The International Association of Buddhist Universities (IABU) Buddhist Philosophy and Meditation Practice Academic Papers presented at the 2nd IABU Conference Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University, Main Campus Wang Noi, Ayutthaya, Thailand 01 Meditation Panel Preface.indd 1 25/5/2555 20:29:25 The International Association of Buddhist Universities 2012 IABU Editorial Committee: Ven. Dr. Khammai Dhammasami Prof. Padmasiri de Silva Prof. Sarah Shaw Dr. Dion Peoples Jamie Cresswell Toshiichi EnEndodo (2)(2) 01 Meditation Panel Preface.indd 2 25/5/2555 20:29:40 Preface Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University (MCU) has been privileged to witness and play an instrumental role in developing and hosting successful UNDV and IABU celebrations, annually. As always, we are all very grateful to the Royal Thai Government for its constant support, and thank the Thai Supreme Sangha Council for its blessings, guidance and support. We are indebted, also, to the United Nations for recognizing the thrice-sacred Buddhist holy day. We had to delay the 2nd IABU Conference, due to the extreme ooding that shut down MCU for nearly two months. It has been 2600 years since the Enlightenment of our Great Teacher, and we have gathered here from across the globe, from many nations, to again pay tribute to his birth, enlightenment, and death – occurring on the same day in different years. The 2nd IABU Conference is running this year, due to the postponement, with the 9th United Nations Day of Vesak Conference. The IABU Secretariat now plays a major role in our celebrations, particularly in the academic program of the conference. This publication could not have been possible without the persistence, hard work, and dedication of MCU’s scholars and staff. I wish to thank all members of the International Council for The Day of Vesak and the Executive Council of the International Association of Buddhist Universities, and the other members of the Editorial Committee for their devotion. I am also grateful to our many donors, sponsors, and dedicated volunteers who return year after year to support the IABU and United Nations Day of Vesak Celebrations. We all truly celebrate the Buddha’s Enlightenment, and hope these words reach the hearts and minds of the readers. The Most Ven. Prof. Dr. PhraDharmakosajarn Rector, Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University President, ICDV & IABU (3) 01 Meditation Panel Preface.indd 3 25/5/2555 20:29:41 Contents Preface Table of Contents Introduction Buddhist Philosophy and Meditation Practice 1. Jason Siff: Language and Meditation 3 2. Jongmyung Kim: Thought and Praxis in Cotemporary Korean Buddhism: 14 A Critical Examination 3. Ven. Jinwol Lee: Ganhwaseon (笂贬茈) in Korea: 28 From a Seon Practitioner’s Perspective 4. Prof. Robert E. Buswell, Jr: The Transformation of Doubt (ijng 蝀袘) 34 in Kanhwa Sn 笂贬茈: The Testimony of Gaofeng Yuanmiao 簙膯蚖肅 (1238-1295) 5. Tadeusz Skorupski: Consciousness and Luminosity in 43 Indian and Tibetan Buddhism 6. James Blumenthal: amatha and its Relation to the Mundane and 65 Supra-mundane Paths According to Geluk Traditions of Tibetan Buddhism 7. Kyaw, Pyi. Phyo: The Pahna (Conditional Relations) and 72 Buddhist Meditation Application of the Teachings in the Pahna in Insight (Vipassan) Meditation Practice 8. Lei Xiaoli (Ph.D Candidate): A Study on the Development of Meditation in 88 Theravada Buddhism and Chinese Buddhism 9. Kanae Kawamoto: Pragmatic Bene ts and Concentration through 98 npnasati Meditation 10. Dr. H. M. Mahinda Herath: Theravada Philosophical Exposition of 104 the Supramundane (Lokuttara) State 11. Thomas A C Weiser: Three Practices of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness: 111 An Investigation in Comparative Soteriology 12. Professor Angraj Chaudhary: The Philosophy of Suffering and 128 the Practice of Vipassana (4) 01 Meditation Panel Preface.indd 4 25/5/2555 20:29:41 13. Joel Walmsley & Ira Greenberg: Mind, Death and Supervenience : 134 Towards a Comparative Dialogue 14. Jeff Waistell: Mindfulness Meditation and Praxis 149 15. Charles Pyle: A Strategic Perspective on Buddhist Meditation 158 16. Jim Rheingans: Communicating the Innate: Observations on 177 Teacher-Student Interaction in the Tibetan Mahmudr Instructions 17. Sumi Lee: Searching for a Possibility of Buddhist Hermeneutics: 202 Two Exegetic Strategies in Buddhist Tradition 18. Khristos Nizamis: The Mind’s ‘I’ in Meditation : Early Pi Buddhadhamma 212 and Transcendental Phenomenology in Mutual Re ection 19. Apisin Sivayathorn & Apichai Puntasen: Is It True That Buddhism is 239 Mind-Based Science? 20. Karin Meyers: The Pleasant Way: The Dhyna-s, Insight and the Path 259 according to the Abhidharmakoa 21. Thanaphon Cheungsirakulvit: Buddhadsa’s Poetry : the Object of 278 Contemplation on Emptiness 22. Prof. Yasanjali Devika Jayatilleke: An Anthropological Study on the Rituals 314 Pertaining to Life Crises Events among Sri Lankan Buddhists 23. Dr. Mark Owen: The Philosophical Foundations of 324 the Tibetan Buddhist Practice of Bodily Preservation 24. Bethany Lowe: Dangerous Dharma, Death, and Depression: 343 The Importance of ‘Right View’ for Practicing Contemplation within a Western Buddhist Tradition 25. Venerable Bhikkhuni Anula Devi: The Practical approach to 362 the Enlightenment through the Buddhist Meditation 26. Dr. Wangchuk Dorjee Negi: Buddhist Meditation Practices 370 27. Dr Sarah Shaw : Breathing Mindfulness: Text and Practice 378 28. Nuengfa Nawaboonniyom` & Apichai Puntasen: The Training of 391 Satipahna related to 15 Caraas and 8 Vijjs 29. Giuliana Martini: Transcending the Limiting Power of Karma 413 The Early Buddhist Appamas (5) 01 Meditation Panel Preface.indd 5 25/5/2555 20:29:41 30. Ven. Dr. Yuanci: A Study of the Meditation Methods in 438 the DESM and Other Early Chinese Texts 31. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Uma Shankar: The Philosophical Perspectives in 466 the Meditational practices of Tantric Buddhism. (6)(6) 01 Meditation Panel Preface.indd 6 25/5/2555 20:29:41 2nd IABU Conf erence: Introduction Buddhist Philosophy and Meditation Practice Volumes Welcome to the 2nd International Association of Buddhist Universities Academic Conference on Buddhist Philosophy and Praxis. This conference seems like it has been a long time in the making, due to the extensive ooding that ravished Thailand, and certainly left Mahachulalongkorn rajavidyalaya University, our gracious and great host, inundated with almost 2 meters of water. The university, where the IABU Secretariat is currently headquartered, has overcome this dif cult situation, and we are now ready to hold this conference. The conference was originally scheduled for 16-18 December 2011, but to make this happen seemed like an impossibility. We are now here for the rescheduled date: 31 May – 02 June 2012. We have noticed that our 2nd IABU Conference coincides with the 9th United Nations Day of Vesak Celebrations – but our aims are different for this occasion. It’s quite fascinating that a single university can host two large international conferences at the same time. We further give our humble respects to the Government of the Kingdom of Thailand and to the Thai Sangha Supreme Council for enabling this conference to proceed. When this conference was in its planning stages, we had initial discussions on the main theme: Buddhist Philosophy – but we did not want papers that just gave idealistic proposals. Instead we aspired to gain papers that demonstrated philosophy in action, or the conversion of an idea into an actuality – and thus we wanted to implement or emphasize the aspect of praxis, into the conference. We had scheduled a practical meditation session, where elected Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana masters would hold a meditation session along with a question and answer period; but due to the merging of the two conferences: the 2ndIABU Conference and the 9th UNDV Conference – there was no longer enough allotted time for the meditation sessions, so it was regretfully eliminated. We hope that the gathering of academics took advantage of this expertise that availed themselves for this august gathering. As all the scholars can surmise, there are several formats or applications of Buddhism, some are living-systems, and some have become either extinct or have merged with existing systems. Buddhist Philosophy is a vast topic that lls many bookshelves. Most of us have read texts on early-Indian or Vedic-philosophy and have seen the emergence into what we are discussing: Buddhism – but by no means are we holding a singular view of a Buddhism. The overwhelming amount of scholars present here surmise that dependent-origination is probably the supreme-teaching of the Buddha, or the one doctrine that gathers the most attention. The term: ‘praxis’ has caused some confusion amongst our scholars. If the term was de ned: we could determine that praxis is the application or process through which the philosophical or doctrinal point becomes actualized or put into place (practiced) – it’s about the endeavor. We might have taken the term from international-socialistic literature, which emphasizes that besides just having philosophy – the point of all of us studying the Buddha’s preserved words is for the sake of improving our world – to eliminate suffering from the social experience. How have we actually done this? (7) 01 Meditation Panel Preface.indd 7 25/5/2555 20:29:42 Approximately 160 articles were received the 2nd IABU Conference from around the world. We have selected about 110 of them for presentation at the conference. There are articles from different levels of scholars,