Exam Topics B for Friday, November 19, 2010

If you will not be here on Monday, March 6 to take the exam, you must make prior arrangements by Wednesday, March 1. You must receive prior permission for absence as well as to take the exam separately. Only exceptional cases will be allowed.

The exam will be multiple choice, and as covered in the syllabus, will count 10% of your grade. There is only one right answer per question. If there appears to be more than one right answer, select the best answer.

If you have any questions about the exam or the topics included in the exam, please ask me. You can come in during office hours, make an appointment or send me email.

Zhuangzi

• The story of how the Zhuangzi was compiled
• Who was Zhuangzi - lifestyle, family, contradictions in his story
• The relation between perspectivalism, illusion, and oneness in CT's view of language, truth, and reality
• The social and philosophical significance of figures like Cook Ting and Woodworker Ch'ing
• The social and philosophical significance of figures like the Woman Crookback, Crippled Shu and the Madman of Ch'u
• Usefulness and uselessness as Taoist themes in Zhuangzi
• Four uses of language in the Zhuangzi
• Zhuangzi's view of death

Xunzi

• Xunzi's view of human nature
• Xunzi's view of the relation between heaven, earth, and human beings
• Xunzi's view of the li

Early Buddhism

• The story of the Buddha's life
• The significance of the names of the Buddha: Siddharta Gautama and Sakyamuni Buddha
• The four noble truths and the three marks of existence
• The three treasures and the three baskets (of sacred scripture)

Mahayana Buddhism

• Nagarjuna and the two-fold truth of form and emptiness
• The Holy Teaching of Vimalakirti: The significance of the three episodes involving flower petals, Sariputra's silence, and the exchange of gender with the Goddess

Chinese Philosophical Schools of Buddhism

• What are the "Four Middles" as set forth by Chi-ts'ang of the San-lun School?
• What is the theory of human nature as evil described by Chih-i of the T'ien-t'ai School?