国際日本研究特論XXVI

This course explores the body, mind, the environment (culture), and our perceptions and interactions with them. I will introduce readings and my current observations from the field of Contemplative Studies, which is an emerging interdisciplinary field dedicated to the study of contemplative practice/experience, and of its applications to fields such as medicine, education, business, art and social justice.

We will engage with contemplative practice using both first person and third person methods. The main focus will be on Buddhist-derived practices that have been made applicable to modern life in the West and in Japan, although students are encouraged to research and bring other wisdom traditions and contemplative practices
into the discussion. The core qualities that these contemplative practices cultivate are mindfulness and
compassion, and we seek to both understand, embody and observe these qualities throughout the course. The
first person perspective means that we will engage in direct experience of certain meditative or somatic
techniques - this may be in the form of fieldwork outside of class, as well as some in-class workshops. We will
explore our feelings, thoughts and sensations, and express them in a communal environment. The third person
perspective means that we will also learn critically and reflectively about the experience from various disciplines.
This includes the cultural, philosophical, educational and historical trajectories, and their neuroscientific and
psychological analyses. I will draw on my background in anthropology and Japanese educational theory, although students are encouraged to bring in perspectives and conduct their own research from their respective fields of
interest.
Ultimately, we hope to expand our understanding and experience of the body/mind and self/other beyond such
dichotomies that bind modern social life. We hope to discuss the relevance of mindfulness and compassion to the contemporary world; to living peacefully in and with other cultures, beings and places, as well as with one's self.