MMW 12 Final Passage IDs PDF

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Professor Chang; answers to possible passage identification questions on final...

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In your response, you must identify the historical, economic, social or religious context, in which each passage occurs (e.g. speaker, subject, occasion, purpose, general time period). You also need to explain their relevance to key themes for their respective tradition, focusing particularly on the words and phrases highlighted in bold. Each response should be at least one full paragraph long (about ¾ page in length). Be specific and succinct! Most of all, demonstrate your own familiarity with relevant readings.

“Ever since I fled the world and became a priest, I have known neither hatred nor fear. I leave my span of days for Heaven to determine, neither clinging to life nor begrudging its end. My body is like a drifting cloud—I ask for nothing, I want nothing. My greatest joy is a quiet nap; my only desire for this life is to see the beauties of the seasons.”

(Kamo no Chomei “An Account of My Hut”) Written in 1212, same year as death of Honen (leader of Japanese popular Buddhism) Memoir (pessimistic) -- attachment to material items These material things prevent you from focusing on nature and the Buddha’s dharma, so he chose the Zen lifestyle This account is an example of a man who turned to religion during trying times and talks of before and after “fleeing the world”. It reflects the sentiment of much of Japanese literature (reclusive literature) during this time. Neither hatred nor fear - a huge part of Zen buddhism is not feeling and basically being numb to human emotions. Neither clinging to life nor begrudging its end My body is like a drifting cloud - the notion of impermanence in life is central to Buddhism The beauties of the seasons - in the beginning of the essay he talks about his attachment of material things which does not allow him to appreciate the world around him, but now he can focus on nature, another central Buddhist belief. This is a great primary source detailing the thoughts of people following the new, spiritual, Buddhism, which is far removed from intellectual Buddhism. Chomei talks about not reading the scriptures and practicing rites but instead on appreciating nature and being lazy. Primary form of Buddhism in Japanese culture.

“Now examine the gentlemen of the present age. They only know that wives must be controlled and that the husband’s rules of conduct manifesting his authority must be established. They therefore teach their boys to read books and study

(Banzhao or Pan Ch’ao “Lessons for Women”) 1st century Han China Pan Ch’ao was a highly educated woman related to a court historian. While she advocated for the education of women, she was not a proponent for

histories. But they do not in the least understand that husbands and masters must also be served, and that the proper relationship and the rites should be maintained.”

a change in the role of women in society. The gentlemen - she criticizes these men for not understanding the status quo. Rules of conduct Teach their boys - she believes they are not being taught their place in society. Husbands and masters - She wants the patriarchy to be maintained. Proper relationship - proper conduct The rites - from the Book of Rites on practices that Confucians should partake in. She advocates for proper education of both boys and girls at an early age. She believes that in addition to reading and history, they should also be taught how to behave in society, what the proper roles of men and women are, and what should be the relation between them. It seems she does not see the dominant and subservient roles of men and women respectively as good or bad rather a yin and yang to keep society in balance. She believes that people can fall into their respective roles as long as they are educated properly.

“Lady Sei Shonagon. A very proud person. She values herself highly, and scatters her Chinese writings all about. Yet should we study her closely, we should find that she is imperfect. She tries to be exceptional, but naturally persons of that sort give offense. She is piling up trouble for her future. One who is too richly gifted, who indulges too much in emotion, even when she ought to be reserved, and cannot turn aside from anything she is interested in, in spite of herself will lose self-control. How can such a vain and reckless person end her days happily?”

(“The Diary of Murasaki Shikibu”)

“In China, Buddhism apparently took root among the common people before it found popularity with the elite. In Japan, despite the leading role of the state and great families in promoting Buddhism, the popular dispersion of the religion may have been greater than we realize.”

(Charles Holcombe “Trade Buddhism”)

Scatters her Chinese writings all about Too richly gifted Indulges in too much emotion Reserved Self-control -

6th-7th century Japan Secondary source about maritime transmission of Buddhism into Japan This explains how Buddhism was at first practiced by foreigners then common people then an elite clan then finally thru Japan. Leading role of the state - this alludes to how the elite families had a part in spreading Buddhism

amongst the country. Great families - people who live in the capital usually Popular dispersion - It argues against the conventional or traditional belief that Buddhism worked its way from the top down of society in Japan. (Hata people settling in Soga) Holcombe argues that while it is true that elite families had a hand in dispersing Buddhism in China it is important to acknowledge that it first came from the Paekche mission then to the Yamato court. This is important because Holcombe was a leader in this interpretation of history so while it is a secondary source in how Buddhism came to Japan, it is the primary argumentative piece for the bottom to top argument. “In the event that the ryoke found that he needed added prestige to further the interests of the shoen, he commended a portion of his rights to an even more influential courtier or religious institution, who was then referred to as honke (often translated as ‘guarantor’). As a rule, the honke took little active part in the affairs of the shoen, acting mainly as a name to lend prestige to the shoen’s claims. At the upper levels of the shoen structure, both the ryoke and the honke received shares of the income from the shoen.”

(Sato “The Early Development of the Shoen”) 8th century Japan Relations between Ryokes and Honkes - + hierarchy in the shoens Shoens- system of land owned by courtiers Ryoke - land owners Honke - noble person who probably lives in the capital Added prestige - he wanted the land to be on the same level as temples therefore tax-exempt Lend prestige - In this way the land could be tax exempt. Shares - shiki - made the political and economic gap between peasants and rich even more pronounced. With the added prestige, aristocrats could pass laws that benefited them while the peasants had no representation. This reading is important in MMW because it shows how land could be used as a vehicle for corruption. We also see this in China after Buddhism is used as a vehicle of corruption by the wealthy elites. Other point: Noble women could be given shiki so if you were a rich lady you could be self-sufficient woo

Secondary source

The following question will appear on the final. Be sure to prepare in a way that allows you to provide a focused thesis, concrete examples from readings and lectures, and independent analysis of your examples . I am giving you a very specific topic, so please make sure you go for depth not scope, quality not quantity. You will not be rewarded for merely “dumping information.” You will be expected to develop a coherent and relevant response to the prompt. Use only material from the course. Suggested length: 5-6 blue-book pages, single-spaced. In terms of forming a state or building an empire, rulers [in the periods and regions we covered in this course] generally realized it was not enough to simply conquer land and subjugate people. To consolidate power, and to forge even a fragile unity, they had to rely significantly on creating and exploiting symbols of legitimacy and authority. These symbols of power could be drawn from various sources: religion, mythology, an embellished history or lineage, the aura of one’s capital, or even a title one assumes, etc. On the exam, you will be asked to write a 5-6 page essay elaborating on and illustrating the crucial role symbolism played in the consolidation of power. Follow these guidelines as you prepare: · Your response must include a thorough discussion of a total of four states or empires we have studied in our course this quarter. · Two of the states or empires you discuss must come from the pre-midterm coverage: o Roman Empire, Eastern Roman Empire, Muhammad’s Medinan Umma, Abbasid Caliphate, Andalusian Umayyad Caliphate, Fatimid Caliphate, Gupta India o Three of these choices above will appear on the exam for you to choose from · Two of the states or empires you discuss must come from the post-midterm coverage: o Silla Unified Korea, Han China, Northern Wei China, Tang China, Yamato State, Nara Japan o Three of these choices above will appear on the exam for you to choose from · For each state or empire you discuss, you must provide at least two specific textual references from relevant course readings to support your point (direct quotes or

page citations are not necessary, but you must make reference to specific examples or passages from the readings as support Thesis: Whenever a new ruler comes into power, they will use the authority of a higher being or power to legitimize their rule and make subjects submissive. POST-MIDTERM Silla Unified Korea Han China Northern Wei China Tang China Yamato State Nara Japan...