DOCSLIB.ORG

The Notion of Diṭṭhi in Theravāda Buddhism

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Notion of Diṭṭhi in Theravāda Buddhism THE NOTION OF DIHI IN THERAVĀDA BUDDHISM The notion of ‘view’ or ‘opinion’ (dihi) as an obstacle to ‘seeing things as they are’ is a central concept in Buddhist thought. This book considers the two ways in which the notion of views is usually understood. Are we to understand right-view as a correction of wrong-views (the opposition understanding), or is the aim of the Buddhist path the overcoming of all views, even right-view (the no-views under- standing)? This book argues that neither approach is correct. Instead, it suggests that the early texts do not understand right-view as a correction of wrong-view, but as a detached order of seeing, completely different from the attitude of holding to any view, wrong or right. Claiming that by the term ‘right-view’ we should understand an order of seeing which transcends all views, this work is a valuable addition to the study of Buddhist philosophy. Paul Fuller is a Religious Studies graduate from the University of Edinburgh. He holds an MA and a PhD from the University of Bristol and is currently teaching Buddhist Studies at Webster University, Thailand. ROUTLEDGECURZON CRITICAL STUDIES IN BUDDHISM General Editors: Charles S. Prebish and Damien Keown RoutledgeCurzon Critical Studies in Buddhism is a comprehensive study of the Buddhist tradition. The series explores this complex and extensive tradition from a variety of perspectives, using a range of different methodologies. The series is diverse in its focus, including historical studies, textual translations and commentaries, sociological investigations, bibliographical studies and considerations of religious practice as an expression of Buddhism’s integral religiosity. It also presents materials on modern intellectual historical studies, including the role of Buddhist thought and scholarship in a contemporary, critical context and in the light of current social issues. The series is expansive and imaginative in scope, spanning more than two and a half millennia of Buddhist history. It is receptive to all research works that inform and advance our knowledge and understanding of the Buddhist tradition. THE REFLEXIVE NATURE OF PAIN AND ITS ENDING AWARENESS Carol S. Anderson Paul Williams EMPTINESS APPRAISED ALTRUISM AND REALITY David F. Burton Paul Williams THE SOUND OF LIBERATING BUDDHISM AND HUMAN RIGHTS TRUTH Edited by Damien Keown, Charles Edited by Sallie B. King and Prebish, Wayne Husted Paul O. Ingram WOMEN IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF BUDDHIST THEOLOGY THE BUDDHA Edited by Roger R. Jackson and Kathryn R. Blackstone John J. Makransky THE RESONANCE OF EMPTINESS THE GLORIOUS DEEDS OF PURNA Gay Watson Joel Tatelman IMAGING WISDOM EARLY BUDDHISM – A NEW Jacob N. Kinnard APPROACH Sue Hamilton CONTEMPRORARY BUDDHIST ZEN WAR STORIES ETHICS Brian Victoria Edited by Damien Keown THE BUDDHIST UNCONSCIOUS INNOVATIVE BUDDHIST WOMEN William S. Waldron Edited by Karma Lekshe Tsomo INDIAN BUDDHIST THEORIES OF TEACHING BUDDHISM IN THE PERSONS WEST James Duerlinger Edited by V. S. Hori, R. P. Hayes and J. M. Shields ACTION DHARMA Edited by Christopher Queen, Charles SELF, REALITY AND REASON IN Prebish and Damien Keown TIBETAN PHILOSOPHY Thupten Jinpa TIBETAN AND ZEN BUDDHISM IN BRITAIN IN DEFENSA OF DHARMA David N. Kay Tessa J. Bartholomeusz THE CONCEPT OF THE BUDDHA BUDDHIST PHENOMENOLOGY Guang Xing Dan Lusthaus THE PHILOSOPHY OF DESIRE IN RELIGIOUS MOTIVATION AND THE THE BUDDHIST PALI CANON ORIGINS OF BUDDHISM David Webster Torkel Brekke THE NOTION OF DIHI IN DEVELOPMENTS IN AUSTRALIAN THERAVĀDA BUDDHISM BUDDHISM Paul Fuller Michelle Spuler The following titles are published in association with the Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies The Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies conducts and promotes rigorous teaching and research into all forms of the Buddhist tradition. EARLY BUDDHIST METAPHYSICS Noa Ronkin MIPHAM’S DIALECTICS AND THE DEBATES ON EMPTINESS Karma Phuntso THE NOTION OF DIHI IN THERAVĀDA BUDDHISM The point of view Paul Fuller First published 2005 by RoutledgeCurzon 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by RoutledgeCurzon 270 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016 This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2005. “To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.” RoutledgeCurzon is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group © 2005 Paul Fuller All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data A catalog record for this book has been requested ISBN 0-203-01043-4 Master e-book ISBN ISBN 0–415–34293–7 (Print Edition) DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF MY SISTER DEBBIE 1962–1998 I closed my eyes to see you no more I closed my eyes to cry Because I saw you no more (Paul Eluard) CONTENTS CONTENTS Preface xii Acknowledgements xiii Abbreviations xiv Introduction 1 The opposition understanding 2 The no-views understanding 3 Recent studies of the notion of dihi 4 Knowledge of doctrine 7 Is/ought 9 Propositions and ways of seeing 11 1 The content of wrong-view 14 Part one: views that deny that actions have consequences 16 The view of nihilism (natthika-dihi) 16 The view of non-doing (akiriya-dihi) 18 The view of non-causality (ahetu-dihi) 19 The view of Pakudha Kaccāyana 20 The view of Nigaha Nātaputta 22 The view of Sañjaya Belahiputta and the endless equivocators 22 Wrong-view or right-view? 24 Part two: views of self 25 Identity-view (sakkāya-dihi) 26 Miscellaneous destructive views 28 The six bases for views (dihi-hāna) 30 Six wrong-views from the Sabbāsava-sutta 33 Acceptance of a view as a result of reflection (dihi-nijjhānakhanti) 34 Views of the unanswered (avyākata) type 38 Conclusion 39 ix CONTENTS 2 The content of right-view 41 Part one: views that affirm that actions have consequences 42 The view of affirmation (atthika-dihi) 43 The view that there is doing (kiriya-dihi) 43 The view of causality (hetu-dihi) 44 The ten wholesome and unwholesome courses of action 50 Action and thought as the cause of good and bad rebirths 53 The distinction between different levels of right-view 55 Right-view as paññā 57 Part two: views of not-self 58 The Sammādihi-sutta 59 The 16 right-views from the Sammādihi-sutta 59 Dependent-origination and the Sammādihi-sutta 63 The right-view of stream-attainment 65 The achievement of right-view 67 The Mahācattārīsaka-sutta: right-view comes first 69 Seeing phenomena as impermanent 74 Right-view as seeing: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self’ 75 Four non-perversions of view (na dihi-vipallāsā) 75 The ten imperfections of insight (vipassanā-upakkilesa) 76 Conclusion 77 3 The way wrong-view functions 78 The distinction between views and ignorance 78 The thicket, wilderness, contortion, vacillation and fetter of views 79 The Dihi-vagga 84 The Dihi-sayutta 85 Views in the Dihi-kathā 86 Views and craving in the Nettippakaraa 90 4 The way right-view functions 92 Part one: different levels of right-view 92 Accomplishment in view (dihi-sampadā) 92 Accomplished in view (dihi-sampanna) 93 Purification of view (dihi-visuddhi) 96 Abandoning by substitution of opposites (tadagappahāna) 98 Right-view as knowledge of knowing rise and fall (udayabbaya) 100 Part two: the function of right-view on the higher paths 100 The view that is noble and emancipating (dihi ariyā niyyānikā) 103 The function of right-view on the higher paths in the Atthasālinī 105 The abandoning of views 108 x CONTENTS 5 The transcendence of views 112 The Brahmajāla-sutta: attachment to views 112 The ‘view’ that transcends sakkāya-dihi 116 The ‘view’ that transcends the avyākata 121 The Pāali-sutta 124 Seeing the wholesome and unwholesome 126 The wholesome and unwholesome in the Dhammasagai 130 The Pahāna: turning medicine into poison and poison into medicine 136 The three gateways to liberation 139 6 Views and non-attachment 145 The Buddha’s teachings and no-views 145 The understanding of views in the Ahakavagga compared to other parts of the Pāli canon 148 Dependence on what is seen, heard, thought and cognized 150 The superior teaching? 151 Dīghanakha and the transcendence of views 153 Conclusion 157 A different order of seeing 157 Appendices 160 Notes 173 Bibliography 246 Index 253 xi PREFACE PREFACE I grew up in a small town, a town that it is best to leave – I left – this book is a direct result of my leaving. A number of people helped. I thank my family, each of whom understood, in their own ways, what I was doing. The vehicle that got me away was Buddhism (and, more generally, education, and in a different way, music). I am grateful to all those who encouraged me in the past. Once away, I was very lucky to study with Paul Dundas in Edinburgh. It was Paul who first noticed my interest in the study of religion, and who first suggested that I should continue studying, which I did, in Bristol. There, Rupert Gethin was an understanding supervisor. One particular article he wrote on dihi explains very clearly what I have attempted to argue in this book. I have a suspicion that I am merely expanding on these ideas. At certain times, at bad times, we need friends, and my friends at such a time were Theo Bertram, Samantha Grant, Louise Nelstrop and Adam Rounce.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • In Buddhist-Inspired Therapies J Yoga & Physio
    Opinion J Yoga & Physio Volume 5 Issue 1 - May 2018 Copyright © All rights are reserved by Eduardo Francisco Freyre Roach DOI: 10.19080/JYP.2018.05.555653 Working with the ‘Nonself-Language’ in Buddhist- Inspired Therapies Eduardo Francisco Freyre Roach* Professor, Dr. Independent Researcher, Hong Kong Submission: April 06, 2018; Published: May 24, 2018 *Corresponding author: Eduardo Francisco Freyre Roach, Professor, Dr. Independent Researcher, 43 Nam Wan, Peng Chau, Hong Kong, Tel: ; Email: Abstract One of the clinical applications of the Buddhist nonself approach (annata) is to encourage patients to put into words their body and mental and encourage patients from non-Buddhist religious background to practice of nonself language? My answer is: yes! experiences but avoiding the use of personal pronouns ‘I’, ‘mine’, ‘me’ or ‘my’. But annata is a Spiritual matter. It is Scientific and ethical to engage Keywords: Therapy; Mindfulness; Yoga; Mindfulness; Nonself, Ethics Introduction The Buddhist mindfulness approach to meditation and yoga world’s designations, the world’s expressions, the world’s ways contemplates “the practice of inner silence”, but also the practice forms of self-identifications by saying: “Citta, these are the of speaking, the world’s descriptions, with which the Tathagata of putting our inner bodily and mental experiences into words1 expresses himself but without grasping to them”. It points out . The Yogachara scriptures teaches that “wisdom produced by that the use of ‘I’ does not suppose the ontological ‘I’. thinking is also based on words2” and through purity of speech. Like the Patanjali-Upanishada’s yoga tradition the Buddhist The Chachakka Sutta presents the path of practice leading Tibetan yoga suggests that speech that one chooses “affect 3.
    [Show full text]
  • From Grasping to Emptiness – Excursions Into the Thought-World of the Pāli Discourses (2)
    From Grasping to Emptiness – Excursions into the Thought-world of the Pāli Discourses (2) Anālayo © 2010 Anālayo Published by The Buddhist Association of the United States 2020 Route 301, Carmel, New York 10512 Printed in Taiwan Cover design by Laurent Dhaussy ISBN 978-0-615-25529-3 Introduction 3 1. Grasping / Upādāna 5 1.1 Grasping at Sensual Pleasures 5 1.2 Grasping at Views 7 1.3 Grasping at Rules and Observances 9 1.4 Grasping at a Doctrine of Self 10 1.5 The Five Aggregates [Affected by] Clinging 13 1.6 Grasping and Nibbāna 15 1.7 Freedom from Grasping 16 2. Personality View / Sakkāyadihi 19 2.1 Manifestations of Personality View 19 2.2 Removal of Personality View 24 3. Right View / Sammādihi 27 3.1 Wrong View 27 3.2 Right View and Investigation 29 3.3 Right View as the Forerunner of the Path 31 3.4 Arrival at Right View 33 3.5 Right View and the Four Noble Truths 34 4. Volitional Formations / Sakhārā 39 4.1 Sakhāras as an Aggregate 40 4.2 Sakhāras as a Link in Dependent Arising 44 4.3 Sakhāras in General 48 5. Thought / Vitakka 55 5.1 The Ethical Perspective on Thought 56 5.2 The Arising of Thought 57 5.3 The Vitakkasahāna-sutta 60 5.4 Vitakka in Meditation 64 5.5 Thought Imagery 66 6. Wise Attention / Yoniso Manasikāra 69 6.1 Wise ( Yoniso ) 69 6.2 Attention ( Manasikāra ) 72 6.3 The Implications of Wise Attention 72 6.4 The Importance of Wise Attention 78 7.
    [Show full text]
  • Primary Point, Vol 21 Num 1
    our school in the broader context of Korean Buddhist activity in southern California-did you know that there's BrieF Reviews a temple in Los Angeles not in our school known as Kwan Urn Sa? The two longest profiles are ofSarnu Sunim, based judy Reitman jDPSN in Toronto and teaching mostly European-Canadians/ Americans through his Zen Lotus Sociery; and of Zen Butterflies On A Sea Wind: Master Seung Sahn, giving a slightly different version than Beginning Zen by Anne Rudloe, the canonical one most of us have heard. More interesting published by Andrews McNeel, is Samu Sunim's very generous article Turning the Wheel of Kansas Ciry, 2002 Dharma in the West, which has an excellent synopsis of Anne Rudloe is the abbot of the the history of Buddhism in Korea, and then profiles three Cypress Tree Zen Group in teachers: Ven. Dr. Seo, Kyung-Bo, a charismatic teacher Tallahassee, Florida. This book is who towards the end ofhis life became the self-proclaimed I basically a description of what it's world dharma-raja; Kusan Sunim, one of only two (the like to be a relative beginner in Zen other is Zen Master Seung Sahn) Korean teachers who practice, both on and off the went out of their way to encourage western students to cushion. Rudloe brings together three strands of her life: study in Korean monasteries; and Zen Master Seung Sahn. her experience practicing Zen (especially on retreats); her Samu Sunim also gives an extensive history and description personallife-farnily, work, and ecological activism; and of our school, and responds directly to charges made the natural world around her.
    [Show full text]
  • Vatthūpama Sutta
    Majjhima Nikya 1 M 7 Vatthûpama Sutta Vatthûpama Sutta The Discourse on the Parable of the Cloth [We are purified internally by the mind] (Majjhima Nikya 7/1:36-40) Translated by Piya Tan ©2003 1 The Sutta and its title 1.1 THE SUTTA TITLE. The Vatthûpama Sutta (M 7) records the brahmin Sundarika Bhāra,dvāja’s meeting with the Buddha at Jeta,vana. This discourse has two main parts: in the first, the Buddha instructs on the nature of self-purity, and in the second, he addresses Sundarika Bhāra,dvāja on the latter’s view on external purification. Evidently, Sundarika is present (“sitting not far from the Blessed One”) throughout the whole discourse addressed to the monks, and when he questions the Buddha in the second half of the dis- course, the Buddha answers him. The second half of the Vatthûpama Suitta is about the Buddha’s teaching Sundarika Bhāra,dvāja and his awakening as an arhat. Sundarika presents us with an identity problem because the Sutta Nipāta, too, has a description of his awakening as an arhat, that is, in the (Pūraḷāsa) Sundarika Bhāra,dvāja Sutta (Sn 3.4/- 79 f, 86).1 It is likely, however, that the two discourses are about two different Bhāra,dvājas, so that their accounts are separately recorded by the Khuddaka Reciters (or those who compiled the Sutta Nipāta) and by the Majjhima Reciters. It is possible that the “Sundarika Bhāradvāja” of the Vatthûpama Sutta—we shall call him Sundarika I —is a different person from his namesake, Sundarika II of the Sutta Nipāta.
    [Show full text]
  • Lineage: Beginnings
    Soto Zen Buddhism in Australia March 2018, Issue 71 LINEAGE: BEGINNINGS ABBOT’S NEWS I CANNOT STEP ON REMEMBERING RAISING A WALL INDIA STUDY ABROAD Hannah Forsyth THEIR SHADOW NARASAKI ROSHI Katherine Yeo & Karen Sunao Ekin Korematsu & Seido Suzuki Roshi Nonin Chowaney Threlfall Jake Kepper BUDDHA'S BOUNDLESS RETURNING HOME, DIRECT REALISATION BACK TO THE FUTURE SOTO KITCHEN COMPASSION SITTING PEACEFULLY HUT John Hickey Karen Threlfall Ikko Narasaki Roshi Ekai Korematsu Osho Deniz Yener Korematsu MYOJU IS A PUBLICATION OF JIKISHOAN ZEN BUDDHIST COMMUNITY INC Editorial Myoju “Even though the ways of ceaseless practice by our founding Editor: Ekai Korematsu Osho Ancestors are many, I have given you this one for the present.” Editorial Committee: Hannah Forsyth, Shona Innes, Robin Laurie, Jessica Cummins —Dogen Zenji, Shobogenzo Gyoji: On Ceaseless Practice Myoju Coordinator: Jessica Cummins Production: Dan Carter Website Manager: Lee-Anne Armitage As Jikishoan approaches its 20th anniversary in 2019, IBS Teaching Schedule: Hannah Forsyth this year Myoju will explore our identity as a community Jikishoan Calendar of Events: Shona Innes through the theme of Lineage. As a young, lay communi- Contributors: Ikko Narasaki Roshi, Seido Suzuki Roshi, ty, practising in a spiritual tradition that originates far be- Ekai Korematsu Osho, Shudo Hannah Forsyth, Shona yond our land and culture, we do not do so in isolation. Innes, Nonin Chowaney, Deniz Yener Korematsu, 78 generations of the Soto Zen Buddhist tradition are em- Katherine Yeo, Karen Threlfall, John Hickey, Sunao Ekin bodied in the forms of our practice and training, allowing Korematsu, Jake Kepper. us to experience an inclusivity and belonging that takes us Cover Image: Ikko Narasaki Roshi beyond our individual practice.
    [Show full text]
  • The Mind-Body in Pali Buddhism: a Philosophical Investigation
    The Mind-Body Relationship In Pali Buddhism: A Philosophical Investigation By Peter Harvey http://www.buddhistinformation.com/mind.htm Abstract: The Suttas indicate physical conditions for success in meditation, and also acceptance of a not-Self tile-principle (primarily vinnana) which is (usually) dependent on the mortal physical body. In the Abhidhamma and commentaries, the physical acts on the mental through the senses and through the 'basis' for mind-organ and mind-consciousness, which came to be seen as the 'heart-basis'. Mind acts on the body through two 'intimations': fleeting modulations in the primary physical elements. Various forms of rupa are also said to originate dependent on citta and other types of rupa. Meditation makes possible the development of a 'mind-made body' and control over physical elements through psychic powers. The formless rebirths and the state of cessation are anomalous states of mind-without-body, or body-without-mind, with the latter presenting the problem of how mental phenomena can arise after being completely absent. Does this twin-category process pluralism avoid the problems of substance- dualism? The Interaction of Body and Mind in Spiritual Development In the discourses of the Buddha (Suttas), a number of passages indicate that the state of the body can have an impact on spiritual development. For example, it is said that the Buddha could only attain the meditative state of jhana once he had given up harsh asceticism and built himself up by taking sustaining food (M.I. 238ff.). Similarly, it is said that health and a good digestion are among qualities which enable a person to make speedy progress towards enlightenment (M.I.
    [Show full text]
  • Truly Understanding the Teachings of the Buddha
    Truly Understanding the Teachings of the Buddha A comprehensive guide to insight meditation Anthony Markwell Truly Understanding the Teachings of the Buddha A comprehensive guide to insight meditation Anthony Markwell Dhammapada XI, 153-154 «Through many a birth in samsara have I wandered in vain, seeking the builder of this house (of life). Repeated birth is indeed suffering! O house-builder, you are seen! You will not build this house again. For your rafters are broken and your ridgepole shattered. My mind has reached the Unconditioned; I have attained the destruction of craving.» According to the commentary, these verses are the Buddha’s “Song of Vic- tory,” his irst utterance after his Enlightenment. The house is individualized existence in samsara, the house-builder craving, the rafters the passions and the ridge-pole ignorance. This book was typed based on the Dhamma talks given by Anthony Mark- well by one of his retreat participants. The book is handed out as a gift with the permission of Anthony Markwell but it has not been reviewed by him or anyone else. Therefore please be tolerant with typing mistakes, inconsisten- cies or inaccuracies of the Pali language terms. © 2016 Anthony Markwell, 2019 revised edition No material contained herein may be copied or reproduced without prior written consent. Contents Day 0 Afternoon Talk Orientation 1 Evening Talk Meditation Instructions 15 Sila 17 Sitting meditation 19 First stage: Internalizing awareness – letting go of past and future 21 Second stage: Feeling body sensation – letting
    [Show full text]
  • Buddhism and Responses to Disability, Mental Disorders and Deafness in Asia
    Buddhism and Responses to Disability, Mental Disorders and Deafness in Asia. A bibliography of historical and modern texts with introduction and partial annotation, and some echoes in Western countries. [This annotated bibliography of 220 items suggests the range and major themes of how Buddhism and people influenced by Buddhism have responded to disability in Asia through two millennia, with cultural background. Titles of the materials may be skimmed through in an hour, or the titles and annotations read in a day. The works listed might take half a year to find and read.] M. Miles (compiler and annotator) West Midlands, UK. November 2013 Available at: http://www.independentliving.org/miles2014a and http://cirrie.buffalo.edu/bibliography/buddhism/index.php Some terms used in this bibliography Buddhist terms and people. Buddhism, Bouddhisme, Buddhismus, suffering, compassion, caring response, loving kindness, dharma, dukkha, evil, heaven, hell, ignorance, impermanence, kamma, karma, karuna, metta, noble truths, eightfold path, rebirth, reincarnation, soul, spirit, spirituality, transcendent, self, attachment, clinging, delusion, grasping, buddha, bodhisatta, nirvana; bhikkhu, bhikksu, bhikkhuni, samgha, sangha, monastery, refuge, sutra, sutta, bonze, friar, biwa hoshi, priest, monk, nun, alms, begging; healing, therapy, mindfulness, meditation, Gautama, Gotama, Maitreya, Shakyamuni, Siddhartha, Tathagata, Amida, Amita, Amitabha, Atisha, Avalokiteshvara, Guanyin, Kannon, Kuan-yin, Kukai, Samantabhadra, Santideva, Asoka, Bhaddiya, Khujjuttara,
    [Show full text]
  • Myanmar Buddhism of the Pagan Period
    MYANMAR BUDDHISM OF THE PAGAN PERIOD (AD 1000-1300) BY WIN THAN TUN (MA, Mandalay University) A THESIS SUBMITTED FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY SOUTHEAST ASIAN STUDIES PROGRAMME NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE 2002 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my gratitude to the people who have contributed to the successful completion of this thesis. First of all, I wish to express my gratitude to the National University of Singapore which offered me a 3-year scholarship for this study. I wish to express my indebtedness to Professor Than Tun. Although I have never been his student, I was taught with his book on Old Myanmar (Khet-hoà: Mranmâ Râjawaà), and I learnt a lot from my discussions with him; and, therefore, I regard him as one of my teachers. I am also greatly indebted to my Sayas Dr. Myo Myint and Professor Han Tint, and friends U Ni Tut, U Yaw Han Tun and U Soe Kyaw Thu of Mandalay University for helping me with the sources I needed. I also owe my gratitude to U Win Maung (Tampavatî) (who let me use his collection of photos and negatives), U Zin Moe (who assisted me in making a raw map of Pagan), Bob Hudson (who provided me with some unpublished data on the monuments of Pagan), and David Kyle Latinis for his kind suggestions on writing my early chapters. I’m greatly indebted to Cho Cho (Centre for Advanced Studies in Architecture, NUS) for providing me with some of the drawings: figures 2, 22, 25, 26 and 38.
    [Show full text]
  • Anantasūra's Inscriptions: Why Among Others?
    Anantasūra’s Inscriptions: Why Among Others? Toe Hla Professor of History, Mandalay University and Head, Myanmar Historical Commission (Retd) 2 ABSTRACT This paper assesses the thirteenth century inscriptions of Anantasūra and his wife at Maṅ:nansū (Minnanthu) Village in East Bagan. The identity of the donor and significance of the couple’s donation of a monastery, pagodas, lands, slaves and other goods is detailed. The explanation of the primary information from the inscriptions underlines the historical value of the epigraphy of Bagan and its role in understanding the social and religious life of this period. Figure 1. Lehmyethha temple in scaffolding after 2016 earthquake Introduction I once prepared a paper entitled “Anantasūra Kyokcā Le,-lā-khyak, AD 1224- 1235-- A Study of Anantasūra’s Inscriptions, AD 1224-1235” that attempted to portray the life of Pugaṁ (Bagan) people and their belief system with special reference to Buddhism. This paper translates, summarizes and updates my previous publication. It is a study of three inscription stones, erected by a Pugaṁ aristocrat and wife in which they recorded their meritorious deeds of building a temple, two stupas, many monasteries, a library, a preaching hall, rest houses, and a big brick water tank, two wells together with over two hundred kywans (slaves) and several thousand pè of land. The donors said that they primarily desired to attain enlightenment (Buddhahood) so that they 3 could liberate all beings from Saṁsᾱra (rounds of births and rebirths). Moreover, they also intended to enhance welfare of the local populace in worshiping the Buddha images in shrines, holding religious ceremonies, observe Sabbaths and listen to sermons given by monks in these buildings.
    [Show full text]
  • Early Buddhist Concepts in Today's Language
    1 Early Buddhist Concepts In today's language Roberto Thomas Arruda, 2021 (+55) 11 98381 3956 [email protected] ISBN 9798733012339 2 Index I present 3 Why this text? 5 The Three Jewels 16 The First Jewel (The teachings) 17 The Four Noble Truths 57 The Context and Structure of the 59 Teachings The second Jewel (The Dharma) 62 The Eightfold path 64 The third jewel(The Sangha) 69 The Practices 75 The Karma 86 The Hierarchy of Beings 92 Samsara, the Wheel of Life 101 Buddhism and Religion 111 Ethics 116 The Kalinga Carnage and the Conquest by 125 the Truth Closing (the Kindness Speech) 137 ANNEX 1 - The Dhammapada 140 ANNEX 2 - The Great Establishing of 194 Mindfulness Discourse BIBLIOGRAPHY 216 to 227 3 I present this book, which is the result of notes and university papers written at various times and in various situations, which I have kept as something that could one day be organized in an expository way. The text was composed at the request of my wife, Dedé, who since my adolescence has been paving my Dharma with love, kindness, and gentleness so that the long path would be smoother for my stubborn feet. It is not an academic work, nor a religious text, because I am a rationalist. It is just what I carry with me from many personal pieces of research, analyses, and studies, as an individual object from which I cannot separate myself. I dedicate it to Dede, to all mine, to Prof. Robert Thurman of Columbia University-NY for his teachings, and to all those to whom this text may in some way do good.
    [Show full text]
  • The Resistance of the Monks RIGHTS Buddhism and Activism in Burma WATCH
    Burma HUMAN The Resistance of the Monks RIGHTS Buddhism and Activism in Burma WATCH The Resistance of the Monks Buddhism and Activism in Burma Copyright © 2009 Human Rights Watch All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 1-56432-544-X Cover design by Rafael Jimenez Human Rights Watch 350 Fifth Avenue, 34th floor New York, NY 10118-3299 USA Tel: +1 212 290 4700, Fax: +1 212 736 1300 [email protected] Poststraße 4-5 10178 Berlin, Germany Tel: +49 30 2593 06-10, Fax: +49 30 2593 0629 [email protected] Avenue des Gaulois, 7 1040 Brussels, Belgium Tel: + 32 (2) 732 2009, Fax: + 32 (2) 732 0471 [email protected] 64-66 Rue de Lausanne 1202 Geneva, Switzerland Tel: +41 22 738 0481, Fax: +41 22 738 1791 [email protected] 2-12 Pentonville Road, 2nd Floor London N1 9HF, UK Tel: +44 20 7713 1995, Fax: +44 20 7713 1800 [email protected] 27 Rue de Lisbonne 75008 Paris, France Tel: +33 (1)43 59 55 35, Fax: +33 (1) 43 59 55 22 [email protected] 1630 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 500 Washington, DC 20009 USA Tel: +1 202 612 4321, Fax: +1 202 612 4333 [email protected] Web Site Address: http://www.hrw.org September 2009 1-56432-544-X The Resistance of the Monks Buddhism and Activism in Burma I. Summary and Key Recommendations....................................................................................... 1 Methodology ....................................................................................................................... 26 II. Burma: A Long Tradition of Buddhist Activism ....................................................................... 27 Buddhism in Independent Burma During the Parliamentary Period ...................................... 33 Buddhism and the State After the 1962 Military Takeover ...................................................
    [Show full text]