B01-Early Disciples of Shakyamuni Buddha (5th-6th century BCE)

This class on early disciples of Shakyamuni Buddha (5^th-6^th century BCE) will use as a text Great Disciples of the Buddha Their Lives, Their Works, Their Legacy by Nyanaponika Thera & Hellmuth Hecker. This text is a survey of the background, practice, and accomplishments of Shakyamuni Buddha’s greatest disciples including Sariputta, Maha-mogallana, Mahakassapa, Ananda, Anuruddha, Mahakaccana, Great Women Disciples, Angulimala, Anathapindika, and others. See announcement for text book options. This course iincludes important Patriarchs and Matriarachs of the Theravada and other traditions, who are worthy of our study and may be added in the future as individual courses as their biographies become available.

This text can help us understand the life of Shakyamuni Buddha through a range of rich-poor, male-female, and young-old disciples and provide a glimpse into life in ancient India. It is rich with Sutta references and other Pali sources for more research into this important time in our history.

This course requires that “G02-Spiritual Biography,” “G03(A)-Evolution of Buddhism & The Five Vidyas,” and “D35(A)-The 128 Evil and Erroneous Views” be completed as a prerequisite to taking this course.