This final essay should be approximately 2000 words, double spaced. You should provide at least six peer reviewed sources to help substantiate points made throughout you essays. Just as with the Mini Essays, you must use Chicago Style for references with footnotes and a bibliography. At the beginning of your essay, please write out fully which prompt you will be writing about, as sometimes it is not always clear for me as a reader.
You are required to choose one of the following prompts for your final essay.
- How has art influenced the development and understanding of Buddhism throughout history?
- Buddhism has adapted with many cultural and societal changes as it spread around the globe throughout history. How have modernity and globalization influenced the message and expansion of Buddhism within recent history?
- How are women perceived within the different schools of Buddhism? Have those perceptions changed over time? Why or why not?
- Buddhism has often found itself involved in violent actions, and have even been known to develop skills in martial arts. How is violence perceived in Buddhism? Do warrior monks or even Buddhist forms of terrorism fit within the spectrum of Buddhist teachings? Why or why not?
- What role does karma play in Buddhism? Who does it affect, and how does it affect them in this life, the afterlife, and the next life?
- According to the second noble truth, greed/craving give rise to suffering. What did the Buddha mean by greed/craving and how do they cause suffering? How do these apply to love and compassion for others?
- What is the Lotus Sutra and why is it so important to Japanese Buddhism?
