Study Guide 2: Religion 100
Semester: Summer II, 2005
Jeffrey Grupp, Department of Comparative Religion
Western Michigan University
Indian Buddhism (continued)
Four noble truths
-
All life is suffering (attention outward versus inward, inner versus outer arrow)
-
Suffering is caused by desire
-
There is a cure of suffering
-
The cure is the eightfold path
Eightfold path's tenet of mindfulness
Reading: The Four Noble Truths (you will have to go to the index on the side bar to get to the link on this site)
Hinduism
Aryans
Upanishads
Brahman
Reading: History of Hinduism
Advaita Vedanta
Reading: http://nisargadatta.net/advaita.html
Saksin
Parts and wholes
Reading: Introduction to Brahman Grupp articles in JICPR
Relations, and part-whole relations
Grupp argument against the existence of part-whole relations
 |
There is only one thing that exists (Reality) |
|
There are no parts and wholes |
Argument for Reality = Self
Argument for Self can only Self-observe
The disinterested witness (the eternal witness)
African Diaspora
Reading: Book: Creole Religions of the Caribbean: An Introduction from Vodou and Santeria to Obeah and Espiritismo, by Olmos and Paravisini-Gebert, Introduction, chapter 6
Transculturation
Acculturation
Syncretism
Creolization
Rastafarianism
|
Haile Selassie / Ras Tafari (Black Christ) |
|
Marcus Garvey |
|
Jah (God) |
|
Ganja |
|
Marxism |
|
Rastafarianism and farming industry |
|
Patriarchy |
|
Tenets of Rastafarianism (top of page 162 ) |
UFO religion and Abduction Spirituality
Films we will view (in part) to facilitate teaching: Man Facing Southeast (from 2 - 20 minutes into the film)
"Theme T" of UFO religion and abduction spirituality
Telepathic interaction of extraterrestrials and humans
Higher dimensional approach to telepathic interaction
Ultimate reality and UFO and abduction mysticism
Cave art and medieval paintings of UFOs and extraterrestrials
Reading: UFO Religions Handout
Optional reading:
Shamanism and the Ancient Mayan civilization
Shamanism
Inverted religion
|
Ecstasy, beauty, and horror |
|
The jaguar as god and spirit-teacher |
Pitz (ballgame)
|
Underworld |
|
Ballgame as reality |
|
Psychedelics as portal |
|
Chakba (self-decapitation)\ |
|
Chakba and ballgame as portal |
|
Bloody stump as portal |
Pitzlawal (ballplayer)
Soul
Underworld gods (blood and electricity)
Ch'ulel (electrical life-force, lightening)
Blood (itz)
Mayan mathematics and fractal theory
Reading: In class handout on Mayan Shamanism
Reading:
Olmec Civilization (early Maya, which the Classical Maya developed into)
Taoism & Chinese Buddhism (Ch'an)
Taoism
|
Representationalism, and how it supports Taoism |
|
We wei |
|
Lao tsu |
Ch'an Buddhism
Reading:
Japanese Religion: Shintoism, Buddhism, Vitalism
Zen Buddhism
|
Haiku |
|
Flow of thoughts |
Tendai Buddhism
|
Two realms: 1. empirical and 2. ultimate/nondual |
|
1=2, and the ramifications of this |
|
Original Enlightenment |
Reading: A Short History of Tendai Buddhism
Reading: Book: Religion in Contemporary Japan, by Ian Reader, chapter 4
Reading: The Lotus Sūtra in Early Japanese Buddhism
Recommended (but optional) reading:
Book: The Zen Eye: The Talks of Sokei-an
Islam
Islamic atomists
Sufism
Reading: Concepts of Sufism
Reading: Book: Islam, Jamal J. Elias, chapter 3