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Department of the Study of Religions

Readings in Mahayana Sutra Literature

Course Code:
158000048
Status:
Course Withdrawn
Unit value:
1
Year of study:
Year 2 or Year 3

This course is designed to equip the students with a basic reading knowledge of Mahayana Sutra literature. Since the texts selected for this course are read in the oriental languages in which have been preserved (mainly Tibetan, but also in Sanskrit), elementary competence in a least one of these languages is a requirement.

Objectives and learning outcomes of the course

This course is designed to function as an introductory forum where students are given the opportunity to acquire a basic understanding of the specific features of Mahāyāna religious literature.

At the end of the course, a student should be able to:

  • demonstrate that she/he has acquired elementary understanding of the doctrinal, historical and religious features of the text that have been read in class
  • should also be capable of independently reading and interpreting texts from related works within Mahāyāna sūtra literature
  • in addition, a student should have developed a basic grasp of the literary context in which the selected texts were conceived and discuss the religio-philosophical impact of a particular work on the development of Mahāyāna sūtra literature.
  • finally, since the sources are read in the original languages (mainly Tibetan), she/he will have acquired basic competence in the linguistic peculiarities of Mahāyāna sūtra materials.

Scope and syllabus

  • Generally speaking, the content of this course falls into two categories. About two thirds of the contact hours will be spent on reading and interpreting the texts selected for this class. This will take place in seminar settings where students are expected to contribute actively to the linguistic and doctrinal interpretation of the reading material. For this to proceed at an acceptable pace, it is essential that students have prepared the relevant passages at home and are broadly familiar with their contents. The texts read for this course will be exclusively taken from the large corpus of Mahayana Sutra literature, and focus in particular on the early compositions. 
  • The second segment consists of lectures in which students will learn of the literary, doctrinal and historical context in which the selected texts were conceived. This is intended to foster in students a broader understanding of the position of Mahayana Sutras in the development of Buddhism. In particular, students will be encouraged to assess the contribution made by Mahayana Sutras in the origin and consolidation of Mahayana Buddhism and evaluate their content in the light of what is known from archaeological and epigraphical sources. 
  • Finally, by integrating contextual enquiry and text-specific findings, the lectures aim to impart key-principles pertaining to textual analysis and to evaluate the role of text-based research in the study of Buddhism.

Method of assessment

1 essay (3000 words) (40%), 2-hour exam (60%).

Suggested reading

  • Harrison, Paul (1996), pp. 70-95 A Brief History of the Tibetan bKa' 'gyur in Tibetan Literature, ed. by J. Cabezon & Roger Jackson, Snow Lion.
  • Winternitz, Maurice, (1933, rp. 1991), pp. 281-387 A History of Indian Literature, vol. ii, Buddhist Literature and Jaina Literature, Calcutta, rp.New Delhi,
  • Schopen, G, (2003), “The Mahayana and the Middle Period in Indian Buddhism: Through a Chinese Looking Glass”, The Eastern Buddhist, 32.2, pp. 1–25.