DOCSLIB.ORG

Buddhist Cosmology

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Buddhist Cosmology 5/11/2014 Gale Virtual Reference Library - Document - Cosmology Cosmology Encyclopedia of Buddhism Title: Cosmology Author(s): RUPERT GETHIN Source: Encyclopedia of Buddhism. Ed. Robert E. Buswell, Jr.. Vol. 1. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2004. p183-187. Document Type: Topic overview Bookmark: Bookmark this Document Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2004 Macmillan Reference USA, COPYRIGHT 2006 Gale Full Text: Page 183 COSMOLOGY Although the earliest Buddhist texts of the MAINSTREAM BUDDHIST SCHOOLS—the nikāyas or āgamas (fourth to third century B.C.E.)—do not set out a systematic cosmology, many of the ideas and details of the developed cosmology of the later traditions are, in fact, present in these texts. Some of these have been borrowed and adapted from the common pool of early Indian cosmological notions indicated in, for example, the Vedic texts (1500 to 500 B.C.E.). The early ideas and details are elaborated in the later texts of systematic Buddhist thought, the ABHIDHARMA (third to second century B.C.E.), and presented as a coherent and consistent whole, with some variation, in the exegetical abhidharma commentaries and manuals that date from the early centuries C.E. Three principal abhidharma traditions are known to contemporary Buddhism and scholarship, those of the THERAVĀDA, the Sarvāstivāda, and the Yogācāra. The Theravāda or "southern" tradition has shaped the outlook of Buddhism in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia. The Sarvāstivāda or "northern" tradition fed into the abhidharma system of the MAHĀYĀNA school of thought known as "yoga practice" (yogācāra) or "ideas only" (vijñaptimātra), and their perspective on many points has passed into the traditions of East Asian and Tibetan Buddhism. The elaborate cosmology presented by these abhidharma systems is substantially the same, differing only on points of detail. This traditional cosmology remains of relevance to the worldview of ordinary Buddhists in traditional Buddhist societies. Along with many of the details, the four basic principles of the developed abhidharma Buddhist cosmology are assumed by the nikāya and āgama texts: http://go.galegroup.com.eproxy1.lib.hku.hk/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=RELEVANCE&inPS=true&prodId=GVRL&userGroupName=hku&ta… 1/7 5/11/2014 Gale Virtual Reference Library - Document - Cosmology 1. The universe has no specific creator; the sufficient cause for its existence is to be found in the Buddhist cycle of causal conditioning known as PRATĪTYASAMUTPĀDA (DEPENDENT ORIGINATION). 2. There is no definite limit to the universe, either spatially or temporally. 3. The universe comprises various realms of existence that constitute a hierarchy. 4. All beings are continually reborn in the various realms in accordance with their past KARMA (ACTION); the only escape from this endless round of REBIRTH, known as SAṃSĀRA, is the knowledge that constitutes the attainment of NIRVĀṆA. Levels of existence The abhidharma systems agree that saṃsāra embraces thirty-one principal levels of existence, although they record slight variations in the lists of these levels. Any being may be born into any one of these levels. In fact, during the course of their wandering through saṃsāra it is perhaps likely that all beings have at some time or another been born in most of these levels of existence. The most basic division of the thirty-one levels is threefold: the realm of sensuality (kāmadhātu, -loka) at the bottom of the hierarchy; the realm of pure form or subtle materiality (rūpadhātu, -loka) in the middle; and the formless realm (arūpadhātu, -loka) at the top. The realm of sensuality is inhabited by beings endowed with the five physical senses and with minds that are in one way or another generally occupied with the objects of the senses. The sensual realm is further divided into unhappy destinies and happy destinies. Unhappy destinies comprise various unpleasant forms of existence consisting of a number of HELLS, hungry ghosts (preta), animals, and jealous gods (asura, which are, according to some, a separate level, but to others, a class of being subsumed under the category of either hungry ghosts or gods). Rebirth in these realms is as a result of unwholesome (akuśala) actions of body, speech, and thought (e.g., killing, taking what is not given, sexual misconduct, idle chatter, covetousness, ill will, wrong view, and untrue, harsh, or divisive speech). The happy destinies of the sensual realm comprise various increasingly pleasant forms of existence consisting of human existence and existence as a divinity or god (deva) in one of the six heavens of the sense world. Rebirth in these realms is a result of wholesome (kuśala) actions of body, speech, and thought, which are opposed to unwholesome kinds of action. Above the relatively gross world of the senses is the subtler world of "pure form." This consists of further heavenly realms (reckoned as sixteen, seventeen, or eighteen in number) occupied by higher gods called brahmās, who have consciousness but only two senses—sight and hearing. Beings are reborn in these realms as a result of mastering increasingly subtle meditative states known as the four DHYĀNA (TRANCE STATE). These are attained by stilling the mind until it becomes Page 184 | completely concentrated and absorbed in an object of meditation, temporarily recovering its natural brightness and purity. The five highest realms of the form world are known as the pure abodes, and these are occupied by divinities who are all either nonreturners (spiritually advanced beings of great wisdom who are in their last birth and who will reach enlightenment before they die) or beings who have already gained enlightenment. All the beings of the pure abodes are thus in their last life before their final liberation from the round of rebirth through the attainment of NIRVĀṆA. The subtlest and most refined levels of the universe are the four that comprise "the formless realm." At this level of the universe the body with its senses is completely absent, and existence is characterized by pure and rarified forms of consciousness, once again corresponding to higher meditative attainments. World systems The lower levels of the universe, that is, the realms of sensuality, arrange themselves into various distinct world discs (cakravāḍa). At the center of a cakravāḍa is the great world mountain, Sumeru or Meru. This is surrounded by seven concentric rings of mountains and seas. Beyond these mountains and seas, in the four cardinal directions, are four great continents lying in the great ocean. The southern continent, Jambudvīpa (the continent of the rose-apple tree), is inhabited by ordinary human beings; the southern part, below the towering range of mountains called the abode of snows (himālaya), is effectively India, the known world and the land where buddhas arise. At the outer rim of this world disc is http://go.galegroup.com.eproxy1.lib.hku.hk/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=RELEVANCE&inPS=true&prodId=GVRL&userGroupName=hku&ta… 2/7 5/11/2014 Gale Virtual Reference Library - Document - Cosmology a ring of iron mountains holding in the ocean. In the spaces between world discs and below are various hells; in some sources these are given as eight hot hells and eight cold hells. An early text describes how in the hell of Hot Embers, for example, beings are made to climb up and down trees bristling with long, red hot thorns, never dying until at last their bad karma is exhausted (Majjhimanikāya iii, 185). On the slopes of Mount Sumeru itself and rising above its peak are the six HEAVENS inhabited by the gods of the sense world. The lowest of these is that of the Gods of the Four Kings of Heaven, who guard the four directions. On the peak of Mount Sumeru is the heaven of the Thirty-Three Gods, which is ruled by its king, INDRA or Śakra (Pāli, Sakka), while in the shadow of Mount Sumeru dwell the jealous gods called asuras, who were expelled from the heaven of the Thirty-Three by Indra. Above the peak is the Heaven of the Contented Gods or TuṢita, where buddhas-to-be, like the future MAITREYA, are reborn and await the time to take birth. The highest of the six heavens of the sense world is that of the Gods who have Power over the Creations of Others, and it is in a remote part of this heaven that MĀRA, the Evil One, lives, wielding his considerable resources in order to prevent the sensual world from losing its hold on its beings. The six heavens of the sense world are inhabited by gods and goddesses who, like human beings, reproduce through sexual union, though some say that in the higher heavens this union takes the form of an embrace, the holding of hands, a smile, or a mere look. The young gods and goddesses are not born from the womb, but arise instantly in the form of a five-year-old child in the lap of the gods (Abhidharmakośa iii, 69–70). Above these sense-world heavens is the Brahmā World, a world of subtle and refined mind and body. Strictly, brahmās are neither male nor female, although it seems that in appearance they resemble men. The fourteenth-century Thai Buddhist cosmology, the Three Worlds According to King Ruang, describes how their faces are smooth and very beautiful, a thousand times brighter than the moon and sun, and with only one hand they can illuminate ten thousand world systems (Reynolds and Reynolds, p. 251). A Great Brahmā of even the lower brahmā heavens may rule over a thousand world systems, while brahmās of the higher levels are said to rule over a hundred thousand. Yet it would be wrong to conclude that there is any one or final overarching Great Brahmā—God the Creator. It may be that beings come to take a particular Great Brahmā as creator of the world, and a Great Brahmā may himself even form the idea that he is creator, but this is just the result of delusion on the part of both parties.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Dharmakāya Pratītyasamutpāda ( (法界縁起説, Hokkai Engi Setsu
    Mapping the Ascent to Enlightenment Ronald Y. Nakasone Trying to get a fix on the Huayan mind in the vast landscape of Buddhist thought interweaves memory with imagination. My inquiry reaches to the earliest recollections of Siddhārtha Gautama’s Enlightenment, to passages in the Avatam saka Sūtra and learned commentaries, and to my imaging of its significance. In the process a few questions emerged: What happened during the spiritual ascent that led to the Enlightenment? What is the nature of mind? What did Siddhārtha Gautama become Enlightened to? These questions, especially determining the content of the Buddha’s Enlightenment, pose major academic and intellectual questions. This essay will focus on the first and second questions; I dealt with the last question in “Spiritual Cartography: Mapping the Huayen Mind.”1 The early documents depict Gautama’s ascent to Enlightenment in heroic and mythical proportions. Written several centuries after the fact, much of the narrative is no doubt hagiography, embellished by the creative imagination and the hindsight of doctrinal rationalizations. Nonetheless, in sum, the documents chronicle an intensely personal pilgrimage that incorporates and supersedes competing spiritual landscapes. The narrative assumes the primacy of mind and efficacy of mental concentration. The narrative opens with Māra, the personification of darkness, alarmed at Prince Siddhārtha’s resolve to attain Enlightenment, launches successive waves of attack to dissuade him. He first sends his daughters who offer the pleasures of youth and worldly success. Unable to seduce the Prince, Māra attempts to frighten the Prince by dispatching an army of the most appalling demons; still unsuccessful, he unleashes the awesome powers of the wind and rain at his command.
    [Show full text]
  • The Concept of Existence (Bhava) in Early Buddhism Pranab Barua
    The Concept of Existence (Bhava) in Early Buddhism Pranab Barua, Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University, Thailand The Asian Conference on Ethics, Religion & Philosophy 2021 Official Conference Proceedings Abstract The transition in Dependent Origination (paṭiccasamuppāda) between clinging (upādāna) and birth (jāti) is often misunderstood. This article explores the early Buddhist philosophical perspective of the relationship between death and re-birth in the process of following bhava (uppatti-bhava) and existing bhava (kamma-bhava). It additionally analyzes the process of re- birth (punabbhava) through the karmic processes on the psycho-cosmological level of becoming, specifically how kamma-bhava leads to re-becoming in a new birth. The philosophical perspective is established on the basis of the Mahātaṇhāsaṅkhaya-Sutta, the Mahāvedalla-Sutta, the Bhava-Sutta (1) and (2), the Cūḷakammavibhaṅga-Sutta, the Kutuhalasala-Sutta as well as commentary from the Visuddhimagga. Further, G.A. Somaratne’s article Punabbhava and Jātisaṃsāra in Early Buddhism, Bhava and Vibhava in Early Buddhism and Bhikkhu Bodhi’s Does Rebirth Make Sense? provide scholarly perspective for understanding the process of re-birth. This analysis will help to clarify common misconceptions of Tilmann Vetter and Lambert Schmithausen about the role of consciousness and kamma during the process of death and rebirth. Specifically, the paper addresses the role of the re-birth consciousness (paṭisandhi-viññāṇa), death consciousness (cūti-viññāṇa), life continuum consciousness (bhavaṅga-viññāṇa) and present consciousness (pavatti-viññāṇa) in the context of the three natures of existence and the results of action (kamma-vipāka) in future existences. Keywords: Bhava, Paṭiccasamuppāda, Kamma, Psycho-Cosmology, Punabbhava iafor The International Academic Forum www.iafor.org Prologue Bhava is the tenth link in the successive flow of human existence in the process of Dependent Origination (paṭiccasamuppāda).
    [Show full text]
  • Hosenji Temple
    Hosenji Temple Welcome to Hosenji Temple. To follow the tour, please use the guide map accompanying this text. The numbers on the map correspond to the numbers in this text. To start, please go to the area labeled number 1 on the guide map. 1. (at the entrance to Hosenji Temple grounds) Before we begin the tour, first, please listen to a short history of the temple. Historical Background Located in the northern part of the Kanto Plain, Hosenji is a Soto Sect Zen Buddhist temple, established in the year 1574 by Yura Narishige, the lord of Kiryu, Ota and Tatebayashi. The fact that Lord Yura established such a family temple during this Period of Warring States is a testament to his deep religious conviction. Since its establishment, more than 450 years have passed, during which time the temple has become steeped in the teachings of Buddha. Over the centuries, Hosenji has managed to avoid destruction by fire or other natural disasters and has maintained its original appearance. Hosenji possesses many important cultural assets, not only pertaining to the history of Kiryu, but of Gunma Prefecture as well. Given its beautiful natural environs and its monastic architecture, Hosenji has achieved the status of one of the most distinguished temples in the east Gunma area. Hosenji, however, has not always enjoyed a propitious history. Having been established as a family temple by the local lord, the temple was subject to the changing times as local administrators rose and fell in power. Yura Narishige died just five years after the temple was founded.
    [Show full text]
  • The Huayan/Kegon/Hwaŏm Paintings in East Asia
    DOROTHY WONG THE HUAYAN/KEGON/HWAŎM PAINTINGS IN EAST ASIA Introduction Huayan (J. Kegon; K. Hwaŏm) Buddhism, whose teachings are based on the Huayan jing, the Avataṃsaka-sūtra or Flower Garland Sūtra, is one of the most important schools of East Asian Buddhism.1 The Huayan jing has provided inspiration for the creation of numerous artworks, ritual objects, and architectural complexes.2 We are familiar with the portrayals of Vairocana (Ch. Darirulai 大日如來, or Piluzhenafo 毘廬遮那佛), Mañjuśrī (Ch. Wenshu 文殊), and Samantabhadra (Ch. Puxian 普賢) – the “Three Holy Ones” of Huayan Buddhism. The Gaṇḍavyūha, or Rufajiepin 入法界品, the last chapter of the Tang translation of the Huayan jing, recounts the young boy Sudhana’s (Ch. Shancai tongzi 善財童子) pilgrimage to visit fifty-three spiritual friends (kalyāṇamitra) in search of enlightenment. This originally independ- ent text has inspired a variety of popular pictorial narratives and sculptural reliefs. In this study I discuss a group of Huayan paintings that hitherto has received relatively little attention. These are the so-called Huayan bian 華嚴變, or “trans- formation tableaux” (referring to bian 變, bianxiang 變相, or jingbian 經變), that are intended to embody, or make manifest, the entirety of the sūtra’s teaching in a pictorial format. I examine the Chinese examples from Dunhuang, of ninth- to eleventh-century dates, and the slightly later Japanese ones dating to the Kamakura 1 Early versions of this chapter were presented at the 2004 Association for Asian Studies annual meeting in San Diego, and at the Chinese Buddhism Conference held at Hsi Lai Temple, Los Angeles, in June 2005.
    [Show full text]
  • A Study of the History and Cult of the Buddhist Earth Deity in Mainland Southeast Asia
    A Study of the History and Cult of the Buddhist Earth Deity in Mainland Southeast Asia A Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of PhD in Religious Studies at the University of Canterbury by Elizabeth Guthrie University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand 2004 A Study of the History and Cult of the Buddhist Earth Deity in Mainland Southeast Asia Volume 1 Text Acknowledgements Far-ranging research projects like this inevitably depend on the generosity and assistance of many people. Among those who helped me find the earth deity in image and texts, or helped with translations, were: Ang Choulean, K. Aphaivong. Bandol Samnang, Olivier de Bernon, Didier Bertrand, Fran(,{ois Bizot, Robert L. Brown, Kaye Carter, Chuch Phoeun, Shayne Clarke, John Crocker, Denison University Art Gallery, Robert Didham, Wichai Eungpinichpong, Wilai Eungpinichpong, John Marston, Long Tbol, Des Sothy, Anthony Diller, Jacqueline Filliozat, Rolf Giebel, Hang Chan Sophea, Louis Gabaude, Pam Gutman, Anne Hansen, Huberta Hellendoorn, Hor Lath, Khy Sophal, Khyaw Tha Nyunt, Kuy Lath, Fran(,{ois Lagirarde, Lan Sunnary, Leng Kok An, Lim Yii Hang, Long Tbol, Meng Prang, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Mey Poeun, Museum flir Indische Kunst, Neou Chamrong, Norton Simon Museum, Ouk Ry, Anatole Peltier, Phaitun Dokbukaeo, Phon Sin, Phoung Soueng, Sommai Premchit, Thonevath Pou, Saveros Pou, Craig Reynolds, Waldemar Sailer, Sao Hso Hom, Peter Skilling, Frank Smith, Ven. Suthep Surapong, Donald Swearer, Thein Tun U, Serge Thion, Ashley Thompson, Vijinthanasarn Panya, U Aung Kyaing, U Myint Aung, RE. Vann Molyvann, John Weeks, Hiram W.Woodward, Jr. I received funding from the NZFUW, NZASIA and the University of Canterbury.
    [Show full text]
  • Buddhism and the Dynamics of Transculturality Religion and Society
    Buddhism and the Dynamics of Transculturality Religion and Society Edited by Gustavo Benavides, Frank J. Korom, Karen Ruffle and Kocku von Stuckrad Volume 64 Buddhism and the Dynamics of Transculturality New Approaches Edited by Birgit Kellner ISBN 978-3-11-041153-9 e-ISBN (PDF) 978-3-11-041308-3 e-ISBN (EPUB) 978-3-11-041314-4 ISSN 1437-5370 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. For details go to: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/. Library of Congress Control Number: 2019941312 Bibliographic information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data are available on the Internet at http://dnb.dnb.de. © 2019 Birgit Kellner, published by Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston This book is published in open access at www.degruyter.com. Typesetting: Integra Software Services Pvt. Ltd. Printing and binding: CPI books GmbH, Leck www.degruyter.com Contents Birgit Kellner 1 Introduction 1 Ingo Strauch 2 Buddhism in the West? Buddhist Indian Sailors on Socotra (Yemen) and the Role of Trade Contacts in the Spread of Buddhism 15 Anna Filigenzi 3 Non-Buddhist Customs of Buddhist People: Visual and Archaeological Evidence from North-West Pakistan 53 Toru Funayama 4 Translation, Transcription, and What Else? Some Basic Characteristics of Chinese Buddhist Translation as a Cultural Contact between India and China, with Special Reference to Sanskrit ārya and Chinese sheng 85 Lothar Ledderose 5 Stone Hymn – The Buddhist Colophon of 579 Engraved on Mount Tie, Shandong 101 Anna Andreeva 6 “To Overcome the Tyranny of Time”: Stars, Buddhas, and the Arts of Perfect Memory at Mt.
    [Show full text]
  • Tibetan Buddhism in the (Post)Modern World
    Intercultural Communication Studies XV: 1 2006 Chuang Tibetan Buddhism, Symbolism, and Communication Implications in the (Post)modern World Rueyling Chuang, California State University, San Bernardino Abstract This paper explicates ontological and philosophical underpinnings of Tibetan Buddhism and its relevancy to human communication and interactions. Taking from the author's personal journey and practice of Tibetan Buddhism, and her research interests in intercultural communication, this paper provides examples that integrate essential Tibetan Buddhism teachings, cosmology and communication concepts, specifically with regard to symbolism, cultural values, spirituality, and (post)modernity. Essential Tibetan Buddhist teachings such as mind, body and speech, path to enlightenment, rituals, non-dualistic reality and impermanence are depicted to illustrate its relevancy to communication and everyday life in this (post)modern world. Introduction Tibetan Buddhist teachings have increasingly been integrated with western psychology (e.g., Moacanin, 2003) and postmodernism (Olson, 2000). Among all the sects of Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism and its spiritual leader, the Holy Dalai Lama, have received most attention and fascination from people in the contemporary world, both from the East and the West. Buddhist teachings of non-duality, non-attachment and selflessness transcend fixation with dichotomy and self-absorption. Specifically, Tibetan Buddhist ideas of nature of the mind, loving kindness, an ultimately clear and calm mind, wisdom, and compassion offer insight into human emotions and self-transformation in this sometimes chaotic, fragmented and stressful (post)modern world. Tibetan Buddhism, with its tantric (Vajrayana) tradition, offers skillful means to help individuals reach enlightenment in this lifetime. These methods are communicated through religious rituals (e.g., initiation ceremony), religious objects (e.g., thunderbolt), meditation, mantras, sacred paintings (Thangka), and mandalas.
    [Show full text]
  • Fudo Myoo's Independent Cult in Japan: an Analysis of Its Evolution and Value
    FUDO MYOO'S INDEPENDENT CULT IN JAPAN: AN ANALYSIS OF ITS EVOLUTION AND VALUE. A Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Dorothy Jean Sutton, B.A., B.F.A. ***** The Ohio State University 2006 Master's Examination Committee: Dr. John C. Huntington Dr. Julia Andrews Graduate Program in History of Art ABSTRACT This thesis is a collection of information on the Fudō Myōō cult in Japan and aims to create a diverse and complete historical analysis. Academic works by scholars such as Michael Saso, Adiran Snodgrass, Richard Karl Payne, Elizabeth ten Grotenhuis and Ulrich Mammitzsch are examined and their similarities and misconceptions explored. The aim of this thesis, then, is to create a solid base of understanding of the Fudō cult. This study begins with an introduction to the history of Esoteric Buddhism in Japan including a serious study of Kukai. Though his introduction of the Taizo-kai and Kongo-kai mandalas, the Godai Myōō became understood in Japan. Also from these mandalas, Fudō Myōō began to develop as an independent Buddhist cult image. The goma fire ritual was established in Japanese Shingon sects and was widely practiced. Thoughout this evolution of Esoteric Buddhism, images of Fudō Myōō remained important. Referenced images include wooden sculptures as well as paintings. These come from temples such as the To-ji, Todai-ji, Koyasan as well as in foreign collections. One specific piece of interest is the Fudō Myōō in the collection at the Chicago Arts Institute.
    [Show full text]
  • Avata ˙ Msaka Buddhism in East Asia
    Offprint Avatamsaka Buddhism in˙ East Asia Huayan, Kegon, Flower Ornament Buddhism Origins and Adaptation of a Visual Culture Edited by Robert Gimello, Frédéric Girard and Imre Hamar 2012 Harrassowitz Verlag · Wiesbaden Girard.indd Abs13 23.02.2012 11:24:57 DOROTHY C. WONG The Art of Avataṃsaka Buddhism at the Courts of Empress Wu and Emperor Shōmu/Empress Kōmyō Empress Wu 武后 (624–705, r. 684–705) was a devout Buddhist and also came to power through Buddhist legitimation, proclaiming herself the Maitreya Incarnate and a Cakravartin, a universal ruler. Among the Tang rulers, she was probably one of the most ardent supporters of Buddhism.1 Her court sponsored a stellar group of Bud- dhist translators, including the Indian monk Bodhiruci (Putiliuzhi 菩提流志, d. 722), who arrived in Chang’an in 693; the Khotanese monk Śikṣānanda (Shichanantuo 實 叉難陀, 651–710), who arrived in 695 and retranslated the Avataṃsaka-sūtra (Hua- yan jing 華嚴經); and the Chinese monk Yijing 義淨 (635–713), who returned to the Tang capitals in 695 after his pilgrimage to India by way of the maritime route. In Buddhist doctrine, the two schools most closely related to Empress Wu’s spon- sorship were the Huayan and the nascent Esoteric school. She sponsored a new trans- lation of the Huayan jing, and Fazang 法藏 (643–712), considered the third patriarch of the Huayan school, was one of her most trusted advisors. In the Huayan cosmol- ogy, Vairocana is the absolute, transcendent Buddha presiding over all other Buddhas in the universe. This cosmological concept informed the iconography of the Feng- xian Temple 奉先寺 at Longmen 龍門, built in 672–675, with the colossal statue of Roshana (Lushena 盧舍那) or Vairocana (Biluzhena 毗盧遮那) presiding over the pantheon (Figure 1).
    [Show full text]
  • VU Research Portal
    VU Research Portal God of Leegte? Zenboeddhist Masao Abe in dialoog met christelijke denkers Vroom, A.L. 2014 document version Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Link to publication in VU Research Portal citation for published version (APA) Vroom, A. L. (2014). God of Leegte? Zenboeddhist Masao Abe in dialoog met christelijke denkers. General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public 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 public portal ? Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. E-mail address: [email protected] Download date: 28. Sep. 2021 Summary: God or Emptiness? Zen Buddhist Masao Abe in dialogue with Christian thinkers (Introduction) The subject of this study is the dialogue that occurred in the second half of the twentieth cen- tury between Christian and Zen Buddhist academics in the United States, Japan, and Europe on God and Emptiness. This study is directed at the dialogue with the central bridge figure on the Buddhist side, the Japanese Zen philosopher Masao Abe (1915-2006).
    [Show full text]
  • Natural Law in the Buddhist Tradition
    THE NATURAL LAW IN THE BUDDHIST TRADITION (The Buddhist View of the World) Daisetz T. Suzuki (Visiting Professor of Japanese Culture, Claremont College, Claremont, Calif. Professor Emeritus, Otani University, Kyoto, Japan; Visiting Professor of Buddhist Philosophy, University of Hawaii, 1949; member of the Japanese Acad- emy; author of various publications on Buddhist philosophy and literature.) THE NATURAL LAW IN THE BUDDHIST TRADITION IN Japan soon after the war, I chanced to speak with one of the judges of the War Crimes Tribunal then in ses- sion in Toyko. He asked me about the Buddhist view re- garding the ultimate authority of ethical laws. When I asked him what he meant by "authority," he replied that in Christianity ethical laws are considered as issuing from God and therefore the violators of morality are sinners against God. He further stated that if we did not derive our ethical values from God, they would have no au- thority, no compelling power over human affairs. This argument struck me as rather strange, for I had thought moral laws were just as binding even when we regarded them as human-made. Inasmuch as our human society cannot exist without some system of regulations, moral or political, economic or juridical, they are all to be observed by the individual members who compose such a community. The question is not whether such regula- tions are human-made or God-made. As long as they are laws they ought to be binding on us, and we ought not to think of going against them in any way. For if we did, that would surely endanger the very existence of the commun- ity.
    [Show full text]
  • Contributions to the Study of Popular Buddhism: the Newar Buddhist Festival of Gumla Dharma 309
    J ournal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies Volume 16 • Number 2 • Winter 1993 JAMES HEVIA Lamas, Emperors, and RituaIs:Political Implications in Qing Imperial Ceremonies 243 LEONARD W. J. VAN DER KUIJP Two Mongol Xylographs (Hor Par Ma) of the Tibetan Text of Sa Skya Pandita's Work on Buddhist Logic and Epistemology * ' 279 PER KVAERNE Recent French Contributions to Himalayan and Tibetan Studies 299 TODD T. LEWIS Contributions to the Study of Popular Buddhism: The Newar Buddhist Festival of Gumla Dharma 309 JOHN C. HUNTINGTON A Re-examination of a Kaniska Period Tetradrachm Coin Type with an Image of Metrago/Maitreya on the Reverse (Gobi 793.1) and a Brief Notice on the Impor­ tance of the Inscription Relative to Bactro-Gandharan Buddhist Iconography of the Period 355 RODERICK S. BUCKNELL Reinterpreting the Jhdnas 375 TODD T. LEWIS Contributions to the Study of Popular Buddhism: The Newar Buddhist Festival of Gumla Dharma Buddhist monasticism arose to provide refuge and support for renun- ciates seeking enlightenment, but the tradition survived by building multifaceted relationships with lay patron communities that provided for the monks' subsistence. Solidifying the loyalty of a cross-section of society's economic classes, Buddhism evolved to espouse the basic foundations of spiritually-centered civilization. Centered on high moral standards and attuned to daily life, local Buddhist traditions en­ compassed a broad range of intellectual discourse and ritual perfor­ mances. Over the first millennium, the samgha's role developed as monks taught a variety of audiences, provided ritual assistance, and participated in a yearly festival agenda, adapting to myriad local tradi­ tions in the process.1 The author would like to thank the family of Karkot Man Tuladhar, Subarna Tuladhar, and Sanu Bajracarya for the always generous assistance they showed to me while I researched Buddhism in their community.
    [Show full text]