CONTEMPLATIVE ASIA: READING AND EXPERIENCE

Credit Hours: 3 · Undergraduate Lower-Level

Contemplative practices are a central part of Asian life. This course introduces a wide range of contemplative traditions with powerful cultural currency in Asia. We will read and discuss traditional philosophical and narrative texts in which these practices are anchored. We will also engage in simplified forms of their methods for cultivating easefully clear attention and a kind heart. We will also examine a non-traditional perspective on these practices through an introduction to current scientific (neuroscientific) studies of meditation and the emerging discipline of micro-phenomenology. Readings are assigned from highlights from contemplative traditions of India, Tibet, China, Japan and Korea, using mainly primary sources as well as a well regarded textbook on Buddhist or historical and cultural background.