BB402002 Elementary Seminar in Indian Philosophy and Buddhism B

Hiroshima University Syllabus

Japanese

Academic Year 2026Year School/Graduate School School of Letters

Lecture Code BB402002 Subject Classification Specialized Education

Subject Name インド哲学・仏教学基礎演習Ｂ

Subject Name
（Katakana）インドテツガク・ブッキョウガクキソエンシュウB

Subject Name in
English Elementary Seminar in Indian Philosophy and Buddhism B

Instructor OTANI YUKA

Instructor
(Katakana) オオタニ　ユカ

Campus Higashi-Hiroshima Semester/Term 2nd-Year, Second Semester, Second Semester

Days, Periods, and Classrooms (2nd) Fri3-4：LET A101

Lesson Style Seminar Lesson Style
(More Details) Face-to-face

Credits 2.0 Class Hours/Week 2 Language of Instruction J : Japanese

Course Level 2 : Undergraduate Low-Intermediate

Course Area（Area） 23 : Arts and Humanities

Course Area（Discipline） 01 : Philosophy

Eligible Students

Keywords Saichō, Bodhisattva precepts, Tendai school, Heian period

Special Subject for Teacher Education 　 Special Subject 　

Class Status
within Educational
Program
(Applicable only to targeted subjects for undergraduate students)
Criterion referenced
Evaluation
(Applicable only to targeted subjects for undergraduate students) Philosophy and Thought
（Abilities and Skills）
・Acquisition of research abilities concerning Philosophy and Thoughts
・Acquisition of research methods of Philosophy and Thoughts

Class Objectives
/Class Outline Through close reading of Saichō’s Kenkairon, students will develop fundamental skills for reading Buddhist Chinese texts and acquire basic research methods for working with historical materials written in Buddhist Chinese.

Class Schedule Lesson 1: [Lecture] [Exercise] Orientation & Foundations of Classical Chinese Reading (Includes a short quiz within the lecture for skill assessment)
Lesson 2: [Exercise] Classical Chinese Reading Practice (Assignment included)
Lesson 3: [Lecture] Explanation of Tools for Reading Buddhist Classical Chinese Texts
Lesson 4: [Lecture] Historical Context of Saichō's Kenkairon Submission
Lesson 5: [Exercise & Lecture] Reading the Preface of Saichō's Kenkairon “Chapter 1: Dispersing the Clouds and Revealing the Moon”
Lesson 6: [Exercise] Reading Saichō's Kenkairon “Chapter 1: Evidence Clarifying that in Great Japan Temples Were First Mahāyāna Temples and Only Later Combined-Practice Temples”, “Chapter 2: Evidence Clarifying that the Founding Vows of Temple Construction Differ”, “Chapter 3: Evidence Clarifying that Bell-Ringing, Even When It Differs from Present Circumstances, Does Not Constitute an Impediment”
Lesson 7: [Exercise] Reading Saichō's Kenkairon “Chapter 6: Evidence Clarifying that There Are Four Types of Samādhi Halls”
Lesson 8: [Exercise] Reading Saichō's Kenkairon “Chapter 8: Evidence Clarifying that One Receives the Lesser Vinaya Regulations for the Sake of Benefiting Others”
Lesson 9: [Exercise] Reading Saichō's Kenkairon “Chapter 9: Evidence Clarifying that the Supreme and Excellent Grade Is Not the Intention of the Mahāyāna”
Lesson 10: [Exercise] Reading Saichō's Kenkairon “Chapter 10: Evidence Clarifying that Bodhisattvas, for the Sake of Benefiting Others, Outwardly Manifest the Appearance of Śrāvakas”
Lesson 11: [Exercise] Reading Saichō's Kenkairon “Chapter 13: Clarifying that Mañjuśrī Is the Elder”
Lesson 12: [Exercise] Reading Saichō's Kenkairon “Chapter 14: Evidence Concerning the Hīnayāna Elder”
Lesson 13: [Exercise] Reading Saichō's Kenkairon “Chapter 17: Evidence Clarifying that Earlier Monks Who Studied in Tang China Did Not Speak of Elders”, “Chapter 18: Evidence Clarifying that by Seeing One Corner of Tang China One Can Know the Elders of the Whole World”
Lesson 14: [Exercise] Reading Saichō's Kenkairon “Chapter 19: Evidence Clarifying that the Great Precepts of the Thousand Buddhas”, “Chapter 20: Evidence Clarifying that the Buddha’s Precepts Are the Prātimokṣa Precepts”
Lesson 15: [Lecture] The Influence of Saichō's Mahāyāna Precepts Advocacy on Later East Asian Buddhism

Exercises will be assigned to students as appropriate. Students are required to prepare materials and distribute them in class. Instructions on how to prepare these materials will be provided during lectures.

Text/Reference
Books,etc. Reading materials will be distributed in class.

PC or AV used in
Class,etc. Handouts, Audio Materials, Visual Materials

(More Details)

Learning techniques to be incorporated Discussions, Paired Reading, Quizzes/ Quiz format

Suggestions on
Preparation and
Review Lesson 1 & 2: Students lacking foundational Chinese classical text reading skills must engage in self-directed study using university entrance exam preparation materials.
Lesson 3: Tools necessary for Buddhist Chinese classical text reading will be specified during the lecture. Confirm these at the library and ensure you can use them proficiently.
Lesson 4: Reading books on ancient Japanese history before attending the lecture will deepen your understanding.
Lesson 5: The instructor will create reading comprehension handouts and demonstrate reporting examples during class. Students should master the use of tools to enable them to create similar materials independently thereafter.
Lesson 6–14: Students are expected to take the lead in running the lectures. The assigned student must prepare the handouts and submit them to the instructor before the lecture (the instructor will print them and bring them to class).
Lesson 15: Read the reference materials indicated during the lecture. Consider how the sections you read aloud might have influenced subsequent Japanese Buddhism.

Requirements

Grading Method Oral presentation, Assignment
Attitude toward the class, etc.

Practical Experience

Summary of Practical Experience and Class Contents based on it

Message

Other

Please fill in the class improvement questionnaire which is carried out on all classes.
Instructors will reflect on your feedback and utilize the information for improving their teaching.

Academic Year	2026Year	School/Graduate School	School of Letters
Lecture Code	BB402002	Subject Classification	Specialized Education
Subject Name	インド哲学・仏教学基礎演習Ｂ
Subject Name （Katakana）	インドテツガク・ブッキョウガクキソエンシュウB
Subject Name in English	Elementary Seminar in Indian Philosophy and Buddhism B
Instructor	OTANI YUKA
Instructor (Katakana)	オオタニ　ユカ
Campus	Higashi-Hiroshima	Semester/Term	2nd-Year, Second Semester, Second Semester
Days, Periods, and Classrooms	(2nd) Fri3-4：LET A101
Lesson Style	Seminar	Lesson Style (More Details)	Face-to-face

Credits	2.0	Class Hours/Week	2	Language of Instruction	J : Japanese
Course Level	2 : Undergraduate Low-Intermediate
Course Area（Area）	23 : Arts and Humanities
Course Area（Discipline）	01 : Philosophy
Eligible Students
Keywords	Saichō, Bodhisattva precepts, Tendai school, Heian period
Special Subject for Teacher Education		Special Subject
Class Status within Educational Program (Applicable only to targeted subjects for undergraduate students)
Criterion referenced Evaluation (Applicable only to targeted subjects for undergraduate students)	Philosophy and Thought （Abilities and Skills）・Acquisition of research abilities concerning Philosophy and Thoughts ・Acquisition of research methods of Philosophy and Thoughts
Class Objectives /Class Outline	Through close reading of Saichō’s Kenkairon, students will develop fundamental skills for reading Buddhist Chinese texts and acquire basic research methods for working with historical materials written in Buddhist Chinese.
Class Schedule	Lesson 1: [Lecture] [Exercise] Orientation & Foundations of Classical Chinese Reading (Includes a short quiz within the lecture for skill assessment) Lesson 2: [Exercise] Classical Chinese Reading Practice (Assignment included) Lesson 3: [Lecture] Explanation of Tools for Reading Buddhist Classical Chinese Texts Lesson 4: [Lecture] Historical Context of Saichō's Kenkairon Submission Lesson 5: [Exercise & Lecture] Reading the Preface of Saichō's Kenkairon “Chapter 1: Dispersing the Clouds and Revealing the Moon” Lesson 6: [Exercise] Reading Saichō's Kenkairon “Chapter 1: Evidence Clarifying that in Great Japan Temples Were First Mahāyāna Temples and Only Later Combined-Practice Temples”, “Chapter 2: Evidence Clarifying that the Founding Vows of Temple Construction Differ”, “Chapter 3: Evidence Clarifying that Bell-Ringing, Even When It Differs from Present Circumstances, Does Not Constitute an Impediment” Lesson 7: [Exercise] Reading Saichō's Kenkairon “Chapter 6: Evidence Clarifying that There Are Four Types of Samādhi Halls” Lesson 8: [Exercise] Reading Saichō's Kenkairon “Chapter 8: Evidence Clarifying that One Receives the Lesser Vinaya Regulations for the Sake of Benefiting Others” Lesson 9: [Exercise] Reading Saichō's Kenkairon “Chapter 9: Evidence Clarifying that the Supreme and Excellent Grade Is Not the Intention of the Mahāyāna” Lesson 10: [Exercise] Reading Saichō's Kenkairon “Chapter 10: Evidence Clarifying that Bodhisattvas, for the Sake of Benefiting Others, Outwardly Manifest the Appearance of Śrāvakas” Lesson 11: [Exercise] Reading Saichō's Kenkairon “Chapter 13: Clarifying that Mañjuśrī Is the Elder” Lesson 12: [Exercise] Reading Saichō's Kenkairon “Chapter 14: Evidence Concerning the Hīnayāna Elder” Lesson 13: [Exercise] Reading Saichō's Kenkairon “Chapter 17: Evidence Clarifying that Earlier Monks Who Studied in Tang China Did Not Speak of Elders”, “Chapter 18: Evidence Clarifying that by Seeing One Corner of Tang China One Can Know the Elders of the Whole World” Lesson 14: [Exercise] Reading Saichō's Kenkairon “Chapter 19: Evidence Clarifying that the Great Precepts of the Thousand Buddhas”, “Chapter 20: Evidence Clarifying that the Buddha’s Precepts Are the Prātimokṣa Precepts” Lesson 15: [Lecture] The Influence of Saichō's Mahāyāna Precepts Advocacy on Later East Asian Buddhism Exercises will be assigned to students as appropriate. Students are required to prepare materials and distribute them in class. Instructions on how to prepare these materials will be provided during lectures.
Text/Reference Books,etc.	Reading materials will be distributed in class.
PC or AV used in Class,etc.	Handouts, Audio Materials, Visual Materials
(More Details)
Learning techniques to be incorporated	Discussions, Paired Reading, Quizzes/ Quiz format
Suggestions on Preparation and Review	Lesson 1 & 2: Students lacking foundational Chinese classical text reading skills must engage in self-directed study using university entrance exam preparation materials. Lesson 3: Tools necessary for Buddhist Chinese classical text reading will be specified during the lecture. Confirm these at the library and ensure you can use them proficiently. Lesson 4: Reading books on ancient Japanese history before attending the lecture will deepen your understanding. Lesson 5: The instructor will create reading comprehension handouts and demonstrate reporting examples during class. Students should master the use of tools to enable them to create similar materials independently thereafter. Lesson 6–14: Students are expected to take the lead in running the lectures. The assigned student must prepare the handouts and submit them to the instructor before the lecture (the instructor will print them and bring them to class). Lesson 15: Read the reference materials indicated during the lecture. Consider how the sections you read aloud might have influenced subsequent Japanese Buddhism.
Requirements
Grading Method	Oral presentation, Assignment Attitude toward the class, etc.
Practical Experience
Summary of Practical Experience and Class Contents based on it
Message
Other
Please fill in the class improvement questionnaire which is carried out on all classes. Instructors will reflect on your feedback and utilize the information for improving their teaching.

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