Course Description/Leaning Goals:
This course engages the rich textual and visual traditions of China, Korea, and Japan to illuminate funerary and memorial practices, exploring the terrain of the next world. The course is not a chronological survey, but rather alternates between modern and ancient narratives and practices to draw a picture of the relationship between the living and the dead as conceived in various East Asian religious contexts. Ideas about the otherworld act as models for and models of social reality (as anthropologist Clifford Geertz remarked of ritual more generally.)
I am interested in providing an integrated and somewhat multidimensional look at the topic. Given the great variety over time and region, to develop any sense of cohesion will be a challenge. This will no doubt be part of our work as a class. However, in the end we find it hard to make generalizations, this will not be considered a failing. To the contrary, since the course readings, comprised of a range of primary sources (in translation) and scholarly works (“secondary sources”) drawn primarily from the fields of Anthropology, History, and Religious Studies, the overall picture will be fragmented and contain blank spots.
There is a not a cohesive narrative about death and the afterlife in East Asia that the course seeks to convey other than to note: 1) the development of a broadly held vision of the next life in China during the ninth and tenth centuries C.E. and its connection to ideas about kinship and family; 2) the broad influence of these models throughout East Asia, particularly through ritual, popular literature, drama, and art; 3) the problem of the disposal (or “disposition”) of the corpse and the treatment of the remains of loved ones. We will hold these ideas in mind throughout the course, but the three items correspond very roughly to the three units of the course. For instance, in Unit One we will read about the Ten Kings of Hell and the underworld passage of the soul and the importance of descendants and ancestors in the context of China circa 1200 CE. Then, in Unit Two, we will examine rituals performed by Korean Shamans in the 20th and 21st centuries that are aimed at appeasing and settling the resentful family dead, finding clear thematic and iconographic continuity with some material from Unit One. Finally in Unit Three, we will take up the question of the destination of the physical body and proper procedures for burial and memorialization in modern and contemporary Japan. Each unit is not meant to represent the totality of death ritual or beliefs about the afterlife in that cultural region but rather to highlight themes. With different sources, Unit Two could be about burial in Korea and Unit Three about shamanism in Japan. A four-page paper is due at the end of each of the three units.
It seems important to incorporate some means of “experiencing” the religious practices, rituals, and performances we are reading about, even at third hand. To this end, in addition to written essays and primary sources, we will also be watching a number of films, reading a memoir, and extensively using visual materials in our exploration. If you have personal experience of death and memorial rituals as performed in East Asia and in East Asian diasporas, please do share as much of that as you are comfortable. [Feel free to talk to me about forms this could take.]
A ten-page final essay is due at the end of the term. The written assignments and in-class activities are meant to inculcate skills in reading, analysis, interpretation, collaboration, oral expression, and observation. The three units will orient you to the general terrain and spark interest in particular topics. The final paper project requires you to develop research skills and also allows you to be creative in developing and framing a topic using some sources from the course and some you find on your own. There is time built in to the course to write this paper at the end of the course, but no doubt you would do well to be alert to topics that you might want to explore more deeply when the time comes. [If you have an idea of developing an alternative final project in another medium than a traditional essay, please speak to me about it by the midterm. I am very open to this idea, and also won’t permit it as a last-minute notion.]
At the risk of repetition, I will note that some of the themes and questions we will explore this term include: the meaning of funerals in a modern, secular society; the very idea of communication with and negotiation with the dead; disposition and disposal of the corpse; the landscape and geography of life after death; the nature of the soul; the relationship between death ritual and beliefs about family “membership” and gender.
This course engages the rich textual and visual traditions of China, Korea, and Japan to illuminate funerary and memorial practices, exploring the terrain of the next world. The course is not a chronological survey, but rather alternates between modern and ancient narratives and practices to draw a picture of the relationship between the living and the dead as conceived in various East Asian religious contexts. Ideas about the otherworld act as models for and models of social reality (as anthropologist Clifford Geertz remarked of ritual more generally.)
I am interested in providing an integrated and somewhat multidimensional look at the topic. Given the great variety over time and region, to develop any sense of cohesion will be a challenge. This will no doubt be part of our work as a class. However, in the end we find it hard to make generalizations, this will not be considered a failing. To the contrary, since the course readings, comprised of a range of primary sources (in translation) and scholarly works (“secondary sources”) drawn primarily from the fields of Anthropology, History, and Religious Studies, the overall picture will be fragmented and contain blank spots.
There is a not a cohesive narrative about death and the afterlife in East Asia that the course seeks to convey other than to note: 1) the development of a broadly held vision of the next life in China during the ninth and tenth centuries C.E. and its connection to ideas about kinship and family; 2) the broad influence of these models throughout East Asia, particularly through ritual, popular literature, drama, and art; 3) the problem of the disposal (or “disposition”) of the corpse and the treatment of the remains of loved ones. We will hold these ideas in mind throughout the course, but the three items correspond very roughly to the three units of the course. For instance, in Unit One we will read about the Ten Kings of Hell and the underworld passage of the soul and the importance of descendants and ancestors in the context of China circa 1200 CE. Then, in Unit Two, we will examine rituals performed by Korean Shamans in the 20th and 21st centuries that are aimed at appeasing and settling the resentful family dead, finding clear thematic and iconographic continuity with some material from Unit One. Finally in Unit Three, we will take up the question of the destination of the physical body and proper procedures for burial and memorialization in modern and contemporary Japan. Each unit is not meant to represent the totality of death ritual or beliefs about the afterlife in that cultural region but rather to highlight themes. With different sources, Unit Two could be about burial in Korea and Unit Three about shamanism in Japan. A four-page paper is due at the end of each of the three units.
It seems important to incorporate some means of “experiencing” the religious practices, rituals, and performances we are reading about, even at third hand. To this end, in addition to written essays and primary sources, we will also be watching a number of films, reading a memoir, and extensively using visual materials in our exploration. If you have personal experience of death and memorial rituals as performed in East Asia and in East Asian diasporas, please do share as much of that as you are comfortable. [Feel free to talk to me about forms this could take.]
A ten-page final essay is due at the end of the term. The written assignments and in-class activities are meant to inculcate skills in reading, analysis, interpretation, collaboration, oral expression, and observation. The three units will orient you to the general terrain and spark interest in particular topics. The final paper project requires you to develop research skills and also allows you to be creative in developing and framing a topic using some sources from the course and some you find on your own. There is time built in to the course to write this paper at the end of the course, but no doubt you would do well to be alert to topics that you might want to explore more deeply when the time comes. [If you have an idea of developing an alternative final project in another medium than a traditional essay, please speak to me about it by the midterm. I am very open to this idea, and also won’t permit it as a last-minute notion.]
At the risk of repetition, I will note that some of the themes and questions we will explore this term include: the meaning of funerals in a modern, secular society; the very idea of communication with and negotiation with the dead; disposition and disposal of the corpse; the landscape and geography of life after death; the nature of the soul; the relationship between death ritual and beliefs about family “membership” and gender.
- المعلم: Hank Glassman
Course Description: This is a course on the sort of Buddhism known as Zen in Japanese. Also known as Chan, Seon, and Thìên respectively in the East Asian cultures of China, Korea, and Vietnam. (Below, we will call it by the familiar name of Zen regardless of context, to simplify matters. This is only a shorthand and is not meant to signal the priority of the Japanese tradition over others, it is merely that the term “Zen” is the one best known in English.)
Zen is famous for promising a special sort of insight that provides sudden and astounding liberation from psychological and spiritual suffering and doubt -- an enlightenment on par with that of a Buddha, unmediated by texts or teachers or images, unencumbered by rules or notions of progress along a path. (In this way, it can be read as a radical critique of the tradition it grows out of.)
The course examines the development of this sect in the context of East Asian Mahāyāna Buddhism, incorporating aspects of the following: legendary histories, debates over mediation styles, monastic lifestyle, musical expression and visual culture.
In the main, this is a course on some primary texts and philosophical tenets of the Zen tradition. Some of our focus will be placed on primary sources, written (mostly) in classical Chinese and translated into English. Also, we will read in scholarly secondary sources that assume a fairly extensive background in the topic. You are not expected to come into this class with this background knowledge! Please be patient with yourself and read carefully to glean what you can from these. We will drive straight into the works themselves, and strive to pick up the background in Buddhism we need “along the way” as we progress. That is, we will confront the texts in a fairly “raw” manner, with regard to both primary and secondary sources, and will do our best to make sense of these with the knowledge we possess and the resources at hand. Questions are always welcome and we can certainly take the time to go deeper into the material at any point. We will take time in class to discuss the readings at length; considerable class time can be devoted clearing up murky passages. This is time well spent.
The course is divided into four sections: 1) studying the founding myth of Zen enlightenment, its transmission to China by the legendary figure Bodhidharma, and the establishment of “sudden doctrine” of the Southern School; 2) exploring classical modes of Zen practice, daily rules and modes of discipline, as developed during the Song period (c. 10th-11th C.) based on Tang period (8th-9th C.) models and continuing up to the present; 3) engaging in a critical examination of the rhetorical claims of Zen to gain a contextual view of the creation and popularization of the Zen school; 4) a study and investigation of the one-page sacred text known as the Heart Sutra (摩訶般若波羅蜜多心経 Jpn. Maka hannya haramitsu shingyō, Ch. Mohe bore boluomida xin jing) a condensation of the literature known as prajñāpāramita or “perfection of wisdom” on the philosophy of Emptiness with a wonder-working magical spell at the end. Throughout the course, we will make reference to visual sources and films. Short documentaries and one feature-length film are woven into our journey through the semester. Not a class will go by where we do not examine and discuss some sort of image. Sonic and visual sources will be a key to the world of Zen along with the written works we encounter.
Course Learning Goals
To become familiar with the Zen Buddhist tradition and examine aspects of its history, practice, theory, and soteriology. To gain a sense of religious ideas and practices as they developed in historical and intellectual context. To learn about working with sources, incorporating them into arguments, and citing them accurately. To practice expressing your ideas and your understanding of the material in front of other people succinctly and clearly.
Zen is famous for promising a special sort of insight that provides sudden and astounding liberation from psychological and spiritual suffering and doubt -- an enlightenment on par with that of a Buddha, unmediated by texts or teachers or images, unencumbered by rules or notions of progress along a path. (In this way, it can be read as a radical critique of the tradition it grows out of.)
The course examines the development of this sect in the context of East Asian Mahāyāna Buddhism, incorporating aspects of the following: legendary histories, debates over mediation styles, monastic lifestyle, musical expression and visual culture.
In the main, this is a course on some primary texts and philosophical tenets of the Zen tradition. Some of our focus will be placed on primary sources, written (mostly) in classical Chinese and translated into English. Also, we will read in scholarly secondary sources that assume a fairly extensive background in the topic. You are not expected to come into this class with this background knowledge! Please be patient with yourself and read carefully to glean what you can from these. We will drive straight into the works themselves, and strive to pick up the background in Buddhism we need “along the way” as we progress. That is, we will confront the texts in a fairly “raw” manner, with regard to both primary and secondary sources, and will do our best to make sense of these with the knowledge we possess and the resources at hand. Questions are always welcome and we can certainly take the time to go deeper into the material at any point. We will take time in class to discuss the readings at length; considerable class time can be devoted clearing up murky passages. This is time well spent.
The course is divided into four sections: 1) studying the founding myth of Zen enlightenment, its transmission to China by the legendary figure Bodhidharma, and the establishment of “sudden doctrine” of the Southern School; 2) exploring classical modes of Zen practice, daily rules and modes of discipline, as developed during the Song period (c. 10th-11th C.) based on Tang period (8th-9th C.) models and continuing up to the present; 3) engaging in a critical examination of the rhetorical claims of Zen to gain a contextual view of the creation and popularization of the Zen school; 4) a study and investigation of the one-page sacred text known as the Heart Sutra (摩訶般若波羅蜜多心経 Jpn. Maka hannya haramitsu shingyō, Ch. Mohe bore boluomida xin jing) a condensation of the literature known as prajñāpāramita or “perfection of wisdom” on the philosophy of Emptiness with a wonder-working magical spell at the end. Throughout the course, we will make reference to visual sources and films. Short documentaries and one feature-length film are woven into our journey through the semester. Not a class will go by where we do not examine and discuss some sort of image. Sonic and visual sources will be a key to the world of Zen along with the written works we encounter.
Course Learning Goals
To become familiar with the Zen Buddhist tradition and examine aspects of its history, practice, theory, and soteriology. To gain a sense of religious ideas and practices as they developed in historical and intellectual context. To learn about working with sources, incorporating them into arguments, and citing them accurately. To practice expressing your ideas and your understanding of the material in front of other people succinctly and clearly.
- المعلم: Hank Glassman
This course is an introduction to Hōjōki, a famous early 13th century memoir by Kamo no Chōmei. We will read the original together in classical Japanese (古文) relying from the start on grammar notes, modern translations, and translations into English. There will be more focus on experiencing and understanding the text and less on memorizing the names of grammatical forms or historical verb conjugations. There will be some of the latter, but the entering the world of this text is our goal, not building a solid foundation for future study in Classical Japanese.
We will read the entire original aloud together, taking turns. (It’s not very long.) If people are interested, it would be nice to commit portions of the text to memory. As we read, we will discuss and interpret the notes, observing differences in grammar and vocabulary from modern Japanese. We will also read parts of modern translations and adaptations by Satō Haruo, Hayashi Fumiko, and others to observe their choices in rendering the original. In addition, we will read a few essays in Japanese and in English about Chōmei and his world, as well as sources on Buddhism in the Kamakura Period. Class discussion will be primarily in English, and is also likely to shift to Japanese where convenient when discussing details of the text.
We will read the entire original aloud together, taking turns. (It’s not very long.) If people are interested, it would be nice to commit portions of the text to memory. As we read, we will discuss and interpret the notes, observing differences in grammar and vocabulary from modern Japanese. We will also read parts of modern translations and adaptations by Satō Haruo, Hayashi Fumiko, and others to observe their choices in rendering the original. In addition, we will read a few essays in Japanese and in English about Chōmei and his world, as well as sources on Buddhism in the Kamakura Period. Class discussion will be primarily in English, and is also likely to shift to Japanese where convenient when discussing details of the text.
- المعلم: Hank Glassman