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840:211 RELIGIONS OF THE EASTERN WORLD 

Tomoko Sugahara, Chün-fang Yü, Chia -ju Chang

Instructors: Professors Tomoko Sugahara (Sec. 1), Edwin Bryant (Sec. 2),

Chün-fang Yü (Sec. 3), and Chia -ju Chang (Sec. 4)

Course Description

This course introduces students to the major living religious traditions of Asia, originating in India, China, Korea and Japan. We will study the beliefs and practices of Hindus, Buddhists, Confucians, Taoists, as well as the followers of Shinto and other folk religions. We are interested in discovering how the sacred is depicted in their scriptures, and in comparing the diverse ways and methods through which humankind can achieve self-transformation. Our discussion of these religious traditions proceed chronologically, for it is only through a historical analysis of these religions can we realize how and why they evolved over time. No religion ever exists in a vacuum or stays the same. Different historical, social, and cultural forces played a role in the rise and development of different religions, which then influenced these forces in return. In tracing this dialectical relationship, we want to pay equal attention to the philosophical foundations of the religious traditions as well as their social functions and manifestations.

Required Texts

World Religions: Eastern Traditions. Edited by Willard G. Oxtoby (Oxford, 1996), abbreviated as WR, available at both Douglass Student Co-op and Rutgers University Bookstores.

Readings in Eastern Religions. Edited by Harold Coward, Eva Dargyay and Ronald Neufeldt (Wilfrid Laurier, 1992), abbreviated as RER, available at both Douglass Student Co-op and Rutgers University Bookstores.

A course packet, abbreviated as R, available only at Rutgers University Bookstore.
 
 

Recommended Texts On Reserve at Alexander Library

Author Title

1. Lau, D.C. The Analects

3. Sax, W.S.,ed The Gods at Play, Lila in Southeast Asia

4. Yao, X. An Introduction to Confucianism

5. Lopez, D. Asian Religions in Practice

6. Ramanujan, A. K. Speaking of Siva

7. Miller, B. S. Yoga: Discipline of Freedom

8. Miller, B. S. The Bhagavad-Gita

9. Mair, V. Wandering on the Way: Early Taoist Tales and Parables of Chuang Tzu 10. Mair, V. The Tao Te Ching

11. Rahula, W. What the Buddha Taught

12. Blacker, C. The Catalpa Bow

13. Fingarette, H. Confucius: The Secular as Sacred

14. Eck, D. Darsan

15. Waley, A. Three Ways of Thought in Ancient China

16. Suzuki, S. Zen Mind, Beginners Mind

17. Welch, H. The Parting of the Way

18. Hanh, T. N. The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching

19. Sekida, K. Two Zen Classics Mumonkan and Hekigamroku

20. Kitagawa, J. Religious Traditions of Asia

Course Requirements

1. Three In-class Quizzes (30% of the final grade): a 20-25 minutes quiz consisting of short-answer definitions of key terms and figures will be given during individual section meetings. They test your mastery of basic knowledge from the readings and lectures.

2. Two Short Papers (20% of the final grade) and three even shorter Response Papers (10% of the final grade): You are expected to write two short papers (about 3-4 pages) comparing either beliefs and practices within the same religious tradition (for instance, between Vedic religion and devotional Hinduism, or between Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism), or between two different religious traditions (for instance, between Confucianism and Taoism, or between Zen and Pure Land Buddhism). One of the even shorter response papers (1 page) has to be on the 9/20 lecture and the other two can be on any of the other lectures organized by the Religion Department for this semester. They are:

9/20, 7:30 P.M. Busch Student Center. Professor Anthony C. Yu of the University of Chicago: "China and the Problem of Human Rights"

(lectures continued)

10/15, 4:30 P.M. Trayes Hall, DC. Dr. and Reverend Yifa of Fo-kuang-shan (Buddha Light) Monastery, Taiwan: "Buddhist Women in Contemporary Taiwan"10/16, 4:30 P.M. 162 Ryders Lane (Women’s Studies). Ms. Madhu Kishwar

Editor of the Indian feminist journal Manushi "Female Moral Exemplars in the Hindu Tradition"

3. Final Exam (30% of the final grade): It is cumulative and consists of a combination of short-answer questions (like the quizzes) but also essay questions which require you to compare and contrast different traditions within the same religion or different religions (like the short papers).

4. Class Attendance and Participation (10% of the final grade). You are expected to attend every class meeting. You will be held responsible for material covered in lectures, much of which go beyond required readings. The lectures and discussions will also provide the necessary background and transitions between the various religious traditions. Your participation in class discussion will show how well you have understood the readings and where clarification is necessary. It is therefore essential to keep up with the reading assignments.

Policies

Unless you have valid proof, in case of illness, provided by a physician or a letter from your dean in case of family or other emergencies, NO make-up for missed quizzes or final exam will be given. The same goes for the short term papers and response papers: Late papers will be penalized half a grade per week and no paper will be accepted after ten days of their due date unless this lateness is caused by documented medical crisis or other emergencies. Any permissible make-up must be arranged with the individual instructor of your section.

Grading System: A=100-90, B+=89-87, B=86-80,C+=79-77, C=76-70, D=69-65, F=64 and below. Incompletes, i.e. "T" grades, ordinarily will not be given.

Topics of the Weekly Lectures and Reading Assignments from "Required Reading"

(Additional assignments may be given during lectures).

1. 9/6 Origins of the Hindu Tradition

WR 13-29; RER 9-28

2. 9/13 Upanishad and the Way of Knowledge

WR 29-34; RER 28-52

3. 9/20 Guest Lecture: Professor Anthony Yu, "The Uses of Literature in the

Study of Religion: The Case of Journal to the West" Short response paper on his evening lecture: "China and the Problem of Human Rights" (due 9/24 or 25)

4. 9/27 The Gita and Classical Hinduism

WR 35-63, 80-114; RER 52-103

R 2-8

5. 10/4 Devotional Hinduism

WR 63-75, 117-128

R 10-12

6. 10/11 Jainism and Early Buddhism

WR 135-172; 215-266; RER 109-117, 121-159

Quiz 1 given in section meetings (10/8 or 10/10)

7. 10/18 Mahayana Buddhism

WR 266-276; RER 159-230

First term paper due on 10/15 or 10/17

8. 10/25 Tibetan Buddhism and the 14^th Dalai Lama

WR 276-283

9. 11/01 Ancient Chinese Religion and Classical Confucianism

WR 347-375, 387-407; RER 249-277

10. 11/8 Taoism

WR 418-446; RER 281-292

R 14-25

Quiz 2 given in sectional meetings (11/5 or 11/7)
 
 

11. 11/15 Buddhism and Neo-Confucianism in East Asia

WR 284-294, 305-320, 407-418, 444-447

R 26-30; 52-62

12. 11/20 (Please note: This is Tuesday) Zen Buddhism by guest lecturer Professor

Kurt Spellmeyer

WR 294-299

R 36-47

2^nd Term Paper due on 11/19 or 11/21

13. 11/29 Pure Land Buddhism

WR 299-305

R 31-36; 48-52

14. 12/06 Shinto and Japanese Religions

WR 375-387; 450-461; RER 309-345, 349-357

Quiz 3 given in sectional meetings (12/03 or 12/05)

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This page was revised 1 July 2001