Creating the World of East Asian Buddhism

Albert Welter
Summer 2022
Thursdays |  
10 AM - 12 PM (AZ Time)
April 28, May 5, 12, 19, and 26, 2022
Course Format: Hybrid
Location: Main Campus
Tuition: $165

Attend In Person OR Online!
See Below for full details about our new Hybrid courses

The Hangzhou region has long been one of China’s most important cultural hubs and has had a wide-ranging impact on Chinese culture and Buddhism throughout East Asia. It came to prominence in the 10th century, when Hangzhou served as the capital of the independent state of Wuyue. It was instrumental in spreading Chan Buddhism to Japan as Zen and Korea as Seon. The Buddhist institutional network developed in the Hangzhou region and was transferred to Japan, where it served as a model for a new framework of state-supported monasteries. This was based on the Hangzhou-centered Five Mountains motif prevalent in Japan. This course explores multiple dimensions of Hangzhou Buddhist culture and the impact of its spread across the East Asian region, focusing on the Wuyue period.

NEW – Hybrid Course Format

  • All classes will be delivered both in person and online via live video streaming. Students will enroll in their preferred format during registration.
  • In person classes will be held in the Rubel Room at the University of Arizona’s Poetry Center (1508 E Helen St, Tucson, AZ 85721). Enrollment for in person classes is limited by classroom capacity and offered on a first come, first served basis. All students attending on campus will observe the relevant University of Arizona policies designed to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 (more information here). Students who enroll to attend in person will also have complete online access to the course including all class recordings.
  • Online students may attend all classes via live video streaming and will be able to participate in all course Q&A sessions with the professor in real time. Students may also access class recordings for a limited time to assist those who may not be able to attend the live class times. Online access will be password protected and only available to enrolled students.

Registration Will Open Online:
Monday, APRIL 11, 2022 at 8 AM (AZ Time)

Syllabus
Required Reading
  • PDF excerpts from the following publications will be provided to enrolled students.
  • Welter, Park, and Heine, Approaches to Chan, Sŏn, and Zen Studies: Chinese Chan Buddhism and It’s Spread throughout East Asia (Albany NY: State University of New York Press, 2022, in press; manuscript pdf)
  • Welter, A Tale of Two Stūpas Diverging Paths in the Revival of Buddhism in Hangzhou China (Oxford University Press, 2022, in press, manuscript pdf.).
  • Welter, Yongming Yanshou’s Notion of Chan in the Zongjing lu (Oxford University Press, 2011).
  • Jean-Noël Robert, Zhao Chang and Ishii Seijun, eds., Song Dynasty Chan: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on an East Asian Buddhist Tradition (Paris: Collège de France, 2022, in press, manuscript pdf.)

Meet Your Instructor

Albert Welter
Professor

Department of East Asian Studies, School of International Languages Literatures and Cultures

ALBERT WELTER is a is Professor of East Asian Studies and Associate Director of the School of International Languages, Literatures and Cultures at the University of Arizona. His academic focus is on East Asian, particularly Chinese, Buddhism and intellectual history. In one of his latest works, The Future of China’s Past, Welter charts the implications of China’s rise as it reincorporates its traditional intellectual traditions in the contemporary landscape.

Location

POETRY CENTER
Dorothy Rubel Room
1508 E Helen
Tucson, AZ 85721
United States

Located on the SE corner of Helen Street and Vine Avenue, one block north of Speedway and three blocks west of Campbell Ave.

Street map image of Poetry Center

Open Courses You May Also Be Interested In

The Long Life of Sherlock Holmes
Learn More

Deserts, Plants, and People
Learn More

Jesus, the Bible, and the Invention of Christianity
Learn More