Readings in Buddhist Texts: The Lotus Sutra AEAS/AREL 450 University at Albany, SUNY: Spring 2018 Time: MW 2:45PM-4:05PM Place: SS 255 Office Hours: 12:30-1:30, MW Professor: Aaron Proffitt (aproffitt@albany.edu) COURSE DESCRIPTION It could be argued that no other single text has had as much impact upon the intellectual, artistic, political, and religious dimensions of East Asian culture than the Lotus Sutra. In this course we will read this important Buddhist text and survey recent scholarship on its impact and interpretation. From the growth and development of the Mahayana tradition in India, to the establishment of the Tiantai tradition in China, from the dominant role of the Tendai tradition in premodern Japan, to the emergence of Zen, Pure Land, and Nichiren Schools in the 13 th century, from the aristocratic courts of China, Korea, and Japan, to mountain based religious centers across East Asia, the academic study of the Lotus Sutra provides a fascinating window across premodern and contemporary East Asian Buddhist culture. All readings are in English. There are no prerequisites, but consultation with the instructor is advised. All are welcome. 1
REQUIRED TEXTS Scripture of the Lotus Blossom of the Fine Dharma (The Lotus Sutra), trans. Leon Hurvitz, forward by Stephen F. Teiser (Columbia University Press, Translations from the Asian Classics) ISBN-13: 978-0231148955 Stephen F. Teiser and Jacqueline I. Stone, eds., Readings of the Lotus Sutra (Columbia Readings of Buddhist Literature, 2009) ISBN-13: 978-0231142892 Donald S. Lopez, Jr., The "Lotus Sūtra": A Biography (Lives of Great Religious Books, 2016) ISBN-13: 978-0691152202 Brook A. Ziporyn, Emptiness and Omnipresence, An Introduction to Tiantai Buddhism (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2016). GRADING SCHEME A 94 A- 90 B+ 88 B 84 B- 80 C+ 78 C 74 C- 70 D+ 68 D 64 D- 60 E 50 COURSE REQUIREMENTS Journals 25% Presentations 25% Mid-Term Paper 25% Final Paper 25% JOURNALS (25%) Do the reading before coming to class. Take notes on every reading: Outlines, quotes, reactions, thoughts, summaries, etc. ALL OK You will post these notes to our Blackboard Journals section. o In our Blackboard site, on the left, under Course Content, there is a link labeled Journals. Click this link, click the next Journals link, click Create Journal link and share your reading notes and reactions with me. These journals are private. Only I read them. Journals should be around 250 words and include page numbers from the reading. All journal entries should be done before coming to class. PRESENTATIONS (25%) Everyday, 1-3 students will present on pre-assigned sections of the reading. A sign-up sheet will be circulated within the first two weeks of class. Presentations should be no more than 15 minutes long. Presenters must compose a handout that includes a summary or outline of the reading AND discussion questions. Please email me the presentation 1 hour before class and I will print copies for the whole class. PowerPoint presentations are NOT required. 2
MID-TERM PAPER (25%) AND FINAL PAPER (25%) MID-TERM: 5-8 pages, 12 font, double spaced FINAL: 10-15 Pages Long, 12 font, double spaced Paper may build upon or borrow from journal notes Footnotes and Bibliography: Chicago Style Citations http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide/citation-guide-1.html NO OUTSIDE MATERIAL (unless specifically recommended by professor) NOTE CARDS Purchase a pack of 3x5 note cards At the end of class, write your name, and the date, and answer the following two questions: o What was the most interesting thing you learned today? o Do you have any questions about the reading or lecture? 5+/- cards will be selected to start off the discussion for the next day of class. COMPUTER AND TECHNOLOGY RULES Purchase a notebook for taking notes in class No computers, cellphones, smartphones, or any other electronic devices allowed Exempted are those who have verifiable medical reasons ACADEMIC INTEGRITY Every student has the responsibility to become familiar with the standards of academic integrity at the University. Faculty members must specify in their syllabi information about academic integrity, and may refer students to this policy for more information. Nonetheless, student claims of ignorance, unintentional error, or personal or academic pressures cannot be excuses for violation of academic integrity. Students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the standards and behaving accordingly, and UAlbany faculty are responsible for teaching, modeling and upholding them. Anything less undermines the worth and value of our intellectual work, and the reputation and credibility of the University at Albany degree. (University s Standards of Academic Integrity Policy, Fall 2013) http://www.albany.edu/undergraduate_bulletin/regulations.html STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES I request that any student with a documented disability needing academic adjustments or accommodations speak with me during the first two weeks of class. All discussions will remain confidential. For more information, please visit Disability Resource Center: http://www.albany.edu/disability/index.shtml 3
Monday, 01/22 Wednesday, 01/24 First Day of Class Monday, 01/29 Wednesday, 01/31 Lopez, In The World of the Buddha Lopez, The Lotus Sutra : A Biography, (Blackboard) Introduction-Chapter 2 Monday 02/05 Wednesday 07 Lopez, Chapters 3-4 Lopez, Chapters 5-6 Monday 02/12 Wednesday 02/14 Lopez, Chapters 7 The Lotus Sutra, Chapters 2-3 Hurvitz, trans., Scripture of the Lotus Blossom of the Fine Dharma (The Lotus Sutra), Chapter 1 Monday 02/19 Wednesday 02/21 The Lotus Sutra, Chapters 4-5 The Lotus Sutra, Chapters 6-7 Monday 02/26 Wednesday 02/28 The Lotus Sutra, Chapters 8-11 The Lotus Sutra, Chapters 12-15 Monday 03/05 Wednesday 03/07 The Lotus Sutra, Chapters 16-19 The Lotus Sutra, Chapters 20-24 Monday 03/12 Wednesday 03/14 No Class: Spring Break No Class: Spring Break Monday 03/19 Wednesday 03/21 The Lotus Sutra, Chapters 25-28 Stone & Teiser, Chapter 1 Monday 03/26 Wednesday 03/28 Stone & Teiser, Chapters 2-3 Mid-Term Papers Due Abe, Revisiting the Dragon Princess https://nirc.nanzan-u.ac.jp/nfile/4400 Monday 04/02 Wednesday 04/04 Stone & Teiser, Chapters 4-5 Stone & Teiser, Chapters 6-8 Monday 04/09 Wednesday 04/11 Ziporyn, Chapters 1-3 Ziporyn, Chapters4-6 Monday 04/16 Wednesday 04/18 Ziporyn, Chapters 7-8 Ziporyn, Chapter 9 4
Monday 04/23 Wednesday 04/25 Ziporyn, Chapter 10-Epilogue Hazama Jikō. The Characteristics of Japanese Tendai. http://nirc.nanzanu.ac.jp/nfile/2349 Tamura Yoshirō. Japanese Culture and The Tendai Concept of Original Enlightenment. http://nirc.nanzanu.ac.jp/nfile/2355 Stone, Jacqueline I. Medieval Tendai Hongaku Thought and the New Kamakura Buddhism. http://nirc.nanzanu.ac.jp/nfile/2559 Monday 04/30 Wednesday 05/02 Kikuchi Hiroki. Ōjōden, the Hokke genki, Stone, Jacqueline I. Placing Nichiren in and Mountain Practices of Devotees of the the Big Picture, https://nirc.nanzanu.ac.jp/nfile/2690 Sutra. http://nirc.nanzanu.ac.jp/nfile/4330 Kitagawa Zenchō. The Words of the Ōkubo Ryōshun. The Identity between the Lotus Sutra in Nichiren s Thought, Purport of the Perfect and Esoteric https://nirc.nanzan-u.ac.jp/nfile/4328 Teachings. http://nirc.nanzanu.ac.jp/nfile/4331 Monday 05/07 Wednesday 05/09 Stone, Jacqueline I. Nichiren s Activist Covell, Stephen G. Interfaith Dialogue Heirs, (On Blackboard) and the Lotus Practitioner, http://nirc.nanzan-u.ac.jp/nfile/4335 Last Day of Class FINAL PAPER DUE 05/11 5