Ashokavadana

In what ways and for what reasons might this story from the Ashokavandana have appeals to various groups of early Buddhists?
This story from the Ashokavadana could have appealed to various groups of early Buddhists, because it  reflects one of the main characteristics of Buddhism, which is equality.  In the story, king Ashoka bows down at the feet of monks whenever he saw one, regardless of their caste.  His equal respect for monks of all four castes demonstrates his belief that it is not the caste, but it is the inherent quality of the people which makes them worthy of respect and honor.  This would attract many people of the lower castes to convert to Buddhism, since the religion does not discriminate based on social inequality.  The story also shows king Ashoka's support of the religion, which would encourage people to follow it, since they are in no danger of persecution for their beliefs.

Chinese Dynasties Map

Differences between Indian and Chinese Dynasties

One of the main differences between the political systems of Chinese Dynasties and Indian Dynasties was that centralized imperial rule was an essential quality of Chinese government, while it largely failed in India.  The rulers of the Qin and Han dynasties of China ruled through a centralized bureaucratic administrative system which enabled them to implement their policies and decrees throughout their kingdom.  Meanwhile in India, this kind of centralized government only lasted for a short period of time with the Mauryan and Gupta dynasties.  Afterwards, large regional kingdoms dominated political life in India until the arrival of the Mughal empire.  Another major political difference between India and China was that in India, guilds developed among people of the society who shared similar occupations.  The people within each guild cared and provided for each other, while also maintaining social order within the guild.  Essentially, they took on the role of a centralized government and provided stability within the Indian society.  This kind of social structure was not present in China, where the centralized government kept the social order within the kingdom.

Response to selections

What does Mencius believe about human nature?

Mencius believes that all human beings possess kindness and care about each other.  He also believes that all men (human beings) are born with four principles; benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and knowledge.  Additionally, He believes that if these principles are allowed to develop within them, they "...will suffice to love and protect all within the four seas.", but if they are not allowed to develop, "...they will not suffice for a man to serve his parents with."

What does Xun Zi believe about human nature?

Xun Zi believes that all humans are born bad and that their nature is bad.  He believes that good is a product of human study and effort, and that it can be only acquired through good teaching and good friends to associate with.  He also believes that laws and limitations, along with rituals and moral principles shape people's feelings and transform their emotional nature, while guiding them.

Who do you line up with? Why?

I agree with Xun Zi on his view of human nature.  Human beings, like all other animals are wild in nature. Its the laws, limitations, and moral principles that are imposed upon us which transform us from our wild nature to a more civilized nature.  Therefore, I agree with Xun Zi on his view of humans; that they are born with a bad nature, but can be corrected and made good through study and effort.

History Head comments

To Joe:

Hey Joe, I really like what you did for the personal connection inside the head. It’s really cool how all the pictures fit in to the shape of the head. The only thing I see which you could improve on is to number the pictures that are inside the head. The society I did, Mesoamerica, was similar to India in that both societies were patriarchal. There is not much evidence of Mesoamerican society, but this can be assumed from the fact that the ball game was restricted to men only. I think they are different in that the main form of transportation in Mesoamerican society was by foot, while the main transportation in Indian society was either by horse or cattle, which facilitated transportation and trade. I was just wondering what the third picture from the top was? It looks pretty cool.
Good Job! – Lynn

To Cecelia:

Hey Cecelia, I like the fact that you drew all your images and they’re really good. The one thing that I think is missing is the key for the images and the fact that the images aren’t numbered, but other other than that, everythings great. For my poster, I did the Mesoamerican society, which is similar to the Egyptian society in that they both built pyramids in their cities (or ceremonial centers). The two societies were also different in that Egyptian pharaohs were associated with their gods, while Mesoamerican rulers and kings did not possess any divinity. The only thing I don’t understand is the African map, which shows Bantu migrations? Did you do just Egypt or the whole of Africa?

Good Job! – Lynn

Confucian Analects: questions

1. Is this a religion or not? Why do you think so?
This is not a religion.  These are the rules of propriety and proper social conduct.  I think so, because it is not  so much about heaven or hell, but more about the way people should be brought up in their families, and how they should treat others around them, such as elders and princes.

2.Does this reading support the idea that people are born good /bad/neutral? Cite three examples that support your point of view.
This does not support the idea that people are born good/bad/evil.  Instead, it states the rules of propriety and how one should behave in order to be good.

Example 1: "Filial piety and fraternal submission!-- are they not the root of all benevolent actions?" - Book I. Chapter II. 2. - This basically says that Filial piety and fraternal submission are the root of all good things.  This backs up my idea, because it states that one can choose to be good by having filial piety and fraternal submission.

Example 2: "...but they are not equal to him, who though, is poor, is yet cheerful, and to him, who though rich, loves the rules of propriety." - Book I. Chapter XV. 1. - This quote also supports my idea, because it says that the poor and the rich can both be good.  It does not differentiate between social classes and gives everybody a chance to choose how they want to be. 

Example 3: "The Master said of the Shao that it was perfectly beautiful and also perfectly good.  He said of the Wu that it was perfectly beautiful but not perfectly good." - Book III. Chapter XXV. - This quote also proves my idea, because it states that just because something is beautiful does not mean that it is always good, and that beauty comes from being good.  This gives everyone a chance to show their beauty through their goodness.

Map activity pictures

Zarathustra on good and evil

Zarathustra assumes that humans have the capacity to make morally good or evil choices from their own free will. The wise will choose the good path and will be rewarded, while evil doers will be punished.

Human head project

Human head project pics

My opinion on the test and essay

I think the test for chapters 1-6 went pretty okay.  There were a few questions to which I did not remember the answers, but overall, it was pretty good and the difficulty was reasonable for an AP level class.  Although the test was fine, I had a little trouble with the essay.  I think the time given to complete the essay was not long enough, because the essay asked to go in depth into a comparison between two different societies.  I was prepared for the test a lot, because I read the chapters and took notes, which I used to review for the test.  But for the essay, I was completely unprepared.  I looked at the rubric on the day right before the essay.  On the next test/essay, I think I'll be much more prepared than I was this time, because I now have a general idea of how the tests and essays are going to be.