Shin Buddhism in Modern Culture
Chapter 8 – Life as Story: Its Importance in Religion and Modern Thought (Part 1)
Multiple Choice Questions
- 1. According to the author, every generation of a religious tradition has to rewrite the biography of its founder to:
- 2. Historical analysis yields four periods in Shinran’s life. During the third period, Shinran was:
- 3. The author says that the phase of Shinran’s life that has potential for impact on our own lives has to do with his process of self-discovery. “Religion as self-discovery” means that religion should:
- 4. Generally, ancient biographies were written to:
- 5. Kakunyo’s biography of Shinran is:
- 6. Shinran, like his contemporaries (Dogen, Honen and Nichiren), rejected Hiei and left. Unlike the others, however, Shinran left Hiei because he:
Submit
1. The way in which we view the life of a religious founder and interpret his or her religious teaching is directly related to the age in which we live. This is why every generation has to rewrite the biography of its founder in such a way that it addresses the issues and circumstances of the present age. Look at your own religious tradition. Is it attempting to do this? Or is it still attached to old interpretations that are no longer meaningful?