September 2^nd

• Introduction to course
• Brief meditation exercise on observation of thought

• Does modern man need religion?
• What lies at the heart of modern existential dissatisfaction?

The Portable Jung, Carl Jung, pp. 456-479
Chapter 12: "The Spiritual Problem of Modern Man"

The Denial of Death, Ernest Becker, pp. 1-66

September 16^th

• The human dilemma (faith and doubt)
• Can life have meaning?
• The philosophical consequences of human mortality

The Death of Ivan Ilytch, Leo Tolstoy, pp. 1-88

September 23^rd

• Why there is hope
• The possible answer from Zen

An Introduction to Zen Buddhism, D.T. Suzuki, pp. 1-73

This is It, Alan Watts, pp. 1-50

September 30^th

• Zen's view of the World
• The Existentialist Christian's View of the World

An Introduction to Zen Buddhism, pp. 74-132

The Concept of Dread, Soren Kierkegaard, pp. 1-50

October 7^th

• The role of Zen in Modern Transpersonal Psychology
• The possibility of an absolute experience
• Reports from a variety of religions

The Spectrum of Consciousness, Ken Wilbur, pp. 148-184
Chapter 6: Surveying the traditions

The Perennial Philosophy, Aldous Huxley, pp. 1-35, 200-215
Chapter 1: That Art Thou
Chapter 2: The Nature of the Ground
Chapter 13: Salvation, Deliverance, Enlightenment

October 21^st

• The formation of the ego and our association with it
• The necessity of developing the ego
• Zen's view of the ego
• Christianity's view of the ego

The Ego and the Dynamic Ground, Michael Washburn, pp. 97-152
Chapter 4: The Mental Ego
Chapter 5: The Unconscious

Zen and the Psychology of Transformation, Hubert Benoit, 68-78 (Handout)
Chapter 8: The Egotistical States
Chapter 9: The Zen Unconscious

October 28^th

• How we can use psychology in the study and practice of Zen and Christianity
• What Zen is trying to accomplish from a psychological perspective
• What Christianity is trying to accomplish from a psychological perspective
• The destruction and transcendence of the ego
• Writing Assignment #1 Due

The Portable Jung, pp. 59-139
Chapter 4: The Concept of the Collective Unconscious
Chapter 5: The Relations Between the Ego and the Unconscious

Writing Assignment

The Intersection of Psychology and Religion—2-4 pages

November 4^th

• Practices of Zen & Christian Mysticism
• The value of ascesis
• The Zen Koan
• Christian Contemplation

The Way of Zen, pp. 115-173

Ego and the Dynamic Ground, pp. 153-170
Chapter 6: Meditation: the Royal Road to the Unconscious

The Perennial Philosophy, pp. 273-292
Chapter 25: Spiritual Exercises

November 11^th

• Perseverance through ordeals
• The Zen process of clench and release
• The Christian experience of salvation
• Exploring the unconscious

The Ego and the Dynamic Ground, pp. 171-202
Chapter 7: Regression in the Service of Transcendence

The Spectrum of Consciousness, pp. 254-285
Chapter 10: A No-Man's Land

The Perennial Philosophy, pp. 293-296
Chapter 26: Perseverance and Regularity

November 18^th

• The ultimate goal of Zen—Enlightenment
• The ultimate goal of Christianity—Rebirth in Christ

Essays on Zen Buddhism, D.T. Suzuki, pp. 80-111 Chapter 5: On Satori—The revelation of a new truth in Zen Buddhism (Handout)

"The Dazzling Dark," John Wren Lewis, pp. 1-15 (Handout)

The Way of Zen, pp. 174-201

November 25^th

• The ultimate goal of transpersonal psychology—integration and transcendence

The Ego and the Dynamic Ground, pp. 203-248
Chapter 8: Regeneration in Spirit
Chapter 9: Integration

December 2^nd

• A poetic approach to the mystical experience
• Final Paper due
• Class discussion

"The Three Books of the Absolute," Richard Rose, pp. 1-6 (Handout)

Final Paper
Critical Analysis Paper—3-5 pages

Course Requirements

• Attendance of at least 11 of the 12 house course meetings
• Weekly reading assignments and active engagement with the material
• Class participation
• Two written papers

Course Instructors
The course will be co-taught by August Turak, who has previously taught the house courses, "What is Zen?" in the Spring of '97 and "An American Nekyia" in the Spring of '00, and by Ed Cheely, who has previously taught the house course, "Great Faith, Great Doubt: The Search for Truth in Modern Times" in the spring of '99.

Turak is a retired CEO and spiritual director who, in addition to launching MTV in the 80's and founding two multi-million dollar software companies in Raleigh in the 90's, has worked extensively with American Zen Master, Richard Rose, and with Father Francis Kline, the Abbot of Mepkin Abbey in Moncks Corner, SC. He is the founder of the Self Knowledge Symposium Foundation, a non-profit foundation dedicated to promoting spiritual inquiry and personal transformation, and has been featured in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Success Magazine, and The New York Times. Described by William Willimon, Dean of the Duke Chapel, as a "modern-day Socrates," Turak now lives in Raleigh having recently retired from his businesses, and is pursuing a graduate degree in theology.

Cheely is a Trinity '00 graduate who now works in Raleigh with the Self Knowledge Symposium Foundation.