PHL312 Asian Thought. Instructor: Richard W. Anderson

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1 NOTE to prospective students: This syllabus is intended to provide students who are considering taking this course an idea of what they will be learning. A more detailed syllabus will be available on the course Blackboard site for enrolled students and may be more current than this sample syllabus. PHL312 Asian Thought Instructor: Richard W. Anderson andersri@onid.orst.edu andersri27@frontier.com REQUIRED TEXTS: Swami Prabhavananda & Christopher Isherwood, trans., Shankara s Crest-Jewel of Discrimination (Viveka-Chudamani) D.C. Lau, trans., Mencius Victor H. Mair, trans., Wandering on the Way: Early Taoist Tales and Parables of Chuang Tzu Mu Soeng, trans., The Diamond Sutra: Transforming the Way We Perceive the World For textbook accuracy, please always check the textbook list at the OSU Bookstore website ( Sample syllabi may not have the most up-to-date information. Course Catalog: PHL 312. ASIAN THOUGHT (4). Familiarizes students with key figures in the history of Asian religious ideas and philosophy. While the emphasis will be on the philosophical traditions of Asia, it will quickly become apparent that philosophy and religion are not so easily distinguishable in many Asian traditions. Areas of thought studied will include Hindu, Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist. (NC) (Bacc Core Course) Baccalaureate Core Course Attributes: Core, Pers, Cult Diversity, Liberal Arest Non- Western Core This course combines approximately 120 hours of instruction, online activities, and assignments for 4 credits. COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course will consist of a close reading of four classic texts from South and East Asia that each discusses a particular way of viewing reality, the good society, and/or the making of a good moral/ethical person. We will begin with a text by the 8 th century C.E. Indian philosopher Shankara which presents a classic statement of advaita vedanta (i.e., non-dualist worldview monism). We will then read the classic Confucian text that is named after the author Mencius. This text was written

2 about 2300 years ago and presents an ideal for human behavior and the creation of a good society that has had a tremendous impact on all of East Asia. We will then move on to a Chinese text that was fundamental in the development of Chan/Zen Buddhist thought the Daoist classic written by Chuang Tzu about 2300 years ago. In this text (Wandering on the Way) we will encounter the term/concept of Dao (the Way) which is of fundamental importance in East Asian thought, and the ideal of non-action (wu-wei) as the proper way to interact with others and nature. And finally, we will investigate one of the seminal texts of the Mahayana (particularly Chan/Zen) Buddhist tradition entitled The Diamond Sutra and grapple with its presentation of the concepts of emptiness (sunyata) and interdependent arising (pratitya samutpada). At the end of this course you should have a very good grasp of some of the basic terminology and concepts of Asian thought, be able to compare and contrast the different ideas/ideals with each other, and have a clearer understanding of what makes Asian thought different, in some respects, from a more Western worldview. LEARNING OUTCOMES: Reading and discussing four classic Asian religious/ philosophical texts [Hindu, Confucian, Daoist, Buddhist] students will gain an understanding of different ways of constructing/viewing reality. These different realities will include goals (eschatology) and paths to the goals (soteriology) that will often challenge their perceived notions (especially monotheistic ones) of the purpose and meaning of life. Students will be exposed to, and participate in, criticisms that are leveled by one tradition against another and thereby gain a deeper understanding of the limits of each tradition -- and will also discover many similarities these traditions often share in answering our most basic questions of being and knowing. This course meets the Cultural Diversity Bacc Core requirement. The Cultural Diversity learning outcomes are: 1. Identify and analyze characteristics of a cultural tradition outside of European or American culture. 2. Demonstrate an understanding of how perspectives can change depending on cultural or historical contexts. 3. Describe aspects of Non-Western culture that influence or contribute to global cultural, scientific, or social processes. COURSE MECHANICS: We will be reading four classic texts in this course and our discussions and papers will focus completely on these texts. The course will therefore be divided into four equal sections each 2 ½ weeks in length. Part I of each section/text will consist of readings from the internet, my Notes/Comments, and introductions to our translations. During this first week (or half a week) for each text we will hopefully come to a fuller understanding of new terms/concepts in the tradition under study, and lay the groundwork for a better understanding of the text itself. Use the Discussion Board (DB) during this first week (or half) not only to discuss the terms/concepts, but also to raise questions about concepts that you do not understand. This material will not be something that you can read once and understand so do not get frustrated if you do not grasp everything on a first reading. Part II (either one week or a week and a half in length) will be an in-depth reading/discussion of the text itself. Again let s use the DB as a forum for not only discussing the content of the text but to raise questions about meaning and interpretation. Do not ever be afraid to say: I don t understand what is going on!!

3 PAPERS: You will write three short papers (6-8 pages) on the four assigned texts, i.e., there will be one text (your choice) on which you do not have to write a paper. The specific topic(s) of each paper will be for you to write a summary, in clear concise English, of the main ideas (worldview) of the text citing examples from the text to support your statements. Do NOT cite long passages from the text in your paper to illustrate your ideas, but instead give a reference (either page numbers or story numbers) so that I can look up the reference you are citing. Each paper will be worth 25% of your final grade (total 75%). The papers must be typed (12 point font) and double-spaced and submitted through Blackboard. There will be a tutorial after the first text that will walk you through the submission process if you have never done this before. If you have problems please contact me. It should be clear from the above that you do not have to do outside reading to write these papers. I want you to interact with our text read it carefully think about it discuss it and then tell me what the writer of this text is trying to tell us. If you are not happy with the grade you receive on a paper you may rewrite and resubmit the paper once. Rewritten papers are due three days after the original is returned to you. Late papers will be penalized one full grade. DISCUSSION BOARD (DB): This class is intended to be a shared community of scholars who interact with each other in the exchange of ideas, and so the Discussion Board will be an integral part of this course. You will have to post original comments and respond to comments made by me, or your fellow students on the DB. During the first week of discussion of each text you must post a minimum of four (4) comments on the DB and during the final week and a half you must post a minimum of six (6) comments on the DB, i.e., a minimum of ten (10) comments per text. Comments posted on the last day of discussion a few hours before the deadline will not receive full credit. The DB will constitute 25% of your final grade. As stated above, use the DB to raise questions about concepts/ideas that are difficult for you to understand and let s talk them out. TEXT #1: [January 4 January 21 at noon]: Swami Prabhavananda & Christopher Isherwood, trans., Shankara s Crest-Jewel of Discrimination (Viveka-Chudamani) PART I: [January 4 January 11 at noon]: REQUIRED READINGS: for all of the above websites follow links that are of interest to you Prabhavananda & Isherwood, Shankara s Crest-Jewel, pp My Notes/Comments Troy Wilson Organ, Hinduism: Its Historical Development especially chapter 12: Vedanta (pp ) Eknath Easwaran, trans., The Bhagavad Gita Juan Mascaro, trans., The Bhagavad Gita

4 I feel that everyone should read the Gita sometime in his/her life. It is one of the great spiritual classics. Prabhavananda & Isherwood, trans., How to Know God: The Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali an excellent text that makes an interesting companion to the one we are reading George Michell, The Hindu Temple: An Introduction to Its Meaning and Forms for those who might be interested in this topic excellent text with very good photos and diagrams PART II: [January 11 at noon January 21 at noon]: REQUIRED READINGS: Prabhavananda & Isherwood, pp. 32-end PAPER #1: If you choose to write a paper on the Crest-Jewel by Shankara it will be due January 25 at noon. Remember that you only have to write papers on three of the books we read, but if you choose not to write on this text then you must write on the three remaining texts. TEXT #2: [January 21 at noon February 8 at noon]: D.C. Lau, trans., Mencius PART I: [January 21 at noon January 25 at noon]: REQUIRED READINGS: Mair, Wandering on the Way, pp. xvii-xxvii Lau, Mencius pp. vii-xlviii & pp Roger T. Ames & Henry Rosemont, trans., The Analects of Confucius: A Philosophical Translation especially the introduction pp Arthur Waley, trans., The Analects especially the introduction pp Waley was one of the great translators of Chinese/Japanese literature and though a bit dated his thoughts are still of interest. D.C. Lau, The Analects especially the introduction pp David Hinton, trans., The Analects especially the introduction pp. xi-xxxv. The last four texts above are all translations and commentaries on The Analects by Confucius, which along with the Mencius, is a central Confucian text. PART II: [January 25 at noon February 8 at noon]: REQUIRED READINGS: Lau, Mencius, pp PAPER #2: If you choose to write a paper on the Mencius by Mencius then it is due on February 11 at noon. TEXT #3: [February 8 at noon February 25 at noon]: Victor H. Mair, trans., Wandering on the Way: Early Taoist Tales and Parables of Chuang Tzu PART I: [February 8 at noon February 11 at noon]: REQUIRED READINGS:

5 Mair, Wandering on the Way, pp. xi-liv Burton Watson, trans., The Complete Works of Chuang Tzu especially the introduction pp A.C. Graham, Chuang-tzu: The Inner Chapters Harold D. Roth, ed., A Companion to Angus C. Graham s Chuang Tzu the above two volumes by Graham are excellent. Roger T. Ames & David L. Hall, trans., Dao de Jing: A Philosophical Translation especially the introduction pp Michael LaFargue, trans., The Tao of the Tao te Ching: A Translation and Commentary Arthur Waley, trans., The Way and Its Power: A Study of the Tao te Ching and Its Place in Chinese Thought D.C. Lau, trans., Tao te Ching Robert G. Henricks, trans., Te-Tao Ching: A New Translation Based on the Recently Discovered Ma-wang-tui Texts Victor H. Mair, trans., Tao te Ching: The Classic of Integrity and the Way The above six texts are all excellent translations with commentary of the Tao te Ching (Dao de Jing) the other great Daoist text along with the Chuang tzu. I strongly feel that everyone should read this text sometime during his/her life. PART II: [February 11 at noon February 25 at noon]: REQUIRED READINGS: Mair, Wandering on the Way, pp & (and if time permits pp end) PAPER #3: If you choose to write a paper on Wandering on the Way by Chuang tzu then it is due March 1 at noon. TEXT #4: [February 25 at noon March 13 at noon]: Mu Soeng, trans., The Diamond Sutra: Transforming the Way We Perceive the World PART I: [February 25 at noon March 4 at noon]: REQUIRED READINGS: Mu Soeng, The Diamond Sutra, pp Edward Conze, Buddhist Wisdom: The Diamond Sutra and The Heart Sutra Master Hsing Yun (Tom Graham, trans.), Describing the Indescribable: A Commentary on the Diamond Sutra

6 Thich Nhat Hanh, The Diamond That Cuts Through Illusion: Commentaries on the Prajnaparamita Diamond Sutra Red Pine, trans., The Diamond Sutra: Text and Commentaries Translated From Sanskrit and Chinese Mu Soeng, Heart Sutra: Ancient Buddhist Wisdom in the Light of Quantum Reality Thich Nhat Hanh, The Heart of Understanding: Commentaries on the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra Red Pine, trans., The Heart Sutra Donald S. Lopez, The Heart Sutra Explained: Indian and Tibetan Commentaries Donald S. Lopez, Elaborations on Emptiness: Uses of the Heart Sutra The above texts all deal with two of the most famous texts in the Mahayana Buddhist tradition the Heart Sutra and the Diamond Sutra. They are all excellent discussions by some of the most famous priests and/or scholars today. PART II: [March 4 at noon March 13 at noon]: REQUIRED READING: Mu Soeng, The Diamond Sutra, pp note if you just want to read thru the sutra without the commentary then begin with pp PAPER #4: If you choose to write a paper on the Diamond Sutra then it is due on March 17 (Tuesday) at noon. Students with Disabilities Accommodations are collaborative efforts between students, faculty and Disability and Access Services (DAS). Students with accommodations approved through DAS are responsible for contacting the faculty member in charge of the course prior to or during the first week of the term to discuss accommodations. Students who believe they are eligible for accommodations but who have not yet obtained approval through DAS should contact DAS immediately at Plagiarism You are expected to submit your own work in all your assignments, postings to the discussion board, and other communications, and to clearly give credit to the work of others when you use it. Academic dishonesty will result in a grade of F. Link to Statement of Expectations for Student Conduct: Student Conduct Home: Technical Help: Student Evaluation of Teaching We encourage you to engage in the course evaluation process each term online, of course. The evaluation form will be available toward the end of each term, and you will be sent instructions through ONID. You will login to Online Services/MyOSU to respond to the online questionnaire. The results on the form are anonymous and are not tabulated until after grades are posted.