DOCSLIB.ORG

Thoughts on Moksa Esho Yamaguchi

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Thoughts on Moksa Esho Yamaguchi Thoughts on Moksa Esho Yamaguchi Moksa (emancipation) is used according to the Indian philosophic term (in Pali: mokkha), connoting the contemporary conception of "emancipation of man". As is known, moksa, as denoted in Indian philosophy, influenced the his- tory of thoughts of Japan through Buddhism. In the Buddhist sutras, moksa is manifested as emancipation (解 脱Gedatsu); it corresponds to nirvapa (浬 Nehan). Its central thought played a leading role for many hundreds of years in the development of the history of Japanese thoughts. However, the situation is different in contemporary thoughts. In contemporary thou- ghts,it appears that for the purpose of human emancipation, a campaign for reform of the social structure is emphasized; to destroy the social structure built by historical religions. The emancipation and nirvana mentioned in Buddhism is thought to be irrelevant. A qnestion arises whether or not the moksa of Buddhism can positively contribute to the emancipation of man. But leaving this problem aside, moksa occupied a central position not only in Buddhism, but in the various thoughts of Indian philosophy, and played a prominent role in the development of Indian thought. This serves as a prognostication of the future characteristic of Indian thoughts. How- ever, this does not mean that moksa is peculiar to Indian philosophy without any universality. Rather, standing on a universal dimension, it widely eman- cipates all living things; therefore it attempts to emancipate all human beings. According to the arya-satya of Buddhism the catuh-satya CSI Shi-tai), the fundamental truth that we know, has a double causa and effect rela- tionship, and is systematically organized. The double cause and effect rela- tionship is the karmic relations which manifests the actual existence of -1008- Thoughts on Moksa' (E. Yamaguchi) (24) the 'duhkha of all sentient beings and the karmic relations to manifest the idealistic existence of the nirodha of duhkha, i. e., the eradication of suffer- ing. These two types of cause and effect, originally was formed by the wis- dom of the Buddha's enlightenment, and the purpose was "to change illu- sion into enlightenment" (転 迷 開 悟Tenmei-kaigo); it shows the actual exis. tence of the suffering of sentient beings and the idealistic existence of the nirodha of duhkha. Simultaneously, there is manifested the way for sentient beings in the actual existence of duhkha to attain an idealistic existence which is the nirodha of duhkha; clearly, the purpose is for the moksa of sentient beings. In this case, the moksa of sentient beings is to clarify the path of the nirodha of duhkha, and would be realized by its practice, but the precondition is the poignant pranidhana of eternal emancipation of one's self from dnhkha and the cause of duhkha. If there is no pranidhana of this type, it would not be possible to arrive at the idealistic existence of the nirodha of duhkha by manifesting duhkha with the cause of duhkha, and the nirodha of duhkha with the path of the nirodha of duhkha. The important thing is the pranidhana of the nirodha of duhkha of sen- tient beings; i. e., the pranidhana of moksa of sentient beings; and this pranidhana upholds the teachings of the fundamental truth (arya-satya, the four noble truths). The tradition of the arya-satya becomes for the first time, the non-diminishing light (the ultimate teacher) for sentient beings by this pranidhana. In this case, the pranidhana of sentient beings is literally the pranidhana of sentient beings and the arya-satya- -the nirodha of duhkha of sentient beings; i. e., because it is the pranidhana of moksa, it originates from the enli- ghtened wisdom of the Buddha. The nirodha of duhkha of sentient beings; i.e., with the purpose of moksa, the purpose of the wisdom of the Buddha is activated. The Buddha will not cease until all sentient beings attain the nirodha of duhkha, and the Buddha will not rest until all sentient beings complete moksa, so there is a selfless (egoless) mendicancy. And the tea- chings of the dharma, arya-satya has been unfolded, so the pranidhana of -1007- (25) Thoughts on 'Moksa' (E. Yamaguchi) sentient beings ultimately relies on the purpose of the wisdom of the Bud- dha's enlightenment; i.e., it relies on the prapidhana-citta, (発 願 心) of the pranidhana of the moksa of sentient beings. Let us say, arbitrarily that the pranidhana of sentient beings is concerned with a single nirodha of duhkha of sentient beings. In the case of a single nirodha of duhkha of sentient beings, if the pranidhana of sentient beings listen to the teachings of arya-satya and is illuminated by arya-satya, the pranidana of sentient beings is embraced by the heart of pranidhana requiem of the Buddha. Then, all the nirodha of duhkha of sentient beings are ques- tioned of the pranidhana, criticized, and are placed in position. And yet, a singular nirodha of duhkha of senient beings always becomes respectively separate by the different nature of a singular duhkha of sentient beings-, and deviating from pranidhana, by the standpoint of the sentient being him- self, he is able to do it autocephalously. The duhkha of sentient beings. are in common conceptively on the points of birth, old age, sickness, death, separation from loved ones, contact with resentful and hateful ones, unfulfil- led desires, and skandha, etc., but usually by the individuality of each sentient being respectively, it becomes an event of individual counseling, and coun- seling of personal affairs. Though special cases, generally, we deviate from arya-satya, and seek an independent solution. However, if the single duhkha of a sentient being is the same as the duhkha of all sentient beings, the nirodha of duhkha must be devised to match the nirodha of duhkha of all sentient beings. It is indisputably sug- gested in the deeds of Gautama Sakyamuni; i. e., the fact of experiencingg the incident of leaving through four gates, before becoming a priest, and the process of: entering the' priesthood, searching for the dharma. and enlightenment, after becoming a priest. The motive of Gautama Sakyamuni'sa becoming a priest, 'as is well-known, after seeing birth, old age, illness, and death, was to loose the duhkha of all living things; and of all sentient beings. This shows that the motive of Sakyamuni's taking the tonsure iss not a problem of duhkha of Sakyamuni as an individual, but the standpoint of Sakyamuni's tonsure transcends Sakyamuni as an individual before his -1006- Thoughts on Moksa' (E. Yamaguchi) (26) tonsure. To rephrase it, the moksa of duhkha of all sentint beings is not from the standpoint limited to the laymen, but transcends the standpoint qof an individual; this is the standpoint of a priest who ponders on the prob - lem of duhkha of all sentient beings. The purpose of tonsure of Sakyamuni -was to determine such contents of priesthood. Therefore, the practice and :search for the dharma after the tonsure of Sakyamuni as a sramana (samana) is a process transcending Sakyamuni as an individual before taking the tonsure; and it can be said that the enlightenment of Sakyamuni manifests the objective to loose the duhkha of all sentient beings. The purpose of Sakyamuni's undergoing tonsure, search for the dharma, and enlightenmenment becomes all the more clearer when compared to the dharma of asrama. Asramal) partitions the entire life of a human be- ing into four periods; brahmacaryn, grhastha, vanaprastha, and samnyasin, . and resolves to find the meaning of studies and practices, but on the point of largely dividing life into the early and latter part, its characteristic is manifested. The first half of one's life is a period when one matures-into an adult and positively participates in the productivity of society. Studies and practices find their purposes in the mortification of brahmacarya, and the grhastha as presiding priest. Then, in the latter half of one's life, one retires from the active partipation of society and vows for a super-social universal value; i. e., the reality of an eternal life ; in a word, one engages in a new study and practice. This significance is manifested in the cogita- tion and search for the dharma in vanaprastha, and the mendicancy and =evangelizing in samnyasin. In this case, in contrast to manifesting a standpoint of restriction to a layman; i. e., a personal life of a sentient being restricted to his home and family in the first half of his life, if one regards that the latter half manifests a standpoint of surmounting these circumscriptions and takes the tonsure, it is found that the tonsure of Sakyamuni would correspond to the 1) 1st, Brahmacarin, student of the Veda'; 2nd, grhastha, householder'; 3rd, vanaprastha, "anchorite'; 4th, samnyasin, abandoner of all worldly concerns. (Cf. Monier-Williams, Skt-Eng. Dic., p. 158.) -1005- 27) Thoughts on Moksa' (E. Yamaguchi) dharma of asrama. By corresponding to the dharma of asrama, Sakyamuni digressed from the dharma of a layman, and predilicted the way of a priest. Sakyamuni chose the way of the priesthood because as long as he lived by the dharma of the laity, he could not solve the problem of duhkha con- fronting all sentient beings, so already at this time, there was the determi- nation of pranidhana of "eradicating duhkha and attaining happiness" ; to loose the duhkha of all sentient beings. Moreover, this pranidhana according to the former Muni, was in indomitable exertion-state2>. It is clear that this means that Sakyamuni's search for the dharma and his practices after taking the tonsure did not cease despite the fact that he was not satisfied with the various samadhi and tapas which were popular during those times.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Buddha Speaks Mahayana Sublime Treasure King Sutra (Also Known As:) Avalokitesvara-Guna-Karanda-Vyuha Sutra Karanda-Vyuha Sutra
    Buddha speaks Mahayana Sublime Treasure King Sutra (Also known as:) Avalokitesvara-guna-karanda-vyuha Sutra Karanda-vyuha Sutra (Tripitaka No. 1050) Translated during the Song Dynasty by Kustana Tripitaka Master TinSeekJoy Chapter 1 Thus I have heard: At one time, the Bhagavan was in the Garden of the Benefactor of Orphans and the Solitary, in Jeta Grove, (Jetavana Anathapindada-arama) in Sravasti state, accompanied by 250 great Bhiksu(monk)s, and 80 koti Bodhisattva-Mahasattvas, whose names are: Vajra-pani(Diamond-Hand) Bodhisattva-Mahasattva, Wisdom-Insight Bodhisattva-Mahasattva, Vajra-sena(Diamond-Army) Bodhisattva-Mahasattva, Secret- Store Bodhisattva-Mahasattva, Akasa-garbha(Space-Store) Bodhisattva-Mahasattva, Sun- Store Bodhisattva-Mahasattva, Immovable Bodhisattva-Mahasattva, Ratna- pani(Treasure-Hand) Bodhisattva-Mahasattva, Samanta-bhadra(Universal-Goodness) Bodhisattva-Mahasattva, Achievement of Reality and Eternity Bodhisattva-Mahasattva, Eliminate-Obstructions(Sarva-nivaraNaviskambhin) Bodhisattva-Mahasattva, Great Diligence and Bravery Bodhisattva-Mahasattva, Bhaisajya-raja(Medicine-King) Bodhisattva-Mahasattva, Avalokitesvara(Contemplator of the Worlds' Sounds) Bodhisattva-Mahasattva, Vajra-dhara(Vajra-Holding) Bodhisattva-Mahasattva, Ocean- Wisdom Bodhisattva-Mahasattva, Dharma-Upholding Bodhisattva-Mahasattva, and so on. At that time, there were also many gods of the 32 heavens, leaded by Mahesvara(Great unrestricted God) and Narayana, came to join the congregation. They are: Sakra Devanam Indra the god of heavens, Great
    [Show full text]
  • The Buddhist Way of Life Yasodhara Dhamma School
    The Buddhist Way of Life Buddhist Ethics for Children Published by Yasodhara Dhamma School Sri Lanka Buddhist Monastery, SLBM Inc. Brisbane QLD 4078, Australia Authored by Ven. Nadimale Sudhamma Author - Ven. Nadimale Sudhamma Educationalist – Australia (B.Teach, Graduate Cert. of Applied Linguistics, MEd - Australia) Deputy Principal, Yasodhara Dhamma School Former Primary School Teacher with the Education QLD Blog Site: http://dhamma_stream.blogspot.com.au Printed by – Nethwin Printers “Dalada Sewane Api” Padanama, Gatambe Junction, Kandy Sri Lanka Ph; 081 - 2386908 Publisher – Yasodhara Dhamma School, Sri Lanka Buddhist Monastery Inc. 114, Considine Street, Ellen Grove, Brisbane, QLD 4078. Web: http://www.srilankaramaqld.org 2019 All Rights Reserved Preface The Buddhist way of life was authored by Venerable Nadimale Sudhamma as an introductory textbook for beginners who study Buddhism in Yasodhara Dhamma School. This book aims to inculcate basic Buddhist teaching in young minds and develop their interest in practicing Buddhism in daily life. The lack of Buddhist textbooks written in English language aiming beginners is a hindrance for propagating Buddhism in Australian society and, this book caters to fill the gap. Venerable Sudhamma was a devoted supporter to Sri Lanka Buddhist Monastery even before her ordination as a Buddhist nun. She was the founder of Yasodhara Sinhala School and a key figure behind developing Yasodhara Dhamma School. Now they are leading institutes in propagating Sinhalese Buddhist values among Sri Lankan community in Queensland- Australia. Sadaham Gangula is another Buddhist publication organized with the authorship of Venerable Sudhamma, a collection of Dhamma Talks delivered at the SLBM. While dedicated to achieving her own spiritual goals, Venerable Sudhamma has dedicatedly supported to the progress of Sri Lanka Buddhist monastery in Brisbane and Subodharamaya in Peradeniya-Sri Lanka.
    [Show full text]
  • Buddhism and Responses to Disability, Mental Disorders and Deafness in Asia
    Buddhism and Responses to Disability, Mental Disorders and Deafness in Asia. A bibliography of historical and modern texts with introduction and partial annotation, and some echoes in Western countries. [This annotated bibliography of 220 items suggests the range and major themes of how Buddhism and people influenced by Buddhism have responded to disability in Asia through two millennia, with cultural background. Titles of the materials may be skimmed through in an hour, or the titles and annotations read in a day. The works listed might take half a year to find and read.] M. Miles (compiler and annotator) West Midlands, UK. November 2013 Available at: http://www.independentliving.org/miles2014a and http://cirrie.buffalo.edu/bibliography/buddhism/index.php Some terms used in this bibliography Buddhist terms and people. Buddhism, Bouddhisme, Buddhismus, suffering, compassion, caring response, loving kindness, dharma, dukkha, evil, heaven, hell, ignorance, impermanence, kamma, karma, karuna, metta, noble truths, eightfold path, rebirth, reincarnation, soul, spirit, spirituality, transcendent, self, attachment, clinging, delusion, grasping, buddha, bodhisatta, nirvana; bhikkhu, bhikksu, bhikkhuni, samgha, sangha, monastery, refuge, sutra, sutta, bonze, friar, biwa hoshi, priest, monk, nun, alms, begging; healing, therapy, mindfulness, meditation, Gautama, Gotama, Maitreya, Shakyamuni, Siddhartha, Tathagata, Amida, Amita, Amitabha, Atisha, Avalokiteshvara, Guanyin, Kannon, Kuan-yin, Kukai, Samantabhadra, Santideva, Asoka, Bhaddiya, Khujjuttara,
    [Show full text]
  • 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.
    [Show full text]
  • The Kayas / Bodies of a Buddha
    The Kayas / Bodies of a Buddha The original meaning of the Sanskrit word Kaya (Tibetan: sku/ku) is 'that which is accumulated'. In English Kaya is translated as 'body'. However, the Kayas of Buddhas do not literally refer only to the form aggregates of Buddhas but also to Buddhas themselves, to their various attributes, and so forth. There are different ways to categorize Kayas: 1. The category into five Kayas 2. The category into four Kayas 3. The category into three Kayas 4. The category into two Kayas 1. The category into five Kayas The category into five Kayas refers to: I. The Dharmakaya / Truth Body (chos sku / choe ku) II. The Svabhavakaya / Nature Body (ngo bo nyid sku / ngo wo nyi ku) III. The Jnanakaya / Wisdom Truth Body (ye shes chos sku / ye she choe ku) IV. The Sambhogakaya / Enjoyment Body (longs sku / long ku) V. The Nimanakaya / Emanation Body (sprul sku / truel ku) Here the basis of the category is Kaya, which means that Kaya is categorized or classified into the five Kayas. I. The Dharmakaya / Truth Body Kaya and Dharmakaya are synonymous. Whatever is a Kaya is necessarily a Dharmakaya and vice versa. The definition of a Dharmakaya is: a final Kaya that is attained in dependence on meditating on its attaining agents, the three exalted knowers. The three exalted knowers are: a) Knower of basis (the Arya paths in the continua of Hearers and Solitary Realizers) b) Knower of paths (the Arya paths in the continua of Buddhas and of Bodhisattvas who have reached the Mahayana path of seeing or the Mahayana path of meditation) c) Exalted knower of aspects (the Arya paths, that is, omniscient mental consciousnesses, in the continua of Buddhas) II.
    [Show full text]
  • The Edicts of King Ashoka
    THE EDICTS OF KING ASHOKA An English rendering by Ven. S. Dhammika THE EDICTS OF KING ASHOKA Table of Contents THE EDICTS OF KING ASHOKA........................................................................................................................1 An English rendering by Ven. S. Dhammika.................................................................................................1 PREFACE......................................................................................................................................................1 INTRODUCTION.........................................................................................................................................2 THE FOURTEEN ROCK EDICTS...............................................................................................................4 KALINGA ROCK EDICTS..........................................................................................................................8 MINOR ROCK EDICTS...............................................................................................................................9 THE SEVEN PILLAR EDICTS..................................................................................................................10 THE MINOR PILLAR EDICTS..................................................................................................................13 NOTES.........................................................................................................................................................13
    [Show full text]
  • The Depth Psychology of the Yogacara
    Aspects of Buddhist Psychology Lecture 42: The Depth Psychology of the Yogacara Reverend Sir, and Friends Our course of lectures week by week is proceeding. We have dealt already with the analytical psychology of the Abhidharma; we have dealt also with the psychology of spiritual development. The first lecture, we may say, was concerned mainly with some of the more important themes and technicalities of early Buddhist psychology. We shall, incidentally, be referring back to some of that material more than once in the course of the coming lectures. The second lecture in the course, on the psychology of spiritual development, was concerned much more directly than the first lecture was with the spiritual life. You may remember that we traced the ascent of humanity up the stages of the spiral from the round of existence, from Samsara, even to Nirvana. Today we come to our third lecture, our third subject, which is the Depth Psychology of the Yogacara. This evening we are concerned to some extent with psychological themes and technicalities, as we were in the first lecture, but we're also concerned, as we were in the second lecture, with the spiritual life itself. We are concerned with the first as subordinate to the second, as we shall see in due course. So we may say, broadly speaking, that this evening's lecture follows a sort of middle way, or middle course, between the type of subject matter we had in the first lecture and the type of subject matter we had in the second. Now a question which immediately arises, and which must have occurred to most of you when the title of the lecture was announced, "What is the Yogacara?" I'm sorry that in the course of the lectures we keep on having to have all these Sanskrit and Pali names and titles and so on, but until they become as it were naturalised in English, there's no other way.
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism, Revised Edition
    REVISED EDITION John Powers ITTB_Interior 9/20/07 2:23 PM Page 1 Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism ITTB_Interior 9/20/07 2:23 PM Page 2 ITTB_Interior 9/20/07 2:23 PM Page 3 Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism revised edition by John Powers Snow Lion Publications ithaca, new york • boulder, colorado ITTB_Interior 9/20/07 2:23 PM Page 4 Snow Lion Publications P.O. Box 6483 • Ithaca, NY 14851 USA (607) 273-8519 • www.snowlionpub.com © 1995, 2007 by John Powers All rights reserved. First edition 1995 Second edition 2007 No portion of this book may be reproduced by any means without prior written permission from the publisher. Printed in Canada on acid-free recycled paper. Designed and typeset by Gopa & Ted2, Inc. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Powers, John, 1957- Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism / by John Powers. — Rev. ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and indexes. ISBN-13: 978-1-55939-282-2 (alk. paper) ISBN-10: 1-55939-282-7 (alk. paper) 1. Buddhism—China—Tibet. 2. Tibet (China)—Religion. I. Title. BQ7604.P69 2007 294.3’923—dc22 2007019309 ITTB_Interior 9/20/07 2:23 PM Page 5 Table of Contents Preface 11 Technical Note 17 Introduction 21 Part One: The Indian Background 1. Buddhism in India 31 The Buddha 31 The Buddha’s Life and Lives 34 Epilogue 56 2. Some Important Buddhist Doctrines 63 Cyclic Existence 63 Appearance and Reality 71 3. Meditation 81 The Role of Meditation in Indian and Tibetan Buddhism 81 Stabilizing and Analytical Meditation 85 The Five Buddhist Paths 91 4.
    [Show full text]
  • Ye-Shes-Sde; Tibetan Scholar and Saint Dr
    Ye-Shes-sDe; Tibetan Scholar and Saint Dr. Sherab Rhaldi It was being held for a long time that a large number of Buddhist texts have been translated .by the Tibetan scholars. While the presupposition turned out gradually to be true, what, in fact was not equally certain was the number oftexts translated, the areas where emphasis was laid and the scholars who were involved in the act of translation. The researches so far undertaken both by the Tibetan, Asi?n and western scholar~ appear to be inadequate in terms of the qualityl of information which they have obtained and the way they have sorted out their information. One of the Indian scholars who claims to have done some ground work in his book on Tibetan Literature is Rahul Sallkrityayana2• Rahul intended to formulate a list of scholars SlaI1ing with the 7th century A.D. and closed it in the 17th century. The list might be useful as pioneering work; neve11heless Rahur s over enthusiasm about the Indian scholars had blighted the facts of history on a number of occasions. This is rev,ealed by a subsequent work, which was more detailed and somewhat exhaustively evidenced by the Tibetan sources. Guide to the Nyingma Edition ofthe sDe-dge-bKa' -' gyurlbsTan-'gyur edited and produced by TarthaI1g Tulku3 evidently is more infom1ative and therefore more reliable have contradicted some infOlTI1ation provided by Rahul on logical grounds. However, before we come to a position to utter any opinion it will be doing well to mention that ofthe Tibetan scholars whose name occurred with the translation is tlle name ofYe-Shes-sDe.
    [Show full text]
  • Mindfulness of Breathing (39) Luminous Mind
    Mindfulness of Breathing (39) Luminous Mind February 23, 2021 SUMMARY KEYWORDS mind, viññāṇa, consciousness, wondrous, citta, dukkha, brightness, liberated, clear, clean, ouch, ahhh, luminous, beauty, ānāpānasati Gil Fronsdal One of the inspiring topics in the teachings of the Buddha is that around citta. It's often translated into English as 'mind.' Depending upon the context, citta is sometimes translated as “state of mind.” There may be no difference between 'mind' and “state of mind.” As I said yesterday, the mind is not a thing. It's not as if we can see the mind in some clear way, like using a microscope in the brain to discover where the mind is. The mind is more a gestalt. It's the sum total of our mentality – how the mind works. It's not a thing. Because of that, perhaps, the Buddha never talks about letting go of the mind. He talks about letting go of form, feelings, perceptions, and mental activities. He also talks about letting go of something that we've come to understand in the West as 'consciousness.' The Pali word for 'consciousness' is viññāṇa. It's possible that viññāṇa should not be translated as 'consciousness.' The word 'consciousness' has been used in the West for about three hundred to four hundred years. It was coined in relatively recent times. Both the word 'consciousness' and the idea of it entered our language in a deeper way in the last one hundred years or so. Many of us now take consciousness as second nature. It's obvious what it is.
    [Show full text]
  • Jainism and Buddhism As Enduring Historical Streams
    JASO 21/2 (1990): 141-63. JAINISM AND BUDDHISM AS ENDURING HISTORICAL STREAMS MICHAEL CARRITHERS THE Digambar Jainism of southern and western India and the Theravada Buddhism of Sri Lanka are among the world's oldest extant religious traditions. They grew ultimately out of the same soil and shared many of the same problems, if not the same solutions. One line I will pursue in this article is a comparison of the two as enduring historical streams. It is a comparison which I have found extraordinarily useful in giving an account of the two religions. The second line arises from the longevity and variation of the two religions. Over their 2500-year history Theravada and Digambar Jainism alone, quite apart from other closely related sects and schisms, bave each given rise to a wealth of diverse and often mutually contradictory attitudes, practices and forms of life. The longevity and the variation can best be understood, I suggest, by regarding the religions as enduring historical streams, a patterned flow of contingencies and aspirations, routines and imaginative responses. Such a treatment is designed to achieve fidelity to the rich historical and ethnographic material of each religion-and, as I suggest in the conclusion, to offer an alternative to some present practices in anthropology. 141 142 Michael Carrithers l. Methodical Wonder To speak of enduring historical streams is to stress the continuity of the two religions over a period of 2500 years since their origin. This is quite conventional, and accords with the wisdom of Buddhists, Jains, Indologists and anthropologists - with the proviso that Buddhists and Jains would also add a prehistory of uncounted eons to the chronology.
    [Show full text]
  • Gaudapada-Karika
    timmmwk mmM Mit$~mm B, No. 9. GAUDAPADA-KARIKA Edited with a complete translation into English, Notes, Introduction and Appendices By Raghunath Damodar Karmarkar Director,, Post-Graduate and Research Department, Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute ( Efc-Principal, Sp|§|raj»kurambhau College, Poona ) Published By Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute POONA 1953 Copies can be had direct from the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Poona 4 ( India) Price: rs, 5 per copy, exclusive of postage Printed and published by Dr. R. N. Dandekar, M.A„ Ph.D., at the Bhandarkar Institute Press, Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Poona No. 4. J " " U^f^T STTOimidftr: , 3?g^lTTf W 1 4k4W*lR*l ^_ ^ . gr% ?<£«h ^rar ?v*3 iwwi«4 ^rq^[^?R5T: Dedicated to The Sacred Memory of The Late Mahamahopadhyaya VASUDEVA SHASTRI ABHYANKAR [1862-1942] who did his utmost throughout his life to expound and popularise the Philosophy of §ankaracarya PREFACE Prof. Vidhusekhara Bhattacharya published his edition of Gauda- padakankas ( or Agamasastra ) some years ago. A close perusal of that edition clearly showed that Prof. Bhattacharya had allowed himself to be carried a little too far by his leanings towards Buddhism, and hence some of his interpretations appeared clearly to be biassed and forced. While teaching Gaudapadakanka to the M. A. students, I had occasion to criticise Prof. Bhattacharya's interpretations, and I felt that it would be better to present my views in a book-form, before a larger circle of readers so that a balanced view of Gaudapada's philosophy could be taken. The present edition has been brought forth with such a back-ground.
    [Show full text]