RS4S04 - Buddhist Philosophy 09 Jan 2020 - 31 Aug 2026 | Version 1
Associated Module Information
| Module Code: | RS4S04 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Module Title: | Buddhist Philosophy | ||
| Faculty: | Faculty of Business and Creative Industries | ||
| Faculty Group: | Culture and Animation | ||
| Faculty Sub Group: | Culture | ||
| Module Leader: | Nick Swann | ||
| Module Team: | Warren Todd | ||
| First Intended Intake: | FEB 2020 | Final Year of Intake: | 2025 |
| Date Closed: | |||
| Credit Value: | 20 | Credit Level: | 7 |
| Language: | English | ||
| Percentage of Module Taught in Welsh: | 0 | ||
| Equivalent Module: | |||
| HECOS codes: | 100798 - buddhism | ||
| HECOS Code Weighting: | 100 | ||
Document Version Information
| Version | 1 |
|---|---|
| Valid From | 09 Jan 2020 |
| Valid To | 31 Aug 2026 |
Module Aims
1. to engage students with scholarship on Buddhist Philosophy in both theory and practice across a number of different cultures.
2. to develop students’ critical skills with regard to the textual study of Buddhism.
Content Summary
Philosophical issues in Buddhism; Buddhist epistemology and philosophy of mind; Buddhism and science; Abhidhamma thought; schools of Buddhist philosophy; philosophical debate within Buddhism and with Hinduism.
Early Buddhist theory of truth; Buddhist 'empiricism'; Past lives: metaphor, faith-claim or empirically checkable claim?; Buddhist cosmology and modern science: tension or complementarity?; Abhidhamma literature and principles; The process of perception in Abhidhamma thought; The nature of Conditioned Arising; Buddhist perspectives on desire and its problems; On self-development and 'everything is not-Self'; The Pudgalavadin/Personalist controversy; Philosophical issues in Buddhist karma theory; 'Freedom of will', conditioning and responsibility; Wrong view, right view and no view; The undetermined questions on the world; The 'life principle' and the between lives state; Abhidhamma and the 'mind-body' problem: twin-type process-pluralism, not substance dualism; The nature of Nirva?a in life; The undetermined questions on the
enlightened person beyond death; The Sarvastivadins on the nature of time; The Madhyamaka on emptiness and the transcending of views; Madhyamaka analyses: causality, motion, time and Nirva?a; Paul Williams' critique of Santideva in Altruisim
and Reality; The Yogacara 'Mind-only' perspective; The nature of the Buddha-nature’;
Non-dualism; Hua yen philosophy; Reality in Dogen's Zen; The 'Critical Buddhism' debate on the orthodoxy of East Asian Buddhism; Zen and the arts.
Learning and Teaching Methods
| Activity Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Independent Study | 100 |
| Directed Study | 60 |
| Active/Simulation Based | 40 |
| Total Hours Selected | 200 |
Learning Outcomes
| # | Learning Outcome |
|---|---|
| LO1 | Appraise the key issues, methods and results of Buddhist philosophy. |
| LO2 | Evaluate the content and nature of debates and divergent perceptions within Buddhist philosophy. |
Module Requisites
| Code | Title | Requisite Type |
|---|---|---|
| MOD011522 | Buddhist Traditions | pre-requisite |
Assessment Criteria
| Assessment Category | Assessment Type | Description | Duration | Word Count | Weight (%) | Best of? | Pass Mark |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asynchronous Assessment | Self Reflective Assessment 1 | A reflection on a seminar led by the student. | 0 | 500 | 10 | No | 40 |
| Asynchronous Assessment | Essay 1 | An essay chosen from a range of titles or negotiated with a tutor. | 0 | 5000 | 90 | No | 40 |
Assessment Matrix
| Assessment Type | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| LO1 | LO2 | ||
| Self Reflective Assessment 1 | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Essay 1 | ✔ | ✔ | |