RLST370: Religions of China and Japan

Fall, 2002

Stuart Chandler Office Hours:

McElhaney 201 Monday 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

357-5612 Wednesday 9:30 p.m. - 11:00 a.m.

chandler@iup.edu Fri. 8:00 am -10:00 a.m.

Course Description

This course provides a study of Daoism, Buddhism, Shinto, and Christianity in China and Japan. We will consider the various traditions’ historical development, metaphysical assumptions, forms of practice, and contemporary expressions.

Course Progression

Aug. 31 Introduction

Sept. 1-2 Religion of Ancient China

Reading: China in Antiquity, Book II, chapters 2, 4, and 5

Sept. 3-21 The Daoist Approach

Reading: Daode Jing; Taoist Meditation, “Introduction,” “General

Perspectives” and “The Book of the Yellow Court”

September 16 ***Glossary, Installment I Due

Sept. 22-Oct. 5 The Chinese Assimilation of Buddhism

Reading : “The Sutra on The Eight Realizations of Great Beings”; selection from Monkey; Arthur Wolf, “Gods, Ghosts, and Ancestors”

Oct. 6-21 Buddhist Compassion

Reading: Lotus Sutra, chapter 26; Chun-fang Yu,”Miracle Tales and the

Domestication of Kuan-yin” and “Princess Miao-shan and the Feminization of Kuan-yin”

Oct. 7 ***Glossary, Installment II Due

Oct. 18-19 Fall Break

Oct. 22-Nov.4 Chan/Zen

Reading : Hsu Yun, “Prerequisites of the Ch’an Training” and “The Ch’an Training”; Dogen, “Rules for Zazen,”; Shunryu Suzuki, Zen Mind Beginner’s Mind; Dainin Katagiri, Returning to Silence

October 26 ***Glossary, Installment III Due

October 28 ***Second Textual Analysis Due By This Date

Oct. 29-30 Field trip to Zen Center of Pittsburgh

Nov. 5--11 Nichiren Traditions

Reading : “Soka Gakkai in Historical Perspective” and “Soka Gakkai and Its Nichiren Humanism”

Nov. 6 Field trip to Ciji Hui office

Nov. 7 Field trip to Soka Gakkai World Peace Prayer Meeting

Nov. 11 ***Glossary, Installment IV Due

Nov.12-23 The Way of the Kami: Shinto

Reading : “Early Shinto”; “Toward An Ideology of Sacred Place” and

“Ritual Practice in Contemporary Shrine Shinto”

Nov. 18 ***Notes and Visuals for Guide Book or CD-Rom Slide Show due

Nov 24- 30 The Way of Universal God: Konkokyo

Reading : www.konkokyo.org

December 1-9 Christianity

Reading : Jesus Sutra; “Jesus in Japan: Christian Syncretism in Mahikari”

Dec. 7 ***Notes for Essay due

Dec. 14 ***Portfolio due

Class Requirements

Participation (20%)

Students are expected to come to class on time and prepared.

Portfolio 80%

A student’s engagement with the material will be especially reflected in the quality of the portfolio assembled. This portfolio will have five parts:

• Glossary : This will include three sections--
• Definitions of key terms of the traditions we study. You must write these definitions yourself.
• Definitions of English terms used in the readings and in class that are new to you. These definitions may be copied from a dictionary (provide source).
• List of English terms used in the readings or in class (or even in other classes) for which you already know the meaning but which you do not actively use in your own vocabulary. Indicate the source of where you saw the word.

The glossary must be handed in to me to check on September 16, October 7, October 26, and November 11 . Each time it will be graded pass/fail, although a tentative grade will be assigned to give you an indication of how I think it is going.

• Textual Analyses : At least four times, you should write a minimum of one typed page based on the current reading. The “mini-essay” may be an analysis of a particular passage, a consideration of a recurring theme or concept, or a comparison of some aspect of the particular work with a text we have already studied. The entry must be handed in to me at the end of the class in which we discuss the reading. At least two of these essays should be written by October 28. Several terms should be included from the glossary you are compiling. Key terms should be in bold and new active English terms should be underlined.
• Guide Book or CD-Rom Slide Show : Working either individually or in a team, students will compose either a guide book or a CD-Rom slide show. Each student is expected to write approximately 1250 to 1800 words and to locate appropriate visuals. Several terms should be included from the glossary you are compiling (key terms should be in bold and new active English terms should be underlined). Some suggested topics: “A Tour Through Chinese Buddhist Hell”; “Zen Gardens”; “The Zen Tea Ceremony”; “The Zen of Swordsmanship (Kendo)”; “Zen and Ikebana”; “An Introduction to The Buddhist Compassion Relief Society, Pittsburgh Chapter (Tz’u Chi Hui)”; “An Introduction to Soka Gakkai, Pittsburgh Chapter”; “An Introduction to the Zen Center of Pittsburgh” (to do any of the last three topics would require going on one of the field trips). Notes and visuals for this project are due by Nov. 18.
• Analytical or Comparative Essay : Each student will write a 800 to 1000 word essay based on one or more of the texts we have read over the semester. Several terms should be included from the glossary you are compiling (key terms should be in bold and new active English terms should be underlined). Notes for this essay are due by Dec. 7.
• Class notes .

Portfolios will be graded on content, style, and presentation. The full portfolio is due on

December 14 .

Grading Scale

5 A (outstanding)

4 A (excellent)

3 B (good)

2 C (fair)

1 D (poor)

0 F (unacceptable)

Books for Purchase

Chandler , “RLST 370 Source Book”