The course is offered from time to time. Students are advised to consult the Faculty of Religious Studies on the content of the course on offer.

The course is offered from time to time. Students are advised to consult the Faculty of Religious Studies on the content of the course on offer.

The course is offered from time to time. Students are advised to consult the Faculty of Religious Studies on the content of the course on offer.

This course is intended as an introduction to the history and culture of Tibetan Buddhism incorporating the following aspects: original nature of the people and the land and its impact on religious thinking; basics of the new religion introduced into the land; flourishing of the native genius; role of the lama (guru) in Tibetan Buddhist culture; uniqueness of Tibetan Art in the service of the religion; and the growth of the Tibetan Buddhist literature.

The study is designed as a wide-ranging survey of the state of Buddhism in the countries of Asia today. It will begin with a historical overview of the spread of Buddhism in: a) South and South East Asia (Sub-continent of India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam), b) the Himalayan Region (Tibet, Bhutan, Sikim), c) Central Asia (Afghanistan, Soviet Central Asia, Chinese Turkestan, Sinkiang, Mongolia), d) East Asia (China, Korea, Japan).

The purpose of the course is to enable the student to utilize the grammatical rules and the vocabulary in composing sentences under a given topic. The course will also introduce the student to further structural patterns of sentences based on active and passive voices, participles (past, present and future).

A historical survey and a critical evaluation of the Buddhist exegetical traditions developed within the Theravāda tradition. Attention will be focused on the canonical antecedents of Buddhist exegesis, Buddhist hermeneutics of the Netti and Peṭakopadesa, methods of doctrinal exposition in the Pāli Aṭṭhakathās and Ṭīkās, and doctrinal developments through commentarial interpretations.

The study will be mainly based on Mahāyāna literature (Sanskrit, Chinese and Tibetan) and is designed to provide an insight into the basic doctrines of main Mahāyāna schools.