Prompt/Purpose

Post an original response to one of the Readings from chapters 3-5 or a visual text (illustration) from said chapters (labeled as fig. 3.1 - 5.32) in The Humanistic Tradition OR a visual text from chapter 3 or 7 of your "World Views" text.

Try not to repeat what others have chosen; if you do use a text (reading or illustration) to which someone else has already responded, be sure not to approach and/or respond to it in the same way.

Title your post with the name of the text to which you are responding ;)

Response

    The lying Buddha is a tribute to the Buddha. Legend says that as the Buddha reached the age of eighty he was invited into the home of a man, he knew was going to kill him. However, when poisoned food was offered to him, instead of wasting the food, he accepted, knowing the consequences. He lay down in a state of medition, his followers nearby. Upon his death, he became the first Bodhisattva. The statue looks perfectly relaxed, as if embracing fate. Buddha's follower Ananda stands nearby, watching over his mentor. It looks as though there was some kind of wall or building encasing the statue; perhaps it was a place of meditation or a temple in honor of the Buddha.

Ananda Attending the Parinirvana of the Buddha, Galvhiara, Sri Lanka, 11th - 12th century. Granulite; 23 ft. high 46 ft. long. pg. 45 (bottom)

121 words

 

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