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Early Pyrrhonism As a Sect of Buddhism? a Case Study in the Methodology of Comparative Philosophy
Comparative Philosophy Volume 9, No. 2 (2018): 1-40 Open Access / ISSN 2151-6014 www.comparativephilosophy.org EARLY PYRRHONISM AS A SECT OF BUDDHISM? A CASE STUDY IN THE METHODOLOGY OF COMPARATIVE PHILOSOPHY MONTE RANSOME JOHNSON & BRETT SHULTS ABSTRACT: We offer a sceptical examination of a thesis recently advanced in a monograph published by Princeton University Press entitled Greek Buddha: Pyrrho’s Encounter with Early Buddhism in Central Asia. In this dense and probing work, Christopher I. Beckwith, a professor of Central Eurasian studies at Indiana University, Bloomington, argues that Pyrrho of Elis adopted a form of early Buddhism during his years in Bactria and Gandhāra, and that early Pyrrhonism must be understood as a sect of early Buddhism. In making his case Beckwith claims that virtually all scholars of Greek, Indian, and Chinese philosophy have been operating under flawed assumptions and with flawed methodologies, and so have failed to notice obvious and undeniable correspondences between the philosophical views of the Buddha and of Pyrrho. In this study we take Beckwith’s proposal and challenge seriously, and we examine his textual basis and techniques of translation, his methods of examining passages, his construal of problems and his reconstruction of arguments. We find that his presuppositions are contentious and doubtful, his own methods are extremely flawed, and that he draws unreasonable conclusions. Although the result of our study is almost entirely negative, we think it illustrates some important general points about the methodology of comparative philosophy. Keywords: adiaphora, anātman, anattā, ataraxia, Buddha, Buddhism, Democritus, Pāli, Pyrrho, Pyrrhonism, Scepticism, trilakṣaṇa 1. INTRODUCTION One of the most ambitious recent works devoted to comparative philosophy is Christopher Beckwith’s monograph Greek Buddha: Pyrrho’s Encounter with Early Buddhism in Central Asia (2015). -
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. -
Buddhism in America
Buddhism in America The Columbia Contemporary American Religion Series Columbia Contemporary American Religion Series The United States is the birthplace of religious pluralism, and the spiritual landscape of contemporary America is as varied and complex as that of any country in the world. The books in this new series, written by leading scholars for students and general readers alike, fall into two categories: some of these well-crafted, thought-provoking portraits of the country’s major religious groups describe and explain particular religious practices and rituals, beliefs, and major challenges facing a given community today. Others explore current themes and topics in American religion that cut across denominational lines. The texts are supplemented with care- fully selected photographs and artwork, annotated bibliographies, con- cise profiles of important individuals, and chronologies of major events. — Roman Catholicism in America Islam in America . B UDDHISM in America Richard Hughes Seager C C Publishers Since New York Chichester, West Sussex Copyright © Columbia University Press All rights reserved Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Seager, Richard Hughes. Buddhism in America / Richard Hughes Seager. p. cm. — (Columbia contemporary American religion series) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN ‒‒‒ — ISBN ‒‒‒ (pbk.) . Buddhism—United States. I. Title. II. Series. BQ.S .'—dc – Casebound editions of Columbia University Press books are printed on permanent and durable acid-free paper. -
The Concept of Self-Liberation in Theravada Burmese Buddhism
ASIA-PACIFIC NAZARENE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY THE CONCEPT OF SELF-LIBERATION IN THERAVADA BURMESE BUDDHISM A Thesis Presented to The Faculty of Asia-Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary In Partial Fulfilment of the Degree Master of Science in Theology BY CING SIAN THAWN TAYTAY, RIZAL NOVEMBER 2020 ASIA-PACIFIC NAZARENE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY WE HEREBY APPROVE THE THESIS SUBMITTED BY Cing Sian Thawn ENTITLED THE CONCEPT OF SELF-LIBERATION IN THERAVADA BURMESE BUDDHISTS AS PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE MASTER OF SCIENCE IN THEOLOGY (SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY) Dr. Dick Eugenio _________ Dr. Phillip Davis __________ Thesis Adviser Date Program Director Date Dr. Eileen Ruger _________ Dr. Naw Yaw Yet ___________ Internal Reader Date External Reader Date Dr. Dick Eugenio _________ Dr. Larry Bollinger ___________ Academic Dean Date President Date ii ABSTRACT This thesis explores the self-liberation concept of Theravada Buddhism, with the hope that it can provide a foundation towards a dialogical exchange between Buddhists and Christians in Myanmar. To provide a better understanding of the context, the thesis offers a brief historical background of Buddhist-Christian relations in Myanmar. By mainly relying on the translation of the Pali Tipitaka, along with a number of secondary sources from prominent Buddhist scholars, the self-liberation concept of Theravada Buddhism is discussed, beginning with the personal experience of Gotama, the Buddha. The thesis is descriptive in nature. The research employs a basic qualitative method, integrated with the analytical and interpretive methods. Correlation and synthesis were done and are presented in the final chapter with an emphasis on implications for interfaith dialogue. The study produced some significant findings. -
4.35 B.A. /M.A. 5 Years Integrated Course in Pali A.Y. 2017-18
Cover Page AC___________ Item No. ______ UNIVERSITY OF MUMBAI Syllabus for Approval Sr. No. Heading Particulars Title of the B.A./M.A. Five Year Integrated Course In 1 Course Pali Eligibility for As per existing Ordinances & policy 2 Admission Passing As per University Credit Semester System 3 Marks 2017 Ordinances / 4 - Regulations ( if any) No. of Years / 5 5 Years Semesters P.G. / U.G./ Diploma / Certificate 6 Level ( Strike out which is not applicable) Yearly / Semester 7 Pattern ( Strike out which is not applicable) New / Revised 8 Status ( Strike out which is not applicable) To be implemented 9 From Academic Year 2017-2018 from Academic Year Date: Signature : Name of BOS Chairperson / Dean : ____________________________________ 1 Cover Page UNIVERSITY OF MUMBAI Essentials Elements of the Syllabus B.A./M.A. Five Year Integrated Course In 1 Title of the Course Pali 2 Course Code - Preamble / Scope:- The traditional way of learning Pali starts at an early age and gradually develops into ethically strong basis of life. Now at the university though we cannot give the monastic kind of training to the students, the need of the time is -a very strong foundation of sound mind and body, facing the stress and challenges of the life. There is necessity of Pali learning for a long time from early age which few schools in Maharashtra are giving, but not near Mumbai. Mumbai University has only one college which satisfies the need of Pali learning at the undergraduate and graduate level those too only three papers in Pali. The interest in the study of Pali language and literature is on the rise. -
Reconciling Universal Salvation and Freedom of Choice in Origen of Alexandria
Marquette University e-Publications@Marquette Dissertations, Theses, and Professional Dissertations (1934 -) Projects Reconciling Universal Salvation and Freedom of Choice in Origen of Alexandria Lee W. Sytsma Marquette University Follow this and additional works at: https://epublications.marquette.edu/dissertations_mu Part of the Christianity Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Sytsma, Lee W., "Reconciling Universal Salvation and Freedom of Choice in Origen of Alexandria" (2018). Dissertations (1934 -). 769. https://epublications.marquette.edu/dissertations_mu/769 RECONCILING UNIVERSAL SALVATION AND FREEDOM OF CHOICE IN ORIGEN OF ALEXANDRIA by Lee W. Sytsma, B.A., M.T.S. A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School, Marquette University, in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Milwaukee, Wisconsin May 2018 ABSTRACT RECONCILING UNIVERSAL SALVATION AND FREEDOM OF CHOICE IN ORIGEN OF ALEXANDRIA Lee W. Sytsma, B.A., M.T.S. Marquette University, 2018 Origen has traditionally been famous for his universalism, but many scholars now express doubt that Origen believed in a universal and permanent apocatastasis. This is because many scholars are convinced that Origen’s teaching on moral autonomy (or freedom of choice) is logically incompatible with the notion that God foreordains every soul’s future destiny. Those few scholars who do argue that Origen believed in both moral autonomy and universal salvation either do not know how to reconcile these two views in Origen’s theology, or their proposed “solutions” are not convincing. In this dissertation I make two preliminary arguments which allow the question of logical compatibility to come into focus. -
The Eucharist Sacrifice and the Changing Utopian Moment in Post
The Eucharist Sacrifice and the Moment Changing Utopian in Post Reformation Christianity ADAM SELIGMAN The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel ABSTRACT In this study, the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century, and especially English Puritanism, is analyzed in terms of the transformation of the soteriological doctrines of Christianity. This transformation, in turn, is seen as crucial to a restructuring of utopian themes in Christian civilization. Based on the restructuring of models of social authority and of Christian community, a new vision of the ideal social order was posited. The uto- pian visions posited by these changes and the contradictions inherent in them are viewed as central to the emergence of modern notions of political and social praxes. Introduction IN THIS STUDY, it will be argued that the major assumptions under- lying Christian utopian visions and their realization were radically transformed in the period of the Protestant Reformation. Indeed, the Refor- mation and, more specifically, its Calvinist variants, will be presented as con- taining a salient utopian or millennial moment-with lasting importance for the structuring of modern social life. In pursuing this line of inquiry, we are in fact following on the thought of Max Weber, who saw in the 'inner-worldliness' of ascetic Protestantism one of the fundamental components of the modern world order (Weber, 1958; Schluchter, 1979; Eisenstadt, 1968, 1988). The present study will explore the role of ascetic Protestantism in fundamentally restructuring one of the major and defining components of the Western Christian tradition. The transforma- tion effected by ascetic Protestantism in the utopian models and modes of millennial action within the Western Christian tradition was, it is argued, a crucial aspect in the development of the modern socio-political order. -
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. -
Mindfulness and the Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path
Chapter 3 Mindfulness and the Buddha’s Noble Eightfold Path Malcolm Huxter 3.1 Introduction In the late 1970s, Kabat-Zinn, an immunologist, was on a Buddhist meditation retreat practicing mindfulness meditation. Inspired by the personal benefits, he de- veloped a strong intention to share these skills with those who would not normally attend retreats or wish to practice meditation. Kabat-Zinn developed and began con- ducting mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) in 1979. He defined mindful- ness as, “the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment to moment” (Kabat-Zinn 2003, p. 145). Since the establishment of MBSR, thousands of individuals have reduced psychological and physical suffering by attending these programs (see www.unmassmed.edu/cfm/mbsr/). Furthermore, the research into and popularity of mindfulness and mindfulness-based programs in medical and psychological settings has grown exponentially (Kabat-Zinn 2009). Kabat-Zinn (1990) deliberately detached the language and practice of mind- fulness from its Buddhist origins so that it would be more readily acceptable in Western health settings (Kabat-Zinn 1990). Despite a lack of consensus about the finer details (Singh et al. 2008), Kabat-Zinn’s operational definition of mindfulness remains possibly the most referred to in the field. Dozens of empirically validated mindfulness-based programs have emerged in the past three decades. However, the most acknowledged approaches include: MBSR (Kabat-Zinn 1990), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT; Linehan 1993), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT; Hayes et al. 1999), and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT; Segal et al. -
And Daemonic Buddhism in India and Tibet
Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2012 The Raven and the Serpent: "The Great All- Pervading R#hula" Daemonic Buddhism in India and Tibet Cameron Bailey Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES THE RAVEN AND THE SERPENT: “THE GREAT ALL-PERVADING RHULA” AND DMONIC BUDDHISM IN INDIA AND TIBET By CAMERON BAILEY A Thesis submitted to the Department of Religion in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Religion Degree Awarded: Spring Semester, 2012 Cameron Bailey defended this thesis on April 2, 2012. The members of the supervisory committee were: Bryan Cuevas Professor Directing Thesis Jimmy Yu Committee Member Kathleen Erndl Committee Member The Graduate School has verified and approved the above-named committee members, and certifies that the thesis has been approved in accordance with university requirements. ii For my parents iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank, first and foremost, my adviser Dr. Bryan Cuevas who has guided me through the process of writing this thesis, and introduced me to most of the sources used in it. My growth as a scholar is almost entirely due to his influence. I would also like to thank Dr. Jimmy Yu, Dr. Kathleen Erndl, and Dr. Joseph Hellweg. If there is anything worthwhile in this work, it is undoubtedly due to their instruction. I also wish to thank my former undergraduate advisor at Indiana University, Dr. Richard Nance, who inspired me to become a scholar of Buddhism. -
Buddhist Psychology
CHAPTER 1 Buddhist Psychology Andrew Olendzki THEORY AND PRACTICE ince the subject of Buddhist psychology is largely an artificial construction, Smixing as it does a product of ancient India with a Western movement hardly a century and a half old, it might be helpful to say how these terms are being used here. If we were to take the term psychology literally as referring to “the study of the psyche,” and if “psyche” is understood in its earliest sense of “soul,” then it would seem strange indeed to unite this enterprise with a tradition that is per- haps best known for its challenge to the very notion of a soul. But most dictio- naries offer a parallel definition of psychology, “the science of mind and behavior,” and this is a subject to which Buddhist thought can make a significant contribution. It is, after all, a universal subject, and I think many of the methods employed by the introspective traditions of ancient India for the investigation of mind and behavior would qualify as scientific. So my intention in using the label Buddhist Psychology is to bring some of the insights, observations, and experi- ence from the Buddhist tradition to bear on the human body, mind, emotions, and behavior patterns as we tend to view them today. In doing so we are going to find a fair amount of convergence with modern psychology, but also some intriguing diversity. The Buddhist tradition itself, of course, is vast and has many layers to it. Al- though there are some doctrines that can be considered universal to all Buddhist schools,1 there are such significant shifts in the use of language and in back- ground assumptions that it is usually helpful to speak from one particular per- spective at a time. -
Chronology of the Pali Canon Bimala Churn Law, Ph.D., M.A., B.L
Chronology of the Pali Canon Bimala Churn Law, Ph.D., M.A., B.L. Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Researchnstitute, Poona, pp.171-201 Rhys Davids in his Buddhist India (p. 188) has given a chronological table of Buddhist literature from the time of the Buddha to the time of Asoka which is as follows:-- 1. The simple statements of Buddhist doctrine now found, in identical words, in paragraphs or verses recurring in all the books. 2. Episodes found, in identical words, in two or more of the existing books. 3. The Silas, the Parayana, the Octades, the Patimokkha. 4. The Digha, Majjhima, Anguttara, and Samyutta Nikayas. 5. The Sutta-Nipata, the Thera-and Theri-Gathas, the Udanas, and the Khuddaka Patha. 6. The Sutta Vibhanga, and Khandhkas. 7. The Jatakas and the Dhammapadas. 8. The Niddesa, the Itivuttakas and the Patisambbhida. 9. The Peta and Vimana-Vatthus, the Apadana, the Cariya-Pitaka, and the Buddha-Vamsa. 10. The Abhidhamma books; the last of which is the Katha-Vatthu, and the earliest probably the Puggala-Pannatti. This chronological table of early Buddhist; literature is too catechetical, too cut and dried, and too general to be accepted in spite of its suggestiveness as a sure guide to determination of the chronology of the Pali canonical texts. The Octades and the Patimokkha are mentioned by Rhys Davids as literary compilations representing the third stage in the order of chronology. The Pali title corresponding to his Octades is Atthakavagga, the Book of Eights. The Book of Eights, as we have it in the Mahaniddesa or in the fourth book of the Suttanipata, is composed of sixteen poetical discourses, only four of which, namely, (1.) Guhatthaka, (2) Dutthatthaka.