Course Plan

Due to the COVID-19 situation, the course will be completely on-line with no physical class time as well as the cancellation of some or all of the field trips.

June 17 (Classes 1&2):  A Brief History of Japanese Buddhism & The civilizational culture of Buddhism meets Japan’s particular cultural identity

• Course Introduction
• Class Discussion: What is Buddhism? How would you explain to someone, like a new student?
• Lecture on A Brief History of Japanese Buddhism
• Sign Ups for class project (for details see Field Trips page)
  1) Human Relationships I: Dying and Grieving
  2) Human Relationships II: Alienation & Suicide
  3) Development I: Economics, Alienation & Suicide
  4) Development II: Economics, Energy, and Environment
  5) Politics I: Nuclear Power and Peace (choice of #4 or #6)
  6) Politics II: War and Peace
• Lecture on The Civilizational Culture of Buddhism meets Japan’s particular cultural identity in Ways of Thinking about Religion and Culture
• Concluding Lecture on the Basics of Buddhism

Homework for 6/24:
collect media on Japanese social problems
日本人学 生の特別宿題：三つ大変日本社会問題を発掘してください。
具体的問題と構造的背景と文化的背景を考えてください。

June 24 (Class 1):  Buddhist Social Analysis & The Present Crisis in Japanese Society

• Finalize Field Trips
• Introduction: The Four Noble Truths: A Buddhist Approach to understanding self and society
• Group work: Doing a Buddhist Social Analysis of Japan
• Conclusion: Reflection on The Matrix of Social Problems in Japan

June 24 (Class 2): The Present Crisis in Japanese Society: The Disconnected Society 無縁社会

• Video: NHKドキュメンタリ：無縁社会 (NHK Documentary: The Disconnected Society)

Homework for 7/1:

• Prepare some ideas for the 3rd and the 4th Noble Truth as it applies to Japanese society and think of how Japanese Buddhism could be a part of solving the dukkha of Japanese society.
• Read the first third of Reconstructing Priestly Identity and Roles in Contemporary Japan and the Development of Socially Engaged Buddhism (PDF:WattsOkanoJSEB)

July 1 (Class 1): The Present Crisis in Japanese Buddhism 

• SPECIAL SPEAKER: Rev. Yoshiharu Tomatsu (Directer General of the All Japan Buddhist Federation and Board Member of the World Fellowship of Buddhists, Keio graduate, Harvard M.Div.) will engage in a discussion on the Present Crisis in Japanese Buddhism!
• See parts of his talk in this power point on The Japanese View of Life and Death
• What for you are the three biggest social problems facing Japan? Does Buddhism have any ability or potential to confront them and help solve them? If NOT, why? What are the problems in the Buddhist world that prevent it from being socially relevant? IF YES, why? What are the potential in the Buddhist world that can empower it to help contribute to a better society?

July 1 (Class 2) : Human Relationships I: Dying and Grieving in an Aging Society & the Potential of Buddhist Chaplaincy

• Reflection on The Matrix of Problems in the Japanese Buddhist World
• Presentation on the second half of the Four Noble Truths
• Lecture: Dying and Grieving in Contemporary Buddhism & End-of-Life Care at the Kosei Vihara Hospice
• Student led evaluation of movement (3^rd&4^th NTs)
• Conclusion: The Emergence of Buddhist Chaplaincy Around the World & Its Potential for Japanese Society

Homework for 7/8:

• Read Journey Through Dukkha on the suicide prevention priests
• Read the article: From an Disconnected Society to an Interconnected One by Rev. Shunei Hakamata

July 8 (Class 1): Human Relationships II: The 1st Noble Truth of the Suicide Prevention Priests

• Video: The Departure – a profile of the work of suicide prevention priest, Rev. Jotetsu Nemoto

July 8 (Class 2): Development I: Economic Development & Community – from the 2nd to 4th Noble Truths with the Suicide Prevention Priests

• Review analysis of The Departure with student notes (1^st&2^nd NTs)
• Lecture: The Problem of Suicide in Japan & Buddhist Priests Confronting the Situation
• Student led evaluation of movement (3^rd&4^th NTs)
• Conclusion: from the 2nd to 4th Noble Truths with the Suicide Prevention Priests & Analysis with Rev. Shunei Hakamata’s article

July 15 (Class 1): Development II: The Homeless & Workers in the Nuclear Industry

• Video: Zen and War

July 22 (Class 2): Politics II: Peace and Japanese Buddhism 

• Lecture on Lotus Sutra Social Activism in Contemporary Japan with videos of previous peace demonstrations with Nipponzan Myohoji
• Student led evaluation of Myohoji’s activities (3^rd&4^th NTs)
• Course Review: The Diamond Pyramid of Nirvana by Japanese Engaged Buddhism