BSTD 303: Yogācāra Thought

his course aims to build upon students’ previous acquaintance with Mahāyāna Buddhism by introducing them to recent scholarship on Yogācāra and through continuing study of foundational Yogācāra texts (sūtra, śāstra and commentary). Topics include: theories of the eight consciousnesses, three natures, emptiness, and the path; continuities and discontinuities between Yogācāra, Abhidharma and Madhyamaka; and scholarly debates about the relationship between theory and praxis in Yogācāra. Emphasis is placed upon helping students read and interpret Buddhist sūtra and śāstra with the aid of traditional written commentaries and to gain greater familiarity with the various styles and approaches of the modern academic study of Buddhist doctrine and philosophy.

Prerequisites

BSTD 203: Fundamentals of Buddhist Philosophy or permission of the instructor.