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Born a Peasant, Died a King The History of Buddhism in India The Gradual Unfolding of the Buddha’s Profound Intention An Advanced Buddhist Studies/Rime Shedra NYC Course Eleven of the Tuesdays from January 23rd to April 10th, 2018 From 7-9:15 pm (Omitting February 20th) Shambhala Meditation Center of New York Syllabus I. Class One: Myth, Legends and Facts—Tradition and Western Scholarship A. Buddhist History for Buddhist Practitioners, Rita Gross, six pages, SB pp. 1-6 B. Chapter One: The Emergence of Buddhism in India, The Beautiful Necklace That Illuminates the Mind: A Brief Exposition of an Impartial History of the Buddhadharma, Jamgon Kongtrul, Trs. Yehuda Levinson, pp. 1-2, SB pp. 7-8 C. Perfect Conduct-Ascertaining the Three Vows, Ngari Panchen, Pema Wangyi Gyalpo, Commentary by Dudjom Rinpoche, Trs. Gyurme Samdrub and Sangye Khandro, SB pp. 9-21 1. Chapter Two: An Explanation of the Pratimoksa-Vinaya, excerpt on pp. 14-17 2. Chapter Three: The Bodhisattva Vows, excerpt on pp. 63-65 3. Chapter Four: Secret Mantra, excerpt on pp. 100-104 II. Class Two: The Life of the Buddha—Scholar’s View A. Origins, Buddhism in India, Luis O. Gomez, Buddhism in Asian History, pp. 51- 59, SB pp. 22-27 B. The Life of the Buddha, A History of Indian Buddhism From Sakyamuni to Early Mahayana, Hirakawa Akira, pp. 20-37, SB pp. 75-83 III. Class Three: The Life of the Buddha—Traditional View A. The Coming of Buddha, Teacher of the Doctrine, The Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism: Its Fundamentals and History, Dudjom Rinpoche, Trs. Gyurme Dorje and Matthew Kapstein, pp. 411-427, SB pp. 94-103 B. Chapter One: How the Teacher Bhagavat became Abhisambuddha, Introduction to the Buddhist Tantric Systems, mKhas Grub rJe, Trs. F.D. Lessing and A. Wayman, pp. 17-39, (odd pages only), SB pp. 131-137 IV. Class Four: The Early Period and the Councils—Traditional View A. The Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism: Its Fundamentals and History, Dudjom Rinpoche, Trs. Gyurme Dorje and Matthew Kapstein, pp. 428-442 1. The Collecting of Transmitted Precepts by Councils, pp. 428-431, SB pp. 104-105 2. The Patriarchs of the Teaching, pp. 432-439, SB pp. 106-109 3. The Preservation of the Teaching and the Spread of the Greater Vehicle, pp. 440-442, SB pp. 110-111 B. Chapter Two: The Method of Setting the Wheel of the Law of the Paramita- yana into Motion, Introduction to the Buddhist Tantric Systems, mKhas Grub rJe, Trs. F.D. Lessing and A. Wayman, pp. 41-71 (odd pages only) 1. The Promulgations, pp. 43-53, SB pp. 137-140 2. Assembling the Promulgations, pp. 53-71, SB pp. 140-145 V. Class Five: The Early Period and the Councils—Scholar’s View A. Buddhism in India, Luis O. Gomez, Buddhism in Asian History, pp. 59-71 1. The Cenobium, pp. 59-65, SB pp. 27-30 2. The Age of Foreign Invasions, pp. 65-71, SB pp. 30-33 B. Hinayana Buddhism, Andre Bareau, Buddhism in Asian History, pp. 195-213, SB pp. 51-60 C. Optional: The Development of the Buddhist Order, A History of Indian Buddhism From Sakyamuni to Early Mahayana, Hirakawa Akira, pp. 76-94, SB pp. 84-93 VI. Class Six: The Three Turnings, Hinayana and Mahayana—Traditional View A. Causal Vehicles of Dialectics, The Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism: Its Fundamentals and History, Dudjom Rinpoche, Trs. Gyurme Dorje and Matthew Kapstein, pp. 153-237, SB pp. 111-23 1. The Three Promulgations of the Doctrinal Wheel, pp. 153-155 2. The Lesser Vehicle, pp. 156-159 3. The Greater Vehicle, pp. 160-177 VII. Class Seven: The Tenets of the Four Schools A. Causal Vehicles of Dialectics, The Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism: Its Fundamentals and History, Dudjom Rinpoche, Trs. Gyurme Dorje and Matthew Kapstein, pp. 153-237, SB pp. 124-130 1. The Superiority of Great Madhyamaka to Mind Only, pp. 178-186 2. The Provisional and Definitive Meaning of the Transmitted Precepts, pp. 187-190 VIII. Class Eight: The Rise of the Mahayana—Scholar’s View A. Buddhism in India, Luis O. Gomez, Buddhism in Asian History, pp. 71-87 1. The Sects and the Appearance of Mahayana, pp. 71-76, SB pp. 33-36 2. The Development of Mahayana, pp. 76-83, SB pp. 36-39 3. The High Tradition and the Universities, pp. 83-87, SB pp. 39-41 B. Mahayana Buddhism, Nakamura Hajime, Buddhism in Asian History, pp. 215- 238, SB pp. 61-74 IX. Class Nine: Madhyamika, Nagarjuna and Aryadeva A. Tsong Khapa’s Speech of Gold in the Essence of True Eloquence: Reason and Enlightenment in the Central Philosophy of Tibet, Robert A.F. Thurman: 1. Part IV: I bow my head to the feet of Nagarjuna and Asanga, pp. 21- 32, SB pp. 180-188 B. Introduction to the Middle Way: Chandrakirti’s Madhyamakavatara with Commentary by Jamgon Mipham, Trs. Padmakara Translation Committee, pp. 11-20, SB pp. 197-202 1. The Development of the Madhyamaka School, pp. 11-12 2. Nagarjuna and Aryadeva, pp. 12-20 C. How those Foretold Individuals Acted to Preserve the Doctrine, Buton's History of Buddhism in India and Its Spread to Tibet, Trs. Lisa Stein and Ngawang Zangpo, pp. 227-234, SB pp. 162-166 1. Nagarjuna, pp. 227-232 2. Aryadeva, pp. 233-234 D. Asanga, History of Buddhism in India, A.K. Warder, pp. 413-419, not in SB! X. Class Ten: The Other Mahayana Pandits A. Tsong Khapa’s Speech of Gold in the Essence of True Eloquence: Reason and Enlightenment in the Central Philosophy of Tibet, Robert A.F. Thurman: 1. Part V: Respectfully I blow to those Master Scholars, pp. 32-48, SB pp. 188-196 B. How those Foretold Individuals Acted to Preserve the Doctrine, Buton's History of Buddhism in India and Its Spread to Tibet, Trs. Lisa Stein and Ngawang Zangpo, pp. 234-261, SB pp. 166-179 1. Nagabodhi, pp. 234 2. Chandragomi, pp. 234-235 3. Chandrakirti, pp. 235-236 4. Asanga, pp. 236-241 5. Vasubandhu, pp. 241-245 6. Stiramati, pp. 245-246 7. Dignaga, pp. 246-249 8. Dharmakirti, pp. 249-252 9. Vimutasena, pp. 252 10. Haribhadra, pp. 252-255 11. Buddhajana, pp. 255-256 12. Gunaprabha, pp. 256-257 13. Shantideva, pp. 257-261 XI. Class Eleven: The Dharma Treatises of the Mahayana A. The Treatises, Buton's History of Buddhism in India and Its Spread to Tibet, Trs. Lisa Stein and Ngawang Zangpo, pp. 40-55, SB pp. 154-161 B. Commentaries on the Promulgations, Introduction to the Buddhist Tantric Systems, mKhas Grub rJe, Trs. F.D. Lessing and A. Wayman, pp. 71-99, SB pp. 145-152 XII. Class Twelve: Madhyamika Variations A. Introduction to the Middle Way: Chandrakirti’s Madhyamakavatara with Commentary by Jamgon Mipham, Trs. Padmakara Translation Committee, 1. A Difference of Method: Buddhapalita, Bhavaviveka, and Chandrakirti, pp. 20-32, SB pp. 202-208 B. The Adornment of the Middle Way: Shantarakshita’s Madhyamakalankara with Commentary by Jamgon Mipham, Trs. Padmakara Translation Committee, pp. 6-35 (omitting 19-26), SB pp. 214-226 1. Mipham and the Prasangika-Svatantrika Distinction, pp. 6-19 2. Chittamatra, pp. 26-32 3. The Madhyamakalankara and the Pramana Tradition, pp. 32-35 XIII. Class Thirteen: Later Madhyamika, Vajrayana and Decline of Buddhism A. Introduction to the Middle Way, Trs. Padmakara Translation Committee, pp. 32-42, SB pp. 208-213 1. Madhyamika in Tibet, pp. 32-34 2. Mipham and the Prasangika-Svatantrika Distinction, pp. 34-42 B. Buddhism in India, Luis O. Gomez, Buddhism in Asian History, pp. 87-99, SB pp. 41-47 1. Tantric Innovations, pp. 87-94 2. The Decline of Buddhism in India, pp. 94-95 3. Buddhist Remnants and Revivals in the Subcontinent, pp. 95-99 .
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