Course Description
This module will introduce the festivals and celebrations of Buddhism within and beyond Asia, such as the Buddha’s birthday celebration, the lantern festival (often associated with the New Year celebration), the ghost festival, and the celebration of receiving the Buddha’s relics. The class will investigate how these festivals and celebrations created and enhanced the identities of Buddhist communities in Asia and immigration communities beyond Asia, especially in the United States.
This course will cover three major Buddhist traditions in Asia and beyond: the Theravada tradition in South and Southeast Asia, Mahāyāna tradition in East Asia, and Tibetan (Vajrayana) tradition.Students will find brief introductions to some major festivals and celebrations and further readings about these crucial events in the Buddhist tradition.
Readings:
Walpola Rahula, What the Buddha Taught, Revised and Expanded Edition. Grove Press, 1974.
Peter Harvey, An Introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, History and Practices. Cambridge University Press, 2012, revised edition.
