Buddhist Philosophy, Meditation, and Ritual: In India and Beyond
Osher Online | Available (Membership Required)
This course introduces the key philosophical concepts (meditation practices, and rituals) that have defined Buddhist traditions in India and beyond. We will analyze central Buddhist teachings and their relationship to these three important domains, which interweave theory and practice. First, we will explore the historical figure of the Buddha. We will then examine the three phases of Indian Buddhist traditions: (1) Theravada, which emphasizes ascetic ideals and monasticism; (2) Mahayana, which prioritizes compassion, wisdom, and the ideal of the bodhisattva; and (3) Vajrayana, the tantric tradition that claims the human body as central to enlightenment and explores the relationship between each living being and the cosmos. We will explore the contrasts among the meditative and ritual practices across these three traditions and analyze how these practices reflect varying philosophies. We will discuss Buddhist iconography, ritual objects, and art.
Class schedule: Live lecture will take place on Wednesdays via ZOOM
- Tuesday, January 21, Live lecture 1
- Tuesday, January 28, Live lecture 2
- Tuesday, February 4, Live lecture 3
- Tuesday, February 11, Live lecture 4
- Tuesday, February 18, Live lecture 5
- Tuesday, February 25, Live lecture 6
As this class is delivered by the National Resource Center for OLLIs (NRC) at Northwestern University, you will receive a welcome email from osheronline@northwestern.edu. The email will include your credentials (username & password) as well as a hyperlink to the Osher Online Website through which you will access your course website.
Buddhist Philosophy
Eileen Goddard
Eileen Goddard is a lecturer and PhD student at the University of California Santa Barbara. Eileen's dissertation research focuses on the 16th century Gau?iya Vai??ava tradition and comparatively analyzes Indian religious constructions of "perfected" minds and bodies. Eileen's broader research interests include comparative Indian philosophy, Sanskrit literature and poetics, devotion (bhakti), perception, and gender and sexuality. Eileen completed her MA in Religion at Rutgers University and BA in Philosophy at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.