Love, Death, and Freedom

• How to live a meaningful life according to Buddhist ideas?
• What is the relation between Buddhism and the arts, including music, literature, film, and visual art?
• How are Buddhist ideas and practices applied to contemporary issues in society, such as AI technology, the environment, ethics, political power, and social change?
• What are the criteria for defining “religion” and how to engage religious traditions both familiar and unfamiliar?

Part 1: First Impressions—What Did You Notice?

Visit the exhibition Gateway to Himalayan Art. The goal of this first visit is to look and see what you notice. All observations are relevant—think about color, form, shape, materials, presentation, your reactions, etc. Please read at least one related essay from Project Himalayan Art. For your short response essay, focus on your observations, questions, and reactions to one object of your choice in the exhibition.

Essay Prompts:

• Which day did you visit the gallery?
• How much time did you spend there?
• Describe your first impressions of the art. What kinds of imagery, color, use of space, materials, etc. did you notice?
• Were any images or visual elements familiar to you from things we have discussed in class? Which ones?
• Were there objects or sections of the exhibition that particularly interested, surprised, or confused you? Describe which ones and explain why.
• What did you learn from it?

Part 2: Choose an Object/Close Looking

Visit the exhibition Gateway to Himalayan Art again, and choose one Buddhist object from it. This is the object you will focus on for the essay described below.

In one page (double spaced, 12 point font, one inch margins), identify an object using the information from the wall panel or museum website (name, time period, region, Tibetan Buddhist tradition, any other information).

Essay Prompts:

• Spend some time looking at your object. Describe what you see in as much detail as you can.
• Explain why you are interested in this object. Why did you choose it?
• Describe any specific questions you have about the object that you hope to answer, or any specific course themes or interests from the course that you hope to explore through researching this object in Part 3 (below).

Part 3: Object Biography Essay

Write a three- to four-page research-based object biography essay that provides a “biography” of the chosen object, using assigned web resources, gallery materials, and observations from visits. Organize the essay in whatever way you want (blend description and analysis, do them in two sections, or some other structure of your choice), but the essay should be both descriptive and analytic.

Essay Prompts:

• From the descriptive point of view, tell the reader what you observe about your object, building on the one-page essay. Think about this descriptive part of your essay as a close reading of the object, focusing on specific visual details (colors, materials, style if you are able to identify it, composition, motifs, symbolism, figures, decorations, layout, size, etc.).
• In terms of analysis, your essay should also describe and discuss the who, what, where, when, why of your object—what community or artist produced it, where, when, for what purpose it was made (and for whom, if you can find that information), how it is or was used, and any other context information you can identify. The analytic portion of the essay must be based in your research using the sources listed below. You may not use any other sources.
• Finally, your essay should tie your descriptive and analytic material together and tell the reader how you interpret what you have learned and observed about the object. You could talk about the symbolism of the object; how its visual elements communicate Buddhist ideas we have studied; how it might be used in specific Buddhist rituals or life events. What is meaningful about the object? What does it tell us about Buddhism in general, or Tibetan and Himalayan Buddhism in particular? What does it tell us about Tibetan Buddhist philosophy? Or about the relationship between Tibetan Buddhism and medicine, economics, or aesthetics? Has your perspective on the object changed through this assignment?

Donald W. Mitchell and Sarah H. Jacoby, Buddhism: Introducing the Buddhist Experience, Chapter 6 “Tibetan Experiences of Buddhism.”

“How to Practice Tonglen” by Pema Chodron. Lionsroar, January 1, 2025 (1 page)

(Tonglen is one of the main Tibetan Buddhist meditation techniques for developing compassion and bodhicitta. Pema Chodron is a famous North American nun in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition who teaches widely on this practice.)

“Eight Verses of Training the Mind” by Geshe Langri Tenpa (1054–1123) (1 page)

(Lojong, or mind-training, is another important Tibetan Buddhist meditation technique for developing compassion, wisdom, and bodhicitta.)

Jey Tsong Khapa (1357-1419), “The Foundation of all Good Qualities” (1 page)

Alternate translation with Tibetan: “The Foundation of all Good Qualities”

(14th-15th century Tibetan primary source text, in English translation, published by a contemporary international Buddhist organization. Tsong Khapa (or Tsongkapa) is one of the most famous Tibetan Buddhist writers, philosophers, and Buddhist masters. He is remembered as founding the Geluk tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, which is the tradition of the Dalai Lamas. This text summarizes the entire Buddhist path according to the Tibetan tradition, in 14 short verses.)

Third Dodrupchen Jigme Tenpai Nyima (1865-1926), “Prayer to Buddha Amitabha” (1 page)

(The Third Dodrupchen was a leading Eastern Tibetan master in the Dzogchen tradition of Tibetan Buddhism at the turn of the 20th century.)

Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, “You Are Already A Buddha” Lionsroar Magazine, lionsroar.com. January 15, 2023 (5.5 pages plus photos)

Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, “Imagine You Are A Buddha.” Lionsroar Magazine, lionsroar.com. February 23, 2023 (5.5 pages plus photos)

Mingyur Rinpoche is a present-day Tibetan Buddhist teacher, based in India but with students all over the world. He is notable for having spent 4 years (2012-2016) doing a modern version of a solitary wandering renunciant retreat alone in India, after slipping away from his monastery and attendants, leaving his cellphone, money, and institutional position behind. He has now returned and resumed teaching. His book about that experience is called: In Love with the World: A Monk’s Journey Through the Bardos of Living and Dying.

Sera Khandro (1892-1940), “Concise Spiritual Advice” (1 page)

Sera Khandro was a remarkable female Buddhist master active in the early 20th century in Eastern Tibet. She was unusual in writing and teaching extensively to a broad circle of male and female disciples who included some of the most famous male masters of her time.

Shabkar Tsokdruk Rangdrol (1781 – 851) “Aspiration Prayer,” translated by Adam Pearcey 2023 (1 page)

Shabkar was a 19th century Eastern Tibetan Buddhist master, famous for his spiritual songs, his practice of renunciation, and his non-sectarian approach to religion and Buddhism.

Thich Nhat Hanh, “The Next Buddha May Be A Sangha.” Tricycle Magazine 2023 (reprinted from Inquiring Mind 1993).

Marc Andrus, “I Have Always Felt His Support.” From Brothers in the Beloved Community: The Friendship of Thich Nhat Hanh and Martin Luther King, Jr. Reprinted in Tricycle Magazine 2023.