Introduction to Modern Buddhism: Orientalism, Buddhist Psychotherapy, Brain Activities of Tibetan Monks

Introduction to Modern Buddhism: Orientalism, Buddhist Psychotherapy, Brain Activities of Tibetan Monks is a Humanities, Arts and Cultural Studies course taught by Ryan Bongseok Joo.

Course Description
When discussing Buddhism, why is it that westerners often project a romanticized and idealized image of Buddhism unfounded in Asian history? Why do we imagine, for instance, Tibet as a place of mysticism, simplicity and inner peace? In addition, what do Buddhist mindfulness meditation and western psychotherapy have in common? Do you know that neuroscientists are researching the influence of Buddhist meditation on the human brain? This course will explore a variety of new Buddhist practices and ideas influenced by western psychology, neuroscience, orientalism, modernity and globalization. While studying the words of modern Buddhist masters, psychotherapists and scientists, we will examine different modern Buddhist phenomena from the US, Europe, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Sri Lanka and Tibetan exile communities.