Course Outline: ME6211 Abhidharma Doctrines and Controversies, 2011/2012, Semester 1
- KL Dhammajoti, Bhikkhu. Sarvastvada Abhidharma. Hong Kong: Centre of Buddhist Studies, The University of Hong Kong, 2010. Print.
- _____. Abhidharma Doctrine and Controversy on Perception. Sri Lanka, Dehiwala: Global Graphics and printing, 2004. Print.
- _____. “Sarvastvada Doctrine of Simultaneous Causality.” Journal of Buddhist Studies 1 (2003): n. pag. Print.
- _____.“Abhidharna Controversy on Visual Perception.” Essays in Honour of Professor Y. Karunadasa. Colombo: n. p., 1977. Print.
- Karunadasa, Y. Theravada Abhidhamma: Its Inquiry into the Nature of Conditioned Reality, Hong Kong: Centre of Buddhist Studies, The University of Hong Kong, 2010. Print.
- _____. “The Abhidhamma Version of the Cognitive Process.” Journal of Budhist Studies V (2007): n. pag. Print.
- _____. Theravada Version of Dhamma Theory. Sri Lanka, Kandy: The Wheel, 1996. Print.
The course will be lectured based and will be initiated with a review of an Abhidhamma doctrines developed by different Buddhist Schools. This will be followed by detailed discussion of the points of Doctrinal controversies. Lectures (3 hour blocks) are arranged in order as follows:
- Lecture1. Introduction to Abhidharma Doctrine and its development
- Lecture2. Dharma Theory of Theravada and Sarvastivada Buddhist Schools
- Lecture3. Continuing the same topic
- Lecture4. Similarities and dissimilarities of Dhamma theories of Theraravada and Sarvastivada.
- Lecture5. Sarvastvada Theory of Tri-temporal existences of Dharmas
- Lecture6. Four theories of Sarvastvada for the validation of Tri-temporal existence.
- Lecture7. Abhidharmic Theory of cognitive process
- Lecture8. – do-
- Lecture9. Theory of perception and its controversies
- Lecture10. Controversies on the external reality
- Lecture11. The concept of Truth in Schools of Buddhist thoughts.
- Lecture12. –do-
- Lecture13. Viva
- Lecture14. Concluding remarks.
Students are required to participate to do the classes in the regular basis. Class participation includes student’s presentation of their critical and descriptive knowledge of the Abhidharma relationg to different Buddhist Schools. There is a final written examination. A suitable amount of time will be allocated at the end of the course for the review and for the preparation of examination. To be eligible to sit for the final examination students must attend a minimum of 80% of the scheduled classes.
- Class participation 5%
- Essay assignment 25%
- Viva and Presentation 10%
- Final written examination 60%
This course is intended to provide a critical and historical comparative survey of Abhidharma doctrines and the most controversial doctrinal points of Abhidharma. At the end of the semester the students are expected to gain a comprehensive knowledge of Abhidharma doctrine and its thinking way of the argument relating to the controversial points.
All tests, assignments and examinations are graded as follows with grade point and numerical marks:
| Grade | Performance | Grade value | Percentage Equivalence |
| A | Excellent | 4.0 | 90-100 |
| B+ | Very Good | 3.5 | 80-89 |
| B | Good | 3.0 | 70-79 |
| C+ | Fairly Good | 2.5 | 60-69 |
| C | Fair | 2.0 | 50-59 |
| D+ | Poor | 1.5 | 40-49 |
| D | Very Poor | 1.0 | 30-39 |
| F | Fail | 0.0 | 29 or less |
| I | Incomplete | ||
| W | Withdrawn | ||
| WF | Withdrawn because of failure | ||
| AU | Audit | ||