Contemporary Buddhism in Japan & Asia

General Guide for Final Project for Japanese Buddhism and Social Suffering

Final Project Guideline

The final “exam” will be a 30-minute oral interview with two students who work as partners in the following way:

Choose an area of interest from the following

  1. Gender
  2. End-of Life Care
  3. Suicide Prevention
  4. Poverty and Homelessness
  5. Anti-nuclear Activism and Environmentalism
  6. Peace, Democracy, and Civil Disobedience

Additional Topics not covered in class but available for study (consult Prof. Watts):

  1. Disaster Relief and Trauma Care (further resources including this book)
  2. Human Rights & Discrimination #1: Japan’s social outcastes, the Burakumin (further resources on readings page)
  3. Human Rights & Discrimination #2: LGBTQ+ (further resources on readings page)

Preparation for final oral interview:

1. Write a 1-2 page single-spaced personal reflection on your topic based on readings, my class presentation, and the field trip experience (if there was one). Critically evaluate the work of Buddhists in your topic area in terms of its depth and breadth. Has it covered all 3 areas of engagement in the Diamond Pyramid of Nirvana?

2. Find at least FOUR sources for your topic (TWO non-Buddhist, TWO Buddhist) and evaluate each in 2-3 sentences. DO NOT just provide a hyper link to the source, but provide proper publishing information.

A Buddhist source means it covers your topic (e.g. suicide, nuclear, war & peace) from a Buddhist perspective. It does not have to be written by a Buddhist but looks at the issue from a Buddhist lens OR reports on the activities being done by Buddhists. All readings on our homepage are of course welcome to use!!!

A non-Buddhist source means it covers your topic without reference to Buddhism. For example, an article on suicide written from a western psychiatric perspective; or an article on clean energy written by a scientist. It could also be an article by a person from another religion, for example, a Catholic’s perspective on war and peace. Most likely you will not find much on our class homepage like this and I support you to do a little research. 🙂

3. Design charts of both the 1st and 2nd Noble Truths of Dukkha and its causes PLUS the 3rd and 4th Noble Truths of Nirvana and its path. Fill each of the three areas of each pyramid with numerous examples.

  • What is the dukkha experienced by people in Japan concerning the issue you have chosen (1st Noble Truth)?
  • What are its causes and background, specifically structural and cultural (2nd Noble Truth)?
  • What activities are Japanese Buddhists engaged in to answer this dukkha (Holding Actions, Alternative Structures, and/or Cultural Shifts as 3rd and 4th Noble Truths)?

See a tutorial on “How to make an Iceberg of Dukkha”

See a tutorial on “How to make a Diamond of Nirvana

Timeline for submission:

  • Gender & End-of-Life Care & Suicide Prevention by December 17
  • Poverty & Nuclear/Development by December 24
  • War & Peace by January 7

Final Oral Interview:

  • 30 minutes with partner on either January 19, 20, or 21. There will be a sign-up sheet for available times throughout both day on Mita campus.
  • Based on: 1) the personal reflection, 2) your bibliography, and 3) the charts your presented earlier, we will have a semi-formal discussion. NOTE: Although you will be partnered during the oral exam, you must do your own individual work for the three written parts. You may not submit these three parts as a partner group.
  • It will be appropriate to represent your charts of the 1st & 2nd NTs (dukkha) and 3rd & 4th NTs (nirvana) either by print out or computer based on my earlier comments. You are welcome to bring and use any sources you like. This is not a closed book exam.
  • There will be space for questions both from the professor and the two students.
  • This is not Oxford! Let’s enjoy some time reviewing what you found interesting in the course.