Studies in Chinese Buddhism (DRAFT COURSE OUTLINE, CONTENT SUBJECT to MODIFICATION) CUHK, 2020-21 Academic Year Term 1 (Fall 2020)

Studies in Chinese Buddhism (DRAFT COURSE OUTLINE, CONTENT SUBJECT TO MODIFICATION) CUHK, 2020-21 Academic Year Term 1 (Fall 2020)

Instructor: Douglas M. Gildow Class Location: Intially online, but when conditions allow, then in Wu Ho Man Yuen Building (WMY), Room 507 (Thursdays)

Course Code RELS 5118

Course Title Studies in Chinese Buddhism 中國佛教研究

Course Description This course introduces the main currents of Mahāyāna Buddhist thought. Traditions will generally be presented in the order of their historical development. The focus will be on Mahāyāna thought in India and China, sometimes with the aim of understanding how Chinese Buddhists understood ideas from India, but when relevant other Buddhist traditions (such as Tibetan and Japanese) will be discussed. This course’s aims are thus both broader and narrower than a general introduction to Chinese Buddhism: non-Chinese traditions will be studied (thereby helping students to discern which features of Chinese Buddhism are distinct from other traditions), and yet non-doctrinal aspects of Buddhism (ritual practice, social history, etc.) will not be closely examined. Students will learn Mahāyāna Buddhist thought through reading both recent scholarship and primary texts, with an emphasis on the former. After having completed this course, students will be able to describe the main traditions of Mahāyāna Buddhism and the debates about its interpretation. We will also critically assess Buddhist teachings, judging whether or not their arguments are valid, and reflecting on their relevance to contemporary intellectual and spiritual life. 本課程介紹大乘佛教思想的主要流派，按照各傳統的歷史發展順序來呈現。重點在于介紹印度和中國的大乘佛教思想，認識中國佛教徒是如何理解印度傳來的佛教思想，也會涉及相關的其他佛教傳統，例如藏傳佛教和日本佛教。因此本課程的目標不僅在於中國佛教的概況介紹，會拓寬介紹中國佛教以外的佛教傳統，幫助學生了解中國佛教與其他佛教傳承的不同；同時，非教理方面的問題（儀式，社會歷史等）將不會深入研究。學生將通過重點閱讀近期的學術研究與經典原文來學習大乘佛教思想。通過課程，學生應能論述大乘佛教的主要思想，及學界對其詮釋的爭論。我們也將批判性地評論佛教教義，以及討論其论点是否有所根據，與當代思想和精神生活的關聯。

Course Syllabus I. Introduction 1. Course Introduction 2. Buddhist Scriptures

3. Historical Origins of Mahāyāna Buddhism II. Buddhist Thought, India-Centered 1. Perfection of Wisdom Scriptures 2. Mādhyamika Thought 3. Yogācāra Thought 4. Tathāgatagarbha Thought III. Buddhist Thought, China-Centered 1. Chinese Buddhist Schools and Historical Phases 2. Huayan Sutra Traditions 3. Lotus Sutra Traditions 4. Modern Doctrines and Debates 5. TBD

Learning Outcomes 1) Knowledge To enable students to obtain a broad knowledge of Buddhist Studies as a discipline and a more specialized knowledge in a particular topic, in this case Mahāyāna Buddhist thought, particularly in India and China. 2) Skills To help the students develop research skills in general and Buddhist Studies in particular. This includes critical reading and academic writing skills, as wells as facility in finding relevant scholarship and in using research tools. 3) Attitude To develop a historically rooted, reflective, and empathetic yet critical attitude in understanding Buddhism.

Assessment Scheme Active participation: 20% Weekly reading responses: 20% (10 responses, 2 points each) Formal paper(s): 60% Three response papers (20% each), OR One longer term paper (60%)

Course Requirements Students will be required to complete the following: 1) Active participation (i.e., regular reading and discussion). Complete the required readings, and participate in class discussion each week. A note on attendance: you will not gain any points simply for attending class. You are expected to attend each class. But you will lose five points from your final grade for each unexcused absence beyond three. Excused absences include documented medical emergencies, attending a funeral, etc. Therefore, you also do not need to give me the reasons for your absences if you have three or fewer absences. 2) Response papers. Each student will write a brief reading response to a required reading of his or her choice during weeks two through eleven. Response papers include two elements: (1) a listing of three things you have learned from the reading, and (2) one or two questions about the reading, or directly inspired by the reading, which you think would be interesting for class discussion. When more than one reading is required, you

may choose which assignment to do for your response. In such cases, please label your response with a clarifying title, such as “Williams 2008, Chapter 4, Response.” Response papers are due by 6am the day of class. Submit your response directly into the Blackboard text editor and not as a file attachment. The purpose of the response is to ensure that you think about what we are reading ahead of time and come to class prepared for discussion. If your response paper is incomplete (i.e., listing less than three things you learned, or lacking a question), or if it is late (but still submitted prior to the start of class), you will get half credit for it. Response papers submitted after the start of class receive no credit. You are expected to read over your classmates’ responses prior to the beginning of class; you may also refer to them in your response, but you are not obligated to do so. 3) Three formal response papers, OR one term paper. Each student will be able to choose which option to complete: Option one: Three response papers, i.e., formal essays (1000-2000 words) which respond to a question I will give you. Two will be due during the semester and one will be due by 7pm on December 10. Option two: One term paper, on a research topic related to Mahāyāna Buddhism (4000-6000 words total), due by 7pm on December 10. More guidelines on the weekly reading responses, formal response papers, and term paper will be provided during class.

Class Format and Contingencies This course will initially be held online, but as soon as conditions allow, it will be held in the classroom. Regardless of where the class is held, the class content and modes of assessment will be the same.

A Note on Language The primary medium of instruction for this course will be English. Most required readings are also in English. However, Mandarin Chinese will be a secondary class language. Some readings, particularly primary source materials, will be in Chinese. Some class discussion may be conducted in Mandarin, especially if initiated by students. In addition, course assignments may be written in standard, modern, Mandarin Chinese.

Office Hours I am usually available to meet in my office on Fridays between 3pm and 5pm. But you need to make an appointment with me at least twenty-four hours in advance. Some weeks I may be fully booked, and some weeks I might be away from my office at that time. Meetings immediately before class (or briefly after class) are also possible.

Feedback for Evaluation An end-of-term university course evaluation will be conducted in class. Student comments and feedback on the course through e-mails or personal meeting with the instructor are always welcome.

Required Readings and Purchases

Most of the required readings will be provided as pdf documents or are accessible online. Some of the recommended readings will also be provided, too. In addition, students should acquire the following book. • Williams, Paul. 2009. Mahāyāna Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations. 2nd ed. New York: Routledge. Please acquire this book by week two.

Class Schedule

Week 1 (10 Sept.): Course Introduction No required readings.

Recommended Reading • Gethin, Rupert. 1998. Foundations of Buddhism. Chinese translation available but out of print: 佛教基本通, trans. Lai Longyan 賴隆彥. • Shengyan (Ven.). 2007. Orthodox Chinese Buddhism: A Contemporary Chan Master's Answers to Common Questions. Annotated translation of Zhengxin de fojiao 正信的佛教. Translated by Douglas M. Gildow. Berkeley: North Atlantic Books. Also usually available online—in both English and Chinese versions—search around if interested. • Brown, Peter C., Henry L. Roediger, and Mark A. McDaniel. 2014. Make it Stick: The Science of Successful Learning, pp. 23-45 (chapter 2, “To learn, retrieve”).

Week 2 (17 Sept.): Buddhist Scriptures • Selections from the Shorter Chinese Saṃyukta Āgama. Read the introduction to this collection here: http://buddhistinformatics.chibs.edu.tw/BZA/ Then read the English translations of the following sutras: bza001 through bza010 (i.e., the first ten sutras in this collection), available here: http://buddhistinformatics.chibs.edu.tw/BZA/bzaComCatWeb.html Also feel free to read through the ancient Chinese versions of these scriptures, which are provided along with the English (and Pali) versions. • T262, Lotus Sutra 妙法蓮華經, chapters 1 and 2.

Questions: Based on your readings of the early Buddhist scriptures, what seems to be the goal of Buddhism, and how is that goal supposed to be reached? (How) do the goals and methods of Buddhism differ between the Āgama sutras and the Lotus Sutra? How does the Buddha himself, as presented, differ in these two kinds of sutras?

Recommended readings • Strong, John S. 2015. Buddhisms, pp. 135-159 (chapter 5, “The Four Truths”). • Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta: Setting the Wheel of Dhamma in Motion (the first sutta ever delivered, according to Theravāda Buddhism): http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn56/sn56.011.than.html

Week 3 (24 Sept.): Introduction to Mahāyāna Buddhism • Williams, Paul. 2009. Mahāyāna Buddhism. Chapter 1, “Introduction” (pp. 1-44).

Recommended reading • Schopen, Gregory. 2005. “The Mahāyāna and the Middle Period in Indian Buddhism: Through a Chinese Looking Glass.” In Figments and Fragments of Mahāyāna Buddhism, pp. 3-24. • Yinshun 印順. 初期大乘佛教之起源與開展. Available online: https://cbetaonline.dila.edu.tw/zh/Y0035_001

Questions: How do different ideas about the origin of Mahāyāna scriptures change how the content of the scriptures is interpreted? Which of the various “origin stories” of the Mahāyāna do you think is most plausible?

(1 October: Holiday. Have a good break!)

Week 4 (8 Oct.): The Perfection of Wisdom Sutras • Williams, Paul. 2009. Mahāyāna Buddhism. Chapter 2, “The Perfection of Wisdom Sutras” (pp. 45-62). • T235, Diamond Sutra 金剛般若波羅蜜經.

Recommended readings • T224, 道行般若經, Selection. Chapter 1 and 3 partially correspond to the Salomon reading, below. • Salomon_Richard_2018_Buddhist Literature of Ancient Gandhāra, Selection on Mahāyāna. This selection translates an ancient Gāndhārī manuscript, estimated (based on radiocarbon dating) to have been composed between 47 CE and 147 CE, of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines Sutra, which corresponds to the 道行般若經.

Question: How does Williams’s interpretation of the Perfection of Wisdom sutras match up with your own reading of the Diamond Sutra? Are they in agreement, or are there differences?

Week 5 (15 Oct.): Mādhyamika Teachings (w/ possible guest lecturer today) • Williams, Paul. 2009. Mahāyāna Buddhism. Chapter 3, “Mādhyamika” (pp. 63-83). • T1546, Selection (Zhonglun 中論, scroll #1).

Recommended readings • Hays, Richard. 2019. “Madhyamaka.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Available online: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/madhyamaka/ • Robinson, Richard H. “Did Nāgārjuna Really Refute All Philosophical Views?” Philosophy East and West 22.3 (1972): 325-31.

Questions: Was Nāgārjuna’s philosophy correct? Or, which of his claims were right, and which were wrong? Or: did he really make any claims? Does his claim to have no thesis constitute a claim? What would it take to decide whether or not Nāgārjuna was right?

Week 6 (22 Oct.): Yogācāra • Williams, Paul. 2009. Mahāyāna Buddhism. Chapter 4, “Yogācāra” (pp. 84-102). • Selection, Yogācāra sutra or treatise (in Chinese), TBD.

Recommended readings • Gold, Jonathan C. 2015. “Vasubandu.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/vasubandhu/#toc • Tzohar, Roy. 2018. A Yogācāra Buddhist Theory of Metaphor. New York: Oxford University Press. • Lai, Whalen. 1977. “The Meaning of “Mind-Only” (Wei-Hsin): An Analysis of a Sinitic Mahāyāna Phenomenon.” Philosophy East and West 27 (1): 65-83.

Questions: Ultimately, are Mādhyamika and Yogācāra really different? If they are different: is either school correct, and if so, how could this be decided?

Week 7 (29 Oct.): The Tathāgatagarbha • Williams, Paul. 2009. Mahāyāna Buddhism. Chapter 5, “The Tathāgatagarbha” (pp. 103- 128). • Grosnick, William H. (trans). 1995. “The Tathāgatagarbha Sutra.” In Buddhism in Practice, edited by Donald S. Lopez, 92-106. Princeton: Princeton University Press. (Optional: read the appended Chinese text of this sutra).

Recommended readings • Zimmerman, Michael. 2002. A Buddha Within: The Tathāgatagarbhasutra. • Radich, Michael Radich. 2015. The Mahāparinirvāṇa-mahāsūtra and the Emergence of Tathāgatagarbha Doctrine. • Hubbard, Jamie and Paul L. Swanson. 1997. Pruning the Bodhi Tree: The Storm Over Critical Buddhism. Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi Press. • Lai, Whalen. 1982. “Sinitic Speculations on Buddha-Nature: The Nirvāṇa School (420- 589).” Philosophy East and West 32 (2): 135-149.

Questions: How is Tathāgatagarbha related to Yogācāra? Why do some Buddhists say that Tathāgatagarbha is not Buddhist? Are they right?

Week 8 (5 Nov.): Ways of Parsing Chinese Buddhism: Schools and Historical Phases • Teiser, Stephen F. 2005. “Buddhism, Buddhism in China.” In Encyclopedia of Religion, edited by Lindsay Jones. 2nd ed., 1160-1169. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. • Yang Renshan 楊仁山 (1837-1911)：「十宗略說」 (1896?) • Tang Yongtong 湯用彤 (1893-1964)：「論中國佛教無十宗」(1962)

Recommended readings • Weinstein, Stanley. 1987. “Buddhism, Schools of: Chinese Buddhism.” In Encyclopedia of Religion, edited by Mircea Eliade, 2: 482-487. New York: Macmillan. • Taixu 太虚. 1922. “佛教各宗派源流.” [Source and Diffusion of Each Buddhist School]. Formulates a Chinese “eight school” system which has since become popular.

Questions: What, in Chinese Buddhism, is a “school”? What are the various Chinese terms for “school,” and how do they differ from one another? What are the advantages of using a “school” model to understand Chinese Buddhism, and what are the disadvantages? What do you think of Tang’s argument that there are not really ten schools in Chinese Buddhism? And, how do these various schools of Chinese Buddhism seem to relate to the systems of Buddhist schools of thought in India?

Week 9 (12 Nov.): The Huayan Tradition • Williams, Paul. 2009. Mahāyāna Buddhism. Chapter 6, “Huayan” (pp. 129-148). • Selection, Huayan sutra or Huayan-school treatise.

Recommended readings • Liu, Ming-Wood. 1988. “The ‘Lotus Sūtra’ and ‘Garland Sūtra’ According to the T’ien- t’ai and Hua-Yen Schools in Chinese Buddhism.” T’oung Pao 74 (1/3): 47-80. • Gregory, Peter. 2002. Tsung-Mi and the Sinification of Buddhism. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.

Question: How does the Huayan tradition of Buddhism relate to the earlier Indian-based traditions (Mādhyamika, Yogācāra, Tathāgatagarbha) that we have studied previously?

Week 10 (19 Nov.): The Lotus Sutra Tradition • Williams, Paul. 2009. Mahāyāna Buddhism. Chapter 7, “The Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sutra and its influences” (pp. 149-171). • Selection, Lotus Sutra or Tiantai treatise.

Recommended readings • Teiser, Stephen F. and Jacqueline Ilyse Stone. 2009. Readings of the Lotus Sutra. New York: Columbia University Press. • Swanson, Paul L. 1989. Foundations of T’ien-t’ai Philosophy: The Flowering of the Two Truths Theory in Chinese Buddhism. Berkeley, CA: Asian Humanities Press.

Question: How does the Tiantai tradition of Buddhism relate to the earlier Indian-based traditions (Mādhyamika, Yogācāra, Tathāgatagarbha) which we have studied previously? How does it relate to the Huayan tradition? Why, in the Lotus Sutra, does the Buddha recommend burning one’s body or parts of one’s body as an offering?

Week 11 (26 Nov.): Modern Chinese Buddhist Doctrines and Debates • Taixu 太虛. Selection, Taixu Quanshu 太虛全書, excerpt on doctrinal classification. Perhaps read this one: “我怎樣判攝一切佛法” (1940). • Yinshun 印順. Selection, Chengfo zhi dao 成佛之道, excerpt on doctrinal classification. • Chu, William. 2006. “Taixu and Yinshun’s Doctrinal Clash.” From “A Buddha-Shaped Hole” (unpublished PhD dissertation), pp. 238-256.

Recommended readings • Chu, William P. 2006. “A Buddha-Shaped Hole: Yinshun’s (1906--2005) Critical Buddhology and the Theological Crisis in Modern Chinese Buddhism.” PhD diss., University of California, Los Angeles. • Gregory, Peter N. 1995. Inquiry into the Origin of Humanity: An Annotated Translation of Tsung-Mi’s Yüan Jen Lun, with a Modern Commentary. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. A clear exposition of an influential, premodern system of doctrinal classification, which resembles Taixu’s system.

Questions: What are the similarities and differences between Taixu’s and Yinshun’s (1) systems and (2) approaches to doctrinal classification? Which approach do you see as “winning” in modern Chinese Buddhism today? Why?

Week 12 (3 Dec.): To Be Decided • Most likely: student presentations of term papers and response papers.

Contact Details of Teacher Professor/Lecturer/Instructor: Professor Name: Prof. Douglas Gildow Office Location: Room 312, 3/F, Leung Kau Kui Building Telephone: 3943-4390 Email: [email protected]

Academic honesty and plagiarism The Chinese University of Hong Kong places very high importance on honesty in academic work submitted by students, and adopts a policy of zero tolerance on cheating and plagiarism. Any related offence will lead to disciplinary action including termination of studies at the University. Attention is drawn to University policy and regulations on honesty in academic work, and to the disciplinary guidelines and procedures applicable to breaches of such policy and regulations. Details may be found at http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/policy/academichonesty/.

With each assignment, students will be required to submit a signed declaration that they are aware of these policies, regulations, guidelines and procedures. For group projects, all students of the same group should be asked to sign the declaration. For assignments in the form of a computer-generated document that is principally text- based and submitted via VeriGuide, the statement, in the form of a receipt, will be issued by the system upon students’ uploading of the soft copy of the assignment. Assignments without the receipt will not be graded by teachers. Only the final version of the assignment should be submitted via VeriGuide: https://veriguide2.cse.cuhk.edu.hk/cuhk/

Grade Descriptor A Outstanding performance on all learning outcomes. A- Generally outstanding performance on all (or almost all) learning outcomes. B Substantial performance on all learning outcomes, OR high performance on some learning outcomes which compensates for less satisfactory performance on others, resulting in overall substantial performance. C Satisfactory performance on the majority of learning outcomes, possibly with a few weaknesses. D Barely satisfactory performance on a number of learning outcomes F Unsatisfactory performance on a number of learning outcomes, OR failure to meet specified assessment requirements.