RMA Specialization Courses

This course will start with the religious conditions in India at the time of the advent of the Buddha in the 6th century BCE, and after covering the life of the Buddha, it will look at the early history and philosophy of Buddhism in South Asia from 5th century BCE to 1st century CE. It will then look at the spread of Theravāda Buddhism and its institutions in Sri Lanka and continental Southeast Asia. Then, it will look at the emergence of Indian Mahāyāna Buddhism and its two schools in the 2nd century CE, and its spread into China, Korea, Vietnam and Japan. It will look at schools of Chinese and Japanese Buddhism in a compare and contrast style and also look into Buddhism’s conflicts with Confucianism in China and Shinto in Japan. Then, it will look at the emergence of Vajrayāna Buddhism in Tibet and the Himalayan region in the 7th century CE, and its spread into Mongolia in the 13th century CE. Finally, the course will conclude with the decline and demise of Buddhism in South Asia starting in the 5th century CE with the emergence of Renaissance Hinduism, and the coming of Islam in the 11th century CE.

Prerequisites: None

This course will deal with the histories, doctrines, sects, practices of Daoism, Confucianism & Shinto.

Prerequisites: None

This course looks into the origins, Vedic Hinduism, mythologies-Vedic, Epic & Puranic of Hinduism, sacraments, Temple Hinduism, sectarian Hinduism and modern Hindu movements.

Prerequisites: None