Reading and Discussion Questions Keown and "Questions of King Milinda"

Keown - Buddhism:  A Very Short Introduction, pp.1-56 and 97-109

1.  Keown begins in chapter one by addressing the question of whether Buddhism is a religion, philosophy, etc.  He adopts Ninian Smart's view of religion as constituted by seven dimensions (a sort of family resemblance/Wittgensteinian approach).  What do you see as one key strength and one key weakness of this approach for understanding/appreciating Buddhism?   Or, to ask the question in another way, what does this approach do for Keown and for what purposes?

2.  Make a list of the key events in the traditional life of Buddha. (Chapter 2)

3.  What is karma? (Chapter 3)  How does Buddhist cosmology differ from Jewish and Christian cosmology?   Is mainstream Buddhism anthropocentric?  Why or why not?  (And, how are you defining anthropocentric?)

4.  What are the four noble truths? (Chapter 4) What constitutes the noble eight-fold path? (pp. 54-56)   What do you suppose Sideris might say about the Buddhist focus on suffering?

5.  Briefly describe the Buddhist concept of  "no-self" and the five factors or skhandas. (pp. 47-48)

6.  Briefly describe the concept of  origination in dependence (also sometimes called dependent origination).  Keown discusses this on 51-52.

7.  How would you compare Buddhist ethics as outlined by Keown  to utilitarianism, deontology, and virtue ethics in the West?  Do you think ahimsa would be useful in developing a Buddhist environmental ethic?  Remember Bentley and Ehrenfeld's continuum with Judaism and Jainism at opposite ends of a continuum.  Where would Buddhism fit if we grant them their premises?

8.  Brainstorming:  How might some of the key concepts of Buddhism (note, we are not getting into the specific differences between Theravada, Mahayana, Zen, Tantric, etc. at this point) address issues such as the character of human nature, relations between humans and nature, etc.  Could they be useful in addressing any of the vexed questions that keep coming up in environmental philosophy such as anthropocentrism/ecocentrism, intrinsic value and instrumental value,  holistic and individualistic, suffering and harmony, etc.?  If we ignore for the moment Lynn White's view that Buddhism wouldn't work in a Western context, could it help with the environmental crisis with which White was concerned?  Why or why not?  If so, how?

Excerpts from "Questions of King Milinda"at http://www.miami.edu/phi/bio/Buddha/Milinda.htm as follows: Introduction, Why Nagasena went to Bactria, The Five Cardinal Virtues, There is No-Self (from Book II. Chapter One), No Continuous Personal Identity (from Book II. Chapter 2.), Nirvana and Cessation (from Book III. Chapter 4) and The Nature of Nirvana).

1. What is at issue in each passage or what problem(s) does it address?

2. Outline Nagasena’s argument. What key similes or metaphors does he use?

3. What are the key strengths and weaknesses of the argument?

4. Brainstorm the relationship of the issue or problem to an understanding of religion, nature, and/or environmental concerns.