45.371 Buddhist and Zen Philosophy
(Gen Ed: Arts and Humanities,
Diversity, Ethics)
Fall Semester 2008
MWF 10:30-11:20
Professor Eric Sean Nelson
Email:
Eric_Nelson at uml.edu
Office: Olney 101b
Telephone: 978-934-3996
My Fall 2008 Office Hours are at
Olney 101b on Mon: 1:35-300pm, Wed: 1:35-4:00pm, and by appointment
My Homepage:
http://faculty.uml.edu/enelson/index.html
Course Description
This course offers an extensive introduction to classics of Buddhist and Zen
thought and practice from the discourses of the Buddha in ancient India to
Tibet, China, Korea, and Japan. We will explore questions concerning knowledge,
language, meditation and the mind by reading and discussing texts of various traditions of
Buddhism, including Theravāda, Mahāyāna, Vajrayāna, and Chan/Zen/Son, in
relation to their historical contexts, philosophical contents, and their
significance for contemporary western readers. We will also consider the social
and moral dimensions of Buddhism, including issues of class and gender, war and
peace, and consumerism, wealth, and poverty.
Prerequisites for the course: None
Students for whom course is intended: All levels
Course Goals and Objectives
1. The goals of this course are to promote:
(a) Familiarity with a wide-range of positions and arguments of Buddhist
philosophy, and
(b) Critical reasoning and reflection through considering a variety of ethical,
philosophical, and religious issues.
2. The objectives of this course are
for students to develop their ability and skills in:
(a) Interpreting texts by accurately and fully describing concepts and arguments
(b) Reasoning about ideas by (i) evaluating the content, structure, and
strategies of Buddhist works and (ii) applying concepts and arguments to
contemporary issues and their own lives, and
(c) Collaborating with other students, and presenting and supporting their ideas
in public through class participation.
Course Requirements
Students are required to:
1. Complete all assigned readings
2. Maintain regular attendance
3. Participate in class discussion and in discussion groups
4. Complete all written assignments on-time
Course Assignments
1. Three Exams = 75% of final course grade.
2. Attendance, participation, in-class (individual or group) assignments =
25% of final grade. Note that beginning with the fourth absence, each
additional absence will lower the grade by 0.3/0.4 out of a 4.0 scale. There
will be oral and written, individual and group, in-class assignments based on
the readings and class-discussion.
Instructional Rationale
Assignments are intended to familiarize you with the readings, encourage you to
develop your skills in reasoning, and reflect on philosophical issues in
different contexts and from a variety of perspectives. It is better to do this
directly than use unreliable sources on the internet. For example, you can look
at sites such as wikipedia to gain an initial impression of the average public
understanding of a topic or figure but your own thinking and writing should be
more critical, engaged, rigorous, and it should be your own on the basis of the
text and the class lectures and discussions.
Special Instructions for
Assignments
1. Exams will cover the assigned readings and class discussions of them, and
will involve describing, explaining, and evaluating texts, concepts, and
arguments.
2. In-class group discussion assignments will engage questions from the reading
and discussion for that day of class. They will require that groups of students
debate the meaning and validity of arguments, formulate possible alternatives,
and arrive at a solution to be turned in at the end of class.
3. Students are expected to attend class regularly, and attendance will be taken
daily. Attending class and actively participating will improve your final grade
by 20%.
Need help? Feel free to talk with me after class, during office hours, by email, or by arrangement. Also check out the following resource: Guide to the Study of Philosophy, http://www.philosophypages.com/sy.htm
Click here for Further Description of Policies and Procedures
Some of my writings on Buddhism are available here: http://faculty.uml.edu/enelson/texts-Eastern.htm
For the latest in Buddhist news, see http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/
Required Texts (available at the UML North Campus Bookstore)
1. Early Buddhist Discourses
(John J. Holder) (Hackett, 2006; ISBN: 0872207927)
2. Śantideva, The Bodhicaryavatara (Paul Williams, Kate Crosby, Andrew
Skilton) (Oxford World's Classics, 1998; ISBN: 0192837206)
3. The Life of Milarepa (Lobsang P. Lhalungpa) (Penguin 1992, ISBN
0140193502)
4. Zen Sourcebook: Traditional Documents from China, Korea, and Japan (Stanley
Lombardo, Judith Roitman, Paula Arai) (Hackett, 2008; ISBN: 0872209091)
Schedule
1. Sept. 3, 2008: Introduction to the course and to Buddhism
I. Discourses of the Buddha from the Pali Canon (Theravāda Buddhism)
2. Sept. 5: Discourse on the Noble Quest. Read Early Buddhist
Discourses, 1-18
3. Sept 8: Discourse on the Kālāmas. Read Early Buddhist Discourses,
19-25
4. Sept. 10: The Greater Discourse on Cause. Read Early Buddhist
Discourses, 26-41
5. Sept. 12: The Greater Discourse on the Foundations of Mindfulness.
Read Early Buddhist Discourses, 42-58
6. Sept. 15: The Greater Discourse on the Destruction of Craving. Read
Early Buddhist Discourses, 59-72
7. Sept. 17: Shorter Discourses. Read Early Buddhist Discourses, 73-94
8-9. Sept. 19 and 22: Questions of Knowledge. Read Early Buddhist Discourses,
128-163
10-11. Sept. 24 and 26: Social-Political and Moral Philosophy. Read Early
Buddhist Discourses, 164-201
12. Sept. 29: (In-Class) Exam I
II. The Way of the Bodhisattva (Mahāyāna Buddhism)
13. Oct. 1:
Introduction to
Mahāyāna
Buddhism: The Awakening Mind. Read
Śantideva, The
Bodhicharyāvatāra,
pages
3-22
14. Oct. 3: Vigilance and Guarding the Awakening Mind.
Read
Śantideva, The
Bodhicharyāvatāra,
pages
23-44
15. Oct. 6:
Perseverance and Effort. Read
Śantideva, The
Bodhicharyāvatāra,
pages
45-74
16. Oct. 8: Meditation.
Read
Śantideva, The
Bodhicharyāvatāra,
pages 75-104
17. Oct. 10: Introduction to Madhyamaka and
Yogācāra:
Wisdom. Read Śantideva, The
Bodhicharyāvatāra,
pages 103-121
Oct. 13 Monday *Columbus Day (University Closed)
18. Oct. 15: Śantideva Continued.
Read Śantideva, The
Bodhicharyāvatāra,
pages 103-132
19. Oct. 17: No Class! Start reading Life of Milarepa
III. The Life of a Tibetan Yogi (Vajrayāna Buddhism)
20. Oct. 20: Read
Life of Milarepa,
pages 1-35
21. Oct. 22: Read
Life of Milarepa,
pages 39-74
22. Oct. 24: Read
Life of Milarepa,
pages 75-107
23. Oct. 27: Read
Life of Milarepa,
pages 108-145
24. Oct. 29: Read
Life of Milarepa,
pages 146-175
25. Oct. 31: Read
Life of Milarepa,
pages 175-203
26. Nov. 3: (In-Class) Exam II
IV. Mind and No Mind (Chan
Buddhism)
Links on Zen Meditation:
Visit the Virtual Zen Master
and
How
to do Zazen
Lot's of Information on Zen:
http://www.thezensite.com/index.html
27. Nov. 5: Two Short Sutras and
Bodhidharma's Arrival from the West. Read Zen Sourcebook, pages 3-12
28. Nov. 7: Seng-ts'an, Trust in Mind. Read Zen Sourcebook, pages
13-18
29. Nov. 10: Hui-neng. Read Zen Sourcebook, pages 19-30
30. Nov. 12: Shih-t'ou and Huang-po. Read Zen Sourcebook, pages 31-42
31. Nov. 14: Kill the Buddha? Lin-chi and the Family P'ang. Read
Zen Sourcebook, pages 43-60
32. Nov. 17: Gender and Buddhism: Poems of Chinese Nuns and the Life of Miao-tsung.
Read Zen Sourcebook, pages 61-71, 126-131
V. Questioning Koāns
33. Nov. 19: Chao-chou's Recorded Sayings and the Emergence of the kong-an (koān).
Read Zen Sourcebook, pages 72-84
**Also note the Ox-Hearding Poems and Pictures,
pages 85-88
34. Nov. 21: Wu-men-kuan. Read Zen Sourcebook, pages 89-102
35. Nov. 24: Further koāns from the Wu-men-kuan and The Blue
Cliff Record. Read Zen Sourcebook, pages 102-117
VI. Zen Thought and Practice in China, Korea, and Japan
36. Nov. 26: Ta- hui and Chinul. Read Zen Sourcebook, pages
118-125, 135-139
THANKSGIVING BREAK (no classes)
37-38. Dec. 1 and 3: Dōgen. Read Zen Sourcebook, pages 140-172
38. Dec. 3: Mugai Nyodai and Musō Soseki. Read Zen Sourcebook, pages
173-187
39. Dec. 5: Korean Son. T'aego and So Sahn. Read Zen Sourcebook, pages
188-195, 208-221.
40. Dec. 8: Ikkyū Sōjun and Hakuin Ekaku. Read Zen Sourcebook, pages
197-206, 243-251
41. Dec. 10: Daigu Ryōkan and Kyong Ho. Read Zen Sourcebook, pages
252-265
42. Dec. 12: Conclusions, Course Evaluations and (Take-Home) Exam III
Optional Further Readings on Buddhism and the Contemporary World
(1) The Dalai Lama, Universal Responsibility and Our Global Environment. Available at: http://faculty.uml.edu/enelson/dalailama.htm
(2) Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, The Benefits of Meditation and Sacrifice. Available at http://www.enabling.org/ia/vipassana/Archive/K/Kyi/meditationSacraficeKyi.html
December 19: (Take-Home) Exam III Due by 4pm at my office Olney 101b!