Buddhist Thought in Global Context

A critical exploration of classical Indian Buddhist thought in a global and comparative context, focusing on the global influence of Buddha's awakening and the philosophical articulation of this. The course begins with a meditative reading of the classical text- The Dhamapada- and proceeds to an in- depth critical exploration of the teachings of Nagarjuna, the great dialectician who founded the Madhyamika tradition of Buddhist thinking. We focus on his central work- The Karikas.\ud Our journey unfolds a global context of philosophy in critical comparison with classical texts in the European traditions - Plato, Aristotle, Kant, Descartes, Wittgenstein, Derrida and others.\ud The student is oriented in the methods and dialectics of meditative thinking which are rigorously and systematically developed in classical Buddhist thought. This introduction to meditative life is developed through direct participation, performance and experimentation, and brings out the inherent limitations in egocentric thinking showing why such conduct oi mind produces existential suffering and disorders.\ud The first half of the course is orientation to meditative dynamics and transformations which prepare us for entering the challenging Karikas of Nagarjuna. In this advanced text in the phenomenology of meditative discourse the student enters into a powerful critique of dual thinking and experiences the foundations of natural reason in the non-dual or Madhyamika methods of conducting the mind. This course seeks to cultivate the deepest understanding of the meditative teachings through a direct encounter with meditative thought and meditative dialogue in class