Confucius, Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad

Course Overview

An award-winning professor takes you deep into the life stories and legacies of four iconic figures in world religion.

No understanding of human life, individual or collective, would be complete without considering the role of these history-shaping teachers. This 36-lecture series explores the lives and legacies of Confucius, Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad, revealing their core teachings and the historical contexts that underline their phenomenal impact.

Professor Muesse leads you in an inquiry with a dynamic approach. First, you’ll reflect on the essential values of spirituality and the art of living from these four perspectives. Second, you’ll delve into the individual lives of the sages and the religious traditions that emerged from their teachings. Engage with fundamental questions about the nature of the universe, human existence, and the path to true self-realization. This course offers profound insights into politics, religion, history, and our relationship to the divine, making it meaningful for skeptics, seekers, and believers alike.

Video Lecture List

1. A Quartet of Sages

• 33 min
• Establish guidelines for exploring Confucius, Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad, using various analytical “lenses.”

1. Confucius’s China

• 30 min
• Examine the cultural context of Confucius’s time and its impact on his teachings.

1. Becoming a Sage

• 32 min
• Review key sources related to Confucius, focusing on the Analects and his formative years.

1. A Gentleman and a Scholar

• 32 min
• Discuss Confucius’s character traits and his journey as a teacher and moral guide.

1. Heaven and Earth

• 31 min
• Investigate Confucian metaphysics and its view of moral forces in the universe.

1. Doing unto Others

• 30 min
• Delve into core Confucian values, including ren (humaneness) and reciprocity.

1. How to Rule a Kingdom

• 32 min
• Explore Confucian principles of ethical leadership and the significance of virtue.

1. What a Sage Does

• 31 min
• Examine Confucian spiritual practices and the importance of character development.

1. Confucius and Confucianism

• 30 min
• Trace the evolution and enduring influence of Confucian teachings.

1. India at the Time of the Buddha

• 33 min
• Learn about the shifts in Indian religious thought preceding the Buddha’s birth.

1. Siddhattha Gotama

• 31 min
• Explore the historical context of the Buddha’s early life and teachings.

1. The First and Second Great Awakenings

• 32 min
• Follow the Buddha’s path from renunciation to enlightenment.

1. Knowing the World

• 33 min
• Discuss the Buddha’s views on reality, including impermanence and no-self.

1. Can’t Get No Satisfaction

• 31 min
• Analyze the Buddha’s teachings on desire, suffering, and ethical living.

1. Getting to the Farther Shore

• 33 min
• Study the Buddha’s spiritual practices aimed at overcoming attachments.

1. How the Buddha Taught

• 33 min
• Investigate the Buddha’s teaching methods and the significance of his core messages.

1. The Buddha and Buddhism

• 33 min
• Examine the evolution and impact of Buddhism as a religious tradition.

1. The Jewish and Roman Worlds of Jesus

• 32 min
• Assess the historical context surrounding Jesus’s life and teachings.

1. The Son of Mary

• 33 min
• Compare the Gospels of Matthew and Luke regarding Jesus’s lineage.

1. The First 30 Years

• 28 min
• Explore the significance of Jesus’s formative years and the events leading to his ministry.

1. The Kingdom of God

• 32 min
• Analyze Jesus’s teachings on God’s kingdom and their implications.

1. Back to the Future

• 33 min
• Discuss Jesus’s practices and insights into communal meals and spiritual significance.

1. Jesus’s Christology

• 31 min
• Investigate the various portrayals of Jesus in the New Testament.

1. The Last Days in Jerusalem

• 31 min
• Detail the final events leading to Jesus’s crucifixion and the significance of his death.

1. How Jesus Became Christ

• 33 min
• Examine the diverse accounts of Jesus’s resurrection and its implications for faith.

1. Arabia in the Days of Ignorance

• 32 min
• Explore the cultural context of Muhammad’s life and the society he was born into.

1. The Trustworthy One

• 32 min
• Delve into Muhammad’s character and the experiences leading to his prophetic call.

1. I Am Only a Messenger

• 32 min
• Witness the events of Muhammad’s revelation and the early challenges he faced.

1. Madinah

• 34 min
• Analyze Muhammad’s transition from Makkah to Madinah and the consolidation of the Muslim community.

1. There Is No God but al-Lah

• 31 min
• Study the concept of tawhid and its implications for Islamic belief.

1. The Ethics of Islam

• 31 min
• Examine the ethical teachings in Islam and their relationship to societal norms.

1. The Greater Jihad

• 32 min
• Explore the internal spiritual struggles highlighted in Islamic teachings.

1. The Conquest of Makkah

• 30 min
• Follow the events leading to the conquest of Makkah and its historical significance.

1. Their Lives Compared

• 31 min
• Compare the teachings and legacies of Confucius, Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad.

1. Their Teachings Compared

• 33 min
• Assess commonalities and differences in the spiritual teachings of the four sages.

1. Their Enduring Significance

• 29 min
• Reflect on the relevance of each sage’s teachings in contemporary life.