REL 506: Buddhism In The Modern World

Vesna Wallace, Ph.D.

This course addresses how in our current age in which science and religion seem to be in such deep conflict, Buddhism appears as an integrated system that incorporates religious belief, philosophical analysis and scientific inquiry. The foundation of the theory and practice of Buddhism focuses on the realities of suffering, its source, liberation, and the path to liberation. This course will review the central themes of early Buddhism and its later developments in India and Tibet. These ancient teachings will be integrated with contemporary fields of knowledge including psychology, physics and medicine.

Student Outcomesfor This Course

Outcome #1: Students have the ability to identify several theories and practices of Buddhism.

Outcome #2: Students recognize and describe the potential contributions of Buddhism for a
contemplative science of the mind.

Course Sessions and Topics
This course is organized into ten, one-hour audio sessions. The introductory session on, Buddhism: A Religious Science of the Mind is presented in both an audio and video format to better acquaint the student with Dr. Wallace. The ten sessions are organized into a thoughtful effective presentation on this topic. We recommend you study the tapes in their sequential order:
Session I	Buddhism: A Religious Science of the Mind
Session II	Buddhist Existentialism; Confronting Our Own Vulnerability
Session III	The Buddhist Diagnosis of Life's Adversities: Karma and the Affliction of the Mind
Session IV	Buddhist Liberation: Extinction or Heaven?
Session V	The Buddhist Path: A Question of Balance
Session VI	A Buddhist Concept of Mental Health: The Cultivation of Meditative Quiescence
Session VII	The Buddhist Cultivation of Insight: The Four Applications of Mindfulness
Session VIII	The Buddhist Cultivation of the Heart: The Four Immeasurables
Session IX	The Bodhisattva Ideal: The Spirit of Awakening
Session X	Primordial Wisdom: Discovering the Buddha Within

Required Reading

B. Alan Wallace, Tibetan Buddhism from the Ground Up, Boston: Wisdom Publications. ISBN 0861710754

Revel and Ricard, The Monk and the Philosopher, Paperback, Schocken Books, 2000. ISBN 0805211039

Phone Conferences – Weds. July 11** and Mon. Aug. 20, 2007

From 5:00 to 6:00 P.M., Pacific Daylight Time, all students participate in these conferences with Dr. Wallace. Each of these two conferences has been designed around topics and issues and will also give you an opportunity to clarify any questions related to the course. See Phone Conferences with Faculty for the conference calling process and the Conference Call Calendar for the call in number and teleconference code.

**PLEASE NOTE: Dr. Vesna Wallace, the professor of Buddhism in the Modern World will be in Mongolia this summer. The first teleconference call on July 11 will be done by Internet chat room.

The chat room may be accessed through: http://www.enhancing.com/holmeschat.html

Topics and Issues for First International Chat Conference – Weds., July 11

Review tapes 1-3 and be prepared to discuss the differences between Western science and contemplative science.

Be prepared to discuss the nature and scope of suffering according to Buddhism.

Be prepared to discuss Buddhist theories concerning the origins of suffering.

Topics and Issues for Second Telephone Conference – Monday, August 20

Review tapes 4-8 and be prepared to discuss the Buddhist distinctions between samsara and nirvana.

Be prepared to discuss the nature of ethical discipline, meditative concentration, and wisdom in Buddhism.

Be prepared to discuss the cultivation of meditative quiescence and the exploration of the nature and potentials of consciousness.

Email Discussion Group "mysticwisdom"

Email discussion groups encourage group discussion on the topics, issues and concepts presented in each course. Students are encouraged to use this discussion forum to share their ideas, insights and questions with one another. A single email message reaches all students and the faculty member at one time. This discussion group has also been put in place to help remove some of the geographic isolation which may be felt between students, and add an extra link to the natural and vital bond that develops in any spiritual community. All students with a current email address listed with Holmes Institute are automatically subscribed to the e-mail discussion group for this course. Use this email address:

mysticwisdom@yahoogroups.com

f you desire to respond to an individual in the group, please use his/her personal email address on your class roster or the Faculty Directory for Summer 2007.

Course Outline - Weeks 1 through 5

This outline gives a brief description of how to pace your self-study and gauge your progress in the required course activities throughout the academic quarter.

Lesson Objectives: By the end of the fifth week:

Objective #1: Students will identify the strengths and weaknesses of Western science, and be able to describe the potential value of a contemplative science, inspired in part by Buddhism, to complement technological science.

Objective #2: Students will describe the purpose, source, and significance of suffering according to Buddhism. They will describe the continuity of consciousness beyond death in light of Buddhism and modern science.

Objective #3: Students will be able to describe and provide purpose for the Buddhist theories of karma and mental afflictions.

Objective #4: Students will be able to identify the meanings, according to Buddhism, of such key concepts, issues and practices as samsara, nirvana, dharma, attachment, tandra, argya, eight worldly concerns, stages of meditation, self, hell, mindfulness and remedial powers.

Objective #5: Students identify the nature of ethical discipline, meditative concentration, and wisdom, and the relation among them according to Buddhism.

Required Reading: Read all of Tibetan Buddhism from the Ground Up

Lecture Tapes: Listen to tape lectures 1 - 5

Assessment Experience #1: Write a 5-6 page essay on human nature as it is depicted in Buddhism, and evaluate that view in terms of its personal value and its validity. Papers should be double-spaced in 12 font. Email as a Word attachment to vwallace@religion.ucsb.edu. (vesna(underscore)mn@yahoo.com)

Midterm papers must be received by email by July 23, 2007. Papers must be submitted by email only for this class as Dr. Wallace will be traveling during the academic term.

Course Outline - Weeks 6 through 10

Lesson Objectives:

Objective #6: Students will be able to discuss the relevance of Buddhist theory and practice in light of modern science and particularly the doctrine of scientific materialism.

Objective #7: Students will be able to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of modern science for the investigation of the mind in light of Buddhist assertions about the non-material nature of consciousness.

Required Reading: Read all of The Monk and the Philosopher

Lecture Tapes: Listen to tape lectures 6-10.

Assessment Experience #2: The final assessment will be a paper not longer than 5-7 pages, which addresses the relevance of Buddhist theories and practices for modern science. Special emphasis should be given to the pursuit of scientific understanding of the mind and consciousness itself, and students should also use Buddhist ideas to critique the materialist assumptions that underlie so much of contemporary scientific thinking, especially concerning the mind and the nature of consciousness. Papers should be double-spaced in 12 font. Email as a Word attachment to vwallace@religion.ucsb.edu. (vesna(underscore)mn@yahoo.com)

Final papers must be received by email by August 27, 2007. Papers must be submitted by email only for this class.

Guidelines for Success in this Course

Students should read both assigned books critically, reassessing their own assumptions, while questioning the assertions of both Buddhism and modern science.

Grading Policy
Teleconference	= 0%
E-Mail Discussion	= 0%
Midterm Paper	= 50%
Final Paper	=50%
Total	= 100%