Homework for 2.28

Image via WikipediaStudy Questions for Smith, pages 183-193

I. Ethics or Religion?
1. In what sense would some say Confucianism is not a religion?


2.  How did the earlier humans view Heaven?


3. How did communication occur between (i.e. both ways) those on Earth and those in the Heavens?


4. How did Confucius’ attitude towards the Heavens fit into that world view, while also challenging it?



II. Impact on China
1. What are some examples of the effects of Confucius’ teachings on China and Chinese history given by Smith?


2. How did/does Confucius effect or shape Chinese social attitudes?


3. Religious attitudes?


4. Family consciousness?


5. Attitude towards elders?


6. How did/does the Doctrine of the Mean affect Chinese ideals?


7. Wen?


8. How do these ideals extend beyond China in today’s world?

You can click here for an online copy of the questions.

Homework for 2.25

Image via WikipediaStudy Questions for Smith, pages 163-183

Use these questions to help you move more quickly through the reading but still to grasp and understand the most important ideas. Always answer in your own words, using only a few words from the text itself.

1. Who were the “Realists?” Explain how they sought to maintain social order in China.



2. How did the realists have “a low estimate of human nature?”




3. Who was Mo Tzu, and how did he propose to solve China’s social problems? What did he think was “missing?”




4. How did Confucius see that both the Realists and the Mohists were mistaken?




5. Why did Confucius value tradition so heavily?



6. Skip from the end of the first full paragraph on p. 170 to the top of page 172. Begin reading again at the heading.

7. Give a one sentence summary in your own words of the five key concept of Confucianism that Smith gives on pages 172-180. (Hint- if you have trouble squeezing it into one sentence, use a semi-colon... correctly!)
Jen-


Chun tzu-



Li-




Te-




Wen-

Monday's Homework

Image via WikipediaFor Monday, you should read Smith, pages 128-139 and answer the following journal question:

What is Zen Buddhism? How does it differ from Theravada and other Mahayana traditions?

You should have this prepared to hand in on Monday. During class, Mr. Bruemmer will be talking about images of the Buddha.