24 lectures, 30 minutes/lecture Taught by Malcolm David Eckel Boston University Ph.D., Harvard University A religion without God? How could that be? And how could it have captured and captivated so many millions of people in so many countries for so many centuries? No doubt you can picture the Buddhaseated serenely, feet crossed in front of him, hands folded in his lap. But who was the real person behind this image? What did he say about the nature and purpose of life? What were the origins of the concepts of reincarnation, nirvana, karma, and Zen, and what is the Buddhist understanding of them? Buddhism is your opportunity to trace the history, principles, and evolution of a theology that is both familiar and foreign. In its 2,500-year history, Buddhism has expanded from a tiny religious community in northern India into a movement that now spans the globe. This course is a historical survey of Buddhism from its origin in India in the 6th century B.C. to its present status as a major world religion. It is meant to introduce students to the astonishing vitality and adaptability of a tradition that has transformed the civilizations of India, Southeast Asia, Tibet, China, Korea, and Japan and has now become a lively component in the cultures of Europe, Australia, and the Americas. The study of Buddhism offers great challenges to people who have grown up in the Western world. It does not share many of the central beliefs of Western religions, such as the concept of a single, omnipotent God, or that each human being has a permanent self that began at conception and will continue in an afterlife. Buddhism also has been transformed in many ways as it has swept across the cultures of Asia; it often is difficult to decide what Buddhism actually is and how it should be studied.
Part I
Lecture 1: What is Buddhism?
Lecture 2: India at the Time of the Buddha
Lecture 3: The Doctrine of Reincarnation
Lecture 4: The Story of the Buddha
Lecture 5: All is Suffering
Lecture 6: The Path to Nirvana
Lecture 7: The Buddhist Monastic Community
Lecture 8: Buddhist Art and Architecture
Lecture 9: Thervada Buddhism in Southeast Asia
Lecture 10: Mahayana Buddhism and the Bodhisattva Ideal
Lecture 11: Celestial Buddhas and Bodhisattvas
Lecture 12: Emptiness

Part II
Lecture 13: Buddhist Philosophy
Lecture 14: Buddhist Tantra
Lecture 15: The Theory and Practice of Mandala
Lecture 16: The "First Diffusion of the Dharma" in Tibet
Lecture 17: The Schools of Tibetan Buddhism
Lecture 18: The Dalai Lama
Lecture 19: The Origins of Chinese Buddhism
Lecture 20: The Classical Period of Chinese Buddhism
Lecture 21: The Origins of Japanese Buddhism
Lecture 22: Honen, Shinran and Nichiren
Lecture 23: Zen
Lecture 24: Buddhism in America
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