RELI/EAST 242
Buddhism: An Introduction
Wesleyan University (Spring 2013)
Professor Lang CHEN
Office: Department of Religion 211 (171 Church Street)
Office Hours: Th 4:00-5:00; or by email appointment
Email: lchen04@wesleyan.edu
Classroom: PAC002 (T/Th 2:40-4:00)
Goals of this course:
1.
By learning the basic Buddhist doctrines and practices empathetically , you should be able to put yourselves in the shoes of Buddhists, and look at the world and your life through the lens of Buddhism. In other words, this course will add a “Buddhist channel” to your mind, to which you can tune in. You will learn, with your mind, heart and body, the basic
Buddhist ideas regarding issues such as:
 the true nature of our lives and the world in which we live,
 the kind of life a Buddhist should live up to internally and externally,
 how meditation works,
 why humans suffer, and how we could stop suffering,
 whether there is a “savior,” or we are the saviors of ourselves,
 ……
2.
This course helps you understand Buddhism historically and critically . You will learn:
 the basic facts about the historical development of this religion,
 the characteristics of its most well-known branches,

Buddhist influences on society, as well as the discrepancies between its prescriptive teachings and the social realities that accompany it,
 critical thinking on important issues related to Buddhism (such as women in
Buddhism, Buddhism and science, Buddhism and politics),
 ……
Course Requirements
1.
Classroom attendance and participation (10% of your grade):
Finish the assigned readings before you come to class, punctually attend every meeting, and participate in class discussions actively and constructively. What you say in the discussion should:
 indicate that you have carefully studied the assigned readings (i.e. be based on the texts);
 incorporate ideas and opinions of your classmates, and try to push the ongoing conversation to a deeper level rather than monopolizing it with your own ideas;
 respect your classmates even if you do not agree with their opinions, and be culturally sensitive.
2.
Weekly short papers (30% of your grade):
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
Each paper should be one page long (double-spaced with a standard 12 point font).

During the first half of this semester, students whose family names begin with letter A to K should post their papers on Moodle by Tuesday noon , and the rest of the students (L-Z) by Thursday noon . The two groups will switch after the spring break.
Nonetheless, you are supposed to do ALL the readings, including those to which you are not required to write responses.
Late papers, without making prior arrangements, are not to be accepted. If you miss three papers, you will lose all credits allocated to this part of the requirement, i.e. 30% of your entire grade, even if you have done the other papers.

These papers should represent your substantive response to the assigned materials for the upcoming class, as well as their relationship to the previous readings. They should be well-composed, cite relevant passages with in-line citations, and demonstrate a thoughtful and rigorous engagement with the material. We will use the short papers to begin the class conversation; they will also serve as useful notes for your final paper.

You are encouraged to raise questions in your papers, but they should also be specific and focused enough to indicate your serious thinking and be constructive for class discussion. They should not, for example, take the form: “What does karma mean?” A more constructive question would be “since it is said that every experience of a person is determined by her previous karma, does the Buddha’s suffering from diarrhea indicate he had done something morally wrong?”

Questions to be discussed in your papers will be posted on Moodle.
3.
Midterm in-class exam (20% of your grade) on March 7 th , including identifications and short essay questions. Key terms for each class will be posted on Moodle together with the weekly essay questions, and cover the terms that you will be asked to identify on the exam.
4.
Final paper (40% of your grade):

8-10 pages, due by 5 pm on May 17 th (as an email attachment).

A list of potential topics from which you can choose, along with more detailed guidelines, will be distributed on April 30 th . If there is some other topic on which you really want to work, you need to acquire permission from Prof. Chen by May
4 th ; otherwise, the paper will not be accepted.

Papers that are turned in late, without making prior arrangements, will be penalized one-half of a letter grade per day (i.e., an A- paper becomes a B+ paper on the first day late, a B on the second, etc.).
Fair/Karmic Warnings
1.
You are responsible for knowing and adhering to the University’s Honor Code.
2.
If—and only if—you have a compelling reason for missing a class or an assignment, please let me know beforehand and we will discuss making a new deadline. You will be responsible for any material missed during that class, so make sure that you check with your fellow classmates.
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3.
Laptops or tablets should only be used to take class notes or to read assigned texts; any other usage of them (or any other electronic device) is not allowed. Concentration is an important virtue in Buddhism! If you browse websites in a Buddhist course, the bad karma you get from this act will be doubled. Do not waste your life and damage your mind by letting the illusory world of the internet distract you.
Books to Purchase (available at the university bookstore), Rent or Borrow:
1.
Trainor ed., Buddhism: Illustrated Guide . 2004. (Referred to as BIG on the syllabus)
2.
Van de Wetering, The Empty Mirror .
3.
Watson trans., Vimalakirti Sutra , Columbia University Press, 1997.
A selection of additional readings will be made available in digital form on Moodle.
Recommended reference book:
Gethin, Rupert. 1998. The foundations of Buddhism . New York: Oxford University
Press. (available as electronic resource)
SYLLABUS
(subject to adjustment)
Week 1
1/24 Introduction
Week 2 Suffering
1/29 Life of the Buddha I: Suffering on the Microcosmic Scale

Buddhacarita I (pp.32-43; 48 -80)

BIG , pp. 24-33
1/31 Samsāra: Suffering on the Macrocosmic Scale
 “Six Realms” (Strong : pp.38-42)
 “Without Discoverable Beginning”

Jataka 263: Culla-palobhana-jataka

Sibi Jataka

BIG , pp. 58-63
Week 3 Liberation from Suffering
2/5 Life of the Buddha II: Search and Enlightenment

Mahasaccaka sutta

Buddhacarita II (pp.188-213)

BIG, pp.34-9
2/7 Meditation, the Four Noble Truths and No-self
 Mahāsatipatthāna sutta
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 “Milinda and the Chariot”
 “The Man Who Lost His Body”

BIG , pp. 64-78,
Week 4 A Contemporary Westerner’s Buddhist Journey
2/12 Empty Mirror : Chapter 1-9
2/14 Empty Mirror : Chapter 10-18
Week 5 The Deceased Founder and the Ongoing Religion
2/19 The Buddha’s Last Days
 Mahāparinibhāna Sutta
2/21 Theravada Buddhism

Excerpts from The Journey of One Buddhist Nun .
 “The Advice to Layman Tundila”
 “A Modern Sermon on Merit Making.”

BIG , pp.120-1
Week 6 Mahāyāna Buddhism: Another Vehicle or a Greater Vehicle?
2/26 Vimalakirti Sutra : Chapter 1-7

BIG, pp.132-5
2/28 Vimalakirti Sutra: Chapter 8-14
Week 7
3/5 Mahāyāna Philosophy
 “Verses in Praise of Perfect Wisdom” pp.152-3
 “Philosophical Formulations” pp.156-173
3/7 In-class Midterm Exam
---- Spring Break ----
*After the break, students who wrote weekly papers for Tuesday’s classes write for Thursday’s, and those who wrote for Thursday’s now write for Tuesday’s.
Week 8 Engaged Thinking and Acting
3/26 Buddhist Theology
 Jackson, Roger R. “In Search of a Postmodern Middle” pp. 215-246
 Dunne, John D. “On Essences, Goals and Social Justice: An Exercise in Buddhist
Theology” pp. 275-292
3/28 Engaged Buddhism
 “All Buddhism is Engaged”
 Excerpts from “At Hell’s Gate”
Week 9 Pure Land and Shin Buddhism
4/2 Indian Sources and Japanese Development

BIG , pp. 144-9
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
Shinran: Tannishō
4/4 A Modern Interpretation

Writings by Soga Ryojin
Week 10 Chan/Zen Buddhism
4/9 A Chinese Sutra
 The Plateform Sūtra
4/11 Zen and Art

BIG, pp.150-3, 158-161

Poems by Basho

“Theories of Artistry” in The Body: Toward an Eastern Mind-Body Theory
Week 11 Tibetan Buddhism
4/16 Legends, Rituals and Mandala

BIG, pp.162-5, pp.88-9

The Words of My Perfect Teacher , pp.332-347; 263-295

Wheel of time (available on youtube)
4/18 The Violent and the Feminine

The Words of My Perfect Teacher , pp.297-332
 “The Vajrayoginī Principle and its Iconography”

BIG, pp. 166-7, 172-3
Week 12 Buddhism and Politics
4/23 Dalai Lamas and Other Tulkus
 “The Rule of the Dalai Lamas”
 “The Next Incarnation”

BIG , pp.170-1

In-class Film: The Reincarnation of Khensur Rinpoche
4/25 Buddhism and Politics Elsewhere

“Buddhism and Politics in Asia: The Textual and Historical Roots”
Week 13 Buddhism in a “New Age”
4/30 Buddhism and Science

Choose one essay that interests you most from Buddhism and Science: Breaking New
Ground (available in library as “electronic resource”) .
 Lopez, “Introduction” in Buddhism and Science
5/2 Buddhism in the America

BIG pp.214-7
 “Sweet and Sour Buddhism”

Smokey the Bear Sutra
Week 14
5/7 Is Buddhism Our “Shangri-La”?
 Lopez, “The Prison”
 Dreyfus, “Are We Prisoners?”
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