South Asian Buddhism

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Contents Acknowledgments x Map of South Asian Buddhist sites xii Formations: the Buddha and his Dharma 1 The world of the Buddha 1 The renunciants of Ancient India 4 The Buddha and his Dharma 6 After the Buddha's Awakening 8 The Noble Eightfold Path 10 The Four Noble Truths 11 The Establishment of the Sangha 13 The Buddha's early rivals 16 Remembering and representing the Buddha 21 Biographies of the Buddha 22 Symbols and images of the Buddha 27 Foundations: Mainstream Buddhist texts and communities 33 The development of the Sangha 33 Elaborations on the Vinaya 35 Founding the Bhiksupl order 38 Buddhist councils 42 First Council of Rajagrha 43 Second Council of VaisalT 44 Later Buddhist councils 44 Buddhist canons and texts 46 Writing canonical texts 48 Mainstream Buddhist schools 51 Mahasarnghika and related schools 52 Sthavira Schools I: Pudgalavada 53 Sthavira Schools II: Sarvastivada 55 Sthavira Schools III: Vibhajyavada and Theravada 58 Sthavira Schools IV: Sautrantika 60 Abhidharma speculation 61 Furcations: origins and development of the Mahayana 68 Lay Buddhism in Ancient India 68 The origins of the Mahayana 71 Mahayana texts 75 The Bodhisattva path 81 Philosophical systems of the Mahayana 86 Madhyamaka 87 Yogacara 92 viii Contents Tathagatagarbha thought 96 The Mahayana pantheon 97 Heavenly Buddhas 97 Heavenly Bodhisattvas 101 4 Consolidations: medieval systems of thought and practice 104 Buddhist scholasticism 104 Vasubandhu (4th-5th c. CE ) 108 Buddhaghosa (5th c. CE ) 113 DharmakTrti (ca. 600-670 CE ) 117 Santideva (ca. 685-763 CE ) 121 Buddhist Tantra and the Vajrayana 125 Tantric Buddhist texts 128 Tantric Buddhist rituals 130 Legacies of Buddhist Tantra 137 5 Reappraisals: later developments in the South Asian Buddhist world 139 Buddhism in Sri Lanka 142 Monastic institutions 142 Buddhist rituals in Sri Lanka 148 Sinhala Buddhist literature 153 Buddhism in Nepal 156 Buddhist literature in Nepal 160 Buddhism in Bhutan 163 Colonialism and Christianity 165 Buddhist responses to Christian missions 167 Colonial-era scholarship on Buddhism 169 Reinterpreting Buddhism in Nepal and India 170 6 Revivals: Buddhism and modernity in South Asia 172 Modern Buddhist revivals 174 Buddhist nationalism in Sri Lanka 174 The Buddhist revival in Nepal 181 The Buddhist revival in Bangladesh 184 Buddhist nuns 185 The revival of the Bhikkhunl order in Sri Lanka 185 The revival of Buddhist nuns in Nepal 190 Buddhist activism 192 Ambedkar Buddhism 192 Buddhist development in Sri Lanka 196 Tibetan Buddhism in South Asia 199 Lay Buddhist practice 202 Appendix 206 Glossary 217 Bibliography 224 Index 235.

Copy Link

Recommended publications

Mahayana Buddhism: the Doctrinal Foundations, Second Edition
9780203428474_4_001.qxd 16/6/08 11:55 AM Page 1 1 Introduction Buddhism: doctrinal diversity and (relative) moral unity There is a Tibetan saying that just as every valley has its own language so every teacher has his own doctrine. This is an exaggeration on both counts, but it does indicate the diversity to be found within Buddhism and the important role of a teacher in mediating a received tradition and adapting it to the needs, the personal transformation, of the pupil. This divers- ity prevents, or strongly hinders, generalization about Buddhism as a whole. Nevertheless it is a diversity which Mahayana Buddhists have rather gloried in, seen not as a scandal but as something to be proud of, indicating a richness and multifaceted ability to aid the spiritual quest of all sentient, and not just human, beings. It is important to emphasize this lack of unanimity at the outset. We are dealing with a religion with some 2,500 years of doctrinal development in an environment where scho- lastic precision and subtlety was at a premium. There are no Buddhist popes, no creeds, and, although there were councils in the early years, no attempts to impose uniformity of doctrine over the entire monastic, let alone lay, establishment. Buddhism spread widely across Central, South, South-East, and East Asia. It played an important role in aiding the cultural and spiritual development of nomads and tribesmen, but it also encountered peoples already very culturally and spiritually developed, most notably those of China, where it interacted with the indigenous civilization, modifying its doctrine and behaviour in the process.
[Show full text]
Metaphor and Literalism in Buddhism
METAPHOR AND LITERALISM IN BUDDHISM The notion of nirvana originally used the image of extinguishing a ﬁre. Although the attainment of nirvana, ultimate liberation, is the focus of the Buddha’s teaching, its interpretation has been a constant problem to Buddhist exegetes, and has changed in different historical and doctrinal contexts. The concept is so central that changes in its understanding have necessarily involved much larger shifts in doctrine. This book studies the doctrinal development of the Pali nirvana and sub- sequent tradition and compares it with the Chinese Agama and its traditional interpretation. It clariﬁes early doctrinal developments of nirvana and traces the word and related terms back to their original metaphorical contexts. Thereby, it elucidates diverse interpretations and doctrinal and philosophical developments in the abhidharma exegeses and treatises of Southern and Northern Buddhist schools. Finally, the book examines which school, if any, kept the original meaning and reference of nirvana. Soonil Hwang is Assistant Professor in the Department of Indian Philosophy at Dongguk University, Seoul. His research interests are focused upon early Indian Buddhism, Buddhist Philosophy and Sectarian Buddhism. ROUTLEDGE CRITICAL STUDIES IN BUDDHISM General Editors: Charles S. Prebish and Damien Keown Routledge 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, bibliographic studies, and considera- tions 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.
[Show full text]
Ontology of Consciousness
Ontology of Consciousness Percipient Action edited by Helmut Wautischer A Bradford Book The MIT Press Cambridge, Massachusetts London, England ( 2008 Massachusetts Institute of Technology All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or me- chanical means (including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval) without permission in writing from the publisher. MIT Press books may be purchased at special quantity discounts for business or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail [email protected] or write to Special Sales Depart- ment, The MIT Press, 55 Hayward Street, Cambridge, MA 02142. This book was set in Stone Serif and Stone Sans on 3B2 by Asco Typesetters, Hong Kong, and was printed and bound in the United States of America. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Ontology of consciousness : percipient action / edited by Helmut Wautischer. p. cm. ‘‘A Bradford book.’’ Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-262-23259-3 (hardcover : alk. paper)—ISBN 978-0-262-73184-3 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Consciousness. 2. Philosophical anthropology. 3. Culture—Philosophy. 4. Neuropsychology— Philosophy. 5. Mind and body. I. Wautischer, Helmut. B105.C477O58 2008 126—dc22 2006033823 10987654321 Index Abaluya culture (Kenya), 519 as limitation of Turing machines, 362 Abba Macarius of Egypt, 166 as opportunity, 365, 371 Abhidharma in dualism, person as extension of matter, as guides to Buddhist thought and practice, 167, 454 10–13, 58 in focus of attention, 336 basic content, 58 in measurement of intervals, 315 in Asanga’s ‘‘Compendium of Abhidharma’’ in regrouping of elements, 335, 344 (Abhidharma-samuccaya), 67 in technical causality, 169, 177 in Maudgalyayana’s ‘‘On the Origin of shamanic separation from body, 145 Designations’’ Prajnapti–sastra,73 Action, 252–268.
[Show full text]
Buddhist Ethics in Japan and Tibet: a Comparative Study of the Adoption of Bodhisattva and Pratimoksa Precepts
University of San Diego Digital USD Theology and Religious Studies: Faculty Scholarship Department of Theology and Religious Studies 1994 Buddhist Ethics in Japan and Tibet: A Comparative Study of the Adoption of Bodhisattva and Pratimoksa Precepts Karma Lekshe Tsomo PhD University of San Diego, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digital.sandiego.edu/thrs-faculty Part of the Buddhist Studies Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Digital USD Citation Tsomo, Karma Lekshe PhD, "Buddhist Ethics in Japan and Tibet: A Comparative Study of the Adoption of Bodhisattva and Pratimoksa Precepts" (1994). Theology and Religious Studies: Faculty Scholarship. 18. https://digital.sandiego.edu/thrs-faculty/18 This Conference Proceeding is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at Digital USD. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theology and Religious Studies: Faculty Scholarship by an authorized administrator of Digital USD. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Buddhist Behavioral Codes and the Modern World An Internationa] Symposium Edited by Charles Weihsun Fu and Sandra A. Wawrytko Buddhist Behavioral Codes and the Modern World Recent Titles in Contributions to the Study of Religion Buddhist Behavioral Cross, Crescent, and Sword: The Justification and Limitation of War in Western and Islamic Tradition Codes and the James Turner Johnson and John Kelsay, editors The Star of Return: Judaism after the Holocaust
[Show full text]
General Introduction1
GENERAL INTRODUCTION1 ROBERT KRITZER A. Sautrantika Reconsidered Although the term “Sautrantika” appears in virtually every general study of Indian Buddhism, there is little reliable information about who the Sautrantikas really were and exactly what positions they maintained. Until recently, scholars confidently referred to Sautrantika ideas without critically examining the basis on which these ideas were identified as such. As a result, there was a body of common “knowledge” about Sautrantika, most of it ultimately drawn from a handful of sources that are often not even cited. Since about 1980, however, Japan has been the center of a renewed interest in Sautrantika, and studies have questioned the assumptions that have been current for so long. The title of the panel of the Thirteenth Conference of the International Association of Buddhist Studies (Bangkok, 2002) at which the papers in this issue were originally read was “Sautran- tika Reconsidered,” and it is largely thanks to recent Japanese scholar- ship that it is now both necessary and possible to reconsider Sautrantika. The word “Sautrantika” means a follower of the sutras, and when we think of Sautrantika, we generally think of a group that came into exis- tence around the beginning of the Common Era and that, as its name sug- gests, considered sutra rather than sastra to be authoritative. Sautrantika is frequently included in a list of four major schools of Indian Buddhism familiar to all students of Buddhism (the other three being Sarvastivada, Madhyamika, and Yogacara). Here it should perhaps be emphasized that Sautrantika is not a sect. Although the terms “sect” and “school” are often used loosely or interchangeably, Bechert points out that what Frauwall- ner refers to as “Vinaya sects” are different from the doctrinal schools, or nikayas (9-10).
[Show full text]
An Archaeological Analysis of Early Buddhism and the Mauryan Empire at Lumbini, Nepal
Durham E-Theses The Mauryan Horizon: An Archaeological Analysis of Early Buddhism and the Mauryan Empire at Lumbini, Nepal TREMBLAY, JENNIFER,CARRIE How to cite: TREMBLAY, JENNIFER,CARRIE (2014) The Mauryan Horizon: An Archaeological Analysis of Early Buddhism and the Mauryan Empire at Lumbini, Nepal , Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/11038/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 Abstract The Mauryan Horizon: An Archaeological Analysis of early Buddhism and the Mauryan Empire at Lumbini, Nepal Jennifer Carrie Tremblay The archaeology of Buddhism in South Asia is reliant on the art historical study of monumental remains, the identification of which is tied to the textual historical sources that dominate Buddhist scholarship. The development and spread of early Buddhism from the third century BCE has been intrinsically linked with the Mauryan Emperor Asoka, and is consequently reliant on the identification of ‘Mauryan’ remains in the archaeological record.
[Show full text]
The Sequential Arisingof Vijnnanasinthe Early Yogacara and the Sarvastivada
The JapaneseAssociationJapanese Association of Indian and Buddhist Studies (180) Journal ofIndian and Buddhist Studies Vol. 64, No. 3, March 2016 The Sequential Arising of VijnNanas in the Early Yogacara and the Sarvastivada TAKATSUKASA Yttki 1. Introduction The Paficavijn-dnaketyasarriprayukta bhamih. (PBh) and the Manobhami (MBh), the first two sections of the Yogacarabhtimi, present valuable materials for the study of early YogAcara epistemology; unfbrtunately however, we have fbund some occasional, but serious, problems in the critically established Sanskrit text of these sections. In Takatsukasa [2o14: 184], therefore, I reconsidered a problematic passage by verifying the readings of the single extant Sanskrit manuscript and then proposed an emendation to the edited text. According to the emended text, the MBh postuiates that only one vijn-ana can arise in one moment, theugh it does not explicitly mention whether a simultaneity of six vijnNanas is possible or not Instead, the MBh rather emphasizes the relative subsequence of vijnnyanas: any single sensory perception cannot arise sequentially in two moments. On the other hand, as discussed below, the 5arvfistivada, which also denies the possibility of a simultaneous arising of vV'nNanas, permits that a sensory perception can arise immediately after a sensory perception in the Apidamo da piposha lun Pnj eemeza Jkl *Mahavibhasa, eevai9th (Skt. MVi), Previous studies on this topic only introduce or exame thiqie shi lttu) em in the MVi, and they do not compare the description directly i) with other texts, nor do they examine the distinction between the two theories. In this paper,Iwould like to fbcus on the YbgacarabhUmi as the representative ofthe early Yogacara and MVi as the representative ofthe Sarvastivada, in order to point out the difTerent ways in which they expound the sequence of vijnNanas, as well as a divergence concerning the possibility ofa sequential arising ofsensory perceptions.
[Show full text]
How 086 Works. the Arya Mfila-Sarvastivada School Exxsted
7 . S o - s o r - t h a r - p a ; o r , a C o d e o f B u d d h i s t M o n a s t i c L a w s : B e i n g t h e T i b e t a n v e r s i o n o f P r é t i m o k s a o f t h e M ﬁ l a - s a r v ﬁ s t i v a d a S c h o o l . E d i t e d a n d t r a n s l a t e d b y M A H A M A H O P S D H Y A Y A S A T I S C H A N D R A V I D Y A B H U S A N A , M . A . , P H . D . , M . R . A . S . , F . A . S . B . P R E F A C E B Y T H E E D I T O R A N D T R A N S L A T O R . T h e w o r k , t h e T i b e t a n t e x t a n d a n E n g l i s h t r a n s l a t i o n o f w h i c h a r e e m b o d i e d i n t h i s v o l u m e , i s n a m e d S o - s o r - t h a r - p a 1 n T i b e t a n , c o r r e s p o n d i n g .
[Show full text]
The-Buddhist-Circuit-Brand-Identity-Usage-Guidelines.Pdf
Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION SOUTH ASIAN BUDDHIST HERITAGE: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE ..........................................................................1 GUIDELINES FOR A COMMON BRAND IDENTITY FOR THE BUDDHIST CIRCUIT IN SOUTH ASIA OBJECTIVES AND AUDIENCE...................................................................................................................................................2 WHY A COMMON VISUAL AND BRAND IDENTITY? ..........................................................................................................2 METHODOLOGY FOR THE CREATION OF THE BRAND IDENTITY ................................................................................3 NOMENCLATURE ..........................................................................................................................................................................4 ELEMENTS ......................................................................................................................................................................................6 Inner Circle Symbol .............................................................................................................................................................7 Outer Circle Symbol ............................................................................................................................................................8 Inner Circle Motto
[Show full text]
The Buddhist Theory of Self-Cognition
THE BUDDHIST THEORY OF SELF-COGNITION This highly original work explores the concept of self-awareness or self- consciousness in Buddhist thought. Within the Buddhist doctrinal system, the Sanskrit word svasaMvedana or svasaMvitti (self-cognition, self-awareness or self-consciousness) signifies a form of reflexive awareness. It is one of the key concepts in the Buddhist epistemological system developed by Dignaga (ca. 480–540 ) and his followers. The discussion on whether the mind knows itself also had a long history in the Buddhist schools of Mahasamghika, Sarvastivada, Sautrantika and early Yogacara. The same issue was debated later among followers of the Madhyamaka and Yogacara schools. This work is the first to study systematically the Buddhist theory of self-cognition with an emphasis on its pre-Dignaga development. Its central thesis is that the Buddhist theory of self-cognition originated in a soteriological discussion of omniscience among the Mahasamghikas, and then evolved into a topic of epistemological inquiry among the Yogacarins. To illustrate this central theme, the author draws on a large body of primary sources in Chinese, Pali, Sanskrit and Tibetan, most of which are being presented to an English readership for the first time. This work makes available important resources for the study of the Buddhist philosophy of mind. Zhihua Yao received his Ph.D. from Boston University. He is currently Assistant Professor at the Centre of Buddhist Studies, The University of Hong Kong, and specializes in Buddhist Philosophy and Philosophy of Religion. i TBTA01 1 21/9/05, 9:16 AM ROUTLEDGE CRITICAL STUDIES IN BUDDHISM General Editors: Charles S.
[Show full text]
Aspects of the Study of the (Earlier) Indian Mahāyāna
JIABS Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies Volume 27 Number 1 2004 David SEYFORT RUEGG Aspects of the Investigation of the (earlier) Indian Mahayana....... 3 Giulio AGOSTINI Buddhist Sources on Feticide as Distinct from Homicide ............... 63 Alexander WYNNE The Oral Transmission of the Early Buddhist Literature ................ 97 Robert MAYER Pelliot tibétain 349: A Dunhuang Tibetan Text on rDo rje Phur pa 129 Sam VAN SCHAIK The Early Days of the Great Perfection........................................... 165 Charles MÜLLER The Yogacara Two Hindrances and their Reinterpretations in East Asia.................................................................................................... 207 Book Review Kurt A. BEHRENDT, The Buddhist Architecture of Gandhara. Handbuch der Orientalistik, section II, India, volume seventeen, Brill, Leiden-Boston, 2004 by Gérard FUSSMAN............................................................................. 237 Notes on the Contributors............................................................................ 251 ASPECTS OF THE STUDY OF THE (EARLIER) INDIAN MAHAYANA* D. SEYFORT RUEGG Il est aussi facile dans l’Inde de constater des prolongements que malaisé d’assister à des ruptures. (L. Renou, Études védiques et pa∞inéennes, tome VI [Paris, 1960], p. 11) Proem As a continuation of his monumental Histoire du bouddhisme indien, published in 1958, Étienne Lamotte once envisaged writing a second volume to be devoted to the Indian Mahayana. This second part was, however,
[Show full text]
Early Buddhist Stupas and the Origin of Mahayana Buddhism
Material Practice and the Metamorphosis of a Sign: Early Buddhist Stupas and the Origin of Mahayana Buddhism LArS FogeLiN While there is some debate, Buddhist textual sources suggest that the Buddha lived in the gangetic Plain of South Asia from roughly the late sixth to early fifth centuries b.c. (but see Bechert 1995). over the next six centuries, Buddhism became established throughout South Asia and beyond. Later, in the first through fifth centuries ad, in- dian Buddhism went through a profound and transformative change in terms of its theology and ritual. This change led to the development of Mahayana Buddhism. While there is no single, coherent body of Mahayana scripture, one element is par- ticularly central. Where early Buddhists viewed the Buddha as an absent exemplar for the attainment of enlightenment, later Mahayana Buddhists worshiped an active Buddha with continuing involvement in the world. in Mahayana Buddhism, the Bud- dha and Bodhisattvas continued to intercede in worldly affairs to help others attain enlightenment. The development of Mahayana Buddhism coincided with a change in the material representation of the Buddha. Buddha images, which were taboo in early Buddhism, became common in South Asia. What factors allowed for Mahayana Buddhism to diverge from early Buddhist orthodoxy in the first through fifth centu- ries a.d.? What conditions allowed Buddha images to assist in this process? Answers to these questions lie at the intersection of studies of materiality, practice theory, and semiotics. Prior to the advent of Buddha images in the first through fifth centuries a.d., the most common foci of Buddhist rituals were stupas.
[Show full text]