Demons in Buddhism

3.0 credits · Undergraduate

Contrary to the conventionally portrayed image of Buddhism as a peaceful, benign, and nonviolent religion, Buddhist traditions across Asia have long been populated by demons, ghosts, and wrathful deities. This course explores the many faces of the demonic in Buddhism, from Mara—the tempter who sought to prevent the Buddha's enlightenment—to hungry ghosts in the Buddhist purgatory, and fearsome guardian deities of Tantric Buddhism. Through texts, rituals, visual culture, and popular media, students will examine how Buddhists categorized, confronted, transformed, and sometimes worshipped demonic beings. We will ask what kinds of ethical qualities Buddhists associate with demons, what practices are invented to engage them, and how demonic figures have served not only as a means of identifying religious others but also as a mirror reflecting the anger, desire, and ignorance that Buddhism locates within humans themselves. (ASIAN-RL)