The Chinese University of Hong Kong Department of Cultural and Religious Studies

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1 The Chinese University of Hong Kong Department of Cultural and Religious Studies Hindu Visions of Divinity RELS5312 Spring Term MA Course Lecturer: Dr. Ithamar Theodor Lecture: Thursday 7:00-9:30 pm. Classroom: HYS Course Description According to the Hindu worldview, the divine manifests itself within nature and is accessible to human experience. As such, it is no surprise that Hinduism is famous for its immanent visions of divinity and for its rich mystical manifestations. The sacred Vedic Hymns are considered divine and non human; the Upanishads offer a mystical vision of all pervading spirituality; the divine appears in a concrete form named murti, or an image made of wood, stone or clay or other materials, and the divine is tasted through poetry. Considering all these mystical manifestations, it is no surprise that the 19 th c. Indian national movement adopted some of these symbols in divinizing the notion of the nation. The course will engage with these and other visions of divinity in the Hindu tradition. 2. Course Content Topic 1. The Sacred Sound Chanting the Supreme through the Vedic Hymns 2. Yoga climbing a ladder of consciousness 3. Brahman Realizing the Supreme as Impersonal 4. Supersoul The Lord in the Heart as the companion 5. Action attaining the Supreme through sublimation of action Content The meaning of the sacred sound; that which creates the world Attaining the state of Samadhi; the state beyond this world The Spiritualistic vision of the Upanishads The mystical Upanishadic vision of the Lord in the Heart Nishkama Karma; action without regards to the fruits 6. Bhakti encountering the Supreme through love and devotion Alvars, devotion and the Bhaktirasamrta Sindhu, Murti 7. Rasa Tasting the Supreme When Dramaturgy and Theology meet; the Natyashastra of Bharata and Vedanta

2 8. The Bhagavata Purana Encountering the Supreme in various ways 9. The Shankara school of Advaita Vedanta 10. The Ramanuja school of Vishishtadvaita Vedanta 11. The Madhva school of Dvaita Vedanta and the Caitanya school of Acintya-bhedabheda Vedanta 12. Ram Mohan Roy, Bankim Chandra Chatterji, Rabindranath Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi Avataras, devotees, Vaikuntha and Vrindavana in the Divine Purana Vivarta, Avidya, Maya and Adhyasa Sharira Sharirin Bhava the world as the Body of the Divine Taratamya, Bimba-Pratibimba and Lila. Brahman, Paramatman, Bhagavan and Rasa Neo Hinduism, Divinized patriotism, An Upanishadic Nation, India as a Yogic Nation 3. Learning Outcomes The purpose of this course is to invite students to consider questions of social, cultural, and personal identity and alterity through the lens of Indian traditions of philosophical, religious, and cultural reflection, action and representation. Having seriously engaged with the course students can expect to have: A basic acquaintance with social and cultural identity theory and Indian perspectives on identifiers such as gender and class, as well as perspectives on the nature of the self in transition through life-stages. A basic ability to think empathetically with Indian traditions of negotiating identity and difference as multifarious ways of being human. A basic competence in reading, listening, speaking and writing about the topics treated in the course. After completing this course, students will have achieved a basic understanding of ideas about the self and identity in Indian culture from an indigenous perspective, and an in-depth insight into the teachings on the self of one particular school of Indian thought. You will have had an opportunity to engage in some simple, practical selfrealization practices, and hopefully will have obtained some insights into your own self-understanding. You will also have learned how Western scholarship views this same material from a historical and critical point of view. 4. Learning Activities The course will consist of weekly lectures and discussion session, both for which attendance is required. There will be assigned readings each week, from which students will be expected to prepare questions for discussion. If time and scheduling allows, we will also have some film-viewing, also as the basis for discussions and possibly short writing assignments. 5. Assessment The class will meet for three periods each week, on Thursdays. The double period will be used for lectures and discussion, and the single period will be for discussion and presentations. Students are required to participate in both lectures and discussions.

3 There will be three (3) short writing assignments of circa 1500 words each, based on some of the readings (25% each = 75%); and students will give one oral presentation based on assigned readings and a short written report based on the presentation (together - 25%). More details on these assignments will be provided in due course of time. 6. Learning Resources Excerpts and articles from the following list will be assigned from week to week for reading. (Some entries are books, from which excerpts or articles will be drawn; some entries are articles. It s a rather long list, but not all students will be reading all the same selections; and we may also make use of other selections not included in this list). 7. Feedback for Evaluation Students will be encouraged to communicate their evaluations of the course, especially as this is part of a completely new development of Indian studies at CUHK. Details of how evaluations can be communicated will be given during the course. 8. Course Schedule (tentative) January 17 The Sacred Sound Chanting the Supreme through the Vedic Hymns January 24 Yoga climbing a ladder of consciousness January 31 February 7 February 21 February 28 Brahman Realizing the Supreme as Impersonal Supersoul The Lord in the Heart as the companion Action attaining the Supreme through sublimation of action Bhakti encountering the Supreme through love and devotion March 7 Rasa Tasting the Supreme March 14 The Bhagavata Purana Encountering the Supreme in various ways March 21 The Shankara school of Advaita Vedanta March 28 The Ramanuja school of Vishishtadvaita Vedanta April 11 The Madhva school of Dvaita Vedanta and The Caitanya school of Acintya-bhedabheda Vedanta April 18 Ram Mohan Roy, Bankim Chandra Chatterji, Rabindranath Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi 9. Lecturer s contact details Dr. Ithamar Theodor Office: Room 216, Leung Kau Kui Bldg. 2F,Central Campus. Telephone: theodor@cuhk.edu.hk

4 10. Course announcements We will have a Moodle-based internet site for our use to facilitate communication. Also, all students should feel free to meet with the instructor, Dr. Theodor, for any questions that may arise in relation to this course during the semester, or just for a chat about course topics. 11. Academic honesty and plagiarism Please read and be aware of the University s policy on academic honesty and plagiarism, available at this location: The general principle in academic work is that we happily give credit where credit is due, never claiming or implying that others ideas or writing are our own. 12. Field Trip - Temple Visit We will visit the Iskcon Hindu Temple in Tsim Sha Tsui on Saturday, March 9 th 10:00 pm- 1:00 am. Selected Bibliography Alter, J.S., Yoga in modern India: The Body Between Science and Philosophy, Princeton University Press, New Jersey, NA B132.Y6 A Gandhi s body: Sex, Diet, and the Politics of Nationalism, University of Pennsylvania Press, 2000). UL DS A Bankimcandra Chatterji, Anandamath or The Sacred Brotherhood ; translated with an introduction and Critical apparatus by Julius J. Lipner, Oxford University Press, New York, 2005: Electronic Resource available online. Belsey, Catherine Poststructuralism: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford & Hong Kong: Oxford University Press. (Especially Chapter 3, Difference and desire ). NA B841.4.B Bailey, G.M and Kesarcodi-Watson, I. (eds.), Bhakti Studies, Sterling Publishers, New Delhi, 1992 CC BL1214.B53B Bhaktivedanta Swami, Srimad Bhagavatam; First Canto Creation (Chapters 1-7), Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, Los Angeles, CC BL B4322E5 Brockington, J., The Bhagavadgita: Text and context, pp in: Lipner, J.J. (ed.), The Bhagavadgita for Our Times, Oxford University Press, New Delhi, , The Sacred Thread: Hinduism in its Continuity and Diversity, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, 2 nd ed Electronic Source. Bryant, E.F. (trs.), Krishna: The Beautiful Legend of God Srimad Bhagavata Purana Book X), Penguin Books, London, 2003.

5 Krishna in the Tenth Book of the Bh gavta Pur Ša, in Bryant, E. (ed.), Krsna A Sourcebook, OUP, New York, , The Quest for the Origins of Vedic Culture; The Indo Aryan Migration Debate, Oxford University Press, Oxford and New York, UL DS425.B Also available as an Electronic Source and Patton, L.L. (eds.), The Indo Aryan Controversy; Evidence and Inference in Indian History, Routledge, London and New York, UL DS Carman, J.B., Ramanuja, in Eliade, M. (ed.) Encyclopedia of Religion, vol. 12, Macmillan, N.Y CC BL31.E46 Carr, B. and Mahalingam, I. (eds.), Companion Encyclopedia of Asian Philosophy, Routledge, London and New York, NA B121.C Dandekar, R.N., Vedanta, in Eliade, M. (ed.) Encyclopedia of Religion, vol. 15, Macmillan, N.Y CC BL31.E46 Dasgupta, S., A History of Indian Philosophy, Vol. 1-5., Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1932 (Rep.) NA B131.D De Smet, R., Towards an Indian View of the Person, in Chatterjee, M., Contemporary Indian Philosophy, George Allen & Unwin LTD, London, Deutsch, E., Advaita Vedanta, University of Hawaii Press, East West Center Press, Hawaii, 1969 NA 132.V3D and Bontekoe, R. (eds), A Companion to World Philosophies, Blackwell, Cambridge, Mass., NA B121.C Dumont, L Homo Hierarchicus: The Caste System and its Implications. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. UL HT720 D UL HT720.D8 Eliade, M., Yoga: Immortality and Freedom (2nd ed.), Princeton University Press, New Jersey, NA B132.Y6 E Feuerstein, G., The Deeper Dimension of Yoga; theory and practice, Shambala, Boston, NA B132.Y6 F Flood, G., An Introduction to Hinduism, Cambridge University press, Cambridge, CC BL1202.F (ed.), The Blackwell Companion to Hinduism, Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, CC BL1202.B electronic resource. Fuller, C.J. The Camphor Flame: Popular Hinduism and Society in India. Princeton: Princeton University Press, CCBL 1150.F85

6 Hamilton, S., Indian Philosophy A Very short Introduction, Oxford University Press, New York, NA B131.H Hanson, V., R. Stewart, and S. Nicholson, eds Karma: Rhythmic Return to Harmony. Wheaton, Ill.: Quest Books. CC BP573.K3K Hawley, J.S., & Wulff, D.M, eds Devi: Goddesses of India. Berkeley: University of California Press. CC BL D electronic resource CC BL1202.F (ed.), The Blackwell Companion to Hinduism, Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, CC BL1202.B electronic resource. Fuller, C.J. The Camphor Flame: Popular Hinduism and Society in India. Princeton: Princeton University Press, CCBL 1150.F85 Hamilton, S., Indian Philosophy A Very short Introduction, Oxford University Press, New York, NA B131.H Hanson, V., R. Stewart, and S. Nicholson, eds Karma: Rhythmic Return to Harmony. Wheaton, Ill.: Quest Books. CC BP573.K3K Hawley, J.S., & Wulff, D.M, eds Devi: Goddesses of India. Berkeley: University of California Press. CC BL D electronic resource Hiriyanna, M., Essentials of Indian Philosophy, Motilal Banarsidas, Delhi, 1948 (rep. 1995). NA B131.H48. Haberman, D.L., Acting As A Way Of Salvation, Oxford University Press, New York, , Journey through the Twelve Forests; an Encounter with Krishna, Oxford University Press, New York, 1994, CC BL M37H Hardy, F., Viraha Bhakti, Oxford University Press, New Delhi CC BL 1220.H Hopkins, T.J., The Hindu Religious Tradition, Dickenson Publishing Company, Encino, , The Social Teaching of the Bh gavata Pur Ša, in Singer, M. (ed), Krishna: Myths, rites, and Attitudes, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago Kinsley, D. R., The Divine Player, Motilal Banarsidas, Delhi Klostermaier, K.K., A Survey of Hinduism, SUNY, Albany, 1994, (second edition). CC BL1202.K

7 , A Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Oneworld Publications, Oxford, CC Reference, BL1105.K Kulke, H., and Rothermund, D., A History of India, Routledge, London and New York, 3 rd edition, Lamb, Ramdas Rapt in the Name: The Ramnamis, Ramnam, and the Untouchable Religion in Central India. Albany: State University of New York Press. CC BL 1295.R36.L Lipner, J.J., The Face of Truth, State University of New York Press, Albany, CC BL R36.L , Hindus Their Religious Beliefs and Practices, Routledge, London and New York, CC BL 1202.L Matilal, B. K., The Perception of Self in Indian Tradition in: Ames, R.T., Dissanayake, W. and Kasulis, T.P. (eds.), Self as Person in Asian Theory and Practice, SUNY Press, Albany, NA B5015.S34S Lynch, O (ed.), Divine Passions; The Social Construction of Emotions in India, University of California Press, Berkely, Mauss, M., A category of the human mind: the notion of person; the notion of self in Carrithers, M., Collins, S. and Lukes, S. (eds), The Category of The Person, Cambridge University Press, New York, UL BF697.C288 Mittal, S. and Thursby, G. (eds.), The Hindu World, Routledge, New York, CC BL1202.H Olivelle, P., Upanisads, Oxford University Press, New York, 1996, Introduction: pp. XXIII-LXI , The Early Upanishads; annotated text and translation, Oxford University Press, New York, CC BL E Radhakrishnan, S. and Moore, C.A. (eds.), A Sourcebook in Indian Philosophy, Princeton University Press, New Jersey, 1957 (rep. 1989) Raju, P.T., The Concept of Man in Indian Thought, in Radhakrishnan, S. and Raju, P.T., (eds), The Concept of Man, George Allen & Unwin LTD, London, Rouner, L.S. (ed.), Selves, People and Persons; what does it mean to be a self?, University of Notre Dame Press, Notre Dame, IN, NA BD450.S Sarma, D., An Introduction to Madhva Vedanta, Ashgate, Aldershot, , Madhva Vedanta and Krsna, in Bryant, E. (ed.), Krsna A Sourcebook, OUP, New York, 2007.

8 Schweig, G.M., Dance of Divine Love, Princeton University Press, New Jersey, Sen, Amartya The Argumentative Indian, Class in India, & The Indian Identity. In The Argumentative Indian: Writings on Indian Culture, History and Identity. London: Penguin Books. UL DS423.S Sharma, A., The Hindu Gita - Ancient and Classical Interpretations of the Bhagavadgita, Open Court, Illiniois, Sharma, R.P., Human Personality in Ancient Indian Thought, Kanishka Publishers, New Delhi, Sheth, N., S.J., The Divinity of Krishna, Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers, New Delhi, Smith, C., Moral, Believing Animals Human Personhood and Culture, Oxford University Press, New York, 2003 NA BD450.S Witzel, M., Vedas and Upanishads, in Flood, G. (ed.), The Blackwell Companion to Hinduism, Blackwell Publishing, Cornwall, CC BL 1202.B electronic resource. Zaehner, R.C., Hinduism, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1962 (1988). CC BL.1202.Z