EALC Seminar: East Asian Buddhism

This course is an introduction to the Buddhist traditions of East Asia, with a focus on Chan (Kr: Son; Jp: Zen), a form of Buddhism that emerged in the 6th century and has flourished in East Asia and beyond all the way to the 21st century. Students will adopt a multidisciplinary approach and explore the history, literature, philosophy, and practice of Chan Buddhism in China, Korea and Japan, with a focus on discourses on human nature and self-cultivation, and descriptions of meditative and visualization practices. Primary readings (all in English) are drawn from a wide range of genres - meditation manuals, canonical scriptures, poetry, hagiographic narratives, and a peculiarly Chan genre known as gongan (Kr: gong-an; Jp. koan) . The course will also examine Chan forms of material culture, including temple spaces, iconographical motifs, major deities, and ritual implements. This course is primarily for sophomores and juniors with a major or minor in the Department of East Asian Languages & Cultures. Other students may enroll with permission. No prior coursework on Buddhism or East Asia is required.
Course Attributes: EN H; BU Hum; BU Eth; BU IS; AS HUM; AS LCD; FA HUM; AR HUM

EALC Seminar: East Asian Buddhism

RELIGIOUS STUDIES 390A

Section 01