Reading Questions

Question 1

If McDaniel accomplishes what he sets out to do in this book it will be come almost impossible to talk about Thai
Buddhism as simply Theravadin or to use adjectives like traditional, folk, modern, urban, rural or orthodox. He wants
to make you _____ before you offer any general description of Thai Buddhism.

Answer 1

Hesitate

Question 2

According to The Craft of Research, the your role as a researcher is to say:

Answer 2

These facts will help you do something to solve a problem you care about.

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT a point made about stories of Somdet To’s life by McDaniel in the second chapter?

Answer 3

His teachings are the most important reason for his popularity.

Question 4

We might assume that believers in vengeful ghosts or the followers of a 19th century magician are brainwashed
members of a cult who would wake up from their practices if they were exposed to a good modern liberal arts
education. However, this ignores the ____ Somdet To’s followers.

Answer 4

complexity, pervasiveness and agency

Question 5

The interpretation of Thai Buddhism cannot be simply broken up into popular-elite, rural-urban or lay-monastic
dichotomies. Because of this, the book takes individual Buddhists seriously and to listen to the _____ of their voices.

Answer 5

cacophony

Question 6

Having ______ voices adds to the prestige and intrigue of Somdet To’s life.

Answer 6

multiple and conflicting

Question 7

According to The Craft of Research, we do research whenever we gather information to answer a question that

Answer 7

solves a problem

Question 8

Complete the diagram from The Craft of Research:

1. I am working on the topic of . . . .
2. because I want to find out . . .
3. ____________

Answer 8

in order to help my reader better understand

Question 9

Which of these questions do Boothe et al say vexes researchers because its answer is hard to predict but is vitally
important?

Answer 9

So what?

Question 10

Why is it surprising that the Jinapanjara was composed in Thailand?

Answer 10

Many people assume that for a text to prestigious it must be very old and composed in Sri Lanka

Question 11

According to McDaniel, the use of yantras and protective texts cannot be considered esoteric because:

Answer 11

They are texts taught to all monks for common rituals

Question 12

McDaniel claims that “the most famous monk and the third-highest grossing film in Thai history” show that who is in
the minority?

Answer 12

Those who claim belief in ghosts is non-Buddhist

Question 13

McDaniel’s chapter is not about studying art the way an art historian would study art. Which one of the following does
he think is the best method for understanding Thai Buddhism from art and objects?

Answer 13

Sifting through the pile of stuff that surrounds Buddha images.

Question 14

Which of the following does McDaniel not discuss in this chapter?

Answer 14

monastic robes

Question 15

Which of the following is not a criteria that The Craft of Research recommends for evaluating the reliability of a
source?

Answer 15

the place of publication

Question 16

Mae Nak does not just help with numbers. She helps people win

Answer 16

a child.

Question 17

Mroznik’s main argument is:

Answer 17

The debate over the ordination of bhikkhuni nuns is about tensions between national and global interpretations of Buddhism.

Question 18

Where was Ma Thissawaddy ordained?

Answer 18

Sri Lanka

Question 19

If you wanted to find this, what would you type into the library’s catalogue search?
McMahan, David. 2004. “Modernity And The Early Discourse Of Scientific Buddhism.” Journal of the American
Academy of Religion 72 (4):897-933

Answer 19

American academy of religion

Question 20

What is this?
Hallisey, Charles. 1995. “Roads Taken and Not Taken in the Study of Theravada Buddhism.” In Curators of the
Buddha: The Study of Buddhism under Colonialism, edited by Donald S. Lopez, 31-61. Chicago: University of
Chicago Press.

Answer 20

An article in an edited book

Question 21

Which of the following is not evidence that would lead you to believe that “A Robed Revolution” is a scholarly source:

Answer 21

The fact that it discusses a controversial religious issue.

Question 22

Which constituency was not formally represented at the Hamburg conference to discuss the ordination of bhikkhuni
nuns in the Tibetan traditions?

Answer 22

Tibetan Nuns

Question 23

The position of the Burmese sangha is that:

Answer 23

A single ordination by Theravada monks is not possible.

Question 24

Hpoun is

Answer 24

male essence with moral, intellectual and spiritual qualities

Question 25

“Matsii” is the Thai name for _____.

Answer 25

Maddi

Question 26

The attempt by local priests to meet peoples’ emotional needs and the financial needs of their temples, often at the
expense of doctrinal orthodoxy should not be seen as an example of Buddhism in _____ but rather as Buddhism in
_____.

Answer 26

decline, action

Question 27

Rowe says that the “death of Buddhism” has three connotations:

Answer 27

The association between Buddhist temples and death rituals, the negative perception of funerary Buddhism and worries about the extinction of Buddhist traditions.

Question 28

Rowe explains that muen means to be without bonds and it encapsulates a fear of both:

Answer 28

Being without a grave and being without a descendant to tend your grave.

Question 29

Which of these is not a connotation of the term en (bonds) that Rowe discusses?

Answer 29

Legal bonds created by the government

Question 30

Rowe argues that the most important aspect of eternal memorial graves was how they created new sense of

Answer 30

Community

Question 31

The Dai Lue are well known in China for their ____ ritual.

Answer 31

“water throwing” New Years

Question 32

The Dai-Lue are geographically and politically locate in ____.

Answer 32

China

Question 33

The Dai Lue are culturally and religiously oriented toward ____.

Answer 33

Southeast Asia

Question 34

What surprised Borchert about the monk who was in the audience at his talk?

Answer 34

All of these.

(b. That the monk was Mahayana.
c. That the monk was in Singapore.
d. That the monks was ethnically Dai Lue)

Question 35

Borchert says that apprentice education in the monastery is about learning how to read and how to walk. What does
he mean by learning how to walk?

Answer 35

How to behave appropriately as a monk.

Question 36

Which of these is not a solution to writers’ block that The Craft of Research discusses?

Answer 36

Getting some exercise to clear your mind.

Question 37

What structure does The Craft of Research suggest for an introduction?

Answer 37

Context+Problem+Response

Question 38

How does Borchert describe the abbot of the temple where the ordination he details took place?

Answer 38

He drinks a little too much and is good at teaching the Dai-lue alphabet.