Topic Brainstorm

(Gautam Buddha: Wikimedia Commons)

Hanuman 

I am interested in Hanuman because he looks like this monkey that was in this Chinese show I used to watch as a kid. Turns out, I'm pretty sure that monkey was Hanuman! Or at least the Buddhist version because I also remember seeing a god reappear in the show every once and awhile. I was very young when I watched that show, so I don't remember much about it, but I do remember the monkey being heroic, so I would like to learn exactly what Hanuman did to become so heroic. I would try to retell the story by creating a new "mission" for Hanuman to embark on to further emphasize his abilities.
Source: Wikipedia

Devi

I initially thought this was going to talk about a single female deity, but there are actually several different goddesses. I know nothing about Indian deities, but Lakshmi caught my eye because she is the goddess of wealth, fortune, and prosperity. I would like to learn about how and why Hindu wedding rituals and traditions take after Lakshmi and Vishnu, and I would probably write a story around the ceremonial aspect of two lovers' wedding.
Source: Wikipedia

Karma

Karma is a word that gets thrown around kind of casually these days, but there is actual history and purpose behind it, and that is why I am so interested in it. I know the basic concept of karma, but I am not familiar with its extent, so I would like to learn about that, as well as how it plays a religious role in the realm of reincarnation. As for a story, I would probably tell a classic, petty, drama-filled story, while incorporating the idea of rebirth into it.
Source: Wikipedia

Jataka Tales

I really enjoyed the set of short stories from week 2, so I wanted to expand upon those readings. I keep forgetting that these stories have some relation to Buddha because the stories were about animals, so I want read more keeping that in mind. Also, I just would like to read the story for the sake of reading them and to learn about Buddha's wisdom. They're funny, and there always seems to be a lesson at the end of each story. For retelling a story, I'm not exactly sure how I would go about it, since it's a collection of stories, but I'm sure I would base my story around the lesson, rather than the characters.
Source: Wikipedia