DOCSLIB.ORG

A Critique of Kapleau's ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "To Cherish All Life" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
A Critique of Kapleau's ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A Critique of Kapleau's ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "To Cherish All Life" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ by Bruce Burrill 1820 Jefferson St. Madison, WI 53711 Copyright 1994 Bruce Burrill It is not difficult to find in popular books dealing with Buddhism or Hinduism issues that directly concern the study of the early civilizations of India. It almost goes without saying that lacking a careful consideration of the historical, philosophical, philological, anthropological, etc. issues, one is likely to take a stroll down the garden path of interesting but wrong conclusions. Examples of this are not hard to find, and the intention in this paper is to look at in detail an example that illustrates good intentions gone wrong for the lack of a solid background in Indian history and thought. There is no question that many of the issues of early Indian history -- and here we mean around the time of the Buddha -- are not finally decided leaving much room for conjecture. The question we must ask, however, is the conjecture sensitive to the questions (and answers) raised by historical study and the other disciplines that speak to issues of Indian civilization. What we shall look at is Philip Kapleau's book, TO CHERISH ALL LIFE: A BUDDHIST CASE FOR BECOMING VEGETARIAN (San Francisco: Harper, 1982; and Rochester: The Zen Center, 1986). Essentially this is a book written by a religionist for fellow religionists. It addresses a question of no small importance for Buddhists -- what is our relationship and responsibility to our fellow sentient beings? This book, a stern, uncompromising statement following many of the stern, uncompromising arguments of the Lankavatarasutra, is of interest having been written by a prominent Western Buddhist, and it is of interest for its historical claims, but we must ask whether or not it does justice to a careful study of Indian civilization. The text of Kapleau's statement is 56 pages with additional information on diet and protein written by a disciple of his. The first part is a standard outlining of the horrors of the factory farm and the abattoir. The second section deals with meat eating and the first precept of not killing. In the absolute, fundamental sense of Buddha-nature, Kapleau states (p. 6), "There is no demarcation between human and animal nature." He goes on to say (p. 19), "To willfully take life, therefore, means to disrupt and destroy this inherent wholeness and to blunt feelings of reverence and compassion arising from our Buddha-mind." He further states (p. 20): ...since our Buddha-nature has endless potential, the creature that is a cow today may in a future rebirth become a human being and from that state realize its innate perfection--that is, achieve buddhahood. Thus we have the fundamental Buddhist teaching that all life, human and non-human, is sacred. Though there are a number of issues raised in this second section, we find of vital interest to Kapleau are the Buddha's dying from eating bad pork, and the Pali canon's allowance of meat eating. Of this first issue Kapleau, following Arthur Waley, rejects the notion that the Buddha died from eating bad pork (pp. 23-5). Of this second issue, occupying over a third of the discussion of the second section, Kapleau by the way of preface states (p. 3): 1 Through textual and other evidential material, as well as by reasoned argument, I have sought to establish that the Buddha could not have uttered the words attributed to him in the Pali scriptures with regard to meat eating.... It is this second issue that we shall look at in some detail, for it is here we find the center of Kapleau's argument. He puts forward three arguments We shall first look at them and then respond. First, Kapleau contends (p. 34), "...that even before the Buddha's time the scriptures of the various spiritual traditions in India condemned flesh eating as not conducive to spiritual progress." Using Koshelya Walli's THE CONCEPTION OF AHIMSA IN INDIAN THOUGHT as a source, Kapleau states (p. 37), "The teaching of ahimsa influenced the spiritual climate of the Buddha's day." To illustrate this he quotes six passages of "ancient Hindu" texts from Walli's book.[1] The first reads (p. 37): Meat can never be obtained without injuring creatures, and injury to sentient beings is detrimental to heavenly bliss; therefore one should shun meat eating... How then could the Buddha have allowed (defended?) meat eating, being so much against the current of spiritual thinking of the time? Secondly, he states that the Mahayana sanction against meat eating flatly contradicts the Theravada position. He mentions the Sanskrit Lankavatara-, Surangama-, Mahaparinirvana- and, Brahmajala-sutras. He quotes from the first (p. 33): It is not true that meat is proper food and permissible when the animal was not killed by himself, when he did not order others to kill it, when it was not specially meant for him...Again, there may be some people in the future who...being under the influence of the taste for meat will string together in various ways sophistic arguments to defend meat eating... Of this Kapleau states (p. 34): ...as Conze and other scholars have pointed out, many of the Sanskrit scriptures were contemporary, or nearly so, with the Pali [Theravada]. Isn't it reasonable to suppose that if the elders of the Mahayana were satisfied that the Theravada suttas correctly reflected the Buddha's views as respect meat eating, they would have remained silent on this point? It is worth noting the above two arguments are used by Kapleau to show why (p.34) "the Mahayana teachings directly contradict those of the Theravada in the matter of meat eating." He also on the basis of these two arguments states that (p. 34), "...commentators [who] attribute the difference [between the Mahayana and the Theravada] to a shift in public morality that took place in the years between the compiling of the two set of scriptures" are wrong. Thirdly, Kapleau asks (p. 39-40), "How did those words imputed to the Buddha get into the Pali Canon? The answer is simple: Monks and scribes still attached to meat eating put them there." There are two issues underlining this statement. First, Kapleau states (p. 30): There has never been a genuine spiritual master either 2 before, during, or after the Buddha's time who has defended meat eating or denied that it is a bar to realization of the highest states of spirituality. Why? Because meat stimulates the lower passions.... In other words, it is inconceivable that as a "genuine spiritual master' the Buddha could have "defended" meat eating. Secondly, he points out, referring to Rhys Davids' and Conze's work, that the Pali canon (as it is with the other canons) shows editing, reflecting "the prejudices or points of view" of the school it belongs to. The conclusion has to be that, using the terminology of the Lankavatarasutra, that monk scribes "under the influence of the taste for meat" have edited into the Pali texts "sophistic arguments to defend meat eating." So stands Kapleau. Kapleau's first contention that early Indian scriptures prohibited the eating of meat can only in part be borne out by textual evidence. Some did and some did the opposite. If Kapleau wants us to believe that meat eating was not commonplace before, during, and after the Buddha's time, the evidence marshals strongly against such a view. Walli states that Indians of the Vedic and Upansishadic times were meat eaters, and some texts supported meat eating.[2] In volume two of R. C. Majumdar's THE HISTORY AND CULTURE OF THE INDIAN PEOPLE, dealing with the time between 600 B.C. and 320 A.D., we find this statement[3]: In spite of the growing spirit of ahimsa fostered by the Jains and Buddhists, and enforced by emperors like Asoka, various kinds of fish and meat, not excluding beef, were extensively taken by the people. Even the "ancient Hindu" texts that Kapleau quotes, like the one above are not without serious difficulty. The one above and three others -- that is, four out of the six that he quotes -- are quoted from page 145 of Walli's book and come from the Manusmrti. On the bottom of that page Walli quotes the Manusmtri, "An abstainer of meat and a performer of horse sacrifice, both these get equal merit." On the next page Walli states, "According to Manu, there is no sin in meat-eating, for that is the natural way of human beings, but abstention brings great rewards." On page 121 Walli states that according to the Manusmrti animals were created for the purpose of performing sacrifice. The texts that Kapleau quotes may argue against meat eating as it is a detriment to spiritual progress, but they also emphatically implore the wholesale destruction of animals for that end. This is something that Buddhism and Jainism strongly spoke against. These texts are hardly suited to be quoted in support of the first precept, for the context simply does not allow it, but Kapleau ignores this. The point is that despite what he wants the texts to say, the historical fact, as put forth by Walli, Majumdar, and others, is that meat eating was commonplace before, during, and well after the Buddha's time. If the lack of historical considerations is a problem with the first argument, it is no less bewildering with the second argument. Does Kapleau really mean that the Sanskrit Lankavatarasutra, et al. mentioned above are really "contemporary, or nearly so, with the Pali"? The Pali canon was written down in the first century B.C.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • 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]
  • The Gandavyuha-Sutra : a Study of Wealth, Gender and Power in an Indian Buddhist Narrative
    The Gandavyuha-sutra : a Study of Wealth, Gender and Power in an Indian Buddhist Narrative Douglas Edward Osto Thesis for a Doctor of Philosophy Degree School of Oriental and African Studies University of London 2004 1 ProQuest Number: 10673053 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a com plete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 10673053 Published by ProQuest LLC(2017). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States C ode Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 Abstract The Gandavyuha-sutra: a Study of Wealth, Gender and Power in an Indian Buddhist Narrative In this thesis, I examine the roles of wealth, gender and power in the Mahay ana Buddhist scripture known as the Gandavyuha-sutra, using contemporary textual theory, narratology and worldview analysis. I argue that the wealth, gender and power of the spiritual guides (kalyanamitras , literally ‘good friends’) in this narrative reflect the social and political hierarchies and patterns of Buddhist patronage in ancient Indian during the time of its compilation. In order to do this, I divide the study into three parts. In part I, ‘Text and Context’, I first investigate what is currently known about the origins and development of the Gandavyuha, its extant manuscripts, translations and modern scholarship.
    [Show full text]
  • Diversity in the Women of the Therīgāthā
    Lesley University DigitalCommons@Lesley Graduate School of Arts and Social Sciences Mindfulness Studies Theses (GSASS) Spring 5-6-2020 Diversity in the Women of the Therīgāthā Kyung Peggy Meill [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/mindfulness_theses Part of the Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Meill, Kyung Peggy, "Diversity in the Women of the Therīgāthā" (2020). Mindfulness Studies Theses. 29. https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/mindfulness_theses/29 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School of Arts and Social Sciences (GSASS) at DigitalCommons@Lesley. It has been accepted for inclusion in Mindfulness Studies Theses by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@Lesley. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. DIVERSITY IN THE WOMEN OF THE THERĪGĀTHĀ i Diversity in the Women of the Therīgāthā Kyung Peggy Kim Meill Lesley University May 2020 Dr. Melissa Jean and Dr. Andrew Olendzki DIVERSITY IN THE WOMEN OF THE THERĪGĀTHĀ ii Abstract A literary work provides a window into the world of a writer, revealing her most intimate and forthright perspectives, beliefs, and emotions – this within a scope of a certain time and place that shapes the milieu of her life. The Therīgāthā, an anthology of 73 poems found in the Pali canon, is an example of such an asseveration, composed by theris (women elders of wisdom or senior disciples), some of the first Buddhist nuns who lived in the time of the Buddha 2500 years ago. The gathas (songs or poems) impart significant details concerning early Buddhism and some of its integral elements of mental and spiritual development.
    [Show full text]
  • Buddha As Progenitor of Pali, the Non-Parole Lingua Dhammica
    Buddha as Progenitor of Pali, the Non-parole Lingua Dhammica Bhikkhu Mihita, PhD (formerly Suwanda H J Sugunasiri; See end of paper for brief Bio) ABSTRACT There is agreement among scholars that at some point in time in the early history of Buddhism, there came to be a lingua franca, but also a perception that what constitutes Pali is a ‘translation’, or a ‘normalization’ of this, but post-Canonically. In Part I, this paper argues that Pali was no translation, but indeed the very ‘lingua franca’ (see later for change of label) in which the Canon was transmitted, and that it comes to be shaped at the hands of the Buddha himself, making him the ‘Progenitor’. The ‘critical other’ for this to happen is Ananda, ‘foremost’ in several language related skills, this suggesting the emergence of Pali to be around twenty years post-Enlightenment. However, Pali was no parole, i.e., not used for speaking, but a langue (in the Saussurean distinction), with only the inner circle of pupils privy to it initially, and over time, only the ordained Sangha, both male and female. As such, it comes to be used exclusively as the linguistic medium of the Dhamma to be retained to posterity in its pristine purity. In that sense, it may be characterized as a ‘High Prakrit’, or Ucchakrt (cf Sanskrt), somewhat different from a ‘koine’. Given that the label lingua franca does not capture the specific nature and function of the language constructed by the Buddha, we seek to capture its uniqueness in the new label Lingua Dhammica.
    [Show full text]
  • Cūḷa Hatthi,Padôpama Sutta
    SD 40a.5 M 27/1:175-184 • Cūḷa Hatthi,padopama Sutta Cūḷa Hatthi,padôpama Sutta 5 The Lesser Discourse on the Elephant‟s Hoofprint Parable | M 27/1:175-184 Theme: The training of the true disciple Translated by Piya Tan ©2008 1 Sutta summary and highlights 1.1 SUTTA SUMMARY 1.1.1 Theme. The Cūḷa Hatthi,padôpama Sutta is about the best reason for praising the Buddha, that is, in terms of the true purpose of the spiritual life he teaches. It describes in full a monk‟s “fruits of re- cluseship” (sāmañña,phala) or the gradual training and its highest goal.1 King Pasenadi’s chaplain, Jāṇussoṇi, in his magnificent all-white mare-drawn chariot meets the wan- derer Pilotikā Vacchāyana [§§1-2], who declares his deep faith in the Buddha’s ability to inspire anyone, whether kshatriyas, brahmins, houselords or recluses, by his teachings, so that they do not ever think of challenging him. He calls this the Buddha’s “four footprints” (cātu pada), alluding to the notion that a large elephant hoofprint connotes a large elephant [§§3-7] [4]. 1.1.2 An outsider’s faith. Jāṇussoṇi, highly impressed, approaches the Buddha and relates to him all that Pilotikā has said [§§8-9]. The Buddha, however, rejects such praises, saying that they are misplaced since they do not reflect the best reason for praising him [§10]. Even an outsider (bāhiraka) is able to attain any of the 4 dhyanas [§§19-22] or the 3 knowledges [§§23-25],2 or praise them profusely. These qualities are merely stages in the gradual training to full self- awakening as arhats, which concludes the training [1.3.7].
    [Show full text]
  • A. Vinaya Piṭaka—The Collection of Disciplinary Rules
    An Analysis of the Pāli Canon Edited by Russell Webb Buddhist Publication Society Kandy •Sri Lanka The Wheel Publication No. 217 First BPS edition 1975 Second BPS edition 1991 Third BPS edition 2008 Copyright © 1991 by Russell Webb ISBN 955–24–0048–1 BPS Online Edition © (2008) Digital Transcription Source: BPS Transcription Project For free distribution. This work may be republished, reformatted, reprinted and redistributed in any medium. However, any such republication and redistribution is to be made available to the public on a free and unrestricted basis, and translations and other derivative works are to be clearly marked as such. Contents Preface.........................................................................................................................................3 I. Textual Analysis..................................................................................................................................4 A. Vinaya Piṭaka—the Collection of Disciplinary Rules.......................................................4 1. Sutta Vibhaṅga..........................................................................................................4 2. Khandhaka, subdivided into Mahāvagga and Cūḷavagga.................................4 3. Parivāra......................................................................................................................5 B. Sutta Piṭaka— the Collection of the Buddha’s Discourses...............................................5 1. Dīgha Nikāya.............................................................................................................5
    [Show full text]
  • Eṣā Agrā; Images of Nuns in (Mūla-)Sarvāstivādin Literature
    JIABS Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies Volume 24 Number 2 2001 Buddhist Nuns Peter SKILLING EÒa agra: Images of Nuns in (Mula-)Sarvastivadin Literature ...... 135 Ivette M. VARGAS-O’BRIAN The Life of dGe slong ma dPal mo: The Experience of a Leper, Founder of a Fasting Ritual, a Transmitter of Buddhist Teachings on Suffering and Renunciation in Tibetan Religious History............................................................................................... 157 Kim GUTSCHOW What Makes a Nun? Apprenticeship and Ritual Passage in Zanskar, North India........................................................................................ 187 Sarah LEVINE The Finances of a Twentieth Century Buddhist Mission: Building Support for the Theravada Nuns’ Order of Nepal............ 217 Peter SKILLING Nuns, Laywomen, Donors, Goddesses Female Roles in Early Indian Buddhism ......................................... 241 Ann HEIRMAN Chinese Nuns and their Ordination in Fifth Century China ........... 275 Notes on the Contributors................................................................. 305 E∑A AGRA: IMAGES OF NUNS IN (MULA-)SARVASTIVADIN LITERATURE PETER SKILLING Buddhist literature evolved over centuries across a widespread area. The Buddhist texts that we know today are social products, constituted by negotiation, com- promise, and adaptation. Should we expect them to present a single position on nuns or female spirituality? Should we close our eyes to the positive, and see only the negative, or vice versa, according to our proclivities? Or should we accept that both nuns and monks may be portrayed either positively or negatively, and see what different texts have to say? In this article I look at (Mula-)Sarvastiva- din avadanas from the perspective of a literary anthropologist, revealing embedded values and displaying narratory artefacts related to nunship. I discover positive images connected with teaching and transmitting the Dharma.
    [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]
  • (Brahma,Vihāra) Subha Sutta
    SD 38.6 M 99/2:196-209 (Brahma,vihāra) Subha Sutta 6 (Brahma,vihāra) Subha Sutta The Discourse to Subha (on the Divine Abodes) | M 99/2:196-209 Theme: Godliness is within us Translated by Piya Tan ©2007, 2011 1 The Sutta text 1.1 SUTTA SUMMARY AND COMMENTARY 1.1.1 Subha wants to visit an arhat. The (Brahma,vihāra) Subha Sutta records a dialogue be- tween the Buddha and Subha Todeyya,putta, a young brahmin student (māṇava). Subha declares that lay people (since they are economically engaged) are “productive” while renunciants are not. He also thinks that it is impossible for recluses or brahmins to attain spiritual states or excellence in knowledge and vision, worthy of the noble ones. In due course, the Buddha convinces him otherwise, and teaches him the four divine abodes, of which he approves. The Sutta is also a good introduction to the nature of “analytical thinking” (vibhajja,vāda) [1.3]. [§2.1] The Sutta opens with the brahmin youth Subha Todeyya,putta [3] staying in a certain house- lord’s house in Sāvatthī. [§2.2] Aware that Sāvatthī is full of religious pandits1 and saints, he inquires about them. He is recommended to see the Buddha [§2.3], and does so [§3]. Evidently, this is his first encounter with the Buddha. 1.1.2 True practice leads to true Dharma. [§4.1] Subha tells the Buddha that householders “are ac- complished in the right way that is the wholesome dharma,” meaning that renunciants are not keeping to the philosophical tenets (ñāya; Skt nyāya) of the brahminical code (dhamma; Skt dharma).
    [Show full text]
  • Abstract: the Four Assemblies and the Foundation of the Order of Nuns by Analayo
    Abstract: The Four Assemblies and the Foundation of the Order of Nuns by Analayo According to the account of the foundation of the order of nuns, found with some variations in the different Vinayas preserved in Chinese, Pali, Sanskrit and Tibetan, the Buddha was quite hesitant to permit women to go forth and was persuaded by his monk disciple and attendant Ananda to do so only after repeated pleading. Not only was the Buddha unwilling to institute the order of nuns, but he supposedly even made the prediction that this step would cause his teaching to last for a period of only fivehundred years. This hesitation and prediction have had and still have a rather negative impact on the way the order of nuns is perceived and thus form one of the contributing factors that make it so difficult to establish an order of nuns in those traditions where the bhiksuni ordination does not at present exist. A close inspection of the account of the foundation of the order of nuns brings to light several inconsistencies. As already noticed by other scholars, the eight special rules that according to this account were laid down as a pre-condition for the founding of the order of nuns presuppose an already existing bhiksuni-sangha, so that, in the form in which they have come down to us, these eight rules could only have been formulated at a time when nuns were already in existence. Some canonical passages do in fact refer to the ehi bhikkuni type of ordination for nuns, indicating that in the earliest stages of the history of the Buddhist order nuns were ordained with this simple formula, instead of the procedure referred to in the eight special rules.
    [Show full text]
  • Chinese Spiral Path Texts from the Madhyāgama
    Chinese Spiral Path Texts from the Madhyāgama. Draft Translations. Jayarava. Sept 2012. Introduction The spiral path texts in the Chinese Madhyāgama (中阿含, T 1.26) are a block of 14 sūtras under the heading: 習相應品 Section Concerned with Conditions. This is the 5th section of the text. The last two sūtras in this section contain quite different material.1 The Madhyāgama (MĀ) was translated from Sanskrit into Chinese by a Sarvāstivāda Tripiṭaka master called Gautama Saṅghadeva (瞿曇僧伽提婆)—often simply Saṅghadeva— from Kabul 2 in the Eastern Jin dynasty (東晉) in 397-398 CE.3 He also translated the Ekottarāgama and a treatise on Abhidharma. Bhikkhu Anālayo suggests that original was in a Prakrit (based on transliteration of personal names and translation mistakes).4 An earlier Chinese translation was apparently made but is no longer extant. Most of these sūtras have at least partial parallels in the Pāli texts, usually from the Aṅguttara Nikāya. Work is proceeding on a complete English translation of MĀ under the auspices of the Numata Foundation. My translations are intended as guides only, and to facilitate comparison with the Pāli they are as literal as possible. In some cases, e.g. MĀ 42 the syntax and vocabulary are remarkably consistent with the Pāli. In other cases there are both structural and terminological changes. Each Chinese character can stand for a number of Sanskrit or Prakrit words, and usage varies considerably especially in these texts which are relatively early in the process of Chinese translations of Buddhist texts. I have made the simplifying assumption that when there is ambiguity the Pāli parallel provides the best choice of term.
    [Show full text]
  • The First Step to Be a Buddha by Venerable Master Chang-Lyu the Founder of Cheng-Te Charity and Education Association
    The First Step to be a Buddha By Venerable Master Chang-lyu The Founder of Cheng-Te Charity and Education Association Published by Buddhist Cih-yin Magazine Press What is a “monk”?................................................................................55 CONTENTS The three kinds of Buddha-natures: the secular view of wisdom, pity, and awakening.....................................................................................64 The Three Major Doctrines for Cultivating Wisdom.............................69 【Preface1】The first step to be a Buddha ........................................04 What is mercy? ...................................................................................83 【Preface2】Buddhism is not a religion. It is education of wisdom pity and awakening.....................................................................................05 A Touching Story at Tatu Bridge at Changhua.....................................86 【Preface3】The utilitarian religion.....................................................06 Poor Student Saved Money and Starved himself to Save People......87 【TEXT】 You can not say it is your resolves to do good but it is your duty........90 If you want to get away from pain and distress in your life, it is sensible The Prime Minister Fan, Zhong-Yan in Song Dynasty was the greatest to believe in Buddhism........................................................................08 philanthropist in China.........................................................................93 The truth about life...............................................................................10
    [Show full text]