Course Description
The purpose of this class is to introduce the students to the religious traditions of India and explore their impact on the historical trajectory of Christianity in the Indian subcontinent. The first few sessions will map the history of Hinduism as a tradition characterized by internal pluralism and diversity, starting from tne legacy of the Veda and the Upanisadic turn, looking at the Bhavagad Gita and the Ramayana, and finally considering the emergence of devotional Hinduism. The second part part of the course will introduce the emergence of Buddhism and Jainism as alternative Indian religions within the Indian context. Finally. students will explore intersection between these different traditions and India’s specific traditions of Christianity. During this seminar, students will read Hindu and Buddhist texts with the help of the professor, as well as soem secondary literature.
Bibliography
Rig Veda (trans. by Wendy Doniger), Penguin, London, 2005.
Upanisads (trans. by Juan Mascaro), Penguin, London, 1965.
Bhagavad Gita (trans. by William Zaehner), Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1973.
PAUL WILLIAMS, Mahayana Buddhism, SUNY Press, Albany N.Y., 2009 (2nd ed.).
ROBERT ERYK FRYKENBERG, Christianity in India, Oxford University Press, 2008.