Buddhist Legends: Readings in Avadana Literature
- Course Code:
- 158000179
- Status:
- Course Not Running 2013/14
- Unit value:
- 0.5
- Year of study:
- Year 2 or Year 3
The first two sessions are devoted to an introduction to Buddhist avadāna literature, covering its formation, application in sermons, iconography history and spread across Asia. The remainder of the course focuses on the weekly reading of Buddhist narrative sources in the original language. Since avadāna texts tend to follow a well-developed plot, this genre is particularly useful for second/third year students that require sustained exposure to Tibetan/Sanskrit literature but are not yet fluent enough to tackle more abstract material.
Objectives and learning outcomes of the course
The objectives of the course run as follows:
- To promote the acquisition of a good grasp of the language and literary conventions that mark avadāna literature.
- To impart knowledge of the formation of Buddhist narrative sources and its manifold application in Buddhist religious activity.
- To issue the student with a thorough understanding of the foundational religious doctrines employed in Buddhist literature.
- If applicable, to promote insight into the methods used by Tibetan scholars to translate Sanskrit sources into Tibetan and to establish a basic knowledge of the Tibetan vocabulary created in that process.
At the end of the course, a student should be able to demonstrate that:
- s/he has acquired a good grasp of the linguistic and literary features of Buddhist avadāna literature.
- Depending on the language of the source text (Tibetan/Sanskrit), the student will have consolidated his/her knowledge of either Tibetan or Sanskrit.
- S/he will have made major headway in independently applying the grammatical and syntactical foundations absorbed during her/his Year 1 language courses and appreciate their value in extended reading.
- The student will also be familiar with the divisions, content and functions of avadāna narration and be in the position to evaluate their role in Buddhist religious history.
- Since avadāna narrations made a key contribution to the conversion process, the student will be able to grasp the dynamics between the narrative traditions and the imagery at Buddhist sites in India and beyond.
- the student will appreciate the close links between Buddhist narrations and their counterparts in the monastic sources of those Schools that were particularly successful in their spread beyond the Indian subcontinent.
Workload
This course is taught over a period of 10 weeks and students will spend two hours in Language classes.
