RELGST 1552 - BUDDHIST MEDITATIVE TRADITIONS

Minimum Credits: 3
Maximum Credits: 3
Buddhist meditation is perhaps the best known of all Buddhist practices particularly in Western countries. In both Asia and the West, it has been popularized in recent times as a technique that can be used for such secular purposes as reducing stress and managing eating disorders. But what is Buddhist meditation? How it is practiced in its traditional contexts? What are the doctrinal foundations of meditation practices? What are the traditional purposes of practicing Buddhist meditation? What are the various types of meditation explained in Buddhist texts? How this practice evolved over time in different geographical regions in Asia? What are the roles of Buddhist or state institutions in shaping meditation practices? Focusing on these questions, this course examines the breath of Buddhist meditation practices and their historical evolution and transmission in Asian Buddhist countries. The course covers the role of meditation in early Indian Buddhism, the development of different types of meditation in Theravadan Buddhist countries, the emergence of the Chan school of meditation in China and its transmission to Japan (Zen), the appropriation of tantra to Buddhist practices in Tibetan Buddhism, and the modernization of Buddhist meditational practices during the colonial period. The course is taught using classical Buddhist texts and meditational manuals in translation, secondary studies, testimonials and films. In the process, we expect to enhance our familiarity with religious practices and our understanding of the human experience.
Academic Career: Undergraduate
Course Component: Lecture
Grade Component: LG/SNC Elective Basis
Course Attributes: SCI Polymathic Contexts: Global&Cross Cul GE. Req.

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