Courses Offered

Rel 105a: Introduction to World Religions

Buddhism, Chinese religion, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism. The spirit of each tradition as revealed in one of its classical texts. Occasional films.

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{H} 4 credits.

Rel 110: The Politics of Enlightenment

Thematic and biographical survey of Buddhist attitudes to the religious person in a social, political world; overview of doctrinal statements and focus on such problematic issues as women in Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism in exile, the monks' war in Vietnam, and Western Buddhism.

{H} 4 credits.

Rel 272: Introduction to Buddhist Thought

Enduring patterns of Buddhist thought concerning the interpretations of self, world, nature, good and evil, love, wisdom, time, and enlightenment in the religious, philosophical, and ethical teachings of Buddhism in India, China, and Japan.
{H} 4 credits

Rel 270: Japanese Buddhism: Ancient Japan through the 19th Century

The development of Japanese Buddhist thought and institutions from earliest times to the present, their relationship to the state, and the diffusion of buddhist values in Japanese culture, particularly in the the aesthetic realm (literature, gardens, tea, the martial arts, etc.).

{H} 4 credits

Rel 281: Buddhism in Contemporary Japan

Aspects of contemporary Japanese religious life, including the impact of European thought, Buddhism and Japanese nationalism, the export of Zen and import of Christianity, contemporary monasticism, and Buddhist aesthetics. Particular attention to attempts at institutional reform within traditional Buddhist sects and the emergence of new religious movements.

{H} 4 credits

Rel 282: Readings in Chinese Buddhist Texts

Reading and discussion of Chinese Buddhist texts in the original. Selections drawn from different genres including  biographies of the Buddha, Jataka tales, the Lotus Sutra, Heart Sutra, and indigenous scriptures ("apocrypha"). Attention will also be given to the development of the Buddhist canon and notions of scriptural authenticity. Open to students who have taken one year of Chinese or two years of Japanese, or with permission of the instructor.

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