Modern and Contemporary Buddhism Course (SEPT - DEC 2023)

This course has been designed with the purpose of providing, from various perspectives and disciplines, a comprehensive vision of modern Buddhism and the presence of Buddhism in the contemporary world. It examines the many ways in which modernity has influenced our understanding of the dharma from the 19th century to today, and how, at the same time, contemporary culture and society have also been affected by this ancient tradition. We will begin by examining the very concept of modern Buddhism and we will study the history, multiple trends and main characteristics of the adaptation of Buddhism to the modern world. Next, we will focus on two thematic fields of special relevance: the intersections between Buddhism and contemporary science, and between Buddhism and psychoanalysis and psychotherapy. Then we will analyze the presence of Buddhism in today's world. We will consider how this tradition has responded to such current issues as gender equality, feminism, homosexuality, the climate crisis, interreligious dialogue, bioethical concerns or artificial intelligence. We will pay special attention to the history, situation and traits of Buddhism in Ibero-America, to Buddhism in cyberspace, and the impact of the Dharma on contemporary art and popular culture. After a description of how the great traditions of Buddhism have adapted to today's world, we will explore new modalities that Buddhism has adopted, such as humanism or socially committed Buddhism, and the movements that have shaped it. This course has a wide practical and experiential component, with meditation workshops in which we will learn about modern expressions of ancient meditative practices.