Universität Wien

142207 PS Buddhist Attitudes Towards Other Religions (2024W)

5.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 14 - Orientalistik, Afrikanistik, Indologie und Tibetologie
Continuous assessment of course work
Moodle

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 35 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Wednesday 02.10. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 1 ISTB UniCampus Hof 2 2B-O1-25
  • Wednesday 09.10. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 1 ISTB UniCampus Hof 2 2B-O1-25
  • Wednesday 16.10. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 1 ISTB UniCampus Hof 2 2B-O1-25
  • Wednesday 23.10. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 1 ISTB UniCampus Hof 2 2B-O1-25
  • Wednesday 30.10. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 1 ISTB UniCampus Hof 2 2B-O1-25
  • Wednesday 06.11. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 1 ISTB UniCampus Hof 2 2B-O1-25
  • Wednesday 13.11. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 1 ISTB UniCampus Hof 2 2B-O1-25
  • Wednesday 20.11. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 1 ISTB UniCampus Hof 2 2B-O1-25
  • Wednesday 27.11. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 1 ISTB UniCampus Hof 2 2B-O1-25
  • Wednesday 04.12. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 1 ISTB UniCampus Hof 2 2B-O1-25
  • Wednesday 11.12. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 1 ISTB UniCampus Hof 2 2B-O1-25
  • Wednesday 08.01. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 1 ISTB UniCampus Hof 2 2B-O1-25
  • Wednesday 15.01. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 1 ISTB UniCampus Hof 2 2B-O1-25
  • Wednesday 22.01. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 1 ISTB UniCampus Hof 2 2B-O1-25
  • Wednesday 29.01. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 1 ISTB UniCampus Hof 2 2B-O1-25

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

Buddhism emerged in late-Vedic India into a diverse scene of competing ideas and practices. Today we happily call these phenomena ‘religious’, and associate them with different ‘religions’ that existed in ancient India and, in some cases, endure to the present day. These included rival traditions of renunciation and asceticism (foremost Jainism), exponents of sophisticated ritual schema (Brahmanism), emergent philosophies (Sāṃkhya, Vaiśeṣika) and, by the time we reach medieval India, complex theologies (foremost Vaiṣṇavism and Śaivism). Buddhist responses to ‘the religious other’ exhibit variety, and also changed down the centuries to adapt to the evolution both of Buddhist teaching and that of its Indian co-habitants and rivals.
In this course we will read (predominantly Indian) Buddhist sources that confront the existence and perceived status of rival religious institutions and their representatives – teachers, ascetics, priests, deities and otherwise. We will also turn the tables, and look at some non-Buddhist sources from India that reflect attitudes towards Buddhism. We will think critically about the concept of ‘religion’ applicable to pre-modern India, and the range of ideas, practices, teachers and institutions to which this term has been attached. Finally, and although not our primary focus, we will attend also to how ‘scriptural’ Buddhist attitudes to other religious traditions have informed responses to phenomena outside of India: both in pre-modern settings (e.g., East Asia and Tibet) and in modernity (‘the West’).

Assessment and permitted materials

Preparation for classes will involve reading materials that we will then discuss (articles and short primary sources). There will be some short presentations based on these readings along the way. Assessment will also entail a short written paper, which will be set in time for the Christmas vacation.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Prior knowledge of Indian Buddhism is valuable, although efforts will be made at the start of the course to introduce those who are particularly new to it (see 'Reading list', below). Knowledge of Buddhist scriptural languages (Pāli and Sanskrit especially) is beneficial but not required.

Examination topics

Reading list

Below follows an introductory reading list, of recommended volumes and articles. This is very broad (and much more could be included!): particular readings, from this list and otherwise, will be circulated prior to relevant classes. Note that students less familiar with Indian Buddhism would benefit from consulting introductory volumes on Buddhism first; please consult other course reading lists for suggestions, or email the lecturer for recommendations.

Appleton, N. 2017. Shared Characters in Jain, Buddhist and Hindu Narrative: Gods, Kings and Other Heroes. London; New York: Routledge.
Bronkhorst, J. 2000. “The Riddle of the Jainas and Ājīvikas in Early Buddhist Literature.” Journal of Indian Philosophy 28: 511–529.
Bronkhorst, J. 2007. Greater Magadha: Studies in the Culture of Early India. Leiden; Boston, MA: Brill.
Bronkhorst, J. 2011. Buddhism in the Shadow of Brahmanism. Leiden; Boston, MA. Brill.
Cabezon, J.I. 2008. “Buddhist Narratives of the Great Debates”. Argumentation 22: 71–92.
Colas, G., 2023. “Evolution of Deism and Theism up to the 12th Century. Some Considerations”. In M. Schmücker, Viṣṇu-Nārāyaṇa: Changing Forms and the Becoming of a Deity in Indian Religious Traditions. Vienna: Austrian Academy of Sciences. 279–308.
DeCaroli, R. 2004. Haunting the Buddha: Indian Popular Religions and the Formation of Buddhism. Oxford; New York: OUP.
Eltschinger, V. 2012. “Apocalypticism, Heresy and Philosophy.” In Balcerowicz, P. (ed.), World View and Theory in Indian Philosophy. Delhi: Mahonar. 29–85.
Eltschinger, V. 2013–2014. “The Yogācārabhūmi against Allodoxes (paravāda).” [Three separate articles, looking at the same text; see Eltschinger’s academia.edu page for each, and other relevant works besides].
Harris, E. 2013. “Buddhism and the Religious Other”. In D. Cheetham et al (eds), Understanding Interreligious Relations. Oxford; New York: OUP. 99–117.
Jones, C.V. (ed.) 2022. Buddhism and its Religious Others: Historical Encounters and Representations. Oxford: OUP. [Contains a number of relevant chapters].
Jones, C.V. 2021. “Translating the Tīrthika: Enduring ‘Heresy’ in Buddhist Studies.” In A. Collett (ed.). Translating Buddhism: Historical and Contextual Perspectives. Albany, NY: SUNY Press. 195–226.
Maes, C. 2016. “Flirtation with the Other: An Examination of the Process of Othering of the Early Buddhist Ascetic Community in the Pāli Vinaya.” Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies 79(3): 535–537.
McGovern, N. 2019. The Snake and the Mongoose: The Emergence of Identity in Early Indian Religion. New York: OUP.
Norman, K.R. 1981. “Devas and Adhidevas in Buddhism.” Journal of the Pali Text Society 9: 145–155.
Norman, K.R. 1991. “Theravāda Buddhism and Brahmanical Hinduism: Brahmanical Terms in a Buddhist Guise.” In Skorupski, T. (ed.). The Buddhist Forum: Seminar Papers 1988–1990. London, SOAS. 154–159.
Oberhammer, G. (ed). Inklusivismus: eine indische Denkform. Vienna: Institut für Indologie der Universität Wien.
Schmidt-Leukel, P. (ed.) 2013. Buddhism and Religious Diversity: Critical Concepts in Religious Studies. edited by Perry Schmidt-Leukel. Four volumes. London: Routledge. [Contains a number of relevant chapters, especially volume 1].
Schmidt-Leukel, P. (ed.) 2008. Buddhist Attitudes to Other Religions. St Ottilien: EOS. [Contains a number of relevant chapters].
Schmidt-Leukel, P. (ed.) 2006. Buddhism, Christianity and the Question of Creation: Karmic or Divine? Aldershot: Ashgate.
Schmid-Leukel, P. and Gentz, J. (eds). Religious Diversity in Chinese Thought. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Seyfort Ruegg, D. 2008. The Symbiosis of Buddhism with Brahmanism/Hinduism in South Asia and of Buddhism with ‘Local Cults’ in Tibet and the Himalayan Region. Vienna: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften.
Verardi, G., 2011. Hardships and Downfall of Buddhism in India, New Delhi: Manohar.

Association in the course directory

BA10

Last modified: Th 03.10.2024 14:26