Buddhist Studies

This course will consider materials drawn from various Buddhist traditions of Asia, from ancient times to the present day. However, it is not intended to be a comprehensive or systematic survey; rather than aiming at breadth, it is designed around key themes such as ritual, image veneration, mysticism, meditation, and death. The overarching emphasis throughout the course will be on the hermeneutic difficulties attendant upon the study of religion in general, and Buddhism in particular.