(1) In Canto 4 of Asvaghosa’s Life of the Buddha, the Prince Siddhartha and his companion Udayin have a disagreement over whether the prince is right to scorn the women who have tried to seduce him (4.53-4.100). Does Asvaghosa want us, his audience, to agree with Siddhartha or Udayin? Why? How do you know? Please consider all of Canto 4 before constructing your argument. With that said, I would recommend that you focus on only a few, select verses in your paper.
(2) In Cantos 22 & 23 of Manimekhalai’, the King and Queen of Puhar learn that their son, the Prince Udayakumara, has been murdered. The King and Queen react in dramatically different fashions. With whom should we sympathize? Why? What is the author teaching us by juxtaposing the King and Queen?
(3) Please choose one magical episode from The Holy Teaching of Vimalakirti. How, specifically, does the magical episode teach us about emptiness? What is the advantage of using magical episodes? Please be sure to be focused in your analysis, supporting one main idea with evidence from the text. Be sure to define the term emptiness!