The Religious Traditions of India, Cornell University, 1986
| Lecture Number and Title | Description of lecture, as summarized by Professor Bharati | Date |
|---|---|---|
Lecture Number and Title 1. Religion, Philosophy, Anthropology | Description of lecture, as summarized by Professor Bharati Introduction. The scope of this course—Religion, philosophy, anthropology—"talking religion" vs "taking about religion"—rejected and accepted methodologies. | Date June 30 |
Lecture Number and Title 2. Survey of pan-Indian Religious Themes and Principles | Description of lecture, as summarized by Professor Bharati Longitudinal survey of pan-Indian religious themes and principles. | Date July 1 |
Lecture Number and Title 3. Elements of “Pure” Buddism-Dukkha and Khanika | Description of lecture, as summarized by Professor Bharati Elements of "pure" (middle class urban and western) Buddhism—its contrast with real, i.e., 'village' religion; so what is pure?—the central doctorines of dukka (pain, agony, misery, affliction etc.) and khanika (momentariness, impermanence) and what they do, or don't do, to village laity and the Buddhist clergy. | Date July 2 |
Lecture Number and Title 4. Dumont’s “Purity” and Pollution; The Erotic Elements in Hinduism | Description of lecture, as summarized by Professor Bharati Louis Dumont's "purity" and "pollution"—axiom of Indian polarization—etic and emic heuristic devices—the question of ethics—deontological vs teleological—medias in res on the Hindu side: Shiva, the erotic
ascetic (O'Flaherty and long before)—the erotic element in Hinduism in general. | Date July 3 |
Lecture Number and Title 5. Saivite Complex | Description of lecture, as summarized by Professor Bharati Aghoris of Nepal and Varanasi—Lingayats of the Karnatak—the Shaivite complex—the retention of semen as the key to magic, charisma, power, and the holy—a pan-indian syndrome—the renouncer's power-trip. | Date July 7 |
Lecture Number and Title 6. “Purity,” Pollution, and Westernization | Description of lecture, as summarized by Professor Bharati "Purity and pollution" once more: their "hygienic" interpretation as mark of modern Indian cultural alienation (westernization)—alienation and cognitive dissonance through language modification, the invasion of English into the vernacular—the
"pizza-effect"—consecration and initiation -Wendy O'Flaherty's "shazzam" effect—the holographic model—darshana—prasad—transation and transformation of 'essences'. | Date July 8 |
Lecture Number and Title 7. Assam’s Reformed Religion and Sankaradeva; Modern Srilankan and Buddhism; Math, Ashram, and Sacred Space | Description of lecture, as summarized by Professor Bharati Assam's reformed religion and Shankaradeva—"monotheism" vs "monism"—bhakti and puritanism—the popular prevalence of bhakti—bhakti and modern Sri Lankan Buddhism—Math, ashram, and
sacred space—the numinous—sacred geography, a parallel to sacred history. | Date July 9 |
Lecture Number and Title 8. “Lords” Stratification and Rulership; The Three Gunas | Description of lecture, as summarized by Professor Bharati "Lords"—lords for everything—total stratification and no-nonsense rulership—the three gunas, their assignations to rulers and ruled, to people, and to everything else as well—plus an excursus into food,
the Ayurvedic humors. | Date July 10 |
Lecture Number and Title 9. Piatigorski’s Phenomology or Indian Religious Consciousness | Description of lecture, as summarized by Professor Bharati Piatigorski's phenomenology or Indian religious consciousness—the intrusion of Judaeo-Christian and Muslim 'lineal' categories—giving bodies to the gods—bodies as carriers and loci of occult powes (siddhi). | Date July 11 |
Lecture Number and Title 10. Not Available | Description of lecture, as summarized by Professor Bharati First thematic summary of Hinduism—ascetics, rulers, "renouncers"—the 'five sheaths' (pancakosha) of existence, the pentads of cosmic constants—classification as explanation—the monistic—theistic continuum—a
brief introduction to Jainism | Date |
Lecture Number and Title 11. Durkheim’s Sacred and Profane; Islam | Description of lecture, as summarized by Professor Bharati Durkheim's sacred and profane dichotomy: not of much use in India—laukika and lokottara are not equivalents to sacred and profane—the meanings of dharma—Islam: the basics and the five pillars. | Date July 29 |
Lecture Number and Title 12. Islam in South Asia | Description of lecture, as summarized by Professor Bharati Islam and the 'ulema—Islam in South Asia—shari'a, haditha, adat—Islam vs Indian social structure—is there caste in Indian Muslim society? The Indianization of Islam—the sufi orders—baraka and the tarigas—the
inapplicability of the Great Tradition—Little Traditions model to Indian Islam—and to Hinduism as well, by today's knowledge. | Date July 30 |
Lecture Number and Title 13. The Ahmediya (Qadiani)- Tolerance or Inclusivism | Description of lecture, as summarized by Professor Bharati The Ahmediya (Qadiani)—the Shi'as: Bohra, Ithna' Asari, Khoja Ismailis, the Aga Khan and his firmans—tolerance or 'inclusivism?'—a model for the perception of tolerance in different levels of Inidan religious discourse. | Date July 31 |
Lecture Number and Title 14. Dualistic Trends and their Samkhya Mooring | Description of lecture, as summarized by Professor Bharati Dualistic trends and their samkhya moorings—Shakti and Vajrayana—some clarifications of mistaken notions about shakti, tantra (Hindu and Buddhist) ethics and the spiritual problem on the grassroots level. | Date August 1 |
Lecture Number and Title 15. A Sikh Religious Preform | Description of lecture, as summarized by Professor Bharati ??Sikhism—its tenets—Sikhs and Sikhism before and after "Blue Star"—the Guru Granth, the ten gurus—Guru Gobind Singh and militant Sikhism //A Sikh religious performance—and an emic account of Sikhism by Khushwant
Singh.
| Date July 21 |
Lecture Number and Title 16. An Emic Account of Sikhism by Khushwant Singh; Schism in Sikhism | Description of lecture, as summarized by Professor Bharati Schism in Sikhism—the Swaminarayan religion: the religious leader as god—God and the guru are one : a pervasive Indian syndrome. | Date july 22 |
Lecture Number and Title 17. Swaminarayan Concluded; Philosophy and Darshan Once Again; Darshan as Rhetoric | Description of lecture, as summarized by Professor Bharati Swaminarayan concluded—philosophy and darshan once again—darshan as rhetoric—the modern "way of life" parlance—the four purusarthas (ideal stages and objects of human life) ethics and morality take a second place
below religion as vita contemplativa. | Date August 6 |
Lecture Number and Title 18. The Problem in ‘Proof’ in Indian Thought; Indian Epistemology; Puja | Description of lecture, as summarized by Professor Bharati The problems of 'proof' in Indian thought—a short foray into Indian epistemology—degrees of canonicity in the Hindu lore: shruti and smriti—minimal and maximal ritualist observances—puja as a generic
term for all non-Vedic ritual. | Date July 24 |
Lecture Number and Title 19. A Final Survey of Theravada Doctrine | Description of lecture, as summarized by Professor Bharati A final survey of Theravada doctrine—"dependent origination" (patticca-samuppada)—the sangha and monastic training—degrees of instruction among clergy and laity. | Date July 25 |
Lecture Number and Title 20. Basic Concepts in Yoga | Description of lecture, as summarized by Professor Bharati Basic concepts of yoga—parakrti—vritti (waves, motions, disturbances?)—the types and words for 'mind'—the underlying parvritti-nivritti categories (extraversion and introversion if you wish, but don't). | Date July 28 |
Lecture Number and Title 21. Popular Indian Charismatics; Hindu “Psychology,” Eightfold Yoga | Description of lecture, as summarized by Professor Bharati The minimal textual knowledge of popular Indian religious leaders and charismatics—Hindu "psychology" and the four states of mind (jagrat, svapna, susupti, turiya)—the eightfold yoga—the meanings of samadhi. | Date July 15 |
Lecture Number and Title 22. Occult Power and Yoga, Nyaya Vaisesika; Gurus, Swamis, and Pandits | Description of lecture, as summarized by Professor Bharati The occult power (siddhi) and yoga link—siddhi and stage magic—the case of Sathya Sai Bab (preliminary)—Nyaya Vaisesika categories—the basic technical vocabulary of the popular religious teacher
(gurus, swamis, pandits). | Date July 16 |
Lecture Number and Title 23. The Bhagavadgita; Bhakti and Theism; “Man of Firm Resolve” | Description of lecture, as summarized by Professor Bharati The Bhagavadgita -ayes and nays- the ideal type Hindu—bhakti and theism—the argument of "easier, therefore better"—the concept of sthitaprajna "man of firm resolve" (but much more and less)—the dangers of Gita like
peptalk ( Hitler, etc.). | Date July 17 |
Lecture Number and Title 24. All India Festivals | Description of lecture, as summarized by Professor Bharati Festivals stationery and festivals in motion (pilgrimage)—the tamasha-darshana continuum—gods as guests (festivals: stationery)—gods stationery (pilgrimage)—all India festivals: a sample—Dassehra, Durga Puja,
Holi, Diwali, Mahashivaratri etc. | Date July 18 |
Lecture Number and Title 25. Puja: The All India Code for Formalized Worship and Reforms | Description of lecture, as summarized by Professor Bharati Puja, once more—the all-India code for formalized worship—Hinduization-Sanskritization-modernization-westernization—revivals and reforms: an overview—Arya Samaj. | Date August 14 |
Lecture Number and Title 26. The Bengal Impact on the Hindu Renaissance | Description of lecture, as summarized by Professor Bharati The Brahmo Samaj, Raja Rammohun Roy—the Bengal impact on the Hindu Renaissance—Keshab Sen and the young Vivekananda and Ramakrishna for starters. | Date August 5 |
Lecture Number and Title 27. The Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda and After | Description of lecture, as summarized by Professor Bharati The Ramakrishna Mission—a non-Hindu organization?—Vivekanandaand after—Sri Aurobindu-Bengali nationalism, mother-worship Durga, Kali, Bengal, Mother India, Subhas Bose etc. | Date July 23 |
Lecture Number and Title 28. The Scienctific Paradigm in Modern Emic Indian Religious Talk | Description of lecture, as summarized by Professor Bharati Theosophy—Vivekananda's immediate imitators (Swami Ramtirtha and "In Woods of God-realization")—the 'scientific' paradigm in modern emic Indian religious talk—tradition and ecleticism in neo-Hindu lifestyles—Sai
Baba, Muktananda, assorted gurus. | Date August 7 |
Lecture Number and Title 29. Neo-Hinduism and Buddhism in the Diaspora. The Future of Religion on the Subcontinent | Description of lecture, as summarized by Professor Bharati Neo-Hinduism and Buddhism in the diaspora—recruitment—Rajneesh, Guru Maharaj and Divine Light—T.M., 3 HO and neo-Sikhism of Yogi Bhajan—ISKCON (vulgo Hare Krishna—the only tribe permanently settled on airports)—political
and militant Hinduism—the future of religion on the subcontinent (well, the immediate future). | Date August 8 |
Introduction to Indian Philosophy, Syracuse University, 1987
| Lecture Number and Title | Description of lecture, as summarized by Professor Bharati |
|---|---|
Lecture Number and Title 1. Vedic Roots of Indian Philosophy | Description of lecture, as summarized by Professor Bharatii The poetic beginnings of Indian philosophical thinking—the canonical, “revealed” scriptures, the Veda. Veda means knowledge. The interpretation of ritual and sacrifice as one of the first intellectual efforts in the ancient
world.
|
Lecture Number and Title 2. The Radical Antagonists | Description of lecture, as summarized by Professor Bharatii Untrammeled by convention, outsiders to the established Vedic tradition had a more radical view of man and cosmos. Buddhists, Jains, and others defied the Vedas and the priests, while teaching a therapeutic philosophy to alleviate suffering,
the basis of all life. |
Lecture Number and Title 3. The Six Classical Systems | Description of lecture, as summarized by Professor Bharatii The six classical systems (Nyaya, Vaisesika, Samkhya, Yoga, Mimansa, and Vedanta) rigorously codified what had been handed down cryptically in aphorisms. Logic, epistemology, and proper philosophical approaches now became firmly established. |
Lecture Number and Title 4. The Theistic Philosophies | Description of lecture, as summarized by Professor Bharatii The schools of monotheistic religion (Vaishnavism, Saivism, Saktism) elaborated the hitherto dormant theme of bhakti (devotion to a personal deity) and grounded it in a supporting framework using the techniques of the six classical systems. |
Lecture Number and Title 5. The Medieval Schools | Description of lecture, as summarized by Professor Bharatii From the Fourteenth century onward, bhakti-informed thinking, folk religion, and the interface with foreign ideologies (Muslim) created a large number of distinctive schools, Sikhism among them. |
Lecture Number and Title 6. The Modern Schools | Description of lecture, as summarized by Professor Bharatii Indian philosophy added new elements in response to Muslim and then British domination. Reform movements like the Arya Samaj, Brahmo Samaj, and the Ramakrishna Mission developed their own apologetic and critiqued traditional ways of thinking. |