In our class one of the subjects that has emerged is that Buddhism is flexible.  From Mari Kondo to Buddha statues in Oakland, the Buddha is an icon and a religion that has been interpreted in many different ways.  For this discussion assignment, I want you to find one image of the Buddha.  It can be from an ancient statue or another work of art, or it can be an interpretation or icon from  contemporary pop culture.  By Thursday, April 28at 11:59 PM

• ◦Find an image of the Buddha, embed it in a discussion post, and answer the following questions about it:
• ◦Where’s it from?
• ◦Who made it?  (Get specific here–was it made by Buddhists or is it an appropriation–someone taking the image of the Buddha and using it for a specific purpose without being a Buddhist?) We looked at some examples of this here:  He’s Neutral  (Links to an external site.)(Criminal) podcast and the Buddha of Oakland (Links to an external site.) (Oakland North.net)
• ◦What purpose does the Buddha  serve?
• ◦What pose (Links to an external site.) is it in?  What can you infer from this?  (Hint–take a look at where the image is and see if this provides you with some clues).
• * What is one quote from How to Practice that connects to the image you have found?

It’s okay to start your search using the Internet like google, but there are so many wonderful sources out there to consult too that will give you more ideas:

https://library-artstor-org.libwin2k.glendale.edu/#/ (Links to an external site.)  (Links to an external site.) .  You can also choose to visit a local museum website such as The Getty  https://getty.edu/museum/exhibitions/ (Links to an external site.)and The Norton Simon.  The Norton Simon https://www.nortonsimon.org/art/explore-the-collection/ (Links to an external site.)has some great examples too!

By Sunday, May 1  at 11:59PM comment on a classmate’s post.  Try to comment on a classmate who has selected a Buddha in the same pose as your own.  In your response, tell them what you think is positive about their post (did they select an interesting Buddha, a great quote, etc.?) then contribute to their post by adding in an additional quote from How to Practice that you think corresponds to the Buddha they selected.  This quote should be different than what you included in your own post.

Please note:  it is very important that you recall our class policy on academic dishonesty as you approach this assignment.  You will be using resources from various databases or Internet searches.  Make sure you carefully cite the origin of your Buddha selection.  Any words and ideas from sources you find need to be credited (meaning that you mention authors/website/database names etc.) any materials taken directly from websites should be in quotation marks.  If you have any questions about this, please contact me.