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Instructor: Prof. Hank Glassman
MW 2:30-4:00
Hall Bldg. 107
Office Hours: Thursday 1-3
Office: Founders 125 x1265
(610) 896-1265
Course Description:
This course is an introduction to Buddhism with a focus on the East Asian Buddhist tradition. Students will learn the basics of Buddhist philosophy and doctrine and will also be exposed to debates in current scholarship on Buddhist Studies. We will examine Buddhism both as a textual tradition and as a lived religion. The course is a combination of lecture and seminar-style class discussion.
Our course will trace the development of Buddhism from its origins in India and its philosophical foundations in the doctrines of no-self and dependant co-arising through its efflorescence in Central and East Asia. While we will have occasional and brief glimpses into the Buddhist cultures of Southeast Asia and Tibet, the primary object of our study will be the Mahayana tradition of East Asia. Within this tradition, particular attention will be accorded to the development of the doctrine of Buddha-nature in China, a crucial aspect of the Sinification of the religion. Although much of our time will be spent reading, thinking about, and discussing philosophy and doctrine, we will also examine the practices of Buddhism, including meditation, pilgrimage, and relic worship. Weekly slide presentations will introduce students to the rich visual culture of the Buddhist tradition.
Course Requirements:
Attendance is required! Let me know if you are not going to be in class on a particular day (or why you missed it if itfs too late for that.) Multiple absences will result in a grade deduction. Active participation in class discussions is also required. Please come to have class having read and taken notes on the assignment listed on the syllabus for that date. Everyonefs contribution is valued. We will talk about the possibility and format of an online discussion forum once the course is underway.
There will be a midterm exam and a final exam. These will ask students to write essays and identify key terms, concepts , and names. In addition, students will write three short papers (5 pages each), each illuminating a specific text.
Students are responsible for checking Blackboard for announcements relating to course readings and activities.
Required Texts (Available at Haverford Bookstore and on reserve in Magill Library):
Crosby, Kate and Andrew Skilton, trans. and ed. The Bodhicaryåvatåra by Íåntideva. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1996. paperback, ISBN: 0192829793
King, Sallie B. Buddha Nature. Albany: SUNY, 1991. paperback, ISBN 0-7914-0428-5
Lopez, Donald. Elaborations on Emptiness. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1998. 069100188X
Strong, John. The Experience of Buddhism: Sources and Interpretations SECOND EDITION. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2001. paperback, ISBN: 0-534-54175-5
Williams, Paul. Mahayana Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations. London: Routledge, 1989. paperback, ISBN: 0415025370
Additional readings available through Blackboard.
Class Schedule:
Mon. Sept. 1 -- Introduction
Wed. Sept. 3–- Íåntideva (Crosby and Skilton), vii-29; Strong 161-168
Mon. Sept. 8-- Íåntideva, 30-104
Wed. Sept. 10 -- Íåntideva, 104-143
Mon. Sept. 15 -- Strong, 1-43
Wed. Sept. 17 -- Walshe, 231-278; Swearer, Consecrating, 50-59; Trainor, 32-65
Mon. Sept. 22 -- Strong, 44-87
Wed. Sept. 24 – Tsai, 17-31, 48-55, 62-64, 92-96; Murcott, 53-55, 84-91, 104, 129-134
Mon. Sept. 29 -- Strong, 88-133; Sanchi stupa
http://www.art-and-archaeology.com/india/sanchi/san0.html
Exegesis of Íåntideva (Due Oct. 7)
Wed. Oct. 1 – Kajiyama, 137-154, Harrison, 67-89
Mon. Oct. 6 -- Williams 1-36 (no class Yom Kippur)
Wed. Oct. 8 --Strong, 134-145; Williams, 37-54
FALL BREAK (No class Mon. Oct. 13, Wed. Oct. 15)
Mon. Oct. 20 –Yiengpruksawan, pp 391-416
Wed. Oct. 22 -- [Midterm]
Mon. Oct. 27 – Williams – 55-95
Wed. Oct. 29 – Pye, 171-187; Watson, Lotus, 3-46
Mon. Nov. 3 – Watson, Lotus, 224-232, 265-271; Stevenson, 427-454
Wed. Nov. 5 – Nagao, 155-159; Watson, Vimalakirti, 17-51, 83-111
Mon. Nov. 10 – Inagaki, 91-118, Taima mandara
http://www.ne.jp/asahi/pureland-buddhism/amida-net/con-ex.htm
Exegesis of the Taima Mandara (Due Nov. 17)
Emptiness
Wed. Nov. 12 – Williams, 96-115
Mon. Nov. 17 – Lopez, xi- 46; (47-77)
Wed. Nov. 19 – Lopez, 78-104; (105 – 115); 116-140
Mon. Nov. 24 -- Lopez, (141 - 164); 165-186; (187-215); 216-260
Wed. Nov. 26 (No class – Happy Thanksgiving)
Exegesis of the Heart Sutra (Due Dec. 3)
Mon. Dec. 1 – King, 1- 56
Wed. Dec. 3 -- Stone, 228-240; Hirota, 7-14, 30-31, 38-46
Mon. Dec. 8 – King, 57 – 116; Bielefeldt
Wed. Dec. 11 – King, 117-172
Final Exam – self-scheduled