Buddhism: Philosophy and Meditation Practice

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

The course is designed as a journey from the time of the historical Buddha (6th to 5th centuries BCE) to East Asia in medieval periods, then to the West in modern times. The journey will invite students to meet a number of Buddhist traditions and their eminent monks and thinkers. The meetings will happen through diverse mediums—reading Buddhist sutras (scriptures) and hagiographies, exploring Buddhist artifacts in museums, and watching films on Buddhist themes. Through these meetings, students will learn 1) what philosophical questions the Buddhist traditions have raised and answered and 2) how these questions emerged in their specific cultural and historical contexts. Throughout the journey, the course will closely examine their core practice: meditation. Students will learn that most philosophical questions raised within Buddhism cannot be entirely understood without looking into their meditation practice. The course will also examine how different traditions have developed different meditation theories and techniques. Although the course will mainly cover Buddhism in India and East Asia, students are encouraged to investigate other Buddhist traditions beyond these regions or compare Buddhism with different philosophical and religious traditions, such as Christianity or East Asian Daoism.