- #Philosophy book undistracted full#
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Instead, this course opts for an approach modeled on the traditional Theravada commentaries. It does not cover comparative philosophy or the history of philosophy and it does not attempt to present the theory from a Western frame, nor even from a practical angle. This course gives a traditional, 10-week introduction to Theravada Buddhist Philosophy. Note also that one of these books ( The Heart of Understanding) is a commercial work which you’ll have to acquire on your own. In addition to the suttas, this course assigns four short books in weeks 4, 7, 8 and 9: The Heart of Understanding, Inspiring Dhamma, Wisdom Develops Samadhi, and BuddhaDhamma for University Students respectively, so be advised to budget a little extra time for the homework these weeks. You may want to keep a copy of the assigned suttas in front of you while listening to the lectures, so that you can refer back to them and take notes as inspiration strikes, keeping in mind that the recordings (unlike live lectures!) can easily be paused.
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I’m sure you’ll be a pro sutta-reader by the end of the class! Don’t feel discouraged if you find the suttas difficult at first. Please read the suttas and other readings on your own “before class” and spend some time reflecting on them, preferably for a day or two, before listening to the lecture.
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These suttas are linked to web translations, but feel free to read (or listen to) the suttas in whichever translation (and medium) you prefer. In lieu of a textbook, this course will weave in the Selections from the Majjhima Nikaya on the Doctrine which Bhikkhu Bodhi recommended be required reading for studying Buddhist Philosophy. In addition to Bhikkhu Bodhi’s formal lectures, each week contains some additional, more casual, talks by other monks and nuns. You’re of course welcome to make your way through the material however you like. It may be helpful to set aside a 1.5–2 hour time slot for the lectures once per week, to give yourself a deadline to complete your “homework” and to ensure that you can listen to the lectures undistracted.
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I recommend not listening to the lectures while doing something else, but instead giving them your full attention, pausing the recording as needed to digest and reflect. These lectures are a walkthrough of the orthodox Theravada doctrine. The Buddha’s Teaching As It Is – Bhikkhu Bodhi (. This course rests on Bhikkhu Bodhi’s classic cassette tapes from 1981: Prior comfort with the Early Buddhist Texts is not required, though may be helpful. This course assumes some familiarity with the purpose of Buddhism. It points the way out of views, attachments, and prejudices and towards the direct understanding of reality itself.īuddhist Philosophy is thus the way of thinking which leads beyond thought.
It has a goal, a purpose beyond merely describing reality. Lastly, Buddhist Philosophy is teleological. The Buddhist universe is neither chaotic nor predetermined, but is rather conditioned by our choices. Second, within this “event driven” rather than “object oriented” framework, we notice a distinct emphasis on cause and effect.
Buddhist Philosophy is primarily concerned with our subjective experiences. Most distinct is that it is phenomenological. Faith leads to effort, effort leads to results, and so the whole path unfolds from the basic observation of pain.įrom this process we can make out a few points regarding Buddhist Philosophy. This gives us the self-confidence that there are truths we can directly know and it builds our confidence in the Buddha who pointed this out. You can directly know this first truth yourself. People can mislead you about many things, but when you’re suffering nobody can tell you that you’re not. The Buddha starts with what we can know directly: suffering. Buddhist Philosophy thus has a bootstrapping problem: how can deluded beings ever climb out of darkness? And yet the overcoming of ignorance is itself the goal of the path. Without confidence in the power of action and the dangers of greed, hatred and delusion, one can only practice the path half-heartedly at best. Buddhist Philosophy (right view, thought, understanding, and wisdom) is both the beginning and the end of the Buddhist Path.
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