SOCIALLY ENGAGED BUDDHISM OF TIBETAN NUNS RELG 399 (Independent Study) Fall II 2011 Class Meeting Time and Location: Mondays 10:20 a.m. -11:10 a.m., EHFA 277 Instructor: Dr. Ronald S. Green Office: AOC2 332 Office hours: Tues-Thurs 9:30-12:20 or by appointment. Phone: 843-349-2782 email: rgreen@coastal.edu Final Exam / due date for final research paper: Thursday, Dec. 9 at 11:00 p.m. in CSCC 200 Course Description: Social engagement is one of the most prominent trends in modern Buddhism. This course examines some of the doctrinal justifications for social activism by monastics and laity offered by clerics and scholars. While Socially Engaged Buddhism has taken many forms in various time periods and regions of the world, this course focuses on those activities of Tibetan nuns since 1950, seeking to understand in what whys their actions correspond to the doctrinal justifications. Based on students’ course backgrounds, they will additionally be asked to compare doctrinal justifications for socially engaged Buddhism with public declarations of principles and intents by American activists such as Tom Hayden. Student Learning Outcomes: Upon successful completion of the course, students will to be able to: • • • • • describe the major trends in modern socially engaged Buddhism; describe the history of the activism of Tibetan Buddhist nuns since 1950; describe basic facts about the origins and developments of the Bhikkhuni Sangha; describe points of correspondence and divergence between socially engaged Buddhism theory and practice in relation to Tibetan nuns; formulate views on the applicability of the ideas and practices of socially engaged Buddhism to likely future development in Tibet and the world. Resources for journal entries and the final research paper: Blackstone, Kathryn R. Women in the Footsteps of the Buddha. Curzon, Great Britain, 1998. Bruno, Ellen. about Satya: A Prayer for the Enemy. Available at: http://www.brunofilms.com/guide.pdf Chatsumarn Kabilsingh. Thai Women in Buddhism. Parallax Press, Berkeley, 1991. Dresser, Marianne (ed.). Buddhist Women on the Edge. North Atlantic Books, Berkeley, 1996. Green, Ronald S. and Chanju Mun. Buddhist roles in peacemaking : how Buddhism can contribute to sustainable peace. Honolulu, HI : Blue Pine, 2009. Green, Ronald S. and Chanju Mun. Buddhist exploration of peace and justice. Honolulu, HI : Blue Pine, 2006. Gross, Rita M. Buddhism After Patriarchy, A Feminist History, Analysis, and Reconstruction of Buddhism. SUNY Press, NY, 1993. Kajiyama, Yuichi. "Women in Buddhism," The Eastern Buddhist. Kyoto: Autumn 1982. (check JSTOR). Keown, Damien. The nature of Buddhist ethics. Basingstoke, Hampshire ; New York, N.Y. : Palgrave, 2001. Mun, Chanju. Mediators and Meditators: Buddhism and Peacemaking. Blue Pine Books: Honolulu Hawaii, 2007. Thubten Chodron (editor). Blossoms of the Dharma: Living as a Buddhist Nun. North Atlantic Books, Berkeley: 2000. Required films: 1. Windhorse, a feature film directed by Paul Wagner, 1998. 2. Satya: A Prayer for the Enemy, a 28-minute documentary directed by Ellen Bruno about the torture and abuse of Tibetan nuns, 1995.1 3. Bhikkhuni: Revival of the Women’s Order, A documentary about discrimination and the quest for gender equality in Buddhism, directed by Wiriya Sati and still in progress.2 4. The Women's Meditation Tradition in Tibet, a 62-minute lecture by the Venerable Wangdrak Rinpoche, June 11, 2010 sponsored by Google Tech Talks.3 5. 1 BLESSINGS: The Tsoknyi Nangchen Nuns of Tibet is a 90-minute documentary directed by Victress Hitchcock and narrated by Richard Gere about 3000 women who practice an ancient yogic tradition in nunneries and hermitages. Chariot Videos, 2009. http://www.brunofilms.com/satya.html See http://www.bhikkhunidocumentary.com/ 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nG-RiTO3vjY 2 Grading: Students are required to write five journal entries of around 500 words each. Each of these is to consider one of the required five films and to assess how that film relates to the readings. These journal entries may be used to form a part of a required research paper of 10-12 pages due at the Final Exam day and time. The topic of the research paper is the correspondence of doctrinal justifications for socially engaged Buddhism to political activities of Tibetan nun activists since 1950. Accordingly, students will be evaluated for grading as follows: Class preparation and discussion quality: 33% Journal Entries (average of the five): 33% Final Research Paper: 33% Based on this, students will earn a letter grade for the term according to the following system: A = 91 - 100% B+ = 88 - 90% B = 81 - 87% C+ = 78 - 80% C = 71 - 77% D+ = 68 – 70% D = 61 - 67% F = below 60% Other Information: Coastal Carolina University is an academic community that expects the highest standards of honesty, integrity and personal responsibility. Members of this community are accountable for their actions and reporting the inappropriate action of others and are committed to creating an atmosphere of mutual respect and trust. This course has a zero tolerance policy for plagiarism. For the code of conduct at CCU, students may refer to the following web site: http://www.coastal.edu/judicialaffairs/codeofconduct.pdf Arrangements will be made to accommodate students with documented disabilities. To access services and accommodations, students should obtain documentation of the disability and make an appointment with the Coordinator of Disability Services located in Indigo House 113 or call 349-6561.