Buddhism: The Diamond Sutra and World Peace (FutureLearn)

The Diamond Sutra is one of the most historically important texts in Buddhism. On this course, you will use the text as a guide to explore the prospect of world peace.

You will learn about the conflicts that arise between humans and religion, and consider how they could be resolved through the teachings of the Diamond Sutra.

You will discover how different religions relate to each other and explore the idea that all religions are pursuing the same truth. You will also consider the idea that people, whatever their religious beliefs, are capable of promoting world peace for the same reasons.

What topics will you cover?

Week 1: Welcome to the course

Week 2: Basic understanding of The Diamond Sutra

Week 3: The definition of religion and intra-religious paradoxes

Week 4: The two categories that classify the myriad things in the world and their examples

Week 5: Everyone is in the process of searching for the truth

Week 6: The dark side of human nature that generates craving, aversion, and ignorance

Week 7: Marching towards peace

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you'll be able to...

- Describe the core ideas of Conditioned Phenomena and Unconditioned Phenomena in The Diamond Sutra

- Explore how religions influence people’s behaviours, and what people expect after death

- Interpret myriad phenomena with the use of the two categories, and illustrate examples of things of transient and eternal nature

- Identify that different religions are all in the process of searching for the Truth

- Describe the conflicts arise from one's greed, hatred and delusion and appreciate how The Diamond Sutra teaches one to remove the dark side of human nature

- Explain the reason and logic behind 'everyone is searching for the Truth', and why the concept of analysis ('everyone is searching for the Truth') could help promoting peace