Philosophy 213 Eastern Philosophy, Winter 2004-05

• Instructor: Mark T. Unno,
• Office: PLC 812, Ph. 346-4973, Office hours: Mondays 11:00-12:00; Wednesdays 11:00-12:00.
• Email: munno@darkwing.uoregon.edu Home Page: http://www.uoregon.edu/~munno/
• Lectures: Room 150 COL 13:00-13:50 MWF CRN25912

Introduction to selected religious philosophies of Asia. This course will examine various Asian religious and philosophical traditions including Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. Rather than provide a comprehensive survey of all of the Asian philosophies (which is impractical in a ten-week quarter), this course emphasizes in-depth understanding of selected traditions through the study of primary religious texts supported by secondary readings in the relevant scholarly literature. The focus of our examination will be on the philosophical understanding of religious ideas supported by a critical examination of historical context. There will also be selected comparisons with Western thinkers, in particular Soren Kierkegaard and Audre Lorde. We will study key philosophical ideas within the critical context of various cultural and historical issues such as gender, class, and ritual.

Requirements

1. Attendance: Required. Students can have one unexcused absence without penalty. Each class missed thereafter without prior permission will result in 1/2 grade penalty for the course grade. Attendance at weekly discussion sections is mandatory.

2. Short exams: Two short, in-class exams, based on materials from the readings, lectures, and course web site. The first exam will include questions on writing papers, based on essays from the course web site.

3. Short papers: Two short papers on the readings, 2-3 pages each. Paper topics will be posted to the course web site.

4. Presentation: Students will make a presentation on the readings for one of the section meetings. The presenter should NOT summarize the reading but should use the presentation to discuss why the selected ideas/passages in question are important for understanding the reading and proceed to explain and well as raise questions about these ideas/passages. Each student will prepare a handout with ONE question and accompanying quotation(s) from the readings.

The primary purpose of these presentations is to launch the discussion, not to demonstrate breadth of knowledge or to lead the discussion. Each presenter will prepare a handout with 2 questions and brief, corresponding quotations from the readings. More detailed instructions will be provided on the course web site.

5. Final paper: Each student will hand in a medium length final paper of 4-6 pages double-spaced. Suggested topics will be provided. Students may choose to create their own topics with the consent of their section leader. In the case of the latter, a one-paragraph description of the topic must be submitted by email to your GTF one week prior to the due date.

6. Late policy on written assignments: Three grace days total will be allotted excluding the medium-length paper for which no extensions will be given. For all other assignments, a cumulative total of three late days will be allowed without penalty. Thereafter, each late day will result in a two-point deduction from the course grade. Weekends are not counted against the grace days.

Grades

• Short exam A 10%, Short exam B 10%
• Short paper I 15%, Short paper II 15%
• Final paper 25%
• Presentation 10%
• Discussion 15%

Required Texts (Information listed here is given in footnote/endnote format.)

1. Herbert Fingarette, Confucius-The Secular as Sacred (New York: HarperCollins, 1972).

2. Burton Watson, tr., Chuang Tzu (New York: Columbia University Press, 1964).

3. Taitetsu Unno, tr. Tannisho-A Shin Buddhist Classic (Honolulu: Buddhist Study Center Press, 1996).

5. Course Reader, Philosophy 213 Eastern Philosophy World, Winter 2005

Available at the Copy Shop, 539 E. 13th Street, Eugene, OR 97401, TEL 485 6253

Course Reader

1. Ralph T. H. Griffith, trans., The Hymns of the Rgveda (Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1973) 206, 633-4.

2. A. C. Bhakitvedanta Swami Prabhupada, trans., Bhagavad-Gita As It Is (Los Angeles: Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, 1990) 633-634.

3. B. Srinivasa Murthy, trans., The Bhagavad-Gita (Long Beach, CA: Long Beach Publications, 1985) 29-44.

4. Joseph Campbell, Oriental Mythology - The Masks of God (NY: Penguin, 1991) 343-353.

5. Soren Kierkegaard, Fear and Trembling (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1983) 5-23, 34-53.

6. Peter Harvey, An Introduction to Buddhism (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990) 9-26.

7. Frederick Streng, Emptiness-A Study in Religious Meaning (Nashville and New York: Abingdon Press, 1967) 199, 212-215.

8. Mark Unno, "Key Ideas: Nagarjuna" and "Key Ideas: Philosophical Schools."

9. Jay Garfield, trans., The Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way (NY: Oxford University Press, 1995) 67-72.

10. C. W. Huntington, The Emptiness of Emptiness (Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 1990) 36-59.

11. Robert A. F. Thurman, trans., The Holy Teaching of Vimalakirti (University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1987) 56-63, 73-77.

12. Taitetsu Unno, "Philosophical Schools-San-lun, T'ien-t'ai, and Hua-yen," in Buddhist Spirituality, ed. by Takeuchi Yoshinori (New York: Crossroad, 1995) 343-365.

13. Heinrich Dumoulin, Zen Buddhism: A History-India and China (New York: Macmillan Publishing, 1988) 85-94.

14. Mark Unno, "Key Terms - Philosophical Terms in the Zen Buddhist Thought of Dogen"

15. Norman Waddell and Masao Abe, trans., "Shobogenzo Genjokoan," by Dogen Kigen, The Eastern Buddhist 5:2 (10/1972) 129-140.

16. Mark Unno, "Key Terms - Pure Land Buddhism and the Philosophy of Honen and Shinran."

17. Mark Unno, "The Nembutsu of No-Meaning and the Problem of Genres in the Writings and Statements of Gutoku Shinran." The Pure Land 10-11 (12/1994). 1-9 (originally pages 105-121).

18. Mu Soeng Sunim. Thousand Peaks: Korean Zen-Tradition & Teachers. Berkeley: Parallax Press, 1987. 28-48, 191-314.

19. Audre Lorde, "Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power," Sister Outsider (Freedom, CA: Crossing Press, 1984) 53-59.