned from it.

--Read the Tao Te Ching. You may get a copy from a bookstore or library or read it at one of the following two links:

• http://www.hm.tyg.jp/~acmuller/contao/daodejing.html
• http://www.religiousworlds.com/taoism/ttcmerel.html

and write about what you learned from it.

4. If you have not already done so, you should read your classmates’ blog entries for this past week and write responses to at least three of the entries, posting them as comments directly below the entry upon which you’re commenting.