Syllabus: Philosophy 307 Asian Thought
Goshen College, May 2005
Professor: Jo-Ann A. Brant
 
 Ohm
Taking as a bow the great weapon of the upanishad,
One should put upon it an arrow sharpened by meditation.
Stretching it with a thought directed to the essence of That,
Penetrate that Imperishable as the mark, my friend.
 
The mystic syllable Om (pranava) is the bow.
The arrow is the soul (atman).
Brahman is said to be the mark (laksya).
By the undistorted man is it to be penetrated.
One should come to be in It, as the arrow [in the mark].
Excerpt from the Mundaka Upanishad (Translated by E. Hume)
 
 
 
Supplements to Lecture Notes and Readings:
 
Introduction

Literature

Jñana

Bhakti

Karma

Buddhism

Dharma ** Sangha** Arhanthood

Mahayana; Buddhist Iconography;

Tibetan Buddhism

Buddhism in the Chinese and Japanese context

Jains and Sikhs

Study Guide

Introduction to Chinese Thought

Rujiao - the teaching of the scholars - Confucian Thought.

Daoist Thought

Tao te Ching - Peter Merel Translation

Japanese Traditions

Study Guide

Assorted Links:

The Ancient Indus Valley Tours through Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa and much more.

The following editions from Sanderson Beck are available on -line:

Agnihotra

The Lotus Sutra (Saddharma-pundarika-sutra) Burton Watson's Translation On-line

The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch Text and Commentary

A Sutta from the Pali Canon - 700 Suttas available on-line

Chuang-tzu; Lin Yutang Translation

Tao Te Ching; Peter Merel Translation

Asianart.com The on-line journal for the study and exhibition of the arts of Asia

Indian Festivals ..

Dandiya Dances ..

Tyagaraja Hindu Musician and Composer (related sites: South Asian Women's Forum, real audio,

Internet Indian History Sourcebook

India Today

India Mystica: Indian Culture On-line

Weddings in India

The John C. and Susan L. Huntington Archive of Buddhist and Related Art

Odissi Dancing: streamed video **

Majjhima Nikaya 10 Satipatthana Sutta Anapanasati Sutta (on Meditation)

Tai Chi History and Forms

Hindu Net

Hindu.org

Shopping at Exotic India

Illustrated Story of Sankara