ASIAN 5509 - Temple in the World: Buddhism in Contemporary South and Southeast Asia

(crosslisted) RELST 5509

Spring. 4 credits. Student option grading.

Co-meets with ASIAN 3309/RELST 3309.

A. Blackburn.

How do Buddhists live out their philosophies and ethics? What are the spaces of ritual, devotion, meditation, education, and politics? How do Buddhist practices and affiliations satisfy aesthetic and emotional needs and build social networks? This course explores the unfolding of Buddhist life in contemporary South and Southeast Asia, in locations such as Burma/Myanmar, Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Cambodia. (RL)