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REL 444/544 Medieval Japanese Buddhism, Fall 2019 CRN16061/2 Mark Unno
REL 444/544 Medieval Japanese Buddhism, Fall 2019 CRN16061/2 Mark Unno Instructor: Mark T. Unno, Office: SCH 334 TEL 6-4973, munno (at) uoregon.edu http://pages.uoregon.edu/munno/ Wed. 2:00 p.m. - 4:50 p.m., Condon 330; Office Hours: Mon 10:00-10:45 a.m.; Tues 1:00-1:45 p.m. No Canvas site. Overview REL 444/544 Medieval Japanese Buddhism focuses on selected strains of Japanese Buddhism during the medieval period, especially the Kamakura (1185-1333), but also traces influences on later developments including the modern period. The course weaves together the examination of religious thought and cultural developments in historical context. We begin with an overview of key Buddhist concepts for those without prior exposure and go onto examine the formative matrix of early Japanese religion. Once some of the outlines of the intellectual and cultural framework of medieval Japanese Buddhism have been brought into relief, we will proceed to examine in depth examples of significant medieval developments. In particular, we will delve into the work of three contemporary figures: Eihei Dōgen (1200-1253), Zen master and founding figure of the Sōtō sect; Myōe of the Shingon and Kegon sects, focusing on his Shingon practices; and Shinran, founding figure of Jōdo Shinshū, the largest Pure Land sect, more simply known as Shin Buddhism. We conclude with the study of some modern examples that nonetheless are grounded in classical and medieval sources, thus revealing the ongoing influence and transformations of medieval Japanese Buddhism. Themes of the course include: Buddhism as state religion; the relation between institutional practices and individual religious cultivation; ritual practices and transgression; gender roles and relations; relations between ordained and lay; religious authority and enlightenment; and two-fold truth and religious practice. -
PACIFIC WORLD Journal of the Institute of Buddhist Studies
PACIFIC WORLD Journal of the Institute of Buddhist Studies Third Series Number 12 Fall 2010 SPECIAL ISSUE: BUDDHISMS IN JAPAN TITLE iii Ritual of the Clear Light Mantra Richard K. Payne Institute of Buddhist Studies On abogya beiroshanō makabotara mani handoma jimbara harabaritaya un. —Clear Light Mantra in Japanese pronunciation THE MANTRA OF THE CLEAR LIGHT (Kōmyō Shingon, 光明眞言), “oṃ amogha vairocana mahā mudrā maṇi padma jvala pravarttaya hūṃ,”1 has its origins in the tantric period of Indian Buddhism, and texts pro- moting its practice were introduced into China in the sixth to eighth centuries. For example, the mantra is found in the Sutra of the Mantra of Divine Transformation of the Unfailing Rope Snare (†Amoghapaśa vikriṇita mantra sūtra, T. 1092, trans. Bodhiruci2). A portion of that work that treats the Clear Light Mantra was translated as a separate text by Amoghavajra under the title Sutra of the Mantra of Light of the Baptism of Vairocana of the Unfailing Rope Snare (T. 1002).3 These works form part of what may be considered Pure Land Buddhism broadly defined, that is, although the chief deity of the texts is Mahāvairocana, birth in Amitābha’s Sukhāvatī is advocated.4 As has been suggested in another essay, this supports a view of medieval Indian Buddhism in which Pure Land and tantric forms were not clearly delineated as distinct sectar- ian entities.5 Although the work by Amoghavajra is recorded to have been brought from China to Japan by Kūkai, the mantra was not popularized in Japan until the late medieval period. Key to these efforts at popu- larization were such figures as Myōe Kōben (明慧高辯, 1173–1232)6 and Eizon (叡尊, also pronounced Eison, 1201–1290).7 It seems likely that efforts to popularize practice of the Clear Light Mantra were, like similar efforts related to visualization of the syllable A (ajikan, 阿字 観), intended to provide a simple practice comparable to, and perhaps 223 224 Pacific World competitive with, the nenbutsu (念仏). -
Hindu Value System
Being a Hindu in America Challenges and Solutions Hindu Value System Camp Vivekananda 2008 Inawendiwin NJ & Tolland MA 1 Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America The Ten Attributes of Hindu Dharma VHPA Camp 2 Hindu Value System Hindu Dharma Lakshanas (attributes) Lakshnas Public Visible Attributes Domain Kshama Damah Asteya Dhriti Forgiveness Self Control Identity: (Geeta) Fortitude Honesty Visible/gross: (tilak, janeyu, bindi, clothes, mala, choti.... Saucha Purity festivals, home Indriya-Nigraha environment) Akrodha Sense Control Invisible/subtle: Non-Anger Dhi Satya Intellect TRUTH Vidya Learning Personal Domain 3 Dhriti- Patience Man cannot live without activity The development of an individual, the maintenance of family, social service, etc. is dependent upon action. Ideal example of Dhriti is Shri Ram Root “Dhri” Finish what you start – unwavering commitment to the goal/cause; undaunted, focused, clarity; FORTITUDE Sustaining Power: ONLY Vishnu can sustain; Maintenance (house) requires resources to enhance, preserve and protect (Saraswati, Lakshmi and Shakti) Strength --- only the resourceful can sustain! 4 Kshama – Forgiveness A person who forgives others creates no enemies and adversaries. Sign of stable mind, peaceful heart, and awakened soul. An ideal example of forgiveness is Swami Dayanand. Only the strong can forgive “meaningfully” Only the one who is focused on the larger good, a larger goal, who is unmoved by small disturbances can forget and forgive Kshama implies strength, resourcefulness and commitment to a larger cause Only those who do not feel violated, who have plenty (abundance), have wisdom and vision can see the bigger picture (Vyas, Vishnu & Bhrigu ...) 5 Damah- Control over Mind and Desires It is not possible to overcome wickedness with thoughtless, vengeful approach A person with “damah” quality remains attuned to the noble urges of his self and protects it from ignoble thoughts and rogue desires. -
The Vitalistic Antecedents of the Ātman-Brahman Concept
The Vitalistic Antecedents of the Ātman-Brahman Concept Peter Connolly, Chichester Institute of Higher Education Indian Insights: Buddhism, Brahmanism and Bhakti (© Luzac Oriental, 1997) Papers from the Annual Spalding Symposium on Indian Religions (1989 – 1994) The Vitalistic Antecedents of the Atman-Brahman Concept peter Connofly, Chichester Institute of Higher Education The classical literature of the Vedanta dariana employs the terms sat, cit, and inanda to characterize the nature of ultimate reality (itman-Brahman), though such descriptions, as Deutsch points out, " ... are not so much qualifying attributes of Brahman as they are the terms that express the apprehension of Brahman by man."' The classical Ved~ntateachers such as ~arikaraand R~m~nujaare also insistent that the vitalistic principle (&@a) is merely a phenomenal rather than an ultimate reality.' At the same time, these teachers maintain that their views are nothing more than interpretations of the Ved~nticscriptures, primarily the Upani:adr. In what follows I shall seek to demonstrate that the views of both ~afikaraand Ramanuja are, in most cases, misinterpretations of the relevant Upani;adr by (a) showing that in many Upanisads, pr@a is regarded as an ultimate reality and (b) indicating how Upanisadic conceptions of itman and brahman frequently incorporated features that were originally employed to characterize pr@u. Pre- Upani$adic Concepts of PrZg The recognition of prina as an ultimate principle actually pre-dates the Upan+adr. In the Athama Veda (I 1.4)pnina is described as the ultimate source, ground and controller of all. This hymn, according to A. H. Ewing, pre- sents us with 'the highest meaning ofprina,' withprz~as the 'primeval cos- mic prin~iple.'~The passages where this primeval status is most clearly established are: Vs I Homage to prZna in whose control is this all, who hath been lord of all, Irl whom all stand firm. -
'Just Open Your Mouth and Say A': A-Syllable Practice for the Time of Death In
Pacific World Journal Third Series Number 8 Fall 2006 Special Issue: Honoring James H. Sanford Guest Editor: Charles D. Orzech Just Open Your Mouth and Say “A”: A-Syllable Practice for the Time of Death in Early Medieval Japan Jacqueline I. Stone Princeton University JAPANESE BUDDHISTS OF THE EARLY medieval period often sought to die in a ritualized fashion that would encourage right mindfulness in their last moments. One’s thoughts at the time of death were held to exert a particular force over one’s postmortem fate; persons who died with a mind calmly focused on the Buddha were believed thereby to escape the miserable cycle of samsara and achieve “birth in a pure land” (ōjō, 往生), where one’s eventual attainment of buddhahood would be assured. Such exemplary deaths are described in great numbers in ōjōden (“accounts of birth in the Pure Land,” 往生傳) and other Buddhist hagiographical literature of the latter Heian period (794–1185), while texts of instruction for deathbed practice (rinjū gyōgisho, 臨終行儀書) offer recommendations for how practice in one’s last days or hours should be conducted. The most sought-after postmortem destination was the Pure Land of Utmost Bliss (Skt. Sukhāvatī; Jpn. Gokuraku jōdō, 極楽浄土), the realm of the Buddha Amida (Skt. Amitābha, Amitāyus), said to lie billions of worlds away in the western quadrant of the cosmos. The scholar-monk Genshin (源信, 942–1017), whose treatise Ōjō yōshū (Essentials of Birth in the Pure Land) contains the first set of instructions for deathbed practice compiled in Japan, recommended contemplation at life’s end of Amida’s physical marks; his radiant light, embracing the devotee; and his welcoming descent (raigō, 来迎), together with his host of attendant bodhisattvas, to escort the dying person to his pure land. -
Hindu Ethics
Crawford: Hindu Bioethics page 11 CHAPTER 1 HINDU ETHICS Satyam eva jayate nanritam. Truth alone is victorious and not falsehood. THE CONCEPT OF DHARMA The Sanskrit word for ethics is dharma (“to hold”). It signifies that which upholds or embodies law, custom, and religion, and is analogous to the concept of ‘Natural Law’ in Christian ethics, though the idea of ‘law’ should not detract from its dynamic character. Dharma is activity, mobil- ity, and is possessed of catalytic qualities. By contrast, a-dharma is stasis, stoppage, and therefore unnatural. From the beginning of Indian civilization, the Indian mind has chiefly been preoccupied with the notion of dharma. K. N. Upadhyaya notes that “the persistence and intensity with which the inquiry into dharma has been pursued is mainly on account of the firm conviction of the Indian people that dharma constitutes the differentia of man,” just as in Western philosophy, following Aristotle, rationality has been upheld as the mark that distinguishes humans from all other creatures.1 Notwithstanding this historic preoccupation with dharma, the Hindu scriptures do not have systematic discussions of moral doctrines, fash- ioned in the manner of Aristotelian or Thomistic models. At the same time Hindu scriptures are rich repositories of certain theoretical state- ments that define the shape of reality and the nature of things, along with prescriptive and practical sayings, aimed at the cultivation of moral be- havior. The terminology in which these ideas and ideals are expressed is richly suggestive, making it possible to reconstruct these fertile fragments into models of systematic ethics. Crawford: Hindu Bioethics page 12 12 Foundations The common scriptural ground on which the whole system of Hindu ethics is founded is the postulation of a summum bonum and the proper means to achieve it. -
Creating Heresy: (Mis)Representation, Fabrication, and the Tachikawa-Ryū
Creating Heresy: (Mis)representation, Fabrication, and the Tachikawa-ryū Takuya Hino Submitted in partial fulfillment of the Requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY 2012 © 2012 Takuya Hino All rights reserved ABSTRACT Creating Heresy: (Mis)representation, Fabrication, and the Tachikawa-ryū Takuya Hino In this dissertation I provide a detailed analysis of the role played by the Tachikawa-ryū in the development of Japanese esoteric Buddhist doctrine during the medieval period (900-1200). In doing so, I seek to challenge currently held, inaccurate views of the role played by this tradition in the history of Japanese esoteric Buddhism and Japanese religion more generally. The Tachikawa-ryū, which has yet to receive sustained attention in English-language scholarship, began in the twelfth century and later came to be denounced as heretical by mainstream Buddhist institutions. The project will be divided into four sections: three of these will each focus on a different chronological stage in the development of the Tachikawa-ryū, while the introduction will address the portrayal of this tradition in twentieth-century scholarship. TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Abbreviations……………………………………………………………………………...ii Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………………………iii Dedication……………………………………………………………………………….………..vi Preface…………………………………………………………………………………………...vii Introduction………………………………………………………………………….…………….1 Chapter 1: Genealogy of a Divination Transmission……………………………………….……40 Chapter -
Only Shinran Will Not Betray Us
Only Shinran Will Not Betray Us: Takeuchi Ryō’on (1891-1967), the Ōtani-ha Administration, and Burakumin Jessica L. Main Faculty of Religious Studies McGill University, Montreal April 2012 A thesis submitted to McGill University in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy © Jessica L. Main, 2012 Table of contents Table of contents i Abstract iii Résumé v Acknowledgements vii A note on usage and conventions x Introduction: Buddhist ethics and buraku discrimination 1 Shin Buddhism and burakumin 2 The story of a burakumin, “Satoru Kawada” 5 Institutional ethics and conflict within the Ōtani-ha sect 15 Buddhist ethics and socially engaged Buddhism 26 Dissertation outline: reading Shin Buddhist ethics in modern history 40 PART I Causing discrimination: Shin Buddhism’s historical responsibility 47 1 Theories of buraku discrimination and the role of Buddhism 47 The study of burakumin in English language scholarship 49 Buddhism as source of discriminatory beliefs: 67 Shin Buddhist preachers deploying discriminatory beliefs 70 2 Shin Buddhism, devotion, and separating the pure from the polluted 81 Shin Buddhism in a nutshell 84 Purity, pollution, and devotion 99 Historical discrimination in Shin Buddhism 107 PART II Curing discrimination: Shin Buddhism’s revolutionary potential 125 3 Buddhism and human rights: egalitarian doctrine and charitable work 125 Shimaji Mokurai’s “The Theory of Human Rights” 126 Contemporary arguments for Buddhism and human rights 135 Ahistorical arguments about “Buddhism” and “human -
Streams of Tradition: Buddhism, East to West
Streams of Tradition: Buddhism, East to West Acknowledgements I wish to express my deepest appreciation to the Numata Center for Research and Translation and to its manager Rev. Brian Nagata for his patience and kindness in allowing me the time to complete this project. Also I wish to express my thanks to Dr. David Komito, Director of Faculty Relations, Professor, Division of Distance Education, Eastern Oregon University. Dr. Komito gave me invaluable assistance reviewing the chapter on Tibet. For editorial assistance I express my deepest gratitude to Mrs. Kimi Hisatsune and to Ven. Tao-che-Kenya-Lee Province. Their editing and advice has also been extremely invaluable. All errors and omissions are entirely the responsibility of the author. 1 Contents Acknowledgements Introduction Chapter One Life and Times of Gautama Siddhartha Chapter Two The Teaching of the Buddha: Two Streams of Tradition A. The Theravada Tradition: The Way of the Elders B. The Mahayana Tradition: The Greater Vehicle, Universality and Adaptation Chapter Three Chinese Buddhist Tradition: Harmony with Reality Chapter Four Korean Buddhism: The Way of Synthesis Chapter Five The Flowering of Buddhism in Japan Chapter Six Vajrayana: Esoteric Buddhism of Tibet Chapter Seven Buddhism Flows East to West Conclusion Appendix Selected Passages 2 Buddhism in History Festivals and Observances Glossary Bibliography Endnotes Index 3 Introduction It is the purpose of this text to provide the reader with an orientation to central features of the various streams of Buddhist tradition and to clarify the distinctive teachings that unite the entire tradition as Buddhist. There has been change and continuity throughout its history, as well as diversity in unity among the traditions. -
Buddhism Vs Hinduism
Buddhism vs hinduism Continue Hinduism and Buddhism redirects here. For this book, see Religion in India: Sociology of Hinduism and Buddhism. Buddhist History Timeline Gautama French Sect Silk Road Transmission Part of the series of Buddhist decline of the Indian Subcontinental After Buddhist Buddhist Modernism Dharma Concept 4 Noble Truth Noble Eight Fold Pas dharma Wheel 5 Aggregate Suffering Unfulmenned Non-Self-Supporting Origin Middle way Emptive Moral Karma Regeneration Saṃsāra Cosmology Buddhist TextsBuddavakana Early Buddhist Texts Tripiṭaka Daiwana Canon Tibetan Canon Canon Canon Missing Three Gems To The Way of Buddhism Three Gems Buddhist Way 5 Commandments Meditation Philosophical Reasoning Devotion Practices Mindful Merit The pilgrimage of the worship of the monastery which forbids the aid to the Enlightenment monastery Nirvāṇa Awakening four stages Acht Pratier Buddha Body Shutva Buddha Buddha Tradition Serada Paris Majayana Hinayana Chinese Chinese Vajayana Tibet Navarana Country Bhutan Cambodia China Korea Laos Mongolian Sri Lanka Taiwan Thailand Tibet Vietnam Overview Religious Portal vte Hindu History History Indian History Veda Religion Śramaṇa Tribal Religious Major Traditional Vaish navism Saktism Smartism Saminarianism Trimurtis Trimurti Brahma Vishnu Shiva Other Major Devas / Devis Vedic Indra Agni Prajapati Rudra Debi Saraswati Usuna Vayu Post-Vedic Durga Ghanesha Hanuman Kali Kartikeya Krishna Lakshmi Parvati Radha Rama Shakti Sita Saminarayan Concepts Worldview Hindu Cosmology Puranic Chronology Hindu mythology -
Om Mani Padme Hum - Wikipedia
Om mani padme hum - Wikipedia Not logged in Talk Contributions Create account Log in Article Talk Read Edit View history Om mani padme hum From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Main page O ma i padme h [1] Contents ṃ ṇ ūṃ (Sanskrit : Om mani padme hum Featured content , IPA: [õːː məɳipəd̪meː ɦũː]) is the six-syllabled Current events Sanskrit mantra particularly associated with the four- Random article armed Shadakshari form of Avalokiteshvara (Tibetan : སན་ Donate to Wikipedia Chenrezig, Chinese : 觀 Guanyin, Japanese : Wikipedia store རས་གཟིགས་ 音 かんのん 観音 Kannon or Kanzeon, Mongolian : Мэгжид Interaction The mantra in Tibetan Жанрайсиг Migjid Janraisig), the bodhisattva of with the six syllables colored Help compassion. About Wikipedia Chinese name Community portal The first word Om is a sacred syllable found in Indian Chinese 唵嘛呢叭咪吽 Recent changes religions. The word Mani means "jewel" or "bead", Padme Transcriptions Contact page is the "lotus flower " (the Buddhist sacred flower), and Hum Standard Mandarin [2][3] Tools represents the spirit of enlightenment . Hanyu Pinyin Ǎn mání bāmī hōng What links here It is commonly carved onto rocks, known as mani stones , or Karandavyuha Sutra name Related changes else it is written on paper which is inserted into prayer Chinese 唵麼抳缽訥銘吽 Upload file wheels. When an individual spins the wheel, it is said that Transcriptions Special pages the effect is the same as reciting the mantra as many times Standard Mandarin Permanent link as it is duplicated within the wheel. Hanyu Pinyin Ǎn mání bōnàmíng hōng -
PACIFIC WORLD Journal of the Institute of Buddhist Studies
PACIFIC WORLD Journal of the Institute of Buddhist Studies Third Series Number 12 Fall 2010 Special Issue: Buddhisms in Japan FRONT COVER PACIFIC WORLD: Journal of the Institute of Buddhist Studies Third Series, Number 12 Fall 2010 SPINE PACIFIC WORLD Journal of the Institute of Buddhist Studies HALF-TITLE PAGE i Presentation of Doctorate Honoris Causa to Rev. Toshihide Numata at Mitutoyo Sosensai service, Aurora, Illinois, 14 July 2011. Left to right: Rev. Toshihide Numata, President of Mitutoyo Corporation, and of Buk- kyo Dendo Kyokai, Rev. Koshin Ogui, Socho of the Buddhist Churches of America and President of the Institute of Buddhist Studies, and Dr. Richard K. Payne, Dean of the Institute of Buddhist Studes and Yehan Numata Professor of Japanese Buddhist Studies. REVERSE HALF TITLE ii PACIFIC WORLD Journal of the Institute of Buddhist Studies Third Series Number 12 Fall 2010 SPECIAL ISSUE: BUDDHISMS IN JAPAN TITLE iii Pacific World is an annual journal in English devoted to the dissemination of his- torical, textual, critical, and interpretive articles on Buddhism generally and Shinshu Buddhism particularly to both academic and lay readerships. The journal is distributed free of charge. Articles for consideration by the Pacific World are welcomed and are to be submitted in English and addressed to the Editor, Pacific World, 2140 Durant Ave., Berkeley, CA 94704-1589, USA. Acknowledgment: This annual publication is made possible by the donation of BDK America of Berkeley, California. Guidelines for Authors: Manuscripts (approximately twenty standard pages) should be typed double-spaced with 1-inch margins. Notes are to be endnotes with full biblio- graphic information in the note first mentioning a work, i.e., no separate bibliography.