INQ-270 | India, Tibet & Enlight

Full Title: Enlightenment Cultures of Indo-Tibetan Civilizations and Our Continuing Quest for Freedom and Awakening

Topic Description:

When did the quest for enlightenment and the alleviation of human suffering begin in India? What was Buddha’s response to human suffering? How did Buddhism begin? What is Tibetan Buddhism? Why are so many Westerners drawn to the practice of Tibetan Buddhism? A fundamental orientation of ancient Indian culture and its transmission, in Buddhist form, to Tibet as early as the 7th century C.E., was the alleviation of human suffering. Beginning with Vedic culture and manifesting in the concerns of Buddhist, Jain, Upanishadic, and Tantric culture and literature, a preoccupation with the enlightened life is evident. This course will examine the origins and development of this quest in India and its migration to Tibet where the quest will manifest in unique forms of Buddhist traditions. We will also examine the contemporary interest on the parts of many western practitioners and academics through literary and other forms of expression Tibetan Buddhism is taking in the West.

Counts as Global? No

Topic Approved: April 2010