本課程為大學部初階課程，不預設任何佛教知識背景。課程所涵蓋的內容包括印度、南傳、漢傳、藏傳和現代等不同地域和時間所流傳的佛教。課程的第一部分介紹印度佛教歷史與佛教基本概念，包括佛陀傳記、早期佛教教義、大乘佛教、佛教宗派與佛教哲學的發展。這一部分使用《佛教基本通：佛教的修行路徑導覽》為教科書，輔以《轉法輪經》、龍樹中觀《寶鬘論》等大小乘經論的選讀。第二部分概述印度以外的佛教的歷史，側重漢藏佛教中的幾個宗派，並有選擇地閱讀這些傳統中的重要論典。本課程以歷史敘事與文本解讀想結合，由此系統介紹佛教文化傳統及其哲學思想。
This is an introductory course designed for undergraduate students, without assuming any prior knowledge of Buddhism on the part of the participants. The course covers Buddhist traditions transmitted in India, Southeast Asia, China, Tibet, and in the modern period. The first part of the course introduces history of Buddhism in India and basic Buddhist doctrines, including the biography of the Buddha, early Buddhist teachings, Mah?y?na Buddhism, and the development of Buddhist philosophical systems. We will use 《佛教基本通：佛教的修行路徑導覽》 (a Chinese translation of Rupert Gethin’s The Foundations of Buddhism) as a textbook for this section of the course. This text will be supplemented by selected samples of Buddhist sutras and treatises from early and Mah?y?na Buddhism, such as 《轉法輪經》 and the work of N?g?rjuna. The second part of the text surveys the history of Buddhism outside India, with a closer look at several particular schools of Buddhism in China and Tibet. Excerpts of important treatises belonging to these traditions will be used as reading materials. This course combines the use of a historical narrative with the close reading of texts, with an aim of providing a comprehensive introduction to the Buddhist cultural traditions and philosophical thought.