Cabrillo College Claudia Close Non-Western Philosophical Traditions – Philo. 14 Fall 2018

Paper #3: Buddhism

This assignment is designed to not only help deepen your understanding of Buddhism, but also to see how this ancient tradition can still speak to us in a contemporary context. Pick one of the following concepts: Anatta (Pali, Sanskrit: Anatman), Paticca-samuppada (Pali, Sanskrit: Pratitya Samutpada), or Kamma (Pali, Sanskrit: Karma). Begin by reading the sections in our text relating to Buddhism and the relevant required background journal articles associated with your chosen concept cited on the next page. Then respond to the following prompts. The completed assignment should be two pages long, (approximately 1300 words) not counting endnotes, using 12 pt. fonts and single spacing with one inch margins. Please follow the assigned format as exemplified in the first assignment. Each answer should be separated, numbered and proportionate to the number of points possible. This assignment is worth a total of 60 points.

Your completed assignment is due on the 6th of December.

Please refer to the detailed instructions, rubrics and a sample completed assignment provided with the first paper assignment.

Prompts:

1. Target Concept: Identify which of the 3 concepts that you have chosen.. (5 pts)

2. Explanation of the Concept: Define and develop and explanation of the target concept using our assigned texts and other relevant and credible resources to support your interpretation. In this section, use of primary Buddhist sources is required. (Our optional text, Koller’s A Sourcebook in Asian Philosophy should be particularly helpful here.) Please cite all sources. (20 points)

3. Identify the target contemporary issue & source: The issue/problem may be any issue or event anywhere in the world. Your contemporary issue should be one that has been recently covered as news in reputable media sources such as the LA Times, the NY Times, the Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, BBC News, The Guardian, or news from any of the following wire services - The Associated Press, Reuters, or Bloomberg News. Be sure to cite your target news article properly. (5 points)

4. Application of the Concept to a Contemporary Issue: Discuss how an understanding of the concept chosen could reveal a new perspective or insight into the problem/issue. (20 points)

5. Reflective Analysis: What have you learned from applying your chosen Buddhist concept to this issue? Briefly defend your answer without resorting to a repetition of points made in previous sections. (10 points)

Required Background Reading1: Paper #3

For Anatta/Anatman, read the following: Javanaud, Katie. “Is The Buddhist 'No-Self'

Doctrine Compatible With Pursuing Nirvana?” Philosophy Now: a Magazine of Ideas,

2013, https://philosophynow.org/issues/97/Is_The_Buddhist_No-

Self_Doctrine_Compatible_With_Pursuing_Nirvana . (Free)

For Paticca-samuppada/Pratitya Samutpada read the following: Macy, Joanna Rogers.

“Dependent Co-Arising: The Distinctiveness of Buddhist Ethics.” The Journal of Religious

Ethics, vol. 7, no. 1, 1979, pp. 38–52. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40018242 .

(No purchase necessary. By creating a log-in, you can read 6 free articles per month)

For Kamma/Karma, read the following: Reichenbach, Bruce R. “The Law of Karma and

the Principle of Causation.” Philosophy East and West, vol. 38, no. 4, 1988, pp. 399–

410. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1399118 . (No purchase necessary. By

creating a log-in, you can read 6 free articles per month)

1 Please note that you are not limited to the background offered. It is anticipated that significant additional reading will be necessary to complete this assignment satisfactorily. You may feel free to use any relevant credible/reliable source as evidence for your arguments. Please provide full citation for all research.