[Buddha-l] American Zen

[Richard P. Hayes]

Dear denizens of buddha-l,

I'd like to thank all of you who offered suggestions a few months ago
when I was planning my course on Zen Buddhist Philosophy in America. I
found it quite a challenge to narrow down the readings to a number that
could comfortably be read and discussed in fifteen weeks. I'm sure no
one would think that my selection was the one they would have made, but
it is the selection I made, for better or for worse. I had been hoping
for an intimate seminar where good discussion would be possible, but the
enrollment seems to be somewhere around sixty students. (This confirms
my suspicion that any course with the word "Zen" or "sex" in the title
will automatically fill an auditorium.)

Anyone interested in seeing the syllabus can view it by going to my
academic web site. Look on the page
http://www.unm.edu/~rhayes/teaching.html for a link to the syllabus for
the course PHIL 331 (Zen Buddhist philosophy).

People interested in the early history of Buddhism in America and the
influence of Theosophists, Paul Carus, Unitarians and various people
influenced by the European enlightenment on the early reception of
Buddhism in the United States may want to read the notes to my first
lecture at www.unm.edu/~rhayes/lec20060123.pdf (This actually reads like
a mini-article, not notes, because I usually write out my lectures in
full prose and then speak extemporaneously about the contents. I then
post the lectures on-line. This way students can listen, or play
computer games on their cell phones, instead of feverishly taking notes
in class. If they are really smart, they learn that coming to class is
completely unnecessary. Then I can have my intimate seminar with a few
truly interested students after all.) 

I will not be making my other lectures in the course available to people
on buddha-l, but since we have been discussing many of the issues
contained in that lecture, I thought some of you might be interested in
seeing it. (Those of you hoping to catch me telling students that the
Buddha fervently denied rebirth---or that neo-conservative Republicans
are responsible for all the world's evils---will be disappointed.)

-- 
Richard Hayes
Department of Philosophy
University of New Mexico