Eastern Thought: Buddhism
PHIL / REL 3500-001 (download syllabus doc) Fall
Semester 2007
MWF 11:00-11:50 Palmer Hall 2470
Nita de Oliveira, Ph.D. Office: Scott Hall 3012
Phone: 419-530-4517 Office Hours: MF 8:30-11:00 or by appointment
Email: ndeoliv@utoledo.edu
TA: Nik Monnin (SH 0125)
Office Hours: Tu Th
12:00 - 2:00
Course Website: http://www.oocities.org/nythamar/buddhism.html
Personal Website: http://www.oocities.org/nythamar/nita.html
Summer 2008: PHIL 3750 Social and Political Philosophy
Summer 2008: REL 1220-011 WORLD RELIGIONS and GLOBALIZATION
Summer 2008: PHIL 2200-021 Introduction to Philosophy
African-American Liberation Philosophy
Yudit Greenberg at UT : Thursday March 27 - Libbey Hall 2:30 pm
UT SPRING PHILOSOPHY CONFERENCE Apr. 3-5
Course Description:
PHIL 3500 EASTERN THOUGHT
[3 hours] An examination of major philosophies of Asia
and the
Required Texts:
Suzuki, Daisetz Teitaro. An introduction to Zen Buddhism.
Suzuki, Daisetz Teitaro. Essays in Zen Buddhism.
Further
Buddhism: A concise introduction. Ed. Huston Smith and Philip Novak.
Buddhism in the modern world: Adaptations of an
ancient tradition. Edited by Steven Heine.
The Koan: Texts and
contexts in Zen Buddhism. Edited by Steven Heine, Dale S. Wright
Clack, Beverley and Brian R.
Clack. The philosophy of religion: a
critical introduction.
Davies, Brian (Editor). Philosophy of religion: a guide to the
subject.
Eckel, Malcolm David. Buddhism: Origins,
Beliefs, Practices, Holy Texts, Sacred Places. 2002.
Peterson, Michael,
William Hasker, Bruce Reichenbach
and David Basinger, Editors. Philosophy of
Religion: Selected
Yandell, Keith E. Philosophy
of Religion: A Contemporary Introduction. Routledge
Contemporary Introductions to Philosophy (Net Lib)
Grading Policy:
Grades are based on point
accumulation throughout the semester.
There are 3 Homeworks (Short Essays) worth 10 points each and
2 Midterm (Multiple-Choice Exams) worth 15 points each. One of the Homeworks
might be replaced by a Class Presentation. NO LATE ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE
ACCEPTED, unless they are accompanied by evidence of a medical emergency (e.g.,
signed doctor’s note) or death in the family (e.g., funeral program). Make-up
exams will be given only to those students who inform me of their emergency by email
on the day of the exam. The cumulative final exam is worth 40 points, so as to
make up 100 points:
30
points = Homework
30
points = Midterm Essays
40
points = Final Exam
100
total points
Final grades for the course
are based on the following scale:
93-100 pts.
= A 77-79 pts. = C+
90-92 pts.
= A- 73-76 pts. = C
87-89 pts.
= B+ 70-72 pts. = C-
83-86 pts.
= B 60-69 pts. = D
80-82 pts.
= B- 59 and below =
F
Academic Honesty:
Neither plagiarism (i.e., presenting
the written work of another as one’s own) nor cheating (i.e., providing answers
to exam questions or receiving exam answers from another) will be tolerated.
Any academic dishonesty will be disciplined according to the guidelines in the
Accessibility:
If you need special
accommodations to attend my class, please notify me immediately. Your need for special
accommodations, including special testing requests, will need to be documented
by the Office of Accessibility, located at 1400 Snyder Memorial.
Make sure to prepare all the readings
before the date given. The reading assignments are usually short and hopefully
pleasant. Homework is turned in at the beginning of class on the day it is due.
There will be audiovisual presentations (DVD, online videos) and oral
presentations. In-class final exams will take place during the last week of
semester exams.
For Homework # 1, due on Feb. 6, you can write a Short Essay (1-2 pages) to address the 2 related questions "What is Buddhism?" and "What is Zen Buddhism?" by resorting to the vocabulary, glossary, key terms and concepts that we used thus far. The Midterm # 1, on Feb. 8, will cover the key concepts listed on the glossary below.
For Homework # 2, due on Feb. 29, you can write a Short Essay (1-2 pages) to address the question "How does one attain Enlightenment?" by resorting to the vocabulary, glossary, key terms and concepts that we used thus far, esp. from your readings of Suzuki's texts, such as "Essays in Zen Buddhism," Essays II and III. You may focus on or refer to conceptions such as Nirvana, Bodhisattva, Buddhahood, non-dualism, and no-self to corroborate your argument.
For Homework # 3, due on Apr. 18, you can write a Short Essay (1-2 pages) to address any topic related to your readings of Suzuki's texts, without repeating yourself, such as "the use of language and/or logic," "rationality," "meditation," "poetry," "mysticism" or any other topic you might want to explore in Zen Buddhism.
For the MIDTERM #2,on Apr. 23, you should be ready to cover all the key concepts listed on the glossary below (multiple-choice exam).
Class Participation
Class participation is
essential. That includes class attendance (75%) as well as active involvement
in all phases of the class.
Class Schedule:
January
7: Introduction: What is Buddhism?
Religion, Philosophy or Way of Life ?
9 - M.D. Eckel, DVD Lectures, 1: "Buddhism as
a World Religion"
11- Suzuki, An
introduction to Zen Buddhism, chapter I
14 - M.D. Eckel, DVD Lectures, 2: "The Life
of the Buddha"
16 - Suzuki, Essays in
Zen Buddhism, Essay I
18 - Suzuki, An
introduction to Zen Buddhism, chapter II
21 - No Class (Martin Luther King Day)
23 - M.D. Eckel, DVD Lectures, 3: "All is Suffering"
25 - Suzuki, Essays
in Zen Buddhism, Essay II (part 1, p. 39-59)
28 - M.D. Eckel, DVD Lectures, 4: "The Path
to Nirvana"
30 - Suzuki, An
introduction to Zen Buddhism, chapter III
February
1 - Suzuki, Essays
in Zen Buddhism, Essay II (part 2, p. 60-86)
4 - M.D. Eckel, DVD Lectures, 5: "The
Buddhist Community"
6 - Homework #1 & Review
8 - MIDTERM #1
11 - M.D. Eckel, DVD Lectures, 6: "Mahayana
Buddhism—the Bodhisattva Ideal"
13 - Suzuki, An
introduction to Zen Buddhism, chapter IV
15 - Suzuki, Essays
in Zen Buddhism, Essay II (part 3, p. 86-117) Lankavatara Sutra
18 - M.D. Eckel, DVD Lectures, 7: "Celestial Buddhas and Bodhisattvas"
20 - Suzuki, An
introduction to Zen Buddhism, chapter V
22 - Suzuki, Essays
in Zen Buddhism, Essay III (pt I-III)
25 - M.D. Eckel, DVD Lectures, 8: "Emptiness"
27 - Suzuki, An
introduction to Zen Buddhism, chapter VI
29 - Homework #2 & Review
March
3-7 No Class (Spring Break)
10 - M.D. Eckel, DVD Lectures, 9: "Theravada
Buddhism in
12 - Suzuki, An
introduction to Zen Buddhism, chapter VII
14 - Suzuki, Essays
in Zen Buddhism, Essay III (pt IV-VII)
17 - M.D. Eckel, DVD Lectures, 10: "Buddhism
in
19 - Prof. Susan Purviance / Shin Buddhist Fellowship of Toledo
Hongaku Jodo - Compassionate Lotus
Suzuki, An
introduction to Zen Buddhism, chapter VIII
21 - Suzuki, Essays
in Zen Buddhism, Essay IV (pt I-III)
24 - M.D. Eckel, DVD Lectures, 11: "Buddhism
in
26 - Suzuki, An
introduction to Zen Buddhism, chapter IX
YouTube: Bodhi Zendo
YouTube: Zen Mind in Japan
28 - Suzuki, Essays
in Zen Buddhism, Essay IV (pt IV-VII)
31 - M.D. Eckel, DVD Lectures, 12: "Buddhism
in
CNN on Chinese-Tibetan crisis
CNN: Richard Gere on Tibet crisis
You Tube: Another Look at the Tibet crisis
April
2 - Film "Dalai Lama" (1)/ Suzuki, Essays
in Zen Buddhism, Essay V (pt I-IV)
4 - NO CLASS : UT SPRING PHILOSOPHY CONFERENCE Apr. 3-5 7 - Suzuki, Essays
in Zen Buddhism, Essay V (pt V-IX) 9 - Film "Dalai Lama" (2) 11 - Suzuki, Essays
in Zen Buddhism, Essay VI (pt I-IV) 14 - Suzuki, Essays
in Zen Buddhism, Essay VI (pt V-IX) 16 - Suzuki, Essays
in Zen Buddhism, Essay VII (pt I-V) 18 - Homework #3 & Review 21 - Suzuki, Essays
in Zen Buddhism, Essay VII (pt VI-XIII) 23 - MIDTERM #2 25 - Suzuki, Essays
in Zen Buddhism, Essay VIII FINAL EXAM: Friday May 2, 10:15-12:15
You Tube: Buddha Amitabha
You Tube: Zen Buddhist Monastery
R. Gere Discovering Buddhism
Ten Ox-herding Pictures
Buddha Net
Sacred Texts of Buddhism
Wikipedia entry on Zen Buddhism
Zen Buddhism Virtual Library
Shin Buddhist Fellowship of Toledo
Hongaku Jodo - Compassionate Lotus
Wiki entry on Tibet crisis
Chagdud Gonpa Brazil
Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche
John Hick on Buddhism
J. Hick's definition of religion
Some thoughts about religion, religions and the religious
Philosophy of religion
You Tube: Zen Buddhism and Western Society
You Tube: Buddhism in America
You Tube: Zen Buddhism in Japan
You Tube: A Zen Buddhist priest in Japan
You Tube: Zazen Buddhist Meditation
You Tube: Buddhist Enlightenment
Philosophy Dept - UT
What is Philosophy ?
Religious Studies at UT
Program in Law and Social Thought - UT
Nietzsche, Foucault, and the Death of God
Nietzsche's Genealogy of Modernity
Jean-Paul Sartre's Existential Phenomenology of Liberation
Paul Ricoeur’s Revelatory Hermeneutics of Suspicion
Dialectic and existence in Kant and Kierkegaard
Husserl, Heidegger and the Transcendental Problem of Signification
Heidegger and Heraclitus
Edmund Husserl's Phenomenology of Meaning
Jean Calvin's Philosophical Anthropology
Rawls’s Normative Conception of the Person
Social Justice, Secularization, Democratization (Research Project)
Transcendental-Semantic Perspectivism (Research Project)
The Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights (Research Project)
Reformed, Catholic, Jew: An Experiment in Self-Identity
Philosophy Soccer (Monty Python)
Wikipedia Glossary of Key Terms and Concepts in Buddhism
Three Jewels / Triple Refuge :
Buddha: Awakened; a Buddha; also, the Buddha Siddhartha Gautama.
Dharma: Often refers to the doctrines and teachings of the faith, but it may have broader uses.
Sangha: "association," "assembly," "company" or "community" of Buddhist monks and nuns, teachers and practitioners.
Four Noble Truths:
1. The Truth of Suffering
2. The Truth of the Origin of Suffering / Attachment (desire)
3. The Truth of the Cessation of Suffering (Nirvana)
4. The Truth of the Path to the Cessation of Suffering
Karma: lit. "action." The law of cause and effect in Buddhism.
Mahayana: "Great Vehicle." A major branch of Buddhism practiced in China, Tibet, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and Taiwan. Main goal is to achieve buddhahood.
Theravada: lit. "words of the elders", The most orthodox branch of Buddhism, practiced in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand).
Zen (Chinese, Chan): a school of Mahayana Buddhism notable for its emphasis on practice and experiential wisdom - particularly as realized in the form of meditation known as zazen - in the attainment of awakening. As such, it de-emphasizes both theoretical knowledge and the study of religious texts in favor of direct individual experience of one's own true nature.
Bodhisattva: one with the intention to become a Buddha in order to liberate all other sentient beings from suffering.
Nirvana (Pali, Nibbana): Extinction or extinguishing; the cessation of suffering; ultimate enlightenment in the Buddhist tradition.
Samsara: The cycle of birth and rebirth; the world as commonly experienced.
Sutra: Scripture; originally referred to short aphoristic sayings and collections thereof.
[Midterm # 2]
Amitabha (Jap., Amida): Lit. "The Buddha of Infinite Light". The main buddha of the Pure Land school, but is popular in other Mahayana sects as well.
Arhat: lit. "the Worthy One", A living person who has reached Enlightenment. The pursuit of nirvana for one's own sake, in contrast with the bodhisattva ideal.
Bodhicitta: The motivation of a bodhisattva. The mind of awakening cultivated by the bodhisattva.
Emptiness (Shunyata): the absence of identity in things, a fundamental teaching of Mahayana Buddhism.
Hinayana: lit. "inferior vehicle", A coinage by the Mahayana for the Buddhist doctrines concerned with the achievement of Nirvana, that preceded the reform movement of the "Great Vehicle."
Koan: A story, question, problem or statement generally inaccessible to rational understanding, yet may be accessible to Intuition.
Mandala: a sacred circle used in Tantric Buddhist ritual; a term used to refer to various objects. It is of Hindu origin, but is also used in Buddhism. In the Tibetan branch of Vajrayana Buddhism, they have been developed into sandpainting. In practice, mandala has become a generic term for any plan, chart or geometric pattern that represents the cosmos metaphysically or symbolically, a microcosm of the Universe from the human perspective.
Non-duality: a way of speaking about the doctrine of emptiness in Mahayana Buddhism. In Buddhist philosophy, relates to no-self, (in Pali, anatta), "the absence of separate self", "meaning non-selfhood, the absence of limiting self-identity in people and things."
Prajna (Sanskrit) or panna (Pali): usually translated as "wisdom," "understanding," "discernment," "cognitive acuity," or "know-how." In Buddhism, it especially refers to the wisdom that is based on the direct realization of the Four Noble Truths, impermanence, dependent origination, not-self, emptiness, etc.
Pure Land: is a broad branch of Mahayana Buddhism and currently one of the most popular schools of Buddhism in East Asia, along with Zen. It is a devotional or "faith"-oriented branch of Buddhism focused on Amitābha Buddha.
Satori: Awakening; understanding. A Japanese term for enlightenment (Zen Buddhism).
Sila: usually rendered into English as "behavioral discipline", "morality", or ethics. It is often translated as "precept". It is an action that is an intentional effort.
Tantra: Esoteric religious practices, including yoga, mantra.
Vajrayana: lit. "diamond vehicle", The third major branch, alongside Hinayana and Mahayana.
Zazen: Sitting meditation as practiced in the Zen School of Buddhism.
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