Admission requirements
Admission to this course is restricted to:
BA students in Philosophy: Global and Comparative Perspectives, who have successfully completed at least 70 ECTS credits of the mandatory components of the first and second year of their bachelor’s programme, including Philosophical Skills and one of the following courses: Concepts of Selfhood OR Ethics.
BA students in Filosofie, who have successfully completed at least 70 ECTS credits of the mandatory components of the first and second year of their bachelor’s programme, including Filosofische vaardigheden and one of the following courses: Ethiek OR Comparative Philosophy.
Description
This course offers an introduction to Indian Buddhist moral thought. The first part of the course examines the conceptual background provided by early Buddhist sutras, on topics such as suffering, virtue, ethical discipline, mindfulness, the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. It will also introduce students to the role of ethical prescriptions, meditation and argument in shaping positive emotional response. The remainder of the class builds upon this conceptual foundation by turning to the two most influential of the premodern Buddhist moral thinkers: Buddhaghosa from the Theravada tradition, and the Mahāyāna philosopher Śāntideva. Topics considered will include the four Brahmavihāras (loving-kindness, compassion, rejoicing and equanimity), the relation between virtue and personal happiness, and the Mahāyāna virtues of patience (kṣānti) and compassion (karuṇā). We will also consider what account of well-being, as well as freedom emerges from their texts. The course concludes by considering some recent cross-cultural work on the relation between contemporary ethical theory and classical Buddhist moral philosophy. This may include how and to what extent we can characterize the underlying structure of Buddhist moral thought; the relation between dependent origination and free will; and the relation between well-being and moral obligation to others.
Course objectives
This course aims to offer an introduction to Indian Buddhist Moral philosophy. Students will develop the ability to read and intellectually engage with moral thought as developed by early Buddhist and Mahayana thinkers in the pre-modern Indian Buddhist philosophical tradition, as well as relevant secondary literature.
Students who successfully complete the course will have a good understanding of:
- central topics in pre-modern Buddhist moral thought, including their account of virtuous character, well-being, the moral psychology of virtuous and afflictive mental states, the relation between metaphysics and ethical commitment, and the relation between meditation and philosophical thought in moral development.
Students who successfully complete the course will be able to:
present this knowledge in written and oral form (essays and oral presentations).
explain, critique and develop insights presented in contemporary secondary literature on Buddhist moral thought.
Timetable
The timetables are available through My Timetable.
Mode of instruction
- Seminars.
Class attendance is required.
Assessment method
Assessment
Essay proposal (10%);
Final essay (70%);
Participation and class presentation (20%).
Weighing
The final mark for the course is established by determining the weighted average of several subtests (see above). To pass the course, the weighted average of the partial grades must be 5.5 or higher.
Resit
The resit consists of the final essay (70%). The mark for the resit covers the previously earned mark for the final paper only. The grades for the essay proposal and for participation and class presentation remain in place. Students who have obtained a satisfactory grade for the first examination cannot take the resit.
Inspection and feedback
How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.
Reading list
- Śāntideva. 1997. A Guide to the Bodhisattva Way of Life. Translated by Vesna Wallace and Alan Wallace. Snow Lion Press.
Optional reading list:
Buddhaghosa. Path of Purification (Visuddhimagga). Translated by Bhikkhu Nanamoli. (Any edition);
Heim, Maria. 2020. Buddhist Ethics. Cambridge University Press.
Registration
Enrolment through MyStudyMap is mandatory.
General information about course and exam enrolment is available on the website.
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office: Huizinga.
Remarks
Not applicable.