T-Th 9:30-11:00  Sc 204 mgottschall@whittier.edu	Prof. Marilyn Gottschall Platner 118 907-4200 x 4423 562-493-6172

Hindu sites                                          Buddhist sites

Hare Krishna:  OC or Venice                Zen Center of OC

Vedanata Society                                Wat Thai (Theravada)

Malibu Temple                                    Bowers Museum (Tibetan)

Course content: 

The purpose of this course is to survey the major Eastern religions—Hinduism, Buddhism,  and the religions of China and Japan.  The course will explore these traditions in two ways:  (1) we will examine textual materials that provide us with basic information about history, doctrine and practice and (2) we will encounter these traditions as they are practiced and experienced in contemporary Los Angeles. The goals of this approach are to gain a basic understanding of the key concepts in each of the traditions, and, given that these are immigrant traditions in the United States, to further our understanding of how these beliefs and practices may change as they intersect with Western secular influences.

Several underlying questions will frame our exploration of these traditions:  what does it mean to be a human being (a self)?  What is the relationship between the self and Ultimate Reality?  What is the role of family?  Community?  What kind of religious experience is available in these traditions?  How does life in a secular and materially oriented culture affect one’s ability to remain a part of the tradition?

Required reading:     The Sacred Paths of the East, Theodore Ludwig

                                  Bhagavad Gita

                                  The Miracle of Mindfulness, Thich Nhat Hanh

Course requirements:

1. Participation:  Because we will be covering a lot of material in a brief period of time, our meeting times will be conversations about the readings. You will need to have read the material and come to class prepared with comments and questions.
2. Field trips:  A significant part of our learning will take place out of the classroom.  We will visit three religious sites in the greater LA area to examine the ways in which religions of the east are practiced. These excursions are mandatory and substitute for in-class time.  If you cannot attend field trips because of scheduling conflicts, you should not take the course.  You will have several options to choose from so you should plan for fieldtrips immediately.  You will be expected to describe your particular field site visit to the class and analyze some of its features.

• Hinduism fieldtrip:  October 2  (Hare Krishna, Vedanta Society, Swaminarayan Temple)
• Buddhism fieldtrip:  October 22 or 23 (Zen, Pureland, Tibetan, Theravadan)
• Shinto fieldtrip:  November/December

3. Websites:  An important supplement to your text will be your reading of scholarly websites.  Recommended sites are found on the last page of your syllabus.  If you cannot open these URLs, go to the syllabus on my webpage and link to them there.
4. Papers:  You will write three short papers during the course.  Papers will be 5-6 pages and will integrate your field trip observations with reading materials (from text and relevant websites).  They will demonstrate your understanding of these religions as lived traditions.   Your papers are NOT to be field trip summaries but rather they should be an analysis of what you saw based on your research. 
5. Quizzes/exams:  We will have quizzes on the key concepts and vocabulary in each tradition.  The dates are listed on your schedule.  We will also have a midterm and a final exam.
6. Extra credit:  The Los Angeles Sacred Music Festival is happening between Sept. 17 and Oct. 2.  A number of their concerts feature music from the traditions we will be studying.  If you would like to attend one of these concerts (some examples include  Kirtan, Wat Thai puppets, Aum-Sho-Namah, Drums of India, Bamboo and Silk, Gogaku, Jai Uttal) you may hand in a 1-2 page write up on the concert for extra points  (to say nothing of the good karma you’ll accumulate).
7. Grading: 

Field trip papers          100 pts each x 3                      300

Vocab quizzes             25 pts each X 4                       100

Exams                         150 pts each x 2                      200

Participation                50 pts                                     50

Course schedule

Recommended websites for Religions of the East.  These will get you started.

All purpose:

1.  South Asia Web Links:  A very useful source, primarily for information on Hinduism and Buddhism, maintained by Dr. Lubin at Washington and Lee University.  Be sure to scroll down the entire site.

http://home.wlu.edu/~lubint/Links.htm

2.  Academic Info:  Click on relevant religion

http://www.academicinfo.com/religindex.html

3.  Wabash Center:  annotated guide to a wide variety of electronic resources for the study of religion

http://www.wabashcenter.wabash.edu/Internet/front.htm

4.      www.sacredsite.com

5.      www.KenyonCollege.edu/depts/religion/onlineresources

Buddhism:

Zen Buddhism:  http://www.ciolek.com/WWWVL-Zen.html

Pure Land Buddhism: http://www.pitaka.ch/vlpl.htm

Buddhism general:  The Virtual Library http://www.ciolek.com/WWWVL-Buddhism.html  includes broad array of sites

http://www.snowcrest.net/dougbnt/buddha.html

www.Buddhanet.net, go to site map, look for Buddhist world, audio, festival and ceremonies

 www.buddhistinformation.com/kathina_robe.htm;

Journal of Buddhist Ethics:  http://jbe.gold.ac.uk

Speaking of faith:  Buddha in the World; Brother Thay

Hinduism:

General:  Virtual Library

http://www.snowcrest.net/dougbnt/hindu.html

Puja site:  interesting visuals

http://kaladarshan.arts.ohio-state.edu/exhib/meetgod/hp.htm

Ramayana sites, including Ramayana comic books

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/maxpages/special/ramayana/

http://www.askasia.org/adult_free_zone/virtual_gallery/exhibitions/index.htm

Diwali:  www.diwalifestival.org

Temples:  see Lubin (above), the Hindu Temple

 www.durga-puja.org/navaratri.html;

www.mantranet.com/navratri.html;

Jainism:

Virtual library:  http://www.snowcrest.net/dougbnt/jain.html

Sikhism:

Virtual library:  http://www.snowcrest.net/dougbnt/sikh.html

Religions of China:

1. www.chinaknowledge.de
2. www.chinapage.com
3.  

Taoism: 

Virtual library:  http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/gthursby/taoism/

Virtual library:  http://www.snowcrest.net/dougbnt/tao.html

Religions of Japan:

1.  Adler’s site, see particularly section on Shinto

http://www2.kenyon.edu/Depts/Religion/Fac/Adler/Reln275/LINKS275.htm