The course is offered from time to time. Students are advised to consult the Faculty of Religious Studies on the content of the course on offer.

This course covers the rise and development of Buddhism in Thailand. It presents the interrelationships between Buddhism and Thai society. It includes various subtopics such as Buddhist influence in Thai politics, Thai education, Thai arts and architecture, etc. Contemporary issues regarding Buddhism in Thailand are also be discussed.

This course is a historical survey of the Chan or Ch'an (Dhyāna) school of Chinese Buddhism, one of the most influential Buddhist schools in China. The survey includes the most important periods in the development of this school, such as the introduction of Patriarch Chan into China for the first time, the establishment of Patriarch Chan as a separate School, and the divisions of Patriarch Chan over time. It will also outline the special features of the Patriarch Chan of each different major sub-school or lineage.

The course will commence with a review, in historical perspective, of the antecedent doctrines which led to the emergence of the Madhyamaka. It will be followed up with an in-depth study of the philosophical position of the Madhyamaka. The study will be based on the subject-matter of the MūlaMadhyamaka-kārikā, which is authored by Nāgārjuna, the founder of the Madhyamaka School.

The course focuses on the following aspects: the extent of the spread of Buddhism during the time of the Buddha and its impact on the contemporary society, Buddhist Councils and their importance in the history of Buddhism, formation of the Buddhist canonical literatures and its oral transmission by the bhānakas, development in Buddhist monasticism, emergence of Buddhist sects, growth of Buddhist rituals and concessions to popular religious needs, Aśoka and his contribution to the propagation of Buddhism in India and beyond.

The purpose of the course is to identify and interpret the original doctrines of what is generally known as Early Buddhism. Therefore the course will be mainly based on the Buddhist discourses of the Pāli Canon. Topics of study will include Four Noble Truths, Three Signs of Existence, Dependent Origination, Analysis of the empiric individuality, theory and practice of moral life, and Nibbāna as the final goal of religious life.

A survey of civilizations from the earliest records, examines the great themes of history from antiquity to the present. Emphasis will be placed on Asian civilizations.

A study of essential Thai Language as well as the origins and traditions of Thai culture and the values which undergird Thai cultural, socio – economic, political and religious structure. Consideration is also given to the impact of foreign cultures on Thailand in the past and the present.

The Devanāgarī alphabets and script; sandhi (internal and external); numerals (cardinals and ordinals); the conjugational classes I, IV, VI and X of thematic verbs in the present indicative; vowel gradation; prefixes and suffixes; declensional cases of nouns and pronouns of the three genders with vowel and consonant endings; introduction to Sanskrit samāsa (compounds) - dvanda, tadpurusa, karmadhāraya, bahuvrīhi; substantives and adjectives; adverbs; relative pronouns and indeclinablāes; the past passive participles; ātmanepada verb forms; passive construction; the future tense; the infinit

The course examines the social and religious culture in India before the Buddha focusing its especial attention on the following aspects: the Indus civilization and Aryans; Vedic culture; Brahmana and Śramana movements; social and religious institutions, practices and beliefs; the birth of Buddhist civilization as a response to its religious and social background.