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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the sangha?

2. What is more or less the same in all forms of Buddhism?

3. What is the follower of wu wei said to be able to do?

4. What is dharma?

5. What Huston Smith says the book is not.

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the gist of Philosophical Taoism?

2. How did Siddhartha react to any effort to elevate him to god stature?

3. Why is there so much emphasis on self-examination in Buddhism?

4. Explain how Huston Smith compares his book to other survey studies.

5. Describe the last stage of spiritual awareness in Hinduism called sannyasin.

6. Explain dharma and sangha and their relationship to Buddhist monks.

7. What is the purpose of Jnana yoga in Hinduism?

8. What warning is given about the practice of raja yoga?

9. When did Confucius begin his mission of teaching the people?

10. Explain how Huston Smith made his arbitrary decisions about what to include in his book.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay on religious symbolism important to the American Indian. This will require a little research in the library or on the internet. In the essay discuss the power of symbols to preserve religion and culture.

Essay Topic 2

Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism were never intended to be religions in the traditional sense. Write an essay on why and how these philosophies became organized religions. Express whether you think organizing them may have been a means of preserving them.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay about the Dalai Lama. Include the tradition of reincarnation in your essay. Collect information about the current Dalai Lama and his impact not only on Tibetans but also on the world in general.

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This section contains 658 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample