MBS Course Outline 11-12 (Updated on September 9, 11)
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
MBS Course Outline 11-12 (Updated on September 9, 11) Centre of Buddhist Studies The University of Hong Kong Master of Buddhist Studies Course Outline 2011-2012 (Course details laid out in this course outline is only for reference. Please refer to the version provided by the teachers in class for confirmation.) BSTC6079 Early Buddhism: a doctrinal exposition (Foundation Course) Lecturer Prof. Y. Karunadasa Tel: 2241-5019 Email: [email protected] Schedule: 1st Semester; Monday 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. Class Venue: P4, Chong Yuet Ming Physics Building Course Description This course will be mainly based on the early Buddhist discourses (Pali Suttas) and is designed to provide an insight into the fundamental doctrines of what is generally known as Early Buddhism. It will begin with a description of the religious and philosophical milieu in which Buddhism arose in order to show how the polarization of intellectual thought into spiritualist and materialist ideologies gave rise to Buddhism. The following themes will be an integral part of this study: analysis of the empiric individuality into khandha, ayatana, and dhatu; the three marks of sentient existence; doctrine of non-self and the problem of Over-Self; doctrine of dependent origination and its centrality to other Buddhist doctrines; diagnosis of the human condition and definition of suffering as conditioned experience; theory and practice of moral life; psychology and its relevance to Buddhism as a religion; undetermined questions and why were they left undetermined; epistemological standpoint and the Buddhist psychology of ideologies; Buddhism and the God-idea and the nature of Buddhism as a non-theistic religion; Nibbana as the Buddhist ideal of final emancipation. The course will be concluded with an inquiry into how Buddhism’s “middle position”, both in theory and praxis, determined the nature of Buddhism as a religion. Assessment 4 Essays (50%) Written Examination (50%) Course Outline 1 MBS Course Outline 11-12 (Updated on September 9, 11) Lecture 1: Emergence of Buddhism as a critical response to the mutual conflict between the spiritualist and the materialist world-views. Lecture 2: “Dependent Origination” as the early Buddhist doctrine of causation and how it serves as a foundation to all other Buddhist doctrines. Lecture 3: The Buddhist doctrine of “non-self” as a critical response to the physical and metaphysical versions of the self. Lecture 4: An introduction to Buddhist psychology: the stream of consciousness as against a static consciousness; psychological implications of the analysis of the individual into 5 aggregates (khandha, 12 sense-bases (ayatana), and 18 elements of cognition (dhatu). Lecture 5: The Buddhist diagnosis of the human condition: “suffering” as conditioned experience; rebirth without the notion of a reborn soul. Lecture 6: The theory of moral life: Its three basic principles: (a) recognition of moral life (kammavada), (b) recognition of the causal efficacy of moral acts (kiriyavada), and (c) recognition of the role of human effort in pursuing moral life (viriyavada). Lecture 7: The practice of moral life: “the noble eightfold path” as the essence of Buddhist ethics; its middle position as it keeps itself equally aloof from sensual indulgence and self-mortification. Lecture 8: The Buddhist view of views: the psychological diagnosis of the origin of theoretical views on the nature of the self and the world; the early Buddhist epistemological standpoint. Lecture 9: The ten undetermined questions: An inquiry into the pragmatic and psychological reasons for their being left undetermined. Lecture 10: 2 MBS Course Outline 11-12 (Updated on September 9, 11) The nature of Buddhism as a non-theistic religion: the role of the Buddha as a religious teacher: Teacher not Saviour; the role of “rational faith” (akaravati saddha) in the practice of religious life. Lecture 11: Nibbana (Nirvana) as the final goal of Buddhism: Should it be understood in a psychological sense or in a metaphysical sense? Implications of the definition of Nibbana as the extinction of “the three fires of greed, hatred, and delusion”. Lecture 12: How Buddhism’s theoretic and practical middle position has determined the nature, scope, and orientation of Buddhism: Is Early Buddhism a religion, philosophy, both, or neither? Textbook Venerable Walpola Rahula, What the Buddha Taught (Bedford 1959) Recommended for reference 1. Venerable Nyanaponika Thera, The Vision of Dhamma, Kandy 1994. 2. A .K. Warder, Indian Buddhism, Delhi 1980. 3. D. J. Kalupahana, History of Buddhist Philosophy: Continuities and Discontinuities, Honolulu 1996. 4. Peter Harvey, Introduction to Buddhism, Cambridge 1990. 5. Peter Harvey, An Introduction to Buddhist Ethics, Cambridge 2003. 6. W. S. Karunaratne, Buddhist Theory of Causality, Colombo 1985. 7. Rune Johansson, Dynamic Psychology of Early Buddhism, London 1985. 8. K. N. Jayatilleke, Early Buddhist Theory of Knowledge, London 1963. BSTC6002 Mahayana Buddhism (Foundation Course) Lecturer Ven. Prof. K.L. Dhammajoti Tel: 2241-5047 Email: [email protected] Schedule: 2nd Semester; Wednesday 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. Class Venue: To be confirmed Course Description 3 MBS Course Outline 11-12 (Updated on September 9, 11) This course aims at students without previous knowledge of Mahayana Buddhism. It provides an introduction to Mahayana Buddhism in the widest sense. After a brief look at the development of Buddhism in India after the death of the Buddha, this course concentrates on the historical, philosophical and religious origins of Mahayana Buddhism in India. These include the Bodhisattva ideal; Buddhological developments; the philosophical systematizations of the Madhymaka and Yogacara schools; the reasons for the dominant position of Mahayana Buddhism in China and an investigation on the features of the newly emerged Mahayana modernism (i.e., Japanese Buddhism). Assessment Class participation (10%) 2 short essays with 1,000-1,500 words each (40%) Written examination (50%) Course details and lecture materials will be provided by the teacher during the class. BSTC6006 Counselling and pastoral practice Lecturer Dr. S.H. Ma Tel: 2859-2847 Email: [email protected] Schedule: 2nd Semester; Sunday 2:30 – 5:30 p.m. (except as stated in italics below) Class Venue: To be confirmed Course Description This course aims at providing students with the basic knowledge and understanding of the application of Buddhist theory and practices to counselling and personal transformation. It covers from the Buddhist perspective the psychology of perception, emotions and thoughts; basic skills and concepts in counselling; recent development and research in psychotherapy, and insights into caring for the dying and their carers. The course comprises lectures, tutorials, experiential exercises and Buddhist practices. Students should be prepared to participate in the practices and exercises in class so as to acquire an experiential as well as intellectual understanding of the subject. (Remarks: In order to ensure that each student will have ample opportunity to 4 MBS Course Outline 11-12 (Updated on September 9, 11) participate in class and receive adequate attention and guidance, the class size is limited to 28. Please note that enrolment closes before the end of course enrolment period so as to allow time for the allocation of places based on a two-tier ballot system in case of over-subscription. For details of the enrollment procedures, please refer to the Important Notes for Course Selection 2011-2012 on the Centre’s web site.) Course Outline Class Date Time Topics 22 Jan 2012 (Sun) No class (Chinese New Year’s Eve) 1 29 Jan 2012 (Sun) 2:30pm – 5:30pm Goals of Buddhist Psychotherapy 2 5 Feb 2012 (Sun) 2:30pm – 5:30pm Models of Mind and Dependent Co-arising 3 12 Feb 2012 (Sun) 2:30pm – 5:30pm Five Skandhas 4 19 Feb 2012 (Sun) 2:30pm – 5:30pm Skandhas and Self 5 26 Feb 2012 (Sun) 2:30pm – 5:30pm Mindfulness 6 4 Mar 2012 (Sun) 2:30pm – 5:30pm The Eightfold Path 7 11 Mar 2012 (Sun) 2:30pm – 5:30pm Care for the Dying 8 18 Mar 2012 (Sun) 2:30pm – 5:30pm Care for the Bereaved 25 Mar 2012 (Sun) No Class (Reading Week) 9 1 Apr 2012 (Sun) 2:30pm – 5:30pm Seminar 8 Apr 2012 (Sun) No class (Easter Sunday) 15 Apr 2012 (Sun) No class (Writing Week) 10, 11 22 Apr 2012 (Sun) 9:30am – 5:00pm Workshop on Transforming Anger 12,13 29 Apr 2012 (Sun) 9:30am – 5:00pm Practicum Details for the reading for each class are available on WebCT. Class participation Most classes consist of a lecture, experiential exercises and a tutorial. In order to acquire an experiential as well as intellectual understanding of the subject, students are encouraged to participate as fully as possible in class activities. The emphasis of class participation is not on performance, but rather on the willingness to explore, learn and contribute at a level that is appropriate for the individual as well as the class. Assessment Attendance (10%) 5 MBS Course Outline 11-12 (Updated on September 9, 11) As experiential exercises form an important part of the course, students are expected to attend, at a minimum, 80% of the classes, i.e. 11 of the 13 classes. Book Review (30%) Each student is to submit through WebCT and Turnitin a book review consisting of 1,500 to 2,000 words on or before 11th March, 2012. Essay (60%) Each student is to submit through WebCT and Turnitin an essay consisting of 3,000 to 4,000 words, excluding footnotes, endnotes, bibliography and appendices, on or before 13th May, 2012. The list of essay topics is available on WebCT. Details of the marking scheme for the above assignments are available on WebCT. Reading list General Brach, T. (2004). Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha. New York: Bantam. *Brazier, C. (2003). Buddhist Psychology: Liberate Your Mind, Embrace Life. London: Constable & Robinson.