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HU Credits:
2
Degree/Cycle:
1st degree (Bachelor)
Responsible Department:
Comparative Religion
Semester:
1st Semester
Teaching Languages:
English
Campus:
Mt. Scopus
Course/Module Coordinator:
Ian MacCormack
Coordinator Office Hours:
Thursdays 1200-1400
Teaching Staff:
Dr. Ian James Mac Cormack
Course/Module description:
An introduction to religion in Tibetan history and culture, with an emphasis on Tibetan Buddhist traditions. No prior knowledge about Tibet or Buddhism is necessary.
As we explore some of the variety of forms of religious thought and practice, we will ask how religion shapes human life in Tibet — individually, socially, politically, and through literature and art. Our readings each week will combine primary sources (in English translation) with modern textual scholarship and ethnography. We will look at a broad spectrum of ideas and practices, drawn from texts and everyday life, and touching on topics like cosmogony, pilgrimage, female ordination, landscape, concepts of death and dying, sacred art and architecture, divination, yoga, esoteric and transgressive practices, reincarnation, and Buddhist politics.
Course/Module aims:
Learning outcomes - On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:
-Recall basic periodization of Tibetan history, especially regarding the introduction and assimilation of Buddhism
-Retain simple knowledge of major schools and sects of Tibetan Buddhist practice
-Gain familiarity with basic methods for the comparative study of religion
-Develop critical appreciation for the diversity of religious practice in Tibet as it pertains to different social roles, communities, eras, or stages of life
-Continue with more advanced studies of Buddhism or Tibetan cultural history
Attendance requirements(%):
100
Teaching arrangement and method of instruction:
Weekly meetings will combine short lectures with seminar-style conversation about our assigned readings.
Course/Module Content:
Week 1 Introduction to the class. Tibet and Tibetans. Language and geography
Week 2 Founding myths and Buddhist kings
Week 3 Guru Rinpoche. Nyingma. The Treasure Tradition
Week 4 Monastic society. Gelukpa. Debate and scholasticism
Week 5 Path teachings. Compassion and emptiness
Week 6 Milarepa. Kagyu. Enlightenment in this lifetime
Week 7 Buddhist women
Week 8 Body techniques. Tantric mastery
Week 9 Death and dying
Week 10 Divination, oracles, magic
Week 11 Astronomy, medicine, and other secular knowledges
Week 12 Pilgrimage and sacred geography
Week 13 Art and Architecture
Week 14 The Dalai Lamas. Buddhist politics.
Required Reading:
Students are expected to have completed the readings before our class meeting. Please come prepared to share your thoughts and raise questions. There will be around 50–75 pages of reading each week. Primary source texts are shorter, but they are sometimes more difficult and may have to be read twice.
All reading selections will be provided to you as PDF documents.
Additional Reading Material:
You are not required to purchase any books. However, if you are interested in continuing to learn about Tibetan Buddhism (or if you just prefer owning the books) here are a few that I would recommend for purchase, both because they are not too expensive, and because they are worth reading again:
-Lobsang Gyatso, Memoirs of a Tibetan Lama (tr. Gareth Sparham). Snow Lion, 1998 (ISBN 1559390972) (A wonderful memoir that paints a portrait of life as a monk in early 20th-century Lhasa)
-Tsangnyon Heruka, The Life of Milarepa (tr. Andrew Quintman). Penguin, 2010 (ISBN 9780143106227) (A classic tale of one of the most famous heroes in Tibetan history)
-The Tibetan Book of the Dead (tr. Gyurme Dorje). Penguin, 2005 (ISBN 9780143104940) (Maybe the most famous Tibetan Buddhist book in the western world)
-Patrul Rinpoche, The Words of My Perfect Teacher (tr. Padmakara Group). Shambhala, 2010 (ISBN 9780300165326) (We will only read a short section of this 19th-century classic, but it is a good introduction to Buddhist practice)
Course/Module evaluation:
End of year written/oral examination 0 %
Presentation 0 %
Participation in Tutorials 50 %
Project work 50 %
Assignments 0 %
Reports 0 %
Research project 0 %
Quizzes 0 %
Other 0 %
Additional information:
Students will be graded on the basis of their active participation in classroom discussions, and on two written assignments.
The first is assigned at the midpoint of the class and can be revised and resubmitted after it is graded (the results will be averaged).
The second is due at the end of the semester.
Both papers are 5-7 pages in length, double-spaced (~1500 words). Topics for the paper will be provided by the instructor or can be designed in consultation between student and instructor.
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