DOCSLIB.ORG

Anthologizing Buddhists: a Study of Avadāna Narratives and The

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Anthologizing Buddhists: a Study of Avadāna Narratives and The ANTHOLOGIZING BUDDHISTS: A STUDY OF AVADĀNA NARRATIVES AND THE COMMUNITIES THAT READ THEM IN EARLY MEDIEVAL CHINA A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Cornell University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Tyson Joseph Yost August 2013 © 2013 Tyson Joseph Yost ANTHOLOGIZING BUDDHISTS: A STUDY OF AVADĀNA NARRATIVES AND THE COMMUNITIES THAT READ THEM IN EARLY MEDIEVAL CHINA Tyson Joseph Yost, Ph.D. Cornell University 2013 This dissertation is a study of avadāna narratives found in two related anthologies, the Za piyu jing 雜譬喻經 and the Zhong jing xuan za piyu 眾經撰雜譬喻. It has two related goals: to investigate what the Chinese translations can tell us about the functions of avadāna literature in Buddhist practice; and to see what avadāna literature can tell us about the Buddhists who translated and compiled them. My central argument is that the translation and compilation of avadāna narratives into anthologies offers clues about the context in which such anthologies were created. This in turn highlights the different concerns of various Buddhist communities and reflects alternate idioms of Buddhism in early medieval China. I begin by investigating an avadāna narrative through the lens of Indian aesthetics of humor to illustrate the rhetorical function of the story. This approach shows that these narratives are carefully constructed literary productions that offer a window into both the world of the Indic society in which they were initially composed and the Chinese society which translated them. I then look at developments in literary theory to establish a framework that allows us to shift our focus from what is being read to who is doing the reading. I explore notions of the implied reader and the interpretive community as a means of understanding the kind of audience that is assumed in these narratives and the types of concerns the stories are seeking to address. Finally, I investigate the textual form in which the vast majority of avadāna narratives are found: the anthology. Since anthologies are the conscious collecting, ordering and editing of pre-existing narratives, I argue that they illuminate the social context and ideological orientation of the communities that compiled them. By analyzing the structure and themes of these two anthologies we find reflections of two different Buddhist communities: one monastic centered, the other lay oriented. Such an approach provides a means to flesh out and nuance our understanding of Buddhist communities in early medieval China. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH Tyson Yost was born in Salt Lake City, Utah and raised in Rigby, Idaho. He received his Associate’s degree from Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho in International Studies in 1999. In 2004 he received a dual Bachelor’s degree in Comparative Literature and Asian Studies from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. Tyson went on to study at the University of Chicago Divinity School and received his M.A. in Religious Studies in 2006. He was then accepted into Cornell University’s doctoral program in Asian Literature, Religion and Culture and received his Doctorate of Philosophy in 2013. He is currently a professor in the History department at Brigham Young University-Idaho in Rexburg, Idaho. Tyson married Lindsie Nichol in 2003 and together they are the parents of four wonderful daughters. iii For Lindsie and the girls iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This dissertation could not be completed without the support and encouragement of a number of people. While those who have aided in the process are too numerous to name, it is my privilege to acknowledge and thank those who have had a particularly important influence in the development of this study. Several professors during my undergraduate studies deserve special recognition for setting me on the path into the rarified world of Asian religion and literature. Scott Galer was the first to introduce me to the beauty of the Chinese language and literature; his support and friendship has continued for more than fifteen years now. David Honey served as a valued advisor and teacher of literary Chinese and was influential in my decision to pursue graduate studies in the field. Larry Peer taught me to both appreciate and critically investigate the influence of literature in society; it is from him that I began to first develop my interest in the relationship between literature and religion. During my time completing a Master’s degree at the University of Chicago both Guy Leavitt and Yigal Bronner were instrumental in teaching me the intricacies of Sanskrit grammar and sparking my interest in understanding the Indian world through its literature. My time at Cornell University has been eventful and fulfilling. The students, faculty and staff in the Asian Studies Department and the Kroch Library have been extremely understanding through the highs and lows that come with doctoral studies. Of particular mention are those who have served on my dissertation committee; if there is anything of value in this dissertation it is due to their diligence and advice. I would particularly like to thank Lawrence McCrea for his patience and his willingness to always take the time to read through various Sanskrit narratives despite a hectic schedule. I have greatly enjoyed our discussions on Indian poetics and literature. I owe a debt of gratitude to Jane Marie Law who has always been a constant support and voice of v reason and praise. I would like to thank her for taking the time to walk me through the myriad works of religious theory and hermeneutics; Gadamer and Eliade became infinitely more accessible after our discussions. Daniel Boucher has been the single most influential figure in my academic development. I could not have found a better advisor to meet my needs as a graduate student. He provided the perfect combination of generosity and academic rigor that spurred me to think more critically while always providing the support I needed to continue my studies. I count it a great privilege to call him both my mentor and my friend. I would like to thank my parents, Fred and Brenda Yost, for always supporting me in the pursuit of my goals, even when you might not have understood why I was pursuing them. I owe you more than I could ever say, but I hope that this can serve as a small token of my appreciation for all that you have done for me throughout my life. To my parents-in-law, Gordon and Wendy Nichol, for allowing me to marry your daughter and drag her across the country to live on a graduate student stipend with limited access to your grandchildren. I have always appreciated your support and kindness in welcoming me into your family. And finally, to the most important people in my life: my wife, Lindsie, and beautiful daughters, Elaiza, Elainor, Adelaide, and Annelaise. This dissertation is as much your accomplishment as it is mine. I could not have completed this without you. You make life worth living and give meaning to everything I do. Lindsie, thank you for all you have sacrificed and endured as I sat in a quiet, air conditioned library reading all day while you toiled away at home alone with four very rambunctious children. Your love means the world to me. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH ......................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .............................................................................................................. v LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ...................................................................................................... viii INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 1: DECEPTIVE APPEARANCES: BUDDHIST AVADĀNAS IN A SOCIAL CONTEXT .................................................................................................................................... 17 CHAPTER 2: UNCOVERING THE INTERPRETIVE COMMUNITY ..................................... 52 CHAPTER 3: THE ANTHOLOGY AND AVADĀNA LITERATURE ....................................... 85 CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................... 149 APPENDIX ................................................................................................................................. 153 BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................................................................................................... 172 vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS Avś Avadānaśataka (Speyer 1906-09) CSZJJ Chu san zang ji ji 出三藏記集 (T 2145) Divy Divyāvadāna. (Cowell and Neil 1886) LDJJ Liu du ji jing 六度集經 (T 152) SWF Xian yu jing 賢愚經 or Sutra of the Wise and the Fool (T 202) T Taishō shinshū daizōkyō (Takakusu and Watanabe 1924-1935); texts are referred to by serial number followed by volume, page, register, and line numbers. ZJXZPY Zhong jing xuan za piyu 眾經撰雜譬喻 (T 208) ZPYJ Za piyu jing 雜譬喻經 (T 207) viii INTRODUCTION Growing up I was an avid reader and was rarely without a book in hand. I consumed any story available, from the Fairytales of the Brothers Grimm to the old westerns of Lois L’Amour and the fantasy of J.R.R. Tolkien. But the stories I remember the most, the stories that influenced me more than any other, were the religious tales that infused every aspect of my upbringing. Being raised in a devout Mormon household, I was regaled with the tales from the Bible and Book of Mormon on a
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Saddharmapurdarikaas the Prediction
    The JapaneseAssociationJapanese Association of Indian and Buddhist Studies Journal oflndian and Buddhist Studies Vol. 64, No. 3, March 2016 (113) The Saddharmapurdarika as the Prediction ofAll the Sentient Beings' Attaining Buddhahood: With Special Focus on the Sadaparibhata-parivarta SuzuKi Takayasu 1. The Aim ofThis Paper While the Saddharmapu4darika (Lotus SUtra, SP) repeatedly teaches that any person who speaks against the SP or against those who keep, read, preach, or explain the SP must experience severe retribution, it also teaches that those who keep, read, preach, or explain the SP shall attain a perfection of the six sense organs, i.e., eye, ear, nose, tongue, bodM and mind. These understandings have been considered the basis of the i] fo11owing teaching in Chapter lg ofthe SP (Sada'paribhUta-parivarta, SP 19): ' There once existed a Bodhisattva named SadaparibhUta. He did not read or preach any Buddhist scripture at all, but only continued to give prediction of attaining buddhahood to all the Buddhists who held the mistaken idea that they had already attainedenlightenment. ' Because ofhis prediction he was abused by them. ' They went to hell on the grounds of having abused him. The now arises: question ' Why did they have to experience such severe retribution for abusing Sada- paribhUta who did not read or preach the SP. To this question the fbllowing interpretation has been general: ' The SP is the prediction of all the sentient beings' attaining buddhahood. Through giving of this prediction to the Buddhists SadaparibhUta had essentially read and preached the SP. It is true that Chapter lo of the 5P predicts that all the sentient beings can attain buddhahood.
    [Show full text]
  • Fragments from the Ājīvikas* Piotr Balcerowicz
    DRAFT, to be published in: Hiroshi Marui; Ernst Prets (eds.): Transmission and Tradition. Proceedings of the Matsumoto Conference on the Meaning and the Role of ‘Fragments’ in Indian Philosophy. Austrian Academy of Sciences Press, Vienna 201? (forthcoming) Fragments from the Âjîvikas* Piotr Balcerowicz 1. The doctrine of Âjîvikas, an ancient Indian religion and philosophical system which predates—albeit by perhaps a slight margin—the emergence of Jainism and Buddhism, is hardly known. In the period between the fourth and second centuries BCE, it was perhaps one of the most influential non-Brahmanical religions in India, second to Buddhism,1 and despite some attempts taken by a number of scholars— such as Hermann JACOBI (1880), Bunyiu NANJIO (1884), Ernst LEUMANN (1884), D.R. BHANDARKAR (1912), K.B. PATHAK (1912), Jarl CHARPENTIER (1913), B.M. BARUA (1920), A.F. Rudolf HOERNLE (1926), A. BANERJI SASTRI (1926), B.M. BARUA (1926–1927), N. AIYASVAMI SASTRI (1941), Arthur Llewellyn BASHAM (1951), Arthur Llewellyn BASHAM (1971), Haripada CHAKRABORTI (1973), S.N. GHOSAL (1979) and (1980), Pranabananda JASH (1982a) and (1982b), Gustav ROTH (1993), Johannes BRONKHORST (2000), (2003) and (2007)—we still have an * Work on this paper has been generously supported by the National Science Centre of Poland (Research Project: History of Classical Indian Philosophy: non-Brahmanic Schools, National Science Centre, 2011/01/B/HS1/04014). 1 Its followers are mentioned three times in two Aœokan edicts, i.e. in two inscriptions from Barâbâr Hill in Bihar (BLOCH (1950: 159): 1. lâjinâ piyadassinâ duvâ-ðasa-vassâbhisittenâ iyaô niggoha- kubhâ dinnâ âjîvikehi.—‘This Banyan Cave was donated to the Âjîvikas by [the king Aœoka] Favourably Disposed, who was consecrated twelve years [ago].’; 2.
    [Show full text]
  • THE AJIVIKAS a Short History of Their Religion Ami Philosophy
    THE AJIVIKAS A Short History of their Religion ami Philosophy PART I HISTORICAL SUMMARY Introductio n The History of the Ajivikas can broadly he divided into three periods in conformity with the three main ntasres of development through which their doctrines had passed. The general facts about these periods are summed up below with a view to indicate the precise nature of the problems that confront us in the study of each. The periods and problems are as follows: — 1. PRE-MAKKIIAM PERIOD. Problems.- -The rise of a religious order of wander- ins? mendicants called the Ajlvika from a Vanaprastha or Vaikhanasa order of the hermits, hostile alike in attitude towards the religion of the Brahmans and the Vaikhanasas, bearing yet some indelible marks of the parent asrama ; a higher synthesis in the new Bhiksu order of the three or four ilsrama* of the Brahmans. 2. MAKKHAM PERIOD. Problems.— Elevation of Ajlvika religion into a philosophy of life at the hands of Makkhali 2 THE AJIVIKAS Gosala; his indebtedness to his predecessors, relations with the contemporary Sophists, and originality of conception. 3. POST-MAKKHALI PERIOD. Problems—The further development of Ajivika religion, the process of Aryan colonisation in India, the spread of Aryan culture, the final extinction of the sect resulting from gradual transformation or absorption of the Ajivika into the Digambara Jaina, the Shivaitc and others; other causes of the decline of the faith; the influence of Ajivika religion and philosophy on Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism; determination of the general character of a history of Indian religion. 1. PKE-MAKKHALI PERIOD.
    [Show full text]
  • The Mission Accomplished
    TheThe MissionMission AccomplishedAccomplished Ven. Pategama Gnanarama Ph.D. HAN DD ET U 'S B B O RY eOK LIBRA E-mail: [email protected] Web site: www.buddhanet.net Buddha Dharma Education Association Inc. The Mission Accomplished A historical analysis of the Mahaparinibbana Sutta of the Digha Nikaya of the Pali Canon. by Ven. Pategama Gnanarama Ph. D. The Mission Accomplished is undoubtedly an eye opening contribution to Bud- dhist analytical Pali studies. In this analytical and critical work Ven. Dr. Pate- gama Gnanarama enlightens us in many areas of subjects hitherto unexplored by scholars. His views on the beginnings of the Bhikkhuni Order are interesting and refreshing. They might even be provocative to traditional readers, yet be challenging to the feminists to adopt a most positive attitude to the problem. Prof. Chandima Wijebandara University of Sri Jayawardhanapura Sri Lanka. A masterly treatment of a cluster of Buddhist themes in print Senarat Wijayasundara Buddhist and Pali College Singapore Published by Ti-Sarana Buddhist Association 90, Duku Road. Singapore 429254 Tel: 345 6741 First published in Singapore, 1997 Published by Ti-Sarana Buddhist Association ISBN: 981–00–9087–0 © Pategama Gnanarama 1997 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval systems or technologies now known or later developed, without per- mission in writing from the publisher. Cover: Mahaparinibbana; an ancient stone carving from Gandhara — Loriyan Tangai. Photograph reproduced by Mr K. C. Wong. Contents Introductory . 8 Chapter 1: The Mahaparinibbana Sutta & its Different Versions .
    [Show full text]
  • Buddhism As a Pragmatic Religious Tradition
    CHAPTER 1 Introduction: Buddhism as a Pragmatic Religious Tradition Our approach to Religion can be called “vernacular” . [It is] concerned with the kinds of data that may, even- tually, be able to give us some substantial insight into how religions have played their part in history, affect- ing people’s ability to respond to environmental crises; to earthquakes, floods, famines, pandemics; as well as to social ills and civil wars. Besides these evils, there are the everyday difficulties and personal disasters we all face from time to time. Religions have played their part in keeping people sane and stable....We thus see religions as an integral part of vernacular history, as a strand woven into lives of individuals, families, social groups, and whole societies. Religions are like technol- ogy in that respect: ever present and influential to peo- ple’s ability to solve life’s problems day by day. Vernon Reynolds and Ralph Tanner, The Social Ecology of Religion The Buddhist faith expresses itself most authentically in the processions of statues through towns, the noc- turnal illuminations in the streets and countryside. It is on such occasions that communion between the reli- gious and laity takes place . without which the religion could be no more than an exercise of recluse monks. Jacques Gernet, Buddhism in Chinese Society: An Economic History from the Fifth to the Tenth Centuries 1 2 Popular Buddhist Texts from Nepal Whosoever maintains that it is karma that injures beings, and besides it there is no other reason for pain, his proposition is false.... Milindapañha IV.I.62 Health, good luck, peace, and progeny have been the near- universal wishes of humanity.
    [Show full text]
  • Sects & Sectarianism
    Sects & Sectarianism Also by Bhikkhu Sujato through Santipada A History of Mindfulness How tranquillity worsted insight in the Pali canon Beginnings There comes a time when the world ends… Bhikkhuni Vinaya Studies Research & reflections on monastic discipline for Buddhist nuns A Swift Pair of Messengers Calm and insight in the Buddha’s words Dreams of Bhaddā Sex. Murder. Betrayal. Enlightenment. The story of a Buddhist nun. White Bones Red Rot Black Snakes A Buddhist mythology of the feminine SANTIPADA is a non-profit Buddhist publisher. These and many other works are available in a variety of paper and digital formats. http://santipada.org Sects & Sectarianism The origins of Buddhist schools BHIKKHU SUJATO SANTIPADA SANTIPADA Buddhism as if life matters Originally published by The Corporate Body of the Buddha Education Foundation, Taiwan, 2007. This revised edition published in 2012 by Santipada. Copyright © Bhikkhu Sujato 2007, 2012. Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia You are free to Share​—​to copy, distribute and transmit the work under the follow- ing conditions: Attribution. You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work). No Derivative Works. You may not alter, transform, or build upon this work. With the understanding that: Waiver​—​Any of the above conditions can be waived if you get permission from the copyright holder. Other Rights​—​In no way are any of the following rights affected by the license: o Your fair dealing or fair use rights; o The author’s moral rights; o Rights other persons may have either in the work itself or in how the work is used, such as publicity or privacy rights.
    [Show full text]
  • Empty Cloud, the Autobiography of the Chinese Zen Master Xu
    EMPTY CLOUD The Autobiography of the Chinese Zen Master XU YUN TRANSLATED BY CHARLES LUK Revised and Edited by Richard Hunn The Timeless Mind . Undated picture of Xu-yun. Empty Cloud 2 CONTENTS Contents .......................................................................................... 3 Acknowledgements ......................................................................... 4 Introduction .................................................................................... 5 CHAPTER ONE: Early Years ............................................................ 20 CHAPTER TWO: Pilgrimage to Mount Wu-Tai .............................. 35 CHAPTER THREE: The Journey West ............................................. 51 CHAPTER FOUR: Enlightenment and Atonement ......................... 63 CHAPTER FIVE: Interrupted Seclusion .......................................... 75 CHAPTER SIX: Taking the Tripitaka to Ji Zu Shan .......................... 94 CHAPTER SEVEN: Family News ................................................... 113 CHAPTER EIGHT: The Peacemaker .............................................. 122 CHAPTER NINE: The Jade Buddha ............................................... 130 CHAPTER TEN: Abbot At Yun-Xi and Gu-Shan............................. 146 CHAPTER ELEVEN: Nan-Hua Monastery ..................................... 161 CHAPTER TWELVE: Yun-Men Monastery .................................... 180 CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Two Discourses ......................................... 197 CHAPTER FOURTEEN: At the Yo Fo & Zhen Ru Monasteries
    [Show full text]
  • (Kamma) in Theravada Buddhism
    1 AN ANALYTICAL STYDY OF ACTION (KAMMA) IN THERAVADA BUDDHISM KULA VATI A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of The Requirements for Degree of Master of Arts (Buddhist Studies) Graduate School Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University C.E . 201 7 2 AN ANALYTICAL STYDY OF ACTION (KAMMA) IN THERAVADA BUDDHISM KULA VATI A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of The Requirements for Degree of Master of Arts (Buddhist Studies) Graduate School Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University C.E. 201 7 (Copyright of Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University) ii Thesis Title : An Analytical Study of Action (Kamma) in Theravāda Buddhism Researcher : Kula Vati Degree : Master of Arts (Buddhist Studies) Thesis Supervisory Committee : Asst. Prof. Lt. Dr. Banjob Bannaruji, Pāli IX, B.Ed. (Education), M.A. (Pali & Sanskrit), Ph.D. (Buddhist Studies) : Asst. Prof. Dr. Sanu Mahatthanadull B.A. (Advertising), M.A. (Buddhist Studies), Ph.D. (Buddhist Studies) Date of Graduation : March 15, 2018 Abstract This Qualitative research has three objectives, namely: (1) to Study Concept and the Origin of Kamma in Theravāda Buddhism (2) to Study Practical of Kamma in Theravāda Buddhism (3) to Analyze Kamma in Theravāda Buddhism and Apply Kamma result in Daily Life. Kamma means intentional body, verbal and mental action. In the ultimate sense, Kamma means volition. If the volition is good, Kamma is good; and If the volition is bad, Kamma is bad. Kamma is a law of nature and is not controlled by any being. There is no involvement of self, soul, God, or Creator in this phenomenon. Each one is the architect of his own fate and destiny. The past actions influence the present, and the past and the present actions influence the future.
    [Show full text]
  • Violent Karma Stories in Contemporary Sinhala Buddhism
    Journal of Buddhist Ethics ISSN 1076-9005 http://blogs.dickinson.edu/buddhistethics/ Volume 27, 2020 Violent Karma Stories in Contemporary Sinhala Buddhism James Stewart Deakin University Copyright Notice: Digital copies of this work may be made and distributed provided no change is made and no alteration is made to the content. Reproduction in any other format, with the exception of a single copy for private study, requires the written permission of the author. All en- quiries to: [email protected]. Violent Karma Stories in Contemporary Sinhala Buddhism James Stewart1 Abstract Buddhism is a religion normally respected for its message of non-violence. In this article I will discuss how images of violence are used as a means to compel Buddhists to act in accordance with Buddhist ethical principles. This will be shown through the examination of a contemporary news- paper series from the popular Sinhala language Lankādīpa Irida periodical. In it, we find a series of karma stories that illustrate how examples of violence can be found in mod- ern Buddhistic narratives, both in written and pictorial forms. In this article it will be argued that these modern narratives have a precedent in much earlier, and in some cases ancient, Buddhist writings and art. I will argue that these modern narratives deviate from canonical karma stories in that they focus on the maturation of karma in 1 School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Deakin University. Email: [email protected]. This article was first presented as a paper at the IABS Conference in Toronto in 2017. I would like to acknowledge the helpful feedback pro- vided by audience members at that conference.
    [Show full text]
  • Placing Nichiren in the “Big Picture” Some Ongoing Issues in Scholarship
    Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 1999 26/3-4 Placing Nichiren in the “Big Picture” Some Ongoing Issues in Scholarship Jacqueline I. Stone This article places Nichiren within the context of three larger scholarly issues: definitions of the new Buddhist movements of the Kamakura period; the reception of the Tendai discourse of original enlightenment (hongaku) among the new Buddhist movements; and new attempts, emerging in the medieval period, to locate “Japan ” in the cosmos and in history. It shows how Nicmren has been represented as either politically conservative or rad­ ical, marginal to the new Buddhism or its paradigmatic figv/re, depending' upon which model of “Kamakura new Buddhism” is employed. It also shows how the question of Nichiren，s appropriation of original enlighten­ ment thought has been influenced by models of Kamakura Buddnism emphasizing the polarity between “old” and “new，institutions and sug­ gests a different approach. Lastly, it surveys some aspects of Nichiren ys thinking- about “Japan ” for the light they shed on larger, emergent medieval discourses of Japan relioiocosmic significance, an issue that cuts across the “old Buddhism，,/ “new Buddhism ” divide. Keywords: Nichiren — Tendai — original enlightenment — Kamakura Buddhism — medieval Japan — shinkoku For this issue I was asked to write an overview of recent scholarship on Nichiren. A comprehensive overview would exceed the scope of one article. To provide some focus and also adumbrate the signifi­ cance of Nichiren studies to the broader field oi Japanese religions, I have chosen to consider Nichiren in the contexts of three larger areas of modern scholarly inquiry: “Kamakura new Buddhism，” its relation to Tendai original enlightenment thought, and new relisdocosmoloei- cal concepts of “Japan” that emerged in the medieval period.
    [Show full text]
  • How to Benefit Animals a Collection of Advice from Lama Zopa Rinpoche
    How to Benefit Animals A Collection of Advice from Lama Zopa Rinpoche 1) Animal Liberation I started the tradition of how to liberate animals. The way we do animal liberation causes long life but that alone doesn’t ultimately help the animals, so the best thing to do is to circumambulate the animals around holy objects and to bless them with mantras and prayers. So you can carry the animals around a table in the middle of a room with many, many, many holy objects on it piled up, many tsa tsa, pictures of Buddhas, texts, whatever you have and then you take the animals around these holy objects. One bag can have 1000 animals in it to be liberated, like crickets, worms etc. If you buy bigger animals, whose body are bigger and therefore experiences more suffering when they get killed, then this is also very good. If there is 1000 statues and holy objects on the table then if you take the animals and insects around once it creates 1000 causes to achieve enlightenment and by the way 1000 causes to achieve liberation from samsara, 1000 causes for good rebirth and happiness in future lives. So each time you go around with the insects it creates that many causes of all those happiness’s as well as long life. So if you have one billion insects and they are carried by many people in a container, you are giving enlightenment each time you go around to that many sentient beings. If you have 1000 sentient beings or 100,000 or 10,000 sentient beings then however many holy objects you have (like 100, 1000 or 10,000) then each time you are going around you are giving enlightenment that many times, as well as giving happiness in future lives and good rebirth.
    [Show full text]
  • Prince Ajatasattu Free
    FREE PRINCE AJATASATTU PDF Osamu Tezuka,Maya Rosewood | 418 pages | 08 May 2007 | Vertical Inc. | 9781932234626 | English | New York, United States Ajatashatru - Wikipedia Tezuka himself was a humanist rather than a Buddhist, and his magnum opus is not an attempt at propaganda. This edit will also create new pages on Comic Vine for:. Until you earn points all your submissions need to be vetted by other Comic Vine users. This process takes Prince Ajatasattu more than a few hours and we'll send you an Prince Ajatasattu once approved. Tweet Clean. Cancel Update. What size image should we insert? This will not affect the original upload Small Medium How do you want the image positioned around text? Float Left Float Right. Cancel Insert. Go to Link Unlink Change. Cancel Create Link. Disable this feature for this session. Rows: Prince Ajatasattu. Enter the URL for the tweet you want to embed. Creators Osamu Tezuka artist, cover, writer. Teams Daevas Giants. Locations India. Story Arcs. This edit will also create new pages on Prince Ajatasattu Vine for: Beware, you are proposing to add brand new pages to the wiki along with your edits. Make sure this Prince Ajatasattu what you intended. This will likely increase the time it takes for your changes to go live. Comment and Save Until you earn points all your submissions need to be vetted by other Comic Vine users. Use your keyboard! Buddha, Volume 7: Prince Ajatasattu by Osamu Tezuka: | : Books Devadatta is noted for attempting to kill the Sakyamuni Prince Ajatasattu on several occasions including:. According to Prince Ajatasattu Pitakaafter trying to kill Sakyamuni Buddha a number of times, Devadatta set up his own Buddhist monastic order by splitting the sangha.
    [Show full text]