This course tells a story that begins in ancient India, with the central tenets and texts of Hindu (or “Brahmanical”) philosophy; the flowering of Buddhist philosophy from within that system, and its development over the next thousand years in northern India; the Taoist and Confucian systems Buddhist thought encountered when it arrived in China; and its radical metamorphosis into the Zen tradition in Japan. If time allows, we will look at the contemporary transmission of these philosophical systems into the West, and the semiotics of Zen spas, mindfulness retreats, and yoga pants.

To put it another way, this course is about exploring different answers to George Saunders’ question above, from Hindu, Buddhist, Confucian, Daoist, and Zen Buddhist philosophical schools. We talk about the nature of the mind, the nature of the self, and the nature of reality. But where that leads us — or, why that matters — or, like, where the rubber hits the road — is looking at why, for most of us, daily life is often so difficult and dissatisfying — what we can try to do about dealing with that, and maybe even starting to change it.