Buddha Shakyamuni was born a royal prince about 560 BC. At the age of 29, he retired to the forest to practice meditation. After six years he gained enlightenment and began his teaching.

There are said to be 84,000 teachings of Buddha and numerous interpretations of the meaning of Buddha’s philosophy. Dr. Finkelstein’s course will examine the most central teachings of Buddhism from a fresh point of view. Topics covered in the course include discussions on the Buddhist concept of God, the attainment of Nirvana (the unconditioned state), the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path to Awakening, Emptiness, Non-duality, Suchness, Mindfulness, Celestial Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, the doctrines of Anitya (Impermanence), Dukha (suffering), and Anatman (non-self, non-ego) and the Buddhist vision of Dharma and Karma.

These concepts will be explored through a range of Buddhist scriptures representative of the Buddhist traditions of both Theravada (Doctrine of the Elders) and Mahayana (the Great Vehicle), which includes Chinese, Tibetan and Pure Land Buddhism.