Satipatthana
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Vol. 15, 1 Buddhist Studies Review 1998 CONTENTS Frontispiece Buddhist Studies Review and the UK Association for Buddhist Studies.. .. ~ ..... 1 The Trials of Yasodhara and the Birth of Rahula: A Synopsis of Bhadrakalpavadana II-IX — Joel Tatelman .. 3 A Critical Examination of Nanavira's 'A Note on Paticcasamuppada' (I) — Bhikkhu Bodhi .. 43 -ft i 4- — tr. * $ Ekottaragama (XXIII) Thich Huyen-Vi and % Bhikkhu Pasadika 65 Obituaries; Jean Boisselier, Albert Le Bonheur, Walter Couvreur, Wtadysiaw Misiewicz, Bhikkhu Nanajlvako 71 Letter to the Editor 79 Review Article: Abhidhamma Studies at the British Buddhist Association and A Comprehensive Manual of Abhidhamma — A. Haviland-Nye .. 81 Book Reviews 100 ISSN 0265-2897 © 1998 Buddhist Studies Review Buddhist Studies Review is the semi-annual journal of the U K Association for Buddhist Studies and is sponsored by the Inst i tut de recherche bouddhique Linh-Sdn Advisory Committee: Ven. Thich Huyen-Vi (Spiritual Adviser) Eric Cheetham J.W. de Jong Hubert Dun K.R. Norman G.C. Pande Charles Prebish Peter Skilling Paul Williams Editor. Russell Webb Assistant Editors: Bhikkhu Pasadika, Sara Boin-Webb N. American Representative: Charles S, Prebish For editorial addresses and subscription details,' see inside back cover. Vol.15, 1 BUDDHIST STUDIES REVIEW 1998 Frontispiece: the calligraphy in Sino-Vietnamese characters (Norn) by Ven Thich Huyen-Vi reads: Buddhist Studies Review and the UK Association for Buddhist Studies As of 1998, Buddhist Studies Review has been endorsed as the Mental phenomena are preceded by mind, have journal of the UK Association for Buddhist Studies. All paid up mind as their leader, are made by mind. -
The Paṭṭhāna (Conditional Relations) and Buddhist Meditation: Application of the Teachings in the Paṭṭhāna in Insight (Vipassanā) Meditation Practice
The Paṭṭhāna (Conditional Relations) and Buddhist Meditation: Application of the Teachings in the Paṭṭhāna in Insight (Vipassanā) Meditation Practice Kyaw, Pyi. Phyo SOAS, London This paper will explore relevance and roles of Abhidhamma, Theravāda philosophy, in meditation practices with reference to some modern Burmese meditation traditions. In particular, I shall focus on the highly mathematical Paṭṭhāna, Pahtan in Burmese, the seventh text of the Abhidhamma Piṭaka, which deals with the functioning of causality and is regarded by Burmese as the most important of the Abhidhamma traditions. I shall explore how and to what extent the teachings in the Paṭṭhāna are applied in insight (vipassanā) meditation practices, assessing the roles of theoretical knowledge of ultimate realities (paramattha-dhammā)1 in meditation. In so doing, I shall attempt to bridge the gap between theoretical and practical aspects of Buddhist meditation. While scholars writing on Theravāda meditation - Cousins,2 King3 and Griffiths4 for example - have focused on distinction between insight meditation (vipassanā) and calm meditation (samatha), this paper will be the first to classify approaches within vipassanā meditation. Vipassanā meditation practices in contemporary Myanmar can be classified into two broad categories, namely, the theoretical based practice and the non- theoretical based practice. Some Burmese meditation masters, Mohnyin Sayadaw Ven. U Sumana (1873-1964)5 and Saddhammaransī Sayadaw Ven. Ashin Kuṇḍalābhivaṃsa (1921- ) and Pa-Auk Sayadaw Ven. Āciṇṇa (1934- ) for example, teach meditators to have theoretical knowledge of ultimate realities. While these meditation masters emphasize theoretical knowledge of the ultimate realities, other meditation masters such as the Sunlun Sayadaw Ven. U Kavi (1878-1952) and the Theinngu Sayadaw Ven. -
The Buddhist World of Southeast Asia
PART 1 THE POPULAR TRADITION ll too often a textbook picture of Theravada Buddhism bears little Aresemblance to the actual practice of Buddhism in Southeast Asia. The lived traditions of Myanmar,1 Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Sri Lanka seem to distort and sometimes subvert the cardinal teachings of nibbana, the Four Noble Truths, or the Noble Eightfold Path familiar to the Western student of Buddhism.2 The observer enters a Theravada Buddhist culture to discover that ordination into the monastic order (sangha) may be motivated more by cultural convention or a young man’s sense of social obligation to his parents rather than the pursuit of transforming wisdom; that the peace and quiet sought by a meditating monk may be overwhelmed by the amplified rock music of a temple festival; that somewhat unkempt village temples outnum- ber tidy, well-organized monasteries; and that the Buddha, austerely imaged in the posture of meditation (hVbVY]^) or dispelling Mara’s powerful army (bVgVk^_VnV) is venerated more in the hope of gaining privilege and prestige, material gain, and protection on journeys than in the hope of nibbana. The apparent contradiction between the highest ideals and goals of Theravada Buddhism and the actual lived tradition in Southeast Asia has long perplexed Western scholars. In his study of Indian religions, Max Weber made a sharp distinction between what he characterized as the “otherworldly mystical” aim of early Indian Buddhism and the world-affirming, practical goals of popular, institutional Buddhism that flourished in -
Buddhist Modernism and the Rhetoric of Meditative Experience*
BUDDHIST MODERNISM AND THE RHETORIC OF MEDITATIVE EXPERIENCE* ROBERT H. SHARF What we can 't say we can't say and we can't whistle either. Frank Ramsey Summary The category "experience" has played a cardinal role in modern studies of Bud- dhism. Few scholars seem to question the notion that Buddhist monastic practice, particularly meditation, is intended first and foremost to inculcate specific religious or "mystical" experiences in the minds of practitioners. Accordingly, a wide variety of Buddhist technical terms pertaining to the "stages on the path" are subject to a phenomenological hermeneutic-they are interpreted as if they designated discrete "states of consciousness" experienced by historical individuals in the course of their meditative practice. This paper argues that the role of experience in the history of Buddhism has been greatly exaggerated in contemporary scholarship. Both historical and ethnographic evidence suggests that the privileging of experience may well be traced to certain twentieth-century Asian reform movements, notably those that urge a "return" to zazen or vipassana meditation, and these reforms were pro- foundly influenced by religious developments in the West. Even in the case of those contemporary Buddhist schools that do unambiguously exalt meditative experience, ethnographic data belies the notion that the rhetoric of meditative states functions ostensively. While some adepts may indeed experience "altered states" in the course of their training, critical analysis shows that such states do not constitute the reference points for the elaborate Buddhist discourse pertaining to the "path." Rather, such discourse turns out to function ideologically and performatively-wielded more often than not in the interests of legitimation and institutional authority. -
King's Research Portal
King’s Research Portal DOI: 10.1080/14639947.2018.1536852 Document Version Peer reviewed version Link to publication record in King's Research Portal Citation for published version (APA): Kyaw, P. P. (2019). The Sound of the Breath: Sunlun and Theinngu Meditation Traditions of Myanmar. Contemporary Buddhism: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 20(1-2), 247-291. https://doi.org/10.1080/14639947.2018.1536852 Citing this paper Please note that where the full-text provided on King's Research Portal is the Author Accepted Manuscript or Post-Print version this may differ from the final Published version. If citing, it is advised that you check and use the publisher's definitive version for pagination, volume/issue, and date of publication details. And where the final published version is provided on the Research Portal, if citing you are again advised to check the publisher's website for any subsequent corrections. General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the Research Portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognize and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. •Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the Research Portal for the purpose of private study or research. •You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain •You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the Research Portal Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact [email protected] providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. -
Sunlun Gu Kyaung Sayadaw
The Life Story of the Sunlun Gu Kyaung Sayadaw This detailed Biography of the Venerable Sunlun Sayadaw U Kawi (*Kavi) was written by the Venerable U Soban™a (pronounced U Thaw-bana in Myanmar), the Vice-presiding Sayadaw (Taik-Oke) of Sunlun Gu Kyaung Monastery, as told by the Venerable Sayadaw U Kawi himself. The man who would be Sunlun Sayadaw U Kawi had, in his many past lives, fervently aspired to be liberated from Samsa‚ra (the innumerable rounds of rebirth), which is like a huge oceanic whirlpool where mind and matter are in continual succession of arising and perishing. He had, in numerous previous lives, done lots of good deeds to achieve that goal. At the time of Kassapa Buddha, the third Buddha of this earth (Badda kappa, the present world, is blessed by five Buddhas), he happened to be a parrot. One day, the parrot (while flying in search of food) saw the Buddha. Though he was an animal, by virtue of his Pa‚ramiƒ with inherent intelligence and wisdom, he knew that this resplendent human before him was a unique noble personage. Wanting to pay homage to the Kassapa Buddha, he flew down to the ground. With his two wings touching on top of his head in reverence, the parrot walked humbly towards the Exalted Buddha, bow down and offered fruits. With great compassion Kassapa Buddha accepted the offering, blessing the parrot with these words, “For this generous charitable deed, whatever your aspiration be, it shall be fulfilled as you so desired.” After saying so, the Buddha walked away. -
SATIPAṬṬHĀNA Il Cammino Diretto
SATIPAṬṬHĀNA Bhikkhu Anālayo SATIPAṬṬHĀNA il cammino diretto Pubblicato per distribuzione gratuita da Santacittarama Edizioni Monastero Buddhista Santacittarama Località Brulla 02030 Poggio Nativo (Rieti) Edizione italiana a cura di Bhikkhunī Dhammadinnā Traduzione di Letizia Baglioni © Bhikkhu Anālayo 2018 Edizione originale in lingua inglese: Satipaṭṭhāna, the direct path to realization, Birmingham, Windhorse Publications, 2003 (ristampa con variazioni minori 2007) Immagine di copertina: Theodor Franz Steffens Copertina: didodolmen Impaginazione: Bhikkhunī Dhammadinnā Stampa: Mediagraf, Noventa Padovana (Padova) ISBN: 9788885706071 Come atto di dhammadāna e in osservanza della regola monastica buddhista, Bhikkhu Anālayo declina l’accettazione di qualsiasi compenso derivante dai diritti d’autore della presente opera INDICE Elenco delle illustrazioni ix Introduzione 1 Traduzione del Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta 3 Capitolo I Aspetti generali del cammino diretto 15 I.1Lo schema del Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta 15 I.2 Panoramica dei quattro satipaṭṭhāna 20 I.3 L’importanza dei singoli satipaṭṭhāna per la realizzazione 23 I.4 Caratteristiche individuali dei satipaṭṭhāna 25 I.5 L’espressione “cammino diretto” 29 I.6 Il termine “satipaṭṭhāna” 31 Capitolo II Il paragrafo di “definizione” del Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta 35 II.1 Contemplare 36 II.2 Cosa significa “essere diligente” (ātāpī) 38 II.3 “Chiaramente cosciente” (sampajāna) 44 II.4 Presenza mentale e chiara coscienza 47 Capitolo III Sati 51 III.1 L’approccio alla conoscenza nel buddhismo antico 51 III.2 Sati 53 III.3 -
THE LIFE and TIMES of ÑANAVIRA THERA by Craig S
THE LIFE AND TIMES OF ÑANAVIRA THERA By Craig S. Shoemake Who Was the Venerable Ñanavira Thera? He was born Harold Edward Musson on January 5, 1920 in the Aldershot military barracks near Alton, a small, sleepy English town in the Hampshire downs an hour from London. His father, Edward Lionel Musson, held the rank of Captain of the First Manchester Regiment stationed at Aldershot’s Salamanca Barracks. A career officer, Edward Musson later attained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and probably expected his son and only child to follow in his footsteps. His wife, nee Laura Emily Mateer, was Harold’s devoted mother. The family was quite wealthy, with extensive coalmine holdings in Wales. Much of Harold’s youth was spent at a mansion on the outskirt of Alton, within sight of a Benedictine abbey. Townspeople describe the boy as solitary and reflective; one remembered Harold saying that he enjoyed walking alone in the London fogs. The same neighbor recalled Harold’s distaste for a tiger skin displayed in the foyer of the family’s residence, a trophy from one of his father’s hunts in India or Burma. Between 1927 and 1929 the family was stationed in Burma, in Rangoon, Port Blair, and Maymo, and this experience afforded young Harold his first glimpse of representatives of the way of life he would later adopt: Buddhist monks. In a conversation with interviewer Robin Maugham (the nephew of novelist Somerset Maugham), Harold (by then the Venerable Ñanavira) indicated that what he saw in Burma as a child deeply affected him: “I suppose that my first recollection of Buddhism was when I joined my father in Burma. -
Strong Roots Liberation Teachings of Mindfulness in North America
Strong Roots Liberation Teachings of Mindfulness in North America JAKE H. DAVIS DHAMMA DANA Publications at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies Barre, Massachusetts © 2004 by Jake H. Davis This book may be copied or reprinted in whole or in part for free distribution without permission from the publisher. Otherwise, all rights reserved. Sabbadānaṃ dhammadānaṃ jināti : The gift of Dhamma surpasses all gifts.1 Come and See! 1 Dhp.354, my trans. Table of Contents TO MY SOURCES............................................................................................................. II FOREWORD........................................................................................................................... V INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................... 1 Part One DEEP TRANSMISSION, AND OF WHAT?................................................................ 15 Defining the Topic_____________________________________17 the process of transmission across human contexts Traditions Dependently Co-Arising 22 Teaching in Context 26 Common Humanity 31 Interpreting History_____________________________________37 since the Buddha Passing Baskets Along 41 A ‘Cumulative Tradition’ 48 A ‘Skillful Approach’ 62 Trans-lation__________________________________________69 the process of interpretation and its authentic completion Imbalance 73 Reciprocity 80 To the Source 96 Part Two FROM BURMA TO BARRE........................................................................................ -
Mahayana Buddhism and Deweyan Philosophy
Beijing beijing international review of education International Review of 1 (2019) 609-625 Education brill.com/bire Mahayana Buddhism and Deweyan Philosophy Jim GARRISON Virginia Tech, USA [email protected] Abstract My paper examines some of the many similarities between Mahayana Buddhism and Deweyan philosophy. It builds upon two previously published works. The first is my dialogue with Daisaku Ikeda President of Soka Gakkai International, a UN registered ngo currently active in one hundred ninety-two countries and territories, and the Di- rector Emeritus of the Center for Dewey Studies, Larry Hickman (see Garrison, Hick- man, and Ikdea, 2014). My paper will first briefly review some of the many similarities between Buddhism and Deweyan pragmatism. Second, I will also briefly review addi- tional similarities in the published version of my Kneller Lecture to the American Edu- cational Studies Association (see Garrison, 2019). In the present paper, I will introduce some new similarities of interest to educators. Among these are Dewey’s surprisingly Buddhist notions of language and logic as merely useful conventions. Secondly, I ex- amine Dewey’s argument that “causation as ordered sequence is a logical category,” not an ontological category (LW 12: 454). The similarity to the opening chapter of Nagar- juna’s Madhyamaka, or Middle Way, is striking. I will suggest a logical reading has some interesting implications for student-teacher relations. Keywords Buddhism – causation – Dewey – Ikeda – Nagarjuna – metaphysics I think it shows a deplorable deadness of imagination to suppose that philosophy will indefinitely revolve within the scope of the problems and systems that two thousand years of European history have bequeathed to us. -
The Development of Insight – a Study of the U Ba Khin Vipassanā Meditation Tradition As Taught by S.N
福嚴佛學研究 第六期 頁 151-174 (民國 100 年),新竹:福嚴佛學院 Fuyan Buddhist Studies, No. 6, pp. 151-174 (2011) Hsinchu: Fuyan Buddhist Institute ISSN: 2070-0512 The Development of Insight – A Study of the U Ba Khin Vipassanā Meditation Tradition as Taught by S.N. Goenka in Comparison with Insight Teachings in the Early Discourses Bhikkhu Anālayo I. Introduction With the present paper I investigate how key aspects of insight delineated in the early discourses have been approached in modern day Theravāda meditation practice. In order to illustrate one of the ways in which such practice has been un- dertaken, I take as an example what at present appears to be the most widely prac- ticed Theravāda vipassanā method. This is the vipassanā tradition of the Burmese lay meditation teacher U Ba Khin (1899–1971), in the form as it is taught by his Indian disciple S.N. Goenka (1924). My study proceeds through the following topics: II.1 "Tranquillity and insight" examines the relationship between samatha and vipassanā . II.2 " Vipassanā meditation as taught by S.N. Goenka" provides a brief sur- vey of this particular form of insight practice. III.1 "The significance of dependent arising" summarizes different interpre- tations of the doctrine of pa icca samuppāda. III. 2 " Sakhāra s in the context of dependent arising" explores the recurrent reference made by S.N. Goenka to "eradicating past sakhāra s". IV.1 "The interrelation of the four satipa hāna s" investigates how these four aspects of mindfulness practice relate to each other. IV.2 "Contemplation of vedanā and the four satipa hāna s" illustrates that contemplation of feeling can be used to develop all four satipa hāna s. -
Mahāyāna’ (The Great Vehicle) and Its Relationship to the Āgamas*
THE ORIGIN OF THE TERM ‘MAHĀYĀNA’ (THE GREAT VEHICLE) AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO THE ĀGAMAS* JOSEPH WALSER Though a considerable amount of work has been done on early Mahāyāna, one of the questions that has received relatively less at- tention in Western language sources is why Mahāyānists chose the word mahāyāna1 to begin with. While there is a growing consensus that the term “Mahāyāna” did not refer to a single set of doctrines, practices or propositions, the fact remains that at a certain point in history a set of authors gravitated toward the term “Mahāyāna” (trailing a penumbra of affi liated terms such as śreṣṭhayāna, bodhi- sat tvayāna, tathāgatayāna, agrayāna, ekayāna, etc.) as a kind of brand name for their project. Presumably there was a reason for the choice – or at least some reason why this moniker stuck and oth- ers did not. What did the term mean to those who fi rst used it? We have become so accustomed to hearing about the “Great Vehicle,” that few have stopped to consider that there may be something odd about identifying a religion with what is essentially a carriage. In this paper I argue that early Mahāyānists may well have adopted the term from a non-technical usage found in passages from the Jāṇus- soṇisūtra of the Saṃyuktāgama and the Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra of the Dīrghāgama. In these contexts, we fi nd the term enmeshed in a * An earlier draft of this paper was presented at the IABS Conference in Atlanta, GA. in June of 2008. I would like to thank the numerous schol- ars who gave me extensive feedback on various drafts, especially Jim Egge, Richard Gombrich, Ronald Davidson, Daniel Boucher, Sing-chen Lydia Chiang, Jan Nattier and Birgit Kellner.