World Religions 161: Perspectives on Buddhism

Methodist Theological School in Ohio, Fall 2004.

Dr. Paul D. Numrich, email pnumrich@mtso.edu, phone 740-362-3443

 

DESCRIPTION: An overview of Buddhist history, traditions, rituals, experiences, narratives, doctrines, ethics, institutions, and material expressions from a variety of academic, Buddhist, and Christian perspectives.

 

OBJECTIVES:

 

1)      To introduce the complexity of Buddhism as a major world religion by employing insights from various academic disciplines.

2)      To read selected materials by Buddhist authors and groups.

3)      To consider diverse Christian perspectives on Buddhism.

4)      To develop one’s own perspective on Buddhism.

5)      To understand “religion” in comparative perspective.

6)      To enhance the scholarly enterprise of the seminary community.

 

READINGS AND RESOURCES:

 

Damien Keown, Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction (New York: Oxford University Press, 1996)

 

Paul David Numrich, Old Wisdom in the New World: Americanization in Two Immigrant Theravada Buddhist Temples (Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1996)

 

Walpola Rahula, What the Buddha Taught, rev. ed. (New York: Grove Press, 1974)

 

Handouts, Internet sites, and other assigned readings

 

 

Section I: “Religion,” Buddhism as a religion

 

Paul D. Numrich, “Perspectives on Religion,” August 2004 (handout)

“To the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions,” August 31, 1993 (handout)

 

http://www.uwec.edu/academic/curric/greidebe/WorldReligions/

 

 Ninian Smart, “The World’s Religions: Seven Dimensions of Religions”

 

Charles J. Dawes, C. Robert Pryor, and Winifred C. Wirth, “Buddhism,” in Religion in Ohio: Profiles of Faith Communities, ed. Tarunjit Singh Butalia and Dianne P. Small (Athens, OH: Ohio University Press, 2004), 319-336 (on reserve at MTSO library)

 

Section II: Academic perspectives on Buddhism

 

Paul David Numrich, “How the Swans Came to Lake Michigan: The Social Organization of Buddhist Chicago,” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 39,2 (June 2000): 189-203 (handout)

 

Section III: Buddhist perspectives on Buddhism

 

http://www.buddhistvihara.com/online/narada (Narada Thera, The Dhammapada: Pali Text and Translation with Stories in Brief and Notes)

 

http://www.budaedu.org.tw/en/ghosa (Dharma Talks, The Corporate Body of the Buddha Educational Foundation); this Website

requires special computer capabilities, consult MTSO library staff for help

 

Kenneth K. Tanaka, “Christian Prayer from the Eye of a Buddhist,” Buddhist-Christian Studies 22 (2002): 87-92 (handout)

 

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/thai/chah/atasteof.html (Ajahn Chah, “A Taste of Freedom”)

 

http://www.kwanumzen.com/primarypoint/v08n2-1991-summer-jonkabatzinn-mindfulmedicine.html (“Mindful Medicine: An interview

with Jon Kabat-Zinn”)

 

http://samsara.law.cwru.edu/~cbt (Cleveland Buddhist Temple)

 

http://www.ohiobuddhist.org/index.php (Wat Buddha Mongkol Bhavana, Columbus area)

 

http://columbus_zen_corner.tripod.com (Columbus Zen Corner)

 

http://www.tfn.net/~cypress/zenforbeginners.html (Cypress Tree Zen Group, Tallahassee, FL)

 

http://www.eastsidesangha.org (Eastside Sangha, Columbus area)

 

http://www.geocities.com/mindfulnesscolumbus (Mindfulness Meditation of Columbus)

 

http://www.shambhala.org/centers/columbus (Shambhala Meditation Group of Columbus)

 

http://www.nichirenshoshumyoshinji.org (Nichiren Shoshu Seiganzan Myoshinji Temple, San Francisco area)

 

 

Section IV: Christian perspectives on Buddhism

 

Terry C. Muck, “The Buddha,” Buddhist-Christian Studies 19 (1999): 105-113 (handout)

 

http://www.namb.net/root/resources/beliefbulletins/religions/buddhism.asp (North American Mission Board, Southern Baptist Convention)

 

http://www.onebillionwait.org/index.asp?internal=1 (“Buddhism,” OMF International, formerly China Inland Mission)

 

http://www.ijfm.org/PDFs_IJFM/10_3_PDFs/Weerasinga.pdf (Tissa Weerasingha, “Karma and Christ: Opening Our Eyes to the Buddhist World,” International Journal of Frontier Missions)

 

Paul D. Numrich, “Gathering around the Table of Fellowship: Lake Street Church,” in The Church Next Door: Local Christians

Face America’s New Religious Diversity (unpublished manuscript), Chapter 6 (handout)

 

http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/interelg/documents/

 

rc_pc_interelg_20020409_vesakh2002_en.html (Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, Vatican)

 

http://www.americancatholic.org/Messenger/Jan1997/feature1.asp#F6 (“The Dalai Lama Visits Gethsemani,” St. Anthony

Messenger)

 

http://gbgm-umc.org/missionstudies/interfaith/f-buddhism.html (Creating Interfaith Community, United Methodist Church)

 

 

 

 

 

“Few people cross to the further shore; the others simply run around the bank on this side.”  (Gautama Buddha, Dhammapada 85)

 

“For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”  (Jesus Christ, Matthew 7:14)

 

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