This module focuses on the exploration of the ‘Three Jewels’ of Buddhism, i.e. the Buddha (its founder and inspirational icon), the Dharma (his teachings, including doctrinal developments in subsequent centuries, and systems of practice) and the Sangha (the communities of those who identify themselves in different ways as ‘Buddhists’).
The module will look at how Buddhists perceived the world and deities in the pre-modern period, and how they analysed human experience as a background to religious practice. It will examine core religious practices including meditation and look at major historical developments of Buddhism in India and Southeast Asia.
Forum participation (10%); a two thousand-word essay (40%) and a 1.5-hour unseen written examination (50%).
Dr Ligeia Lugli holds a PhD in the study of religion from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) of the University of London and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Mangalam Research Center for Buddhist Languages (Berkeley, CA) and later Newton International Fellow at King’s College London (UK).
