History of Buddhism in East Asia

Catalog description

This course traces the history of Buddhism from its origins in India to its introduction and subsequent growth in East Asia. How did the transmission of Buddhism through Central Asia influence its development? How did Buddhist doctrines and practices change as the religion became part of the social fabric in China, Korea, and Japan? What impact did it have on those countries? After spending a few weeks becoming familiar with the basic outlines of Buddhism in India, we will examine more closely the development of East Asian traditions of Buddhist thought and practice and the roles they played not only in the spiritual lives of people living in China, Korea, and Japan, but also in the political, diplomatic, material, artistic, and social arenas. The links tying the Buddhist traditions of all countries together will be emphasized, but we will also consider the significant differences they exhibited over time. Although a wide range of Buddhist concepts and doctrines will be introduced and discussed, students are not expected to have any prior knowledge either of Buddhism or East Asian history. This course is the same as