Course reflection and learning outcomes

¶ … appealing factors of the religious traditions of India is their broad-mindedness. However, after encountering primary sources like the Bhadavad Gita, the Upanishads, and the Dhammapada, I grew to favor the Buddhist philosophical doctrines over their Hindu counterparts. While I admire Hinduism for its rich pantheon and its ability to incorporate a wide range of seemingly conflicting beliefs, I found Buddhism to be a more practical application of religious sentiment. Although I find Hinduism more palatable than many major world religions, I nevertheless find its texts to be still somewhat removed from this world. However, the moral teachings contained in the Hindu texts do provide a practical foundation to the allegories and allusions to the supernatural contained therein. Compiling all of the texts used in class and reflecting upon them, I also note the threads of commonality that run though the major religious traditions of India. Namely, Hinduism and Buddhism deal with the very real problems of human suffering and try to teach their followers how to overcome or cease this suffering. What I appreciated about both Hinduism and Buddhism, in addition to their relative doctrinal flexibility, is their treatment of death and the fundamental structure of the ultimate reality. I found in all the course readings an inspirational alteration of the common Western outlook on life, one which fears a day of judgment and posits that the world is the manifestation of a battlefield between good and evil. Although Hinduism and Buddhism also address the concepts of good and evil, especially on an ethical level, these Indian religions do not espouse rigid dualism. Instead, the ancient Indian universe is a dynamic, polymorphic, multifaceted manifestation of an ultimate unified reality. This underlying reality, moreover, can be accessed through direct action and spiritual practices and not merely a testament of emotional or intellectual faith.

In his book Buddhism: A Way of Life and Thought, N.W. Ross demonstrates how Buddhism is a daily practice, not just an abstract set of doctrines. Although Buddhism has become dogmatized in certain circles of it practice, the core of the tradition remains essentially flexible and relative to mundane life. After reading Ross's text I find I have the most affinity for the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. The combination of a colorful and vibrant supernatural world, seductive mysticism, and common sense teachings allures me more than many other branches of Buddhist thought, although I quite liked reading about them all. I admire Zen for its simplicity and its negation of all things that could prove extraneous to enlightenment. The emphasis on deed and personal practice are common to all the Buddhist traditions, both Mahayana and Theravada, something which I find totally refreshing. I also noted while reading Ross's text that Buddhism is a living, changing tradition that is as applicable to modern times as it was in ancient times. The ability for Buddhists to adapt and accept modernity is one of the strengths of this Indian tradition. Moreover, Buddhism has consistently cultivated a seeming contradiction between negation of the world and of the self; and social action and deep caring. For example, the concept of the Boddhisattva creates a natural tension between the desire to escape from the wheel of Samsara completely and the real need to help others remove ignorance from their lives. This paradox of Buddhism makes the tradition intellectually appealing and emphasizes the need for personal practice as opposed to simple theoretical understanding.

The only problem I had with the Buddhist texts we read for class was actually with the primary source. The Dhammapada contained a few more moral laws and imperatives than I would like to see. However, I do understand that these core ethnical constructs form the basis of right action that is so fundamental to Buddhism. In spite of this, I appreciated the messages in the Dhammapada in general, as they form the core of Buddhist practice. Furthermore, reading the primary text shed much light on Ross's examination of Buddhism. From these two class readings, I was better able to understand the Four Noble Truths, which on the outset seem nihilistic but which are completely realistic. The concept of desire and craving causing suffering I found to be personally illuminating; no human being is exempt from excessive desire. It is easy to see how a careful systematic application of the Four Noble Truths can lead one to experience the bliss of non-attachment. The state of Enlightenment involves that peculiar paradox between total immersion in this world and total removal from it. The Buddhist version of detachment, moreover, is supposed to borne of love and compassion for the world. This is not nihilistic detachment but rather an obligation to extricate oneself from the illusory trappings of materialism. This extrication naturally results in a state of non-attachment that encourages social service and political activism.

Hinduism is also concerned with the illusory nature of material life and like Buddhism, warns against the seductive trappings of the mundane world. The Hindu and Buddhist paths toward Enlightenment differ on the surface but essentially both teach the need for non-attachment. In light of the obvious theism that Hinduism possess that Buddhism does not, I also found the Hindu primary sources to be far more devotional in nature than the Buddhist readings. I don't find this emotional expressiveness offensive, even if I do personally prefer the more logical outlook of Buddhism. In any case, I quite enjoyed reading about the various Hindu deities and their intercession in this world in the Bhagavad Gita. Arjuna's heroism offers an inspirational tale, while although entirely mythic also contains a very real human dimension. While the metaphor of battle seems to contradict teachings of non-violence, I appreciate the concept of a spiritual warrior. At first, Arjuna's struggles in the Bhagavad Gita at first failed to inspire me. However, the readings from the text have lingered in my subconscious and I find that I have internalized many of the ideas conveyed in that seminal Indian text.