Introduction to Buddhism

Catalog description

As a religion named after the title of its ancient Indian founder, the "Buddha" or the “awakened one,” for over two millennia Buddhism has offer numerous paths to spiritual awakening for committed seekers while at the same time adapting itself to a variety of different cultures and addressing the local needs of ordinary people, from kings and emperors to merchants and peasants. Buddhism grew into a pan-Asian religious tradition, developing initially in India but spreading to Southeast Asia, to China, Korea, Japan, Tibet and most recently to the West. This course will be an introduction to the history, teachings and practices of Buddhism with an emphasis on its development in South Asia, its original homeland, but with attention as well as to selected developments in other cultural contexts in Asia and the West. Attention will be given to Buddhist meditation in its various forms, both ancient and modern.