Philosophy and Religious Studies
Eastern Religion and Philosophy
Coordinator:Assoc. Prof. Harry Oldmeadow
(a) India
Hinduism and Classical Indian Philosophy: the Vedic Myths and Pantheon; The Scriptures as philosophical texts: Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita; the six philosophical schools, with particular attention to Sankara and the Vedanta; Key concepts: maya, karma, moksa, yoga; Eastern and Western philosophy; traditional Indian society; the impact of modernism: Ramana, Ramakrishna & Gandhi.
Buddhism: Life and Teachings of the Buddha; the four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path; the Scriptures; Key concepts: samsara, karma, karuna, prajna, nirvana, sunyata; the Buddha's attitude to metaphysics; the emergence of different philosophical schools; branches of Buddhism: Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana, Zen.
(b) The Far East
One of the following will be studied in some detail with some brief reference to the other two:
• Tibetan Buddhism: the Vajrayana as a new philosophical system; monastic lineages & the institution of the Dalai Lama.; the Bodhisattva ideal; Tibetan iconography; Tibet and the West.
• The Chinese Tradition: Early mythology and ancestorism; Confucianism: Confucius and his teachings, the Confucian classics, Mencius; Taoism: Lao Tzu and the Tao Te Ching, Chuang Tzu; Buddhism in China; aspects of Chinese culture and their connections with religion and philosophy.
• Japanese Religions: Ancestorism; Shintoism; shamanism; Japanese Buddhism: Shin and Zen Buddhism, the Soto and Rinzai traditions; monasticism; Kyoto as a sacred city.
(c) East-West Encounters
Eastern spirituality and Western writers, the Beats and the counter-culture; Western images of Tibet; monastic encounters—Abhishiktananda (Henri Le Saux), Bede Griffiths, Thomas Merton, William Johnston and others.
Classes
1 x 3 hour lecture
Assessment
One critical book review of 1000-1200 words, 20%; one research essay of 1500-2000 words, 40%; one two-hour examination at the end of semester, 30%; participation, 10%
Texts
Huston Smith, The World’s Religions(if you can get a copy of the old edition, The Religions of Man, that will do)
Eastern Religion and Philosophy: Course Anthology
Useful Introductory Reading
Cooper, J.C., Taoism, the Way of the Mystic
Cross, S., Elements of Hinduism
Mahadevan, T., Ramana Maharshi
Stoddart, W., Outline of Hinduism - Outline of Buddhism
Watts, A., Tao:The Watercourse Way
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