2020-21 Academic Catalog

What is a self? What does it mean for a person to be “in” the world? Is a person really a discrete entity, set apart from everything else? We will explore how Asian religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism answer these questions and compare those answers to ones offered in the West. By drawing on a wide variety of sources including ancient texts, artworks, and architecture, we will examine how the idea of “self” acts as a lens through which Asian religions conceptualize health and disease, as well as political power and spiritual liberation. Topics will include yoga, medicine, kingship, sacrifice, and sorcery.