Schedule - Unit 1
All readings in this schedule should ideally be completed by the day under which they are listed, although this requirement is only assessed during TRAs and team mini-Application Exercises. All numbers in the schedule are page numbers unless otherwise noted.
CAUTION: I reserve the right to make revisions to these on-line materials prior to their discussion in class at the relevant point in the semester. Therefore WAIT until that time to print out materials you wish to have on hand, such as terms, excerpts and assignment guidelines.
Unit 1: Solitary Bhikshus & Early Buddhist India (5th BCE - 1th CE)
| Dates | Tasks | Readings |
|---|---|---|
| Tue, Feb 12 | Unit 1 intro: objectives, discussion, videos & demonstrations |
FIND TERMS & EXCERPTS from reading guide in primary sources:
FIND * TERMS from reading guide in these overviews:
VIEW/BROWSE for illustration of practices: |
Thu, Feb 14 |
orientation to readings OPTIONAL EXTRA CREDIT **Source Analysis** |
|
| Tue, Feb 19 | iTRA #1 (in SacCT) prep for Application Exercise #1a |
|
| Thu, Feb 21 | Application Exercise #1a (*PREPARATION PAGE REQUIRED* - use optional worksheet if helpful: |
REVIEW IN DEPTH:
PREPARE by addressing the following focus: THE SCENARIO: Your coworker Francine, a philosophy major who has told you that she meditates, finds out that you are taking this course. She seems interested in comparing notes on what she has learned, and says: "The thing that I get from what I've read is that Buddhism is a philosophy and a way of life, not a religion. In Asia people believe in all sorts of gods and supernatural forces, and so they treat the Buddha like a god. But the Buddha didn't believe in gods, and never expected anyone to treat him like one; he only wanted people to know themselves and to find their own truth." Based on the legend and sutra assigned for this application exercises, you think that Francine might be missing an important part of the picture. Although she seems fairly confident in her conclusions, you think she might be interested to hear about and read some concrete examples in the assigned sources, which report Shakyamuni not only interacting with divine beings and cosmic forces but also attributing to himself supernatural powers and even divine status. PREPARATION PAGE: Gather examples from the reading to plan for what you might tell Francine, given that your GOAL is to get her to consider evidence that Shakyamuni probably assumed the presencue of divine beings and supernatural forces. Draw TWO examples from DIFFERENT SECTIONS of EACH of the TWO sources (see sections listed in the reading guide) PLUS one example from the assigned pages EGBT, 3-6, 9-10 & 29 (FIVE examples TOTAL). For each example, be sure to identify
*MAKE SURE TO CITE PAGE NUMBER(S) FROM EACH SECTION OF YOUR SOURCES* |
| Tue, Feb 26 | Application Exercise #1b (*PREPARATION PAGE REQUIRED* - use optional worksheet if helpful:
|
REVIEW & FINISH:
PREPARE by addressing the following focus: THE SCENARIO: Your roommate Lia, who goes to yoga classes several times a week, hears that you are taking this course. She sits you down and seeks your advice: "I've been trying to meditate, but I can't do it. Whenever I sit down and close my eyes, my mind thinks about all sorts of things, and I can't seem to stop it." Although you feel neither qualified nor compelled to teach Buddhist meditation, you have read a some things in the two sutra sources assigned for this application exercises that might help Lia deal with her mind. In particular, you think she might benefit from understanding the difference between mindfulness, concentration and insight, and that she might like to know about some concrete practice(s) that inspire these different states of mind. PREPARATION PAGE: Gather examples from the reading to plan for what you might tell Lia, given that your GOAL is to get her to understand the difference between mindfulness, concentration and insight, and also the way that specific Buddhist practices inspire these. Draw TWO examples from DIFFERENT SECTIONS of EACH of the TWO sources (especially those highlighted in blue, but NOT underlined, in the reading guide) PLUS one example from EGBT, 12-16, 28-33 (FIVE examples TOTAL). For each example, be sure to identify
*MAKE SURE TO CITE PAGE NUMBER(S) FROM EACH SECTION OF YOUR SOURCES* |
| Thu, Feb 28 | Application Exercise #1c (*PREPARATION PAGE REQUIRED* - use optional worksheet if helpful: SUBMIT WORKSHEET |
REVIEW & FINISH:
PREPARE by addressing the following focus: THE SCENARIO: The next time you see her after your conversation about Buddha and the supernatural (see scenario for Application Exercise 1a above), Francine tells you: "I've been looking at the sources you described to me. I see what you mean that it's not only fantastic legends, but also the more realistic sounding first-person sutras that mention divine beings and the supernatural. But I still can't really picture that the Buddha asked to be treated as special. It seems like he would have wanted people to regard him as an ordinary human being." Based on your reading of the Great Discourse on the Total Unbinding for this assignment, you think that Francine has misunderstood another important aspect of ancient Buddhism. Based on her openness during the previous conversation, you think she will want to know about commonplace rituals of venerating wandering ascetics and their remains, which clearly inspired and influenced the words of the "Great Discourse." PREPARATION PAGE: Gather examples from the reading to plan for what you might tell Francine, given that your GOAL in this follow-up conversation is to get her to consider evidence that Shakyamuni most likely embraced rituals of venerating wandering ascetics such as himself, as well as their remains. Draw TWO examples from DIFFERENT SECTIONS of EACH of the TWO chapters 5 & 6 of the "Great Discourse," PLUS one example from the assigned pages EGBT, 22-24, 30-31, 33 (FIVE examples TOTAL). For each example, be sure to identify
*MAKE SURE TO CITE PAGE NUMBER(S) FROM EACH SECTION OF YOUR SOURCES* |