OBLIGATORY QUALIFYING ESSAY - EAST1504 ¡­

OBLIGATORY QUALIFYING ESSAY - EAST1504

Deadlines: The essay must be submitted by March 30, 2010 Content: Please choose one of the following topics for your essay:

1. What were the main obstacles on the way of the transmission of Buddhism to East Asian countries in the 1st millennium A.D.? How did Buddhism manage to adjust itself to the specific cultural and political conditions of East Asia?

2. Describe the main doctrines of Avatamsaka (Ch. Huayen; Kor. Hwa¨¯m, Jap. Keg¨­n) School of Buddhism. Which salient features of its doctrines helped it to become, at some point, an important ideology of the ruling elites in the centralized monarchies of East Asia?

3. What are the reasons for the persistent popularity of Pure Land (Ch. Jingtu, Kor. Ch¨¯ngt¡¯o, Jap. J¨­d¨­) Buddhism in East Asia from 5th-7th centuries onward, especially among the underprivileged and less educated? What are the central distinctive features of the Pure Land doctrine and practice?

Style and Submission Methods: The essay should be on 2-3 pages (double-spaced), and is supposed to be based upon the obligatory literature, supplementary (non-obligatory) reading and lecture notes. It should include a literature list and references to the sources, which are expected to follow either Chicago or Harvard style (see the guidebooks here: http://www.hf.uio.no/sitat/stiler.html). An electronic copy of the essay should be submitted through Classfronter (https://fronter.uio.no/) by 15.00 o¡¯clock on March 30, 2010. Alternatively, two printed copies of the essay may be submitted to the Institute¡¯s office (4th fl., PAM) between 12.30 and 15.00 o¡¯clock on March 30, 2010 or at an earlier date. An obligatory ¡°declaration concerning cheating¡± should be submitted together with the essay (http://www.hf.uio.no/studier/eksamen/oblig-statement.rtf). The essays should not be submitted by fax or e-mail, and all submissions after 15.00 on March 30, 2010, will not be accepted.