FRS 004 — Sec. 009 —
(2 units) — CRN 26065 — T 3:10 - 5:00 pm — 224 Young
Mindfulness: Buddhist and Taoist Meditation
Instructor: Alan Klima, Department of Anthropology, College of Letters
and Science
Description: This course is a hands-on introduction to meditation
in two traditions, Thai Buddhist and Chinese Taoist. An exploration and comparison
of two cultures for conceiving of the body and mind, the course will examine texts
in both Buddhism and Taoism while putting them to the test through personal observation
of the mind and body’s behavior in meditation practice, movement practices,
as well as in everyday life. Students will do weekly readings and complete weekly
writing assignments based upon their observations. The seminar will provide tools
for understanding varied cultural philosophies of the body and the mind, and provide
skills for a concentrated and emotionally balanced approach to college studies.
Format: The course should be a very effective introduction to
issues of cultural translation, as it involves a comparison of two philosophical
traditions, and implicitly a third, the cultural background of the student herself.
Understanding of the texts should be enhanced through the practical work of self
observation and comparison to the concepts in the texts. Moreover, it will stimulate
interest in the texts in that students will be able to take possession of the
ideas and use them in their own ways based upon their own interpretations. Similarly,
writing about complex and subtle philosophical ideas, but in your own words and
interpretive experience, will make for faster progress in writing on complex ideas
than would writing summarizations of ideas found in complicated texts. Students
have weekly reading and writing assignments and are required to report orally
on their observations every week. Grading: The course
grade will be based on: quality and degree of thoroughness in completion of the
weekly writing assignments (1/3) and oral reports (1/3), and on the frequency
and quality of participation in class discussion including attendance (1/3).
About the Instructor: Professor Klima is Associate Chair of the faculty in the
Department of Anthropology. His research interests include Buddhism in Thailand,
with an emphasis on Buddhist meditation. Current projects include a documentary
film on spirit mediumship in Thailand. He currently teaches a course on the global
transformations and transmissions of Buddhism across cultures.