Aesthetics in Tibetan Buddhism

What does beauty have to do with Buddhism? Should it be understood as a mark of virtue or a font of attachment? And more broadly, what is the role of the senses and the objects of the senses in Buddhist practice? In this seminar students engage with images, objects, texts, sounds, feelings, and tastes to understand the significance of aesthetics in Tibetan Buddhism. Beyond treating aesthetics as the philosophy of art and beauty, students will consider the profound and variegated role of the senses and their objects in Buddhist experience. When are the senses limiting and when are they liberating? When are artworks objects of attachment for practitioners, and when are they supports for practice? Most fundamentally, together we will investigate how aesthetics can be ethically coded—for example, by asking why beauty is so often associated with virtue. This multidisciplinary seminar is designed for graduate students and is also open to advanced undergraduates with instructor’s approval.