Syllabus

PHL 319U Introduction to Asian Philosophy (4)

Instructor: David Komito, Ph.D.
Phone: 541-663-6264
Email: komito@pdx.edu

Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of this course students will have acquired:

• An understanding of the development of the major philosophic traditions of Asia within their contexts of origin.
• An in-depth knowledge of the primary tenets and symbolic systems of Asian philosophy.
• An appreciation for the diversity of manifestations of the philosophic expressions in Asia.

About your instructor:

David Komito trained as a scholar of world religions at Indiana University, from which he received M.A., M.S.Ed. and Ph.D. degrees. His primary interests are in the religions and philosophies of India and Tibet and the Psychology of Religion.  He is the author of three books on Buddhism and was a member of the translating team for a fourth book, which is a meditation manual used in the Dalai Lama’s monastery. Though he is an accomplished scholar and teacher, in David’s view the more you know the simpler you will sound.  This means that you can expect to be challenged and to learn a lot in this course which (hopefully) you will find personally useful; that all instruction will be respectful of your religious and philosophical views, will be straight forward, will be addressed to the curiosity of the students in this course, and (hopefully) will be easy to understand.

Required Texts:

Asian Philosophies; 6th Edition. John M. Koller. Pearson, 2012. Since this book is expensive I suggest you consider purchasing a used version (from Amazon for example) or even rental of a print or digital version (also from Amazon) to save yourself some money. I would have you read an alternative and cheaper version of a textbook if such a thing were available, but this book is quite good and the alternatives, while cheaper, are not going to teach you as much.

• Available online at no charge:

o Katha Upanishad
o Bhagavad-Gita (selections)
o Tsongkhapa’s Three Principle Aspects of the Path
o Yijing (selections)
o Daodejing (selections)
o Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch (Chapter 1)

Course Requirements:

Students will be expected to read all assignments, listen to all audio recorded lectures and take all exams. There are no essay assignments. Participation on the course discussion board is recommended but not required.

Means of Assessment and Grading Policies:

Grades in this course are entirely dependent on four multiple choice, true/false, objective type exams. Each exam has from 24 to 26 questions. Dates are indicated in the weekly content, below. The topics are as follow:

• EXAM I - HINDU RELIGIOUS PHILOSOPHY
• EXAM II - BUDDHIST RELIGIOUS PHILOSOPHY, SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA
• EXAM III – TAOIST AND CONFUCIAN RELIGIOUS PHILOSOPHY
• EXAM IV – BUDDHIST RELIGIOUS PHILOSOPHY, EAST ASIA

In all cases the following grading scale is applied:

• 100 is the maximum number of points for the course.
• 80% of possible points = A-
• 70% of possible points = B-
• 60% of possible points = C-
• 50% of possible points = D-
• Less than 50% of possible points = Fail

For the Fall 2015 course I will "throw out" a student's lowest exam, and the final grade in the course will be dependent on the three highest scored exams.

Conference with the instructor:

You may arrange a telephone conference with me to discuss anything about the course by emailing me in advance <komito@pdx.edu> so we can find a mutually convenient time to talk.

Weekly Readings and Assessments

IMPORTANT NOTICE: A password is required to open all hyperlinks on this page. This password is posted in the course D2L site, and is available for students beginning on the first day of the term for which they have registered.

Be sure to read or listen to assignments in the numeric order indicated for each week.

Week 1: Introduction to the study of Philosophy in Asia

  1. Audio Lecture: About Philosophy in Asia
  2. Read Koller, p 1 - 12
  3. Lecture: Early agricultural cultures and nomadic invasions: the dynamic tension in the history of Asian religions

Week 2: Vedas and Upanishadic Philosophy

  1. Audio Lecture: About the Vedas and Upanishads; the philosophical schools of Samkhya and Vedanta
  2. Read Koller, p 13 - 23
  3. Text and Commentary: The Katha Upanishad

Week 3: Samkhya and Vedanta

  1. Read Koller, p 98 - 107 and p 120 - 130
  2. Article on Samkhya Philosophy
  3. Lecture: The Bhagavad Gita

EXAM I at the end of the week.

Week 4: Basics of Buddhist Philosophy

  1. Audio Lecture: About Buddhist Philosophy
  2. Read Koller, p 37 - 64
  3. Lecture: The Individual Path: Hinayana/Theravada
  4. Lecture: Buddhist origins: a systematic psychology for liberation

Week 5: Mahayana Buddhist Philosophy

  1. Read Koller, p 64 - 88
  2. Lecture: Buddhist universalism: interactions with Hinduism, Taoism and the Mahayana Buddhist envelopment of Asia
  3. Text and commentary: Tsongkapa's The Three Principal Aspects of the Path
  4. Lecture: Source Consciousness and Mental Images

EXAM II at the end of the week.

Week 6: Roots of East Asian Philosophy in Taoism and Confucianism

  1. Audio Lecture: About East Asian Philosophy
  2. Read Koller, p 167 - 177, p 196 - 205, p 217 - 223
  3. Lecture: Taoism: finding Truth in nature
  4. Lecture: Nature and Reality in East Asia

Week 7: Neoconfucian Philosophy

  1. Audio Lecture: Neoconfucian Philosophy and the Management of the Empire.
  2. Read Koller, p 180 - 194, p 248 - 264
  3. Lecture: Confucian Philosophy
  4. Article: Sung Dynasty Culture

EXAM III at the end of the week.

Week 8: Buddhist Philosophy in China

  1. Audio Lecture: About Zen
  2. Read Koller, p 237 - 247
  3. Text and Commentary: The Platform Sutra of the 6th patriarch of Zen

Week 9: Buddhist Philosophy in Japan

  1. Audio Lecture: Zen and Martial Arts
  2. Read Koller, p 275 - 295
  3. Web site: What is Zen Buddhism?

EXAM IV at the end of the week.

Week 10: Contemporary Voices

  1. Audio lecture: The practice of Asian Philosophy in the modern world
  2. Ramana Maharshi
  3. Dalai Lama 14: Training the Mind
  4. Dalai Lama 14: Science at the Crossroads

This course ends on 11: 59 PM, Friday, week 10. There is no final exam.