TITLE: 422 Anthropology of Religion (Theory)
TIME: 1:30-4:00 p.m., Tuesdays, Fall Semester 2002
PLACE: Webster 203, University of Hawai`i @ Manoa
INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Les Sponsel, Professor
OFFICE: 317 Saunders Hall
Hours: 12:00-3:00 p.m., Thursdays
Phone: 956-8507
Email: sponsel@hawaii.edu
ORIENTATION
French anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss of the Sorbonne in Paris wrote on Buddhism after visiting India:
"Between this form of religion and myself, there was no likelihood of misunderstanding. It was not a question of bowing down in front of idols or of adoring a supposed supernatural order, but only of paying homage to the decisive wisdom that a thinker, or the society which created his legend, had evolved twenty-five centuries before and to which my civilization could contribute only by confirming it" [1974, Triste Tropiques, NY: Atheneum, p. 411].
British anthropologist Jonathan Benthall of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland in London wrote:
"If Euro-American anthropological theory sometimes seems to have got in a rut, there may be something said for alighting from the vehicle occasionally and paying a visit to the nearest temple or mosque." [1996, "The Religious Provenances of Anthropologists" Anthropology Today 12(4):1-2)].
After a brief overview of the anthropology of religion in general, this course focuses on these aspects of Buddhism emphasizing an anthropological perspective: theories and methods for research; underlying unity or core principles; diversity in the thought, practice, and life of both laity and clergy in cross-cultural perspective; Asian monks in the West and Western monks in Asia; rites of passage and rites of intensification; sacred places and pilgrimages; temple and forest monks; economy and social organization; nationalism, state, colonialism, and politics; art, music, and literature; relation to other religions (animism, shamanism, Christianity, Islam, syncretism); values and ethics; problems and issues from the individual to the societal and global levels with special attention to environmental and peace activism (including concerns about weapons of mass destruction and terrorism); nonviolence, social criticism, socially engaged practice, sociocultural change, liberation and revitalization movements (Tibet); cyberspace revolution; 21st century; and critical implications for basic, applied, advocacy anthropology. The instructor will emphasize Theravada Buddhism in Thailand based on his fieldwork; however, the readings, videos, and guests are far more widespread and diverse in the coverage of Buddhists traditions, societies, and cultures. Furthermore, although this courses focuses on Buddhism, it does not do so exclusively, since it can not be realistically separated from other religions.
OBJECTIVES
The primary objectives of this course are to provide:
(1) a brief introductory survey of the anthropology of religion;
(2) a penetrating exploration of the anthropology of Buddhism;
(3) a substantial resource guide for further individual study of these and related topics during this course and in the future (see course website at http://www.blackboard.hawaii.edu); and
(4) new information and insights for students who are Buddhists as well as by comparison and contrast for those who adhere to other beliefs (religious, spiritual, or secular).
FORMAT
The above topics will be covered through a combination of lectures by the instructor; guest lectures, discussants, and resource persons; student general class discussion, student class presentations, and panel discussions; and videos and slides. In particular, most sessions will be organized and facilitated mainly by one or more students in collaboration with the instructor. The instructor will also discuss his ongoing field research on aspects of Theravada Buddhism in Thailand. Guests from local Buddhist temples and lay communities will be invited as resource persons and discussants as well as to represent ethnic and other differences in Buddhism. Group field trips and/or individual fieldwork may also be arranged.
A few videos will be shown in class, especially short ones, and many others are recommended for students to voluntarily view outside of class. Videos are an especially useful complement to class readings and discussions, and to some degree the next best thing to visiting multiple field sites. Students are encouraged to view as many extra videos as possible. (A one-page essay reacting to a video can be submitted for extra credit).
Students are invited to suggest any revisions of this syllabus at any time during the semester. A statement attributed to the Buddha applies to every aspect of this course as well: "Be ye lamps unto yourselves." In the context of this course this statement means that students should apply critical thinking in their readings and class discussions as well as any other aspects of the course. It also means that the course will emphasize active and collaborative learning. In particular, each student is expected to serve as an organizer and facilitator for at least one class meeting in collaboration with the instructor and possibly other students, depending on their special interests in a topic.
GRADING
The grading criteria for this course will be determined in consultation with students. However, the following is recommended, but flexible for the class as a whole and/or for individuals.
20% general discussion in class and on course website
30% class presentation (student organizer and facilitator for discussion of readings, videos, etc.), or written research report
30% journal (mid-term exam 10%, final exam 20%)
20% panel discussion (final exam)
+ extra credit from reaction papers to any recommended videos
+ individual and/or group field trips to Buddhist temples, ceremonies, and/or other relevant sites or events such as the Honolulu Academy of Art exhibit of Buddhist art.
[Note: The Hawai`i Association of International Buddhists will host the Dharmachakra Harvest Moon Festival at McCoy Pavilion in Ala Moana starting at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, September 13th. A candle-light procession will be held in memory of those who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001. Also in early September the Japanese Buddhist sect Shingon Shu Hawai`i Betsuin will celebrate its centennial--- more details later].
READINGS
Every student is required to thoroughly read and discuss each of these four textbooks in the order listed:
Klass, Morton, 1995, Ordered Universes: Approaches to the Anthropology of Religion.
Renard, John, 1999, Responses to 101 Questions on Buddhism.
Reynolds, Frank E., and Jason A. Carbine, eds., 2000, The Life of Buddhism.
Chappell, David W., ed., 1999, Buddhist Peacework: Creating Cultures of Peace.
A few chapters from additional books are also required and are on reserve in Sinclair Library. (See Reading List after Schedule). Some short magazine articles will be among the handouts distributed in class.
SCHEDULE (topics only)
1. Orientation: Why does it matter?
2. Anthropology of religion
3. Anthropology of Buddhism
4. The Buddha, history and varieties of Buddhism
5. The Dharma (core teachings) and world view
6. Values and ethics
7. Spirituality, sacred places and pilgrimages
8. Temples and rituals
9. Monks
10. Gender, women and nuns
11. Lay life and rites of passage
12. Symbols, art and architecture
13. Asian Buddhists in the West and Western Buddhists in Asia
14. Toward a Buddhist critique of anthropology
Engaged Buddhism and contemporary sociopolitical issues
15. Peace and nonviolence
SCHEDULE (full)
August
27 ORIENTATION
Discussion groups: (1) Why does religion matter? (2) Why does the anthropology of religion matter? (3) Why does Buddhism matter? (4) Why does the anthropology of Buddhism matter?
Video: "Wisdom of Faith: Renard - Seven
Personal Philosophy" (58 min) 14496
Video recommended:
"Journey into Thailand: The Other Thailand" (relations between Buddhists and Muslims in the south)(30 min) 2081
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September
3 ANTHROPOLOGY OF RELIGION Klass Chs. 1-9
Video: "Thailand: Land of Smiles" (27 min) 7145
Videos recommended:
"Power of Place: Program 25 Mainland Southeast Asia"(60min) 12988
"Southeast Asia: A Cultural History"(16 min) 7045
"Journey Into Thailand: The Long March South" (29 min) 9869
"Thailand Before the Buddha" (23 min) 11007
"Thailand" (48 min) 19370
"Timeless Waters" (30 min) 12384
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10 continued K 10-19
Video: "Festival of Light: The Loy Krathong Festival in Thailand" (30 min) 11966
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17 ANTHROPOLOGY OF BUDDHISM Adiele, Calkowski, Lewis, Prebish, Swearer, Turnbull, Wallace
Video: "Journey Into Thailand: The Middle Path" (29 min) 9866
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24 THE BUDDHA R - One & Two
HISTORY AND VARIETIES OF BUDDHISM Reynolds & Carbine - General Introduction
Video: "Walking with the Buddha"
(28 min) 10293
Videos recommended:
"Ancient India" (47 min) 16863
"Buddhism: The Path to Enlightenment"(30 min) 1388
"Footprint of the Buddha"(India and Sri Lanka)(52 min) 1280
"Buddhism in China" (30 min) 5727
"Nepal" (mixture with Hinduism)(62 min) 2773
"Buddha in the Land of the Kami (7th-12th Century Japan)(54 min) 7840
"Meeting the Gods and the Buddha (Japan, Shinto) (45min) 3512
"Discovery of the Pure Land"(Japan 12th-14th Century)(45 min) 3513
"Introduction to Zen" (81 min) 7753
"Zen in Life" (25 min) 6092
"The Flow of Zen" (14 min) 4149
"Introduction to Zen Buddhism"(John Daido Loori)(81 min) 7753
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October
1 THE DHARMA (CORE TEACHINGS) AND R - Three & Seven,
WORLD VIEW Pagel
Video:"The Jataka Tale of Prince Wetsandorn" (16 min) 10905
Videos recommended:
"The Art of Meditation" (28 min) 4118
"A Guide to Walking Meditation" (Thich Nhat Hanh)(30 min) 1394
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8 VALUES AND ETHICS R - Four, Harvey 90a
Video: Wisdom of Faith: Buddhism (30 min) 14492
Videos recommended:
"His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama: Human Rights and Moral Practice" (35 min) 14499
"Door to Compassion: Talks with Thich Nhat Hanh" (43 min) 14679
"Peace in Every Step" (Thich Nhat Hanh)(52 min) 15150
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15 SPIRITUALITY, R - Five
SACRED PLACES AND PILGRIMAGES Barber, Boord
(slides)
Video: "Thai Images of the Buddha" (14 min) 6077
Videos recommended:
"Temples of Glory" (Ayutthaya and Angkor) (26 min) 12071
"Camera Three: Magic of Old Buddhism, Borobudur, Indonesia" (28 min) 13856
"Nakhon Wat Nakhon Thom" (Angkor Wat)(180 min) 14864
"Man on Cloud Mountain"(meditation retreat)(54 min) 7668
"The Flow of Zen" (14 min) 4149
"Science of Zazen" [physiological effects of meditation](31 min) 14035
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22 TEMPLES AND RITUALS RC - Chs. 1-3
Harvey 90b, 94
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29 MONKS RC - 5, 7, 9
Harvey 90b,94, Lamb,
Turnbull
Videos recommended:
"Dali Lama of Tibet" (Cornell U visit) (58 min) 8433
"Dalai Lama: Non-violent Society (Honolulu visit)(60 min) 10163
"Buddhism: Making of a Monk" (15 min)
16788
"Buddhism, Be Ye Lamps Unto Yourselves" (29 min) 6136
"Cool Heart" (30 min) 8600
"Life and Work of Buddhadasa Bhikku: Slave of the Buddha"
(25 min) 3958
"The Principles and Practices of Zen (student priest) (116 min) 9263
"Zen in Ryoko-in" (71 min) 7337
"Zen and I: A self-Portrait" (Tachibana Takei, Chief Abbot of the Imperial Daitokuji Temple, Kyoto) (28 min) 15228
"Wake up! On the Road with a [Korean] Zen Master (54 min) 9414
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November
5 Election Day - no class meeting
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12 GENDER, WOMEN AND NUNS RC - 6, 8, Adiele, Barnes, Gross
Video: "Choice for a Chinese Woman: Enlightenment in a Buddhist Convent" (35 min) 10724
Videos recommended:
"Two Tibetan Buddhist Nunneries" (30 min) 5332
"In Search f a Holy Man" (nuns in India)(30 min) 3710
"Women in Buddhism: Unity and Diversity" (1997 conference of Intern. Assoc. of Buddhist Women) (30 min) 15313
"On the Road Home: A Spiritual Journey Guided by Remarkable Women" (75 min) 18885
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19 LAY LIFE AND RITES OF PASSAGE R Eight, RC-4, 10-14
Harvey 94, Lamb
Videos recommended:
"Buddha and the Rice-Planters" (Sri Lanka) (30 min) 6447
"Festival of Light: The Loy Krathong Festival, Thailand" 1994 (30 min) 11966
"Third Honolulu Floating Lantern Ceremony (Aug. 15, 1989)"(15 min) 2753
"Radiating the Fruit of Truth" (Tibetan ritual A Beautiful Ornament)(127 min) 8896
"Lord of the Dance" (Nepal monastery festival of awakening)(114 min) 9671
"The Retreat" (40 min) 2742
"Kanphrasop Somdet Phranangchao Ramphaiphanni Phraborommarachini Nai Ratchakan Thi" (Royal funeral of Queen Ramphaiphanni, April 9-13, 1985) (120 min) 613
"the Fields of the Senses" (funeral, Tibet)(54 min) 8965
"The Tibetan Book of the Dead" (90 min) 10942-1,2
"The Lion's Roar" (His Holiness the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa life and funeral)(50 min) 9991
"Food for Body and Spirit" (China) (29 min) 8209
"Zen in Life" (25 min) 6069
"Buddhism and Black Belts" (Japan) (28 min) 10299
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26 SYMBOLS, ART, AND ARCHITECTURE R - Six
Videos recommended:
"Sand Painting: The Sacred Art of Tibetan Buddhism" (30 min) 11735
"Zen Culture, Zen Spirit" (29 min) 3857
"Freedom Chants from the Roof of the World" (Tibet) CD1973
"The Music of Buddhism" (sound recording, slides) KIT 286
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December
3 ASIAN BUDDHISTS IN THE WEST AND RC - 15, Kraft,
WESTERN BUDDHISTS IN ASIA Mitchell
Video:
"Buddhism Comes to America" (30 min) 4052
"I Am A Monk" (30 min) 7166
Videos recommended:
"In the Spirit of Free Enquiry"(Dalai Lama speaks on problems of Buddhism in the West)(107 min) 10914
"Zen Mountain Monastery" (50 min) 7325
"Zen Center" (LA, impact of American culture on Zen)(30 min) 2616
"One Precept: Zen Buddhism in America" (30 min) 13179
"World Buddhism in North America" (July 10, 1987 conference)(120 min) 11416
"Light of Amida's Compassion" (Honpa Honwangi Mission in Hawai`i)(16 min) Beta I
"The Best of Alan Watts" (60 min) 10283
"Essential Alan Watts" (58 min) 13823
"Pak Bueng on Fire" (Thai immigrants in LA)(25 min) 4099
"Thana Lauhakaikul" (Thai artist in Austin, TX)(33 min) 8570
"No Place Like Home" (SE Asian refugees in Honolulu)(30 min) 693
"Blue Collar and Buddha" (Laotian refugees in US)(57 min) 4133
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10 TOWARD A BUDDHIST CRITIQUE OF ANTHROPOLOGY
AND A BUDDHIST ANTHROPOLOGY
(email survey results)
ENGAGED BUDDHISM AND CONTEMPORARY R - Nine
SOCIOPOLIITCAL ISSUES (environment, Sponsel (Selin)
Tibet) King
Videos recommended:
"Buddhism, Man and Nature" (Alan Watts)(14 min) 1371
"Man in Nature" (Alan Watts)(58 min) 14128
"Sacred Wilderness: Zen Teachings of Rock and Water" (Zen Mountain Monastery, Mt. Temper, NY)(31 min) 13756
"Ancient Futures: In Harmony with Spirit"(Ladakh)(86 min) 11602
"Mini-Dragons II: Thailand"(60 min) 10571
"It Needs a Political Decision (segment on Thailand)(20 min) 4137
"Smiles" (struggle for democracy in Thailand)(32 min) 17765
"Tongpan" (63 min) 9645
"With Hope and Help" (AIDS in Thailand)(35 min) 15603
"Globalization and Human Rights" (segment on Thailand)(20 min) 13274
"Doing Time, Doing Vipassana" (prison in Ne Delhi)(52 min) 15849
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17 noon-2:00
PEACE AND NONVIOLENCE (3 student panels) Chappell book
(1) building inclusive communities
(2) rebuilding moral cultures
(3) inner peace and outer kindness
Videos recommended:
"Destination, Lhasa" (Chinese invasion of Tibet) (49 min) 14601
"Secret Heart of Asia" (Tibet) (60 min) 16877
"Ocean of Wisdom" (Dalai Lama, Tibet and Chinese)(29 min) 5416
"Overcoming Differences" (Dalai Lama of Tibet at Cornell on world peace)(58 min) 8433
"The Spirit and the Life (Buddhism and rebuilding Cambodia)
(27 min) 13576
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READING LIST
Adiele, Faith, 2000 (Summer), "A Green and Gold Place [anthropology student becomes nun in Thailand]" Tricycle XI(4):62-65, 99-101.
Barber, Richard, 1991, "Buddhist Pilgrimage: Pilgrimage as Quest," in his Pilgrimages, Rochester, NY: Boydell Press, pp. 103-131.
Barnes, Nancy J., 1996, Buddhist Women and the Nuns' Order in Asia," in Engaged Buddhism: Buddhist Liberation Movements in Asia, Christopher S. Queen and Sallie B. King, eds., Albany, NY: State University Press of New York, pp. 259-294.
Boord, Martin, 1994, "Buddhism," in Sacred Place, Jean Holm and John Bowker, eds., New York, NY: St. Martin's Press/Pinter, pp. 8-32.
Cabezon, Jose Ignacio, 1996, "Buddhist Principles in the Tibetan Liberation Movement," in Engaged Buddhism: Buddhist Liberation Movements in Asia, Christopher S. Queen and Sallie B. King, eds., Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, pp. 295-320.
Calkowski, Marcia, 2000, "Buddhism," in Religion and Culture: An Anthropological Focus, Raymond Scupin, ed., Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, pp. 249-274.
Gross, Rita M., "Buddhism," in Women in Religion, John Holm, and Jean Bowker, eds., New York, NY: St. Martin's Press/Pinter, pp. 1-29.
Harvey, Peter, 1990a, "Buddhist Practice: Ethics," in his An Introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, History and Practices, New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, pp. 196-216.
Harvey, Peter, 1990b, "Buddhist Practice: The Sangha," in his An Introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, History and Practices, New York, NY: Cambridge University press, pp. 217-243.
Harvey, Peter, 1994, "Buddhism," in Worship, Jean Holm and John Bowker, eds., New York, NY: St. Martin's Press/Pinter, pp. 9-34.
King, Sallie B., 2000, "Human Rights in Contemporary Engaged Buddhism," in Buddhist Theology: Critical Reflections by Contemporary Buddhist Scholars, Roger Jackson and John Makransky, eds., Surrey, UK: Curzon. pp. 293-311.
Kraft, Kenneth, 2000, "New Voices in Engaged Buddhist Studies," in Engaged Buddhism in the West, Christopher S. Queen, ed., Boston, MA: Wisdom Publications, pp. 485-511.
Lamb, Christopher, 1994, "Buddhism," in Rites of Passage, Jean
Holm and John Bowker, eds., New York, NY: St. Martin's Press/Pinter, pp. 10-40.
Lewis, Todd T., 1999, "Buddhist Communities: Historical Precedents and Ethnographic Paradigms," in Anthropology of Religion: A Handbook, Stephen D. Glazier, ed., Westport, CT: Praeger, pp. 319-368.
Mitchell, Donald W., 2002, "Buddhism in the West," in his Buddhism: Introducing the Buddhist Experience, New York, NY: Oxford University Press, pp. 316-349.
Pagel, Ulrich, 1994, "Buddhism," Sacred Writings, Jean Holm and John Bowker, eds., New York, NY: St. Martin's Press/Pinter, pp. 10-43.
Powers, John, 2000, "The Free Tibet Movement: A Selective Narrative," in Engaged Buddhism in the West, Christopher S. Queen, ed., Boston, MA: Wisdom Publications, pp. 218-244.
Prebish, Charles S., 1999, "The Cybersangha: Virtual Communities," in Luminous Passage: The Practice and Study of Buddhism in America, Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, pp. 203-232.
Sponsel, Leslie E., and Poranee Natadecha-Sponsel, 2002, "Buddhist Views of Nature and Environment," in Nature Across Cultures, Helin Selaine, ed., Boston, MA: Kluwer Academic Publishers (in press) [manuscript copy posted on course website].
Swearer, Donald K., 2000, "Introduction: Themes and Issues in International Buddhist Studies," in The State of Buddhist Studies in the World 1972-1997, D.K. Swearer and Somparn Promta, eds., Bangkok, Thailand: Chulalongkorn University Center for Buddhist Studies, pp. 1-32
Turnbull, Colin, M., 2000, "An Anthropologist Monk," Tricycle X(1):31-35.
Wallace, B. Alan, "Three Dimensions of Buddhist Studies," in Buddhist Theology: Critical Reflections by Contemporary Buddhist Scholars, Roger Jackson and Jon Makransky, eds., Surrey, UK: Curzon Press, pp. 61-77.