Buddhism is often presented in the West as a meditation or monastic tradition, but for most Asians it has been an everyday matter of imagination, psychology, philosophy, and storytelling. The input of such information into the contemporary USA has been substantial but often Buddhism still seems a bit remote. Yet in a globalized world it shouldn’t seem exotic any more. “Buddhism” historically has been a very broad and varied set of traditions that reached across many regions of Asia for 2500 years and at the present time is evolving transnationally. The goal of this course is to open up some basic themes: the fundamental stories of Shakyamuni and the Pure Land, the core psychological issues, the chief lines of Buddhist literature, the major streams called Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana, the classical geographies, and the impacts of modernization and nontraditional Western interpretation. This class is not academic, but aims to be serious in a general-interest way (let’s call it the “NPR level”) and to complement other approaches. Audio-visual information and conversational exchange are emphasized. Many in our community surely have their own rich experiences of study and travel to share. Galen Amstutz holds a Ph.D. in religious studies from Princeton University, has taught at universities in the United States, Germany, and Japan, and worked for a number of years as a coordinator for Japanese studies at Harvard University. He is qualified as a representative of the largest traditional Buddhist organization in Japan.
Tuesday - Beginning 4/23 - 4 sessions
