Compass of Buddhism Study Course

Compass of Buddhism

course syllabus

based on a course by Stan Lombardo (Zen Master Hae Kwang) adapted by Judy Roitman (Zen Master Bon Hae) and then by Ji Hyang Padma for Northeastern/ Tufts/ Brandeis intersangha study

This course was first developed for Dharma Teachers in Training, to prepare them to become full Dharma Teachers. It has been adapted to include people who have taken 5 precepts or have had an introductory course in Zen practice. Each lesson consists of assigned readings and focused homework. Class consists of discussions.

Except for the first class, every class has essentially two main questions: what struck you about this material? what questions do you have? There is also more defined homework to help us focus on specific topics and to help us learn forms, but the main questions are most important. Please do not try to find definitive answers to the questions. They are designed to open our minds, not close them.

Required texts:

Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, The Heart of the Buddha’s Teachings. Other readings will be available via Box.

for looking up terms: Damien Keown, Dictionary of Buddhism (Oxford) , Robert Buswell and Donald Lopez, The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, Wikipedia and other Web resources. In most cases, The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism is your best source. Spellings vary. When the difference is mild (e.g., Hui-Neng or Huineng?) no note will be made. When differences are confusing (e.g., Pai-chang or Baizhang?), variants will be noted.

Lesson 0

In this lesson we get to know each other by talking about our own experience with practice. If you’re doing this course on your own, you might want to think about how you came to practice, what your practice has been, and how it’s changed over time.

Lesson 1

Readings:
from Heart of Understanding, Ch. 1 and 2
look up (in a dictionary or online): Siddhartha Gautama, Hinayana, Sravakayana, anatman, Buddha, dharma, sangha1

what struck you about this material? what questions do you have?

Focused homework: How would you tell the story of Gautama Buddha to someone who knows nothing about Buddhism?

Lesson 2

Readings:
from The Heart of Understanding, Chapter 27
look up (in a dictionary or online): pratiya-samutpada, karma, Nagarjuna, Mula- madhyamakakarika

what struck you about this material? what questions do you have?

Focused homework:
Describe mutual causality to someone who doesn’t know what it is.
Rearrange the 12 links in the chain of dependent origination. Compare with the original.

Lesson 3

Readings:
from The Heart of Understanding, Chapter 3
look up (in a dictionary or online): four noble truths, dukkha, eightfold path, sila, samadhi, prajna2

what struck you about this material? what questions do you have?

Focused homework:
Find at least four distinct formulations of the four noble truths. (Google is helpful.) What are the three seals of existence?

Lesson 4

Readings:
from Box– The Compass of Zen: p. 113 — 123
look up (in a dictionary or online): Mahayana, middle way, arhat, bodhisattva, karuna

what struck you about this material? what questions do you have?

Focused homework:
Memorize the four great vows.