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====================================================== A religion without a god? How could that be? And how could it have captured and captivated so many millions of people in so many countries for so many centuries? Share Professor Malcolm David Eckel’s fascination with this remarkable, lively, and challenging religious tradition. In its 2,500-year history, Buddhism has grown from a tiny religious community in northern India into a movement that now spans the globe.                  Buddhism (24 lectures, Course No. 687)                  by Malcolm David Eckel                  Boston University, Ph.D., Harvard University                                      ====================================================== In this course you view the astonishing vitality and adaptability of a tradition that has transformed the civilizations of India, Southeast Asia, Tibet, China, Korea, and Japan—and has now become a lively component in the cultures of Europe, Australia, and the Americas. And you will be inspired to think in new ways about the secret of a serene and satisfying life. Buddhism as a Series of Stories Professor Eckel begins by saying that “Buddhists love to tell stories.” He approaches Buddhism as the elaboration of a series of stories. Throughout this course, he recounts the tales that have been told through the centuries in order to elaborate and explain the Buddhist view of life. These stories begin with the rich religious culture of India, the culture into which the Buddha was born. It made it possible for him to craft his own distinctive solution to the problems of life and death. The early Vedas and the Upanishads, the ancient Indian texts, presented him with a series of classic religious questions about the source of creation. Course Lecture Titles  1. What is Buddhism? 2. India at the Time of the Buddha 3. The Doctrine of Reincarnation 4. The Story of the Buddha 5. All Is Suffering 6. The Path to Nirvana 7. The Buddhist Monastic Community 8. Buddhist Art and Architecture 9. Theravada Buddhism in Southeast Asia 10. Mahayana Buddhism and the Bodhisattva Ideal 11. Celestial Buddhas and Bodhisattvas 12. Emptiness 13. Buddhist Philosophy 14. Buddhist Tantra 15. The Theory and Practice of the Mandala 16. The “First Diffusion of the Dharma” in Tibet 17. The Schools of Tibetan Buddhism 18. The Dalai Lama 19. The Origins of Chinese Buddhism 20. The Classical Period of Chinese Buddhism 21. The Origins of Japanese Buddhism 22. Honen, Shinran and Nichiren 23. Zen 24. Buddhism in America ======================================================= 24 Individual files (.mp3 format) 64 kbps/22khz Joint Stereo Total Time: 12hrs 34min 49sec (30min avg/lecture) Please see file list/url for more info. Enjoy.