京都大学 京都大学

Philosophy of Mind: East & West

Numbering Code G-GAIS00 52014 LE34
G-GAIS00 52014 LE46 		Year/Term 2022 ・ First semester
Number of Credits 2 Course Type Lecture
Target Year From 1st to 3rd year students Target Student
Language English Day/Period Tue.1
Instructor name DEROCHE，Marc-Henri Jean (Graduate School of Advanced Integrated Studies in Human Survivability Associate Professor)
Outline and Purpose of the Course In this class, we will examine the philosophical quest of self-knowledge by investigating the notions of the “mind/heart” (kokoro 心 in Japanese). Especially, we will focus on the Buddhist approach to self-knowledge according to the “four ways of establishing mindfulness.” At the crossroads of East and West, translating Buddhist terms into English, and trying to make philosophical sense of them, we will thus explore the sources and potentialities of a hybrid “Buddhist philosophy of mindfulness.”
The Buddhist model of the “four ways of establishing mindfulness” is found in particular in the SatipaTThAna-sutta (Analayo 2003) and analyzes conscious experience into four aspects: (1) body (including breath), (2) affectivity (pleasure and pain), (3) mind (desire and aversion, etc.), and (4) phenomena. It is centered on “mindfulness and awareness” (PAli: sati-sampajaJJa; Chin. 正念正知) that are the core faculties making self-knowledge practically possible. In our contemporary societies, this ancient model has been the source of innovative, secular and scientific “mindfulness-based interventions” (Feldman and Kuyken 2019) intended to improve wellbeing. This class will offer the philosophical foundations in the academic study of mindfulness according to a cross-cultural and interdisciplinary approach combining Buddhist studies, philosophy of mind, philosophical psychology, and medical anthropology. The class will introduce as well the basic practices of scientific mindfulness-based interventions. Mindfulness, defined as “non-distraction,” will also serve to reconsider critically how to orient attention in the digital age.
Following the threefold wisdom pedagogy of “study, reflection and practice” at Shishu-Kan, each class will include a lecture, moments for open discussion and critical self-reflection, as well as practical exercises of mindfulness. The classes are conducted in the supportive environment of Tachibana-kaikan, a Japanese-style building with garden, deeply fostering the learning experience.
Course Goals In terms of study, reflection, and practice, the objectives of this class are:
(1) Study and reflection: to acquire the philosophical foundations of the academic study of mindfulness according to a cross-cultural and interdisciplinary approach;
(2) Practice: to become familiar with the basic exercises of scientific mindfulness-based interventions.
Schedule and Contents 1. Introduction
2. The “love of wisdom” (philosophia) in East and West: study, reflection, and practice
3. Mindfulness and awareness in Buddhist psychology
4. Ethics of attention and care
5. Philosophy of mind-body medicine
6. Conceptual thinking and direct perception in Buddhist epistemology
7. Flow: focusing on the present moment
8. Mindfulness of the body: centering attention
9. Mindfulness of breathing: coming back to the “life-world”
10. Mindfulness of affectivity: the heart of subjectivity
11. Mindfulness of the mind: observing one’s attitude
12. Emotional intelligence: love, compassion, joy, and equanimity
13. Mindfulness of phenomena: discerning appearances and reality
14. Distraction and its antidote in the digital age
15. Conclusion and feedback session
Evaluation Methods and Policy Evaluation is made according to active participation and a final report (including a personal summary of the content of the class and an essay).
Course Requirements None
Study outside of Class (preparation and review) Required elements include reading assignments and report writing.
References, etc. SatipaTThAna: The Direct Path to Realization, Analayo, (Windhorse, 2003)
Mindfulness. Ancient Wisdom Meets Modern Psychology, Feldman, C., Kuyken, W., (The Guilford Press, 2019)
What is Ancient Philosophy?, Hadot, P., (Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2002)
Mindful Wisdom: The Path Integrating Memory, Judgment, and Attention, Deroche, Marc-Henri, (Asian Philosophy 31:1 (January), 19- 32), DOI: 10.1080/09552367.2021.1875610.
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