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This
is a 9-day residential course with optional 3 transferable
credits. It will be held annually beginning in early June
2004 and will be offered jointly by the Bindra Chair in Sikh
Studies (Dept. of Philosophy and Religious Studies) and the
Hofstra University College for Continuing Education.
Mysticism or religious experience, has been found in all religious
traditions in all ages and is a keystone of human experience
in general. This course will examine the nature, role and
meanings of mysticism in Sikh thought, religion and culture
by looking at what mysticism is, and what it contributes to
modern Sikh consciousness and culture. Expressions of Sikh
mysticism as found in the writings of the Sikh Gurus will
be presented in comparative context. One of the aims of this
course is to show how Sikh mystics, far from dwelling on theological
issues, draw attention to the way in which we construct our
selves and notions of reality. Existential inquiry will be
an intrinsic part of this course. The course will have 3 main
components:
(i) Overview of Sikh religious literature comprising a knowledge
of the evolution of the Sikh interpretive traditions from
the Guru period to the Singh Sabha and beyond. Students will
be encouraged to link their understanding of the various traditions
to the present day problems of textual transmission and reception
in global diasporas.
(ii) An exploration of leading philosophical and mystical
themes in the central Sikh texts. Instructors will present
these themes in the context of contemporary culture in order
to encourage the development of cross-cultural and multidisciplinary
perspectives.
(iii) Introduction to the nature of Sikh meditational practices
such as path, nam simran, gurmat sangeet (classical musicology)
and how these practices affect the nature and presentation
of thinking and ideas in the Sikh texts...
Who
is this course designed for?
This proposed course Sikh Mysticism significantly expands
on the material offered in Warrior Saints (RELI 103) which is now
included in the cross-cultural core category. While the disciplinary
orientation of RELI 103 is primarily phenomenological and
serves as an introduction to the subject for students who
have no prior knowledge of Sikhism, Sikh Mysticism will focus
more on what Sikhs themselves call 'gurmat'
(lit. the central teachings or religious philosophy of Nanak
who is both the founder of Sikhism and the epithet adopted
by the nine spiritual masters who succeeded him).
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