Preface:

Contemplation and action are oft-used categories in Religious Studies. Rather than discuss these categories in theory alone, this course aims to go through some of the more influential works on meditation found in the world’s religion. We will try to cover a diversity of topics: Christian recollection practices, Buddhist meditation, Kabbalah and Sufi practices, Yoga, Dao-ism, and contemporary religions. In addition to texts, we will also attempt to engage with living traditions of contemplative practice across the world’s religions as well as visual and oral forms available to us. This is an ideal course for those who wish to be introduced to the world’s religions from the point of view of meditation theories and practice.