DOCSLIB.ORG

In Hell the One Without Sin Is Lord: Sino-Japanese Tales of Descent Into the Underworld

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
In Hell the One Without Sin Is Lord: Sino-Japanese Tales of Descent Into the Underworld SINO-PLATONIC PAPERS Number 109 October, 2000 In Hell the One Without Sin Is Lord: Sino-Japanese Tales of Descent into the Underworld by Conán Dean Carey Victor H. Mair, Editor Sino-Platonic Papers Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305 USA [email protected] www.sino-platonic.org SINO-PLATONIC PAPERS FOUNDED 1986 Editor-in-Chief VICTOR H. MAIR Associate Editors PAULA ROBERTS MARK SWOFFORD ISSN 2157-9679 (print) 2157-9687 (online) SINO-PLATONIC PAPERS is an occasional series dedicated to making available to specialists and the interested public the results of research that, because of its unconventional or controversial nature, might otherwise go unpublished. The editor-in-chief actively encourages younger, not yet well established, scholars and independent authors to submit manuscripts for consideration. Contributions in any of the major scholarly languages of the world, including romanized modern standard Mandarin (MSM) and Japanese, are acceptable. In special circumstances, papers written in one of the Sinitic topolects (fangyan) may be considered for publication. Although the chief focus of Sino-Platonic Papers is on the intercultural relations of China with other peoples, challenging and creative studies on a wide variety of philological subjects will be entertained. This series is not the place for safe, sober, and stodgy presentations. Sino- Platonic Papers prefers lively work that, while taking reasonable risks to advance the field, capitalizes on brilliant new insights into the development of civilization. Submissions are regularly sent out to be refereed, and extensive editorial suggestions for revision may be offered. Sino-Platonic Papers emphasizes substance over form. We do, however, strongly recommend that prospective authors consult our style guidelines at www.sino-platonic.org/stylesheet.doc. Manuscripts should be submitted as electronic files, preferably in Microsoft Word format. You may wish to use our sample document template, available here: www.sino-platonic.org/spp.dot. Beginning with issue no. 171, Sino-Platonic Papers has been published electronically on the Web at www.sino-platonic.org. Issues 1–170, however, will continue to be sold as paper copies until our stock runs out, after which they too will be made available on the Web. Please note: When the editor goes on an expedition or research trip, all operations (including filling orders) may temporarily cease for up to three months at a time. In such circumstances, those who wish to purchase various issues of SPP are requested to wait patiently until he returns. If issues are urgently needed while the editor is away, they may be requested through Interlibrary Loan. You should also check our Web site at www.sino-platonic.org, as back issues are regularly rereleased for free as PDF editions. Sino-Platonic Papers is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial- NoDerivs 2.5 License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 543 Howard Street, 5th Floor, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA. Corum Dean Carey, "In Hell the One Without Sin Is Lord" Sino-Platonic Papers, 109 (October, 2000) Contents • Part One Introduction................................................................................. 1 I. The Folktale on Emperor T' ai Tsung's Descent Found at Tun-huang.............................................. 7 ll. How Chinese Tales of the Underworld Evolved........................................................... 9 ill. Origins of the Story of Emperor T'ai Tsung.................... 11 IV. The Ligh.ter Side of Hell...................................................... 13 V. Japanese Stories with Textual or Thematic Links to the Tale of Emperor T'ai Tsung.......................... 14 VI. The Story of Nichizo: A Japan~se Emperor in Hell.............................................. 21 VIT. Conclusion: The Origin of Kitano Tenjin Shrine and its Chinese Predecessors............................................ 28 Part Two Introduction................................................................................. 32 I. 11te Book of Maudgalyiiyana ................................................ 33 . ll. The Transformation Texts on Maudgalyayana............... 36 i Conan Dean Carey, "In Hell the One Without Sin Is Lord" Sino-Platonic Papers, 109 (October, 2000) ill. Chinese Wizards Who Journeyed to Hell in th.e Buddhist Canon........................................................ 42 IV. Manichaean and Dionysian Echoes in the Maudgalyayana Cycle.............................................. 48 V. Conclusion.............................................................................. 54 Select Bibliography................................................................................. 56 ii Corum Dean Carey, "In Hell the One Without Sin Is Lord" Sino-Platonic Papers, 109 (Oct., 2000) In Hell the One Without Sin Is Lord: Sino-Japanese Tales of Descent into the Underworld Conan Dean Carey Ph.D. Candidate, Stanford University Part One An intelligent hell would be better than a stupid paradise. -Victor Hugo, Ninety-three, 1874 Introduction The genre of Jigoku meguri or IItours of Hell" in Japanese literature has been little studied by scholars outside Japan, yet the theme is ubiquitous in the medieval setsuwa collections. The motif is listed as number 470 in Hiroko Ikeda's pathbreaking work A Type and Motif Index of Japanese Folk-Literature, where she remarks IIIn Nippon Ryooiki, 822 A.D., there are 12 versions.... In Konjaku, ca. 1050 A.D., I find 84 versions .... These early versions appear time and again in later Buddhist literature, but are unknown in oral tradition."l Ikeda also offers a general outline of the development of a typical Jigoku meguri, which runs as follows: I. The Visit. A Buddhist priest (courtier, layman) who during his life has done some good and some evil deeds, dies suddenly. The body is not cremated, but is attended and a watch kept by the family or friends. II. The Journey. Two (five to ten) messengers come to take him to Hell (Paradise). 1 Hiroko Ikeda, "A Type and Motif Index of Japanese Folk-Literature," in FF Communications (Helsinki: Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia Academia Scientiarum Fennica, 1971), v. LXXXIX, No. 209, p. 119. 1 Conan Dean Carey, "In Hell the One Without Sin Is Lord" Sino-Platonic Papers, 109 (Oct., 2000) (1) On the way a deep river has to be crossed. (2) At one point the road divides into three; one is wide and straight, another passable with some weeds, and the last is overgrown with weeds. He is made to take the first or the second depending on how good or bad he has been. (3) He sees a tall golden palace, which is explained as being the future dwelling of his friend (wife), a devout Buddhist. ill. Mediator. At the court of judgment, a Buddha appears and acts as a mediator, making him promise to make amends for his evil deeds, or to fulish his uncompleted "good" deeds. IV. The Return. He comes back by the same road and revives after one, three, or nine days, and finds he has been away that many years. v. Death. He tells people what he has seen, fulfills what he has promised to do (copying the Lotus Sutra, etc.), and dies at the end of the alotted time.2 While no purely oral tradition in the folkloric sense exists for these stories, Barbara Ruch has documented the practice of picture storytelling through so-called etoki scrolls by medieval jongleurs starting in the Kamakura and continuing through the early Edo periods. While reciting a well-known story from a written text, the storyteller would occasionally gesture to an illustration on a painted scroll depicting scenes from the narrative in vivid detail as the plot progressed. Professor Ruch traces the origins of the practice as follows: The performance of emaki emerged during the twelfth century in major shrines and temples through an activity known as etoki, or IIpicture explanations," performed by etoki noshi or IIpicture explaining priests," who were sometimes also simply called etold, "picture explainers." Engi emaki (illustrated histories of shrines and temples and of the origins of the deities wors~pped there) and kOsDden emaki (illustrated biographical works depicting events in the lives of important priests and founders of sects) were displayed in temples on certain occasions and an etoki hoshi would give an 2 Ikeda, pp. 118-119. 2 Conan Dean Carey, '''In Hell the One Without Sin Is Lord" Sino-Platonic Papers, 109 (Oct., 2000) etoki performance by providing a narrative for the viewers. The practice of etoki must have had a long history in Japan. Since the etoki o~ wall paintings and scrolls was a Buddhist activity known in China, it seems probable that priests imported the practice to Japan along with many other religious customs sometime after the introduction of Buddhism.3 We must also agree with Ruch that Usurely Hell is a peculiar place to want to visit: people are being slashed by knives, tom limb from limb, boiled in molten metal, and beaten with scourges by monsters."4 Ye~ the undeniable fascination these accounts held for Japanese readers, and for the audiences who flocked to see the performative art of etoki, suggests that these stories fulfilled an unconscious need based on commonly held beliefs in the accessibility of separate realities, whether while waking, dreaming or in heightened psychological states of ecstasy. Hayao Kawai has reflected on Hell stories in
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Bad Karma of the Buddha1
    Buddhist Studies Review 19, 1 (2002) 70 other THE BAD KARMA OF THE BUDDHA 1 In conclusion, the spiritual progress of the early Buddhists in the Pali Canon depends on their understanding and practice of the GUANG XING Dhamma, rather than their status as lay people or monastics. If the latter are more likely to make substantial progress, this is because important The bad karma of the Buddha is more than probable an of their unique situation. The householder who is fully engaged in because it is historical issue concerning the concept of the Buddha working and supporting his or her family may have to concentrate Mahayana and found in all three Buddhist traditions: Theravada, slla, teachings to lay people by the deeds are on dana and and the offered Vairayana. In the Pali Canon, the Buddha's unskilful and also Buddha and by senior monks usually concentrate on various as- recorded in the Pubbakammapiloti of the Apadana ot the pects of these two methods of acquiring punna, 'merit' or 'karmic referred to in the Milindapanha. In the Chinese translation the fruitfulness'. But teachings on the Four Noble Truths, or on Tripitaka, they are found in ten different texts, while in five texts concerning this matter. various aspects of meditation, may also be included if the hearers Tibetan Canon there are at least are seen as ready to understand more of the Dhamma. While many became Stream-Winners, those lay disciples in particular who have 1 conference, SOAS, 3 July 2001. a measure of independence from worldly ties, or those who are Originally presented at the UKABS 2 issue, a tradition there is another source relevant to this coming to the end of their lives, seem to have a genuine oppor- In the Theravada Dasabalasrlmitra in his list of sixteen incidents transmitted by tunity to become nee-Returners, or even Non-Returners, and (in Sammatlya O list a Sinhalese Samskrtasamskrtaviniscaya.
    [Show full text]
  • The Bodhisattva Precepts
    【CONTENTS】 Foreword 03 Introduction 06 The Source of Compassion 10 Who Is a Bodhisattva? 13 How to Overcome Difficulties 15 On Vinaya Practice 20 The Five Precepts 23 The Ten Good Deeds 25 The Three Sets of Pure Precepts 31 On Violation of the Precepts 35 The Four Immeasurable Minds ‥‥ 37 The Four Methods of Inducement 41 Participation in the World ︱ The Bodhisattva Precepts Foreword his book consists of talks on the bodhisattva T precepts by Master Sheng Yen given at the Chan Meditation Center in New York from December 6 through 8, 1997. We sincerely hope that this commentary on the bodhisattva precepts will provide the reader with a clear understanding of their meaning, as well as the inspiration to integrate these teachings into their lives. We wish to acknowledge several individuals for their help in producing this booklet: Guo-gu /translation Simeon Gallu/organization and editorial assistance The International Affairs Office Dharma Drum Mountain January, 2005 Introduction ︱ Introduction here is a saying in Mahayana Buddhism: "Those T who have precepts to break are bodhisattvas; those who have no precepts to break are outer-path followers." Many Buddhists know that receiving the bodhisattva precepts generates great merit, yet they believe this without a real understanding of the profound meaning of the precepts, or of what keeping these precepts entails. They receive the precepts as a matter of course, knowing only that receiving them is a good thing to do. To try to remedy this situation, we are conducting the transmission of the bodhisattva precepts over the course of three days so that prior to the formal transmission ceremony, I can explain to all participants the meaning and significance of these precepts within the Mahayana tradition.
    [Show full text]
  • Virtues Without Rules: Ethics in the Insight Meditation Movement Gil Fronsdal
    Virtues without Rules: Ethics in the Insight Meditation Movement Gil Fronsdal INTRODUCTION Observers have commented that for Buddhism to take firm hold in the West it needs to develop a well- articulated ethic. This chapter is a study of how Buddhist ethics is taught within one rapidly growing movement of Western Buddhism: what I will be calling the Insight Meditation movement. While the movement has so far published no overview of its ethics, enough material is now available for us to discern some general points. Among Buddhist movements in the West, the Insight Meditation movement is unique in that it is not simply a transplant of an Asian Buddhist tradition. Rather, it can be seen as a new tradition taking shape in the West around particular meditative practices of vipassanā, often translated as “insight meditation” or colloquially as “mindfulness practice.” Vipassanā practice is clearly derived from the Theravāda Buddhism of South and Southeast Asia, where it has a central soteriological role. However, in bringing this meditation practice to the West, the founders of the Insight Meditation movement have consciously downplayed (or even jettisoned) many important elements of the Theravāda tradition, including monasticism, rituals, merit-making, and Buddhist cosmology. Without these and other elements, the Insight Meditation movement has been relatively unencumbered in developing itself into a form of Western Buddhism. In doing so, it has retained only a minimal identification with its Theravāda origins. Ethics, morality, and virtue have central roles in the Asian Theravāda tradition. All three of these English terms can be used to translate the Pāli word sīla that appears in the important three-fold division of the Therāvadin Buddhist spiritual path: sīla, samādhi, and paññā (ethics, meditative absorption, and wisdom).
    [Show full text]
  • Pali Terms Abhidhamma/Abhidharma (Pali/Sanskrit) the Third Section of the Buddhist Canon Devoted to Human Psychology and Philoso
    Pali terms Abhidhamma/Abhidharma (Pali/Sanskrit) The third section of the Buddhist canon devoted to human psychology and philosophy Anapanasati (Pali) Mindfulness of breathing Anatta (Pali) Not self, insubstantiality, one of the three characteristics of existence Anicca (Pali) Impermanent, one of the three characteristics of existence. Buddhist teachings emphasize that all conditioned mental and physical phenomena are impermanent - nothing lasts, nothing stays the same. Beginner’s mind A mind that is open to the experience of the moment, free of conceptual overlays; first made popular by the Zen teacher Suzuki Roshi Bhikkhu (Pali) A Buddhist monk Bhikkhuni (Pali) A Buddhist nun Bodhi (Pali/Sanskrit) awakening Brahma-Vihara (Pali, Sanskrit) Divine or sublime abode, the four mind states said to lead to a rebirth in a heavenly realm: lovingkindness (metta), compassion (karuna), appreciative joy (mudita) and equanimity (upekkha) Buddha (Pali, Sanskrit) Fully awakened one; specifically the historical Buddha, Sakyamuni, who lived and taught in India 2,500 years ago; one of the three jewels of refuge Buddha-Dharma/Dhamma (Sanskrit/Pali) The teachings of the Buddha Dana (Pali/Sanskrit) The practice of giving; generosity. Dana is the first of the ten paramis, or qualities to be perfected in order to become a Buddha Dhammapada (Pali) The best known of all the Buddhist scriptures; a collection of 423 verses, spoken by the Buddha, that focuses on the value of ethical conduct and mental training Dependent origination The doctrine that all mental and
    [Show full text]
  • Barbara R. Ambros (Unc Chapel Hill)
    BARBARA R. AMBROS (UNC CHAPEL HILL) PUBLICATIONS MONOGRAPHS Le donne nell'ordine monastico buddhista - La cerimonia dedicata ad Ānanda come rito di affermazione [Women in the Buddhist monastic order - The ceremony dedicated to Ānanda as a rite of affirmation]. Trans. Laura Silvestri. Morbello (Alessandria), Italy: Myo Edizioni, 2019. Women in Japanese Religions. New York: New York University Press, 2015. Book reviews of this monograph: Bones of Contention: Animals and Religion in Contemporary Japan. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press, 2012. Emplacing a Pilgrimage: The Ōyama Cult and Regional Religion in Early Modern Japan. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Asia Center/Harvard University Press, 2008. EDITED VOLUMES Co-Editor with Reiko Ohnuma. Buddhist Beasts: Reflections on Animals in Asian Religions and Culture. https://www.mdpi.com/journal/religions/special_issues/beasts (Special Issue of Religions; 15 essays, the majority of which have now been published on a rolling basis) Co-edited with Michaela Mross, and James Ford. Kōshiki in Japanese Buddhism. Nagoya: Nanzan Institute of Religion and Culture, 2016. (Special Issue of the Japanese Journal of Religious Studies), 252 pp. Co-edited with Duncan Williams and Regan Murphy. Helen Hardacre and the Study of Japanese Religions. Nagoya: Nanzan Institute of Religion and Culture, 2009. 199 pp. (Special Issue of the Japanese Journal of Religious Studies) Co-edited with Duncan Williams. Local Religion in Tokugawa History. Nagoya: Nanzan Institute of Religion and Culture, 2001. 237 pp. (Special Issue of the Japanese Journal of Religious Studies) BOOK CHAPTERS “Celebrating Creation and Commemorating Life: Ritualizing Pet Death in the U.S. and Japan.” The Modern History of Death.
    [Show full text]
  • The Attainment of Nirvana by Arya Shariputra and Maha Maudgalyayana
    lIas-<>kyes Ii'om a distance. the Buddha asked the monk attendants as to whether they had seen Nye-rgyal and dPang-nas-skyes who embodied the essence of the whole collection of their vil1ues and who drew the entire group. coming to the assembly. When they saiel they did, the Buddha foretold that these two represented his pair of hearers (Sans: Sravaka/Tib: Nyan-thos) who would become not only his pair ofprin­ cipal disciples but also a virtuous pair. one of whom shall become accomplished in miraculous performance and the other in sublime wisdom. Nyc-ryal and dPang-nas-skyes went towards the Buddha, bowed down at his feet, and earnestly asked him to ordain them into the excellence of Vi nay a (,Dul-ba) precept and to grant them the requirements to undergo a chaste life of monkhood in his presence. The Buddha therefore ordained them into his fold (dGe-slong Tshur­ sog) by instructing them to undergo a life of chastity. Immediately after the injunc­ tion. they were transformed into monks devoid of hair 011 the head, covered with robe, alllls bowl and religious vessel in hand, they manifested like a conduct of an ordained monk of hundred years old. CHAPTER-IV THE ATTAINMENT OF NIRVANA BY ARYA SHARIPUTRA AND MAHA MAUDGALYAYANA When the Buddha was residing at Bya-ka-Ian-da-ka in Magadha, the all perva­ sive activities of the venerable Shariputra and Maudgalyayana were: At times they went to the sentient beings suffering in the realm of hell, at times to the realm of animals, realm of Pretas (Yi-dags), realm of gods, and the realm ofhllman beings.
    [Show full text]
  • The Teaching of Buddha”
    THE TEACHING OF BUDDHA WHEEL OF DHARMA The Wheel of Dharma is the translation of the Sanskrit word, “Dharmacakra.” Similar to the wheel of a cart that keeps revolving, it symbolizes the Buddha’s teaching as it continues to be spread widely and endlessly. The eight spokes of the wheel represent the Noble Eightfold Path of Buddhism, the most important Way of Practice. The Noble Eightfold Path refers to right view, right thought, right speech, right behavior, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right meditation. In the olden days before statues and other images of the Buddha were made, this Wheel of Dharma served as the object of worship. At the present time, the Wheel is used internationally as the common symbol of Buddhism. Copyright © 1962, 1972, 2005 by BUKKYO DENDO KYOKAI Any part of this book may be quoted without permission. We only ask that Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai, Tokyo, be credited and that a copy of the publication sent to us. Thank you. BUKKYO DENDO KYOKAI (Society for the Promotion of Buddhism) 3-14, Shiba 4-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan, 108-0014 Phone: (03) 3455-5851 Fax: (03) 3798-2758 E-mail: [email protected] http://www.bdk.or.jp Four hundred & seventy-second Printing, 2019 Free Distribution. NOT for sale Printed Only for India and Nepal. Printed by Kosaido Co., Ltd. Tokyo, Japan Buddha’s Wisdom is broad as the ocean and His Spirit is full of great Compassion. Buddha has no form but manifests Himself in Exquisiteness and leads us with His whole heart of Compassion.
    [Show full text]
  • Discovering Buddhism at Home
    Discovering Buddhism at home Awakening the limitless potential of your mind, achieving all peace and happiness Special Integration Experiences Required Reading Contents The Eight Places of Buddhist Pilgrimage, by Jeremy Russell 3 (Also available on Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive Website – www.lamayeshe.com) Further required reading includes the following texts: The Tantric Path of Purification, by Lama Thubten Yeshe Everlasting Rain of Nectar, by Geshe Jampa Gyatso © FPMT, Inc., 2001. All rights reserved. 1 2 The Eight Places of Buddhist Pilgrimage by Jeremy Russell Jeremy Russell was born in England and received his degree in English Literature from London University. He studied Buddhist philosophy at the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, Dharamsala, for four years. Jeremy currently lives in Dharamsala, India, editing Cho-Yang, the Journal of Tibetan Culture, and translating other material from Tibetan. Lord Buddha said: Monks, after my passing away, if all the sons and daughters of good family and the faithful, so long as they live, go to the four holy places, they should go and remember: here at Lumbini the enlightened one was born; here at Bodhgaya he attained enlightenment; here at Sarnath he turned twelve wheels of Dharma; and here at Kushinagar he entered parinirvana. Monks, after my passing away there will be activities such as circumambulation of these places and prostration to them. Thus it should be told, for they who have faith in my deeds and awareness of their own will travel to higher states. After my passing away, the new monks who come and ask of the doctrine should be told of these four places and advised that a pilgrimage to them will help purify their previously accumulated negative karmas, even the five heinous actions.
    [Show full text]
  • Great Disciples of the Buddha GREAT DISCIPLES of the BUDDHA THEIR LIVES, THEIR WORKS, THEIR LEGACY
    Great Disciples of the Buddha GREAT DISCIPLES OF THE BUDDHA THEIR LIVES, THEIR WORKS, THEIR LEGACY Nyanaponika Thera and Hellmuth Hecker Edited with an Introduction by Bhikkhu Bodhi Wisdom Publications 199 Elm Street Somerville, Massachusetts 02144 USA www.wisdompubs.org © Buddhist Publication Society 2003 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 system or technologies now known or later developed, without permission in writing from the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Nyanaponika, Thera, 1901- Great disciples of the Buddha : their lives, their works, their legacy / Nyanaponika Thera and Hellmuth Hecker ; edited with an introduction by Bhikkhu Bodhi. p. cm. “In collaboration with the Buddhist Publication Society of Kandy, Sri Lanka.” Originally published: Boston, Wisdom Publications, c1997. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-86171-381-8 (alk. paper) 1. Gautama Buddha—Disciples—Biography. I. Hecker, Hellmuth. II. Bodhi, Bhikkhu. III. Title. BQ900.N93 2003 294.3’092’2—dc21 2003011831 07 06 5 4 3 2 Cover design by Gopa&Ted2, Inc. and TL Interior design by: L.J.SAWLit & Stephanie Shaiman Wisdom Publications’ books are printed on acid-free paper and meet the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources. Printed in the United States of America This book was produced with environmental mindfulness. We have elected to print this title on 50% PCW recycled paper. As a result, we have saved the following resources: 30 trees, 21 million BTUs of energy, 2,674 lbs.
    [Show full text]
  • Ashvajit's Stanza and Its Signigicance
    ASHVAJIT'S STANZA AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE. BY THE EDITOR. THERE is a story related in the Mahavaggo (sections 23-24)' about the conversion of Sharipntra and Maudgalyayana/-' two Brahmans who led a rehgious hfe as wandering ascetics, both bent on attaining enHghtenment and reaching Nirvana. And it happened one day that Sharipntra saw in the streets a young ascetic going from door to door begging for ahns. He kept his eyes mod- estly to the ground and showed such a dignified deportment that Sharipntra thought to himself: "Truly, this monk is a saint. He is walking on the right path. I will ask him in whose name he has retired from the world and what doctrine he professes." The young ascetic's name was Ashvajit, and on being asked as to his faith and the doctrine of his master, he said: 'T am a disciple of the Buddha, the Blessed One, the Sage of the Shakya, but being a novice, I cannot explain the details, I can only tell the sub- stance of the doctrine." Said Sharipntra: "Tell me, O venerable monk, the substance. It is the substance 1 want."" And Ashvajit recited the stanza: "The Buddha has tlie causes told Of all the things that spring from causes. And further the great sage has told How finally all passion pauses." "Ye dhamma heluppal)hava. Tesam hetum Tathagato Aha ; Tesanca nirodho. Evamvadi niahasamano." ^Sacred Books of the East. Vol. XIII, pp. 144-151. Compare also the Chinese translation of the Buddhacharita, the Fo-Sho-Hing-Tsan-King IV, 17 (S.
    [Show full text]
  • Buddhism Without Merit: Theorizing Buddhist Religio-Economic Activity in the Contemporary World
    Journal of Global Buddhism 2019, Vol.20 87–104 DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.3238221 www.globalbuddhism.org ISSN: 1527-6457 (online) © The author(s) Special Focus: Buddhism and Economics Buddhism Without Merit: Theorizing Buddhist Religio-Economic Activity in the Contemporary World Jeff Wilson University of Waterloo Merit is the fundamental product of the Buddhist system. Buddhists generate and distribute it through their activities, and merit economics have shaped Buddhist practices, organizations, material culture, and inter-personal relations. But what happens when merit ceases to be recognized as a valuable product? For the first time in Buddhist history, some Buddhists are operating entirely outside of the merit economy, with resulting changes in organization, ritual practice, and economic activities. When merit is devalued, it is replaced by elements from culturally dominant non-merit economies and may take on their associated values and practices. Jettisoning the Buddhist merit economy has financial consequences for Buddhist groups, and those who operate without the merit economy must create new post- merit Buddhisms. A sifting process occurs, as practices, ideas, and institutions that are dependent on merit economic logic are altered or abandoned. Successful forms of Buddhism will be those that can be recast with non-merit logic. Preamble: Half-Baked Buddhology n May 2017, a small group of scholars working on Buddhism and economics were invited by Drs. Elizabeth Williams-Oerberg and Trine Brox of the Centre for Contemporary Buddhist Studies in Copenhagen to gather for a special workshop. We were encouraged not to bring fully fleshed out, Icompleted case studies. Rather, the organizers asked us to focus on how to theorize the study of Buddhism and economics, especially in the contemporary period.
    [Show full text]
  • The Nibbāna of Mahākassapa the Elder: Notes on a Buddhist Narrative Transmitted in Thai and Lao Literature François Lagirarde
    The Nibbāna of Mahākassapa the Elder: Notes on a Buddhist Narrative Transmitted in Thai and Lao Literature François Lagirarde To cite this version: François Lagirarde. The Nibbāna of Mahākassapa the Elder: Notes on a Buddhist Narrative Transmit- ted in Thai and Lao Literature. Buddhist Legacies in Mainland Southeast Asia, 2006. hal-01955848 HAL Id: hal-01955848 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01955848 Submitted on 21 Dec 2018 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. François Lagirarde The Nibbāna of Mahākassapa the Elder: Notes on a Buddhist Narrative Transmitted in Thai and Lao Literature THIS LEGEND OF MAHākassapa’S NIBBāNA from his last morning, to his failed farewell to King Ajātasattu, to his parinibbāna in the evening, to his ultimate “meeting” with Metteyya thousands of years later—is well known in Thailand and Laos although it was not included in the Pāli tipiṭaka or even mentioned in the commentaries or sub-commentaries. In fact, the texts known as Mahākassapatheranibbāna (the Nibbāna of Mahākassapa the Elder) represent only one among many other Nibbāna stories known in Thai-Lao Buddhist literature. In this paper I will attempt to show that the textual tradition dealing with the last moments of many disciples or “Hearers” of the Buddha—with Mahākassapa as the first one—became a rich, vast, and well preserved genre at least in the Thai world.
    [Show full text]