Four options. Please answer ONE of the following:
1) Having learned about the different types of Buddhism from Prothero and the course optional video lectures, how would you sum up the major differences? What are the variables that seem to differ among these schools of Buddhism? When you consider factors such as accuracy of its view of life, psychological benefits, moral guidance, and other values you might hold, does a particular form of Buddhism seem more attractive to you than others?”
2) Seth Zuiho Segall’s “The Best Possible Life” is a thoughtful reflection on how Buddhism has changed and will change as it develops in the West. Please explain how the Problem-Solution-Technique process is present in the article. What are issues or problems that bring Westerners to Buddhism? What would a resolution to these issues look like? He thinks this solution will require a blending of Western thought (from Aristotle) and Buddhism, something he calls “eudaimonic interpretation of awakening.” What are his “dimensions” (techniques?) of this awakening?
3) Please analyze Veseley-Flad’s article on Black American Buddhists’ practices (“For Black Buddhists Struggling With . . .”) through the notions of congruence and relevance explained in the first three pages of Segall’s article (“The Best Possible Life”).
4) Consider Moffitt’s “The Mindfulness of the Buddha,” Goldberg’s “The Long Marriage of Mindfulness and Money,” and other readings on meditation and mindfulness. Across these articles, we see how Buddhist mindfulness meditation has been transformed by its adoption and popularity in the West, even to the point of becoming “Buddhism stood on its head” (Goldberg). Explain and assess: what does this mean and is it a development to lament or approve?
