User:The Thin Man Who Never Leaves/Buddhism Article,4 Sept. 2008
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Buddhism is both a world religion[1] and a philosophy with distribution throughout the world, and significant variation in beliefs among its adherents. Depending on the source[2]
[3]
Buddhism has spread through two main branches:
All traditions recognize Gautama Buddha as an enlightened teacher who shared his insights in order to help
Gautama Buddha
Siddhartha
However, at the age of 29, he ventured outside the palace complex several times despite his father's wishes. As a result he discovered the suffering of his people, through encounters with: an old man, a
Partly because of The Four Sights, Gautama one day sought to be free from suffering by living the life of a mendicant ascetic, a highly respected spiritual practice at the time in ancient India. He left the palace, abandoning royal life to take up his spiritual quest, eventually finding companions with similar spiritual goals. After practising various forms of meditation, including dhyāna, he concluded that ascetic practices, such as fasting, holding one's breath, and exposure to pain brought little spiritual benefit. He viewed them as counterproductive due to their reliance on self hatred and mortification.[10]
After almost starving to death, he accepted a little milk and rice from a village girl.[citation needed] He abandoned asceticism, concentrating instead on anapanasati meditation (awareness of breathing), thus discovering what Buddhists call the Middle Way; a path of moderation between the extremes of self-indulgence and self-mortification. However, his companions left him believing he had givien his spiritual quest.[citation needed]
After discovering the Middle Way, he sat under a
Buddhist Concepts
Karma: Cause and Effect
Karma (from
In Buddhism, the term karman is used specifically for those actions which spring from :
- mental intent (Pāli: cetana)[16]
- mental obsessions [citation needed]
which bring about a fruit (Pāli, phala) or result (
In Theravada Buddhism there is no divine salvation or forgiveness from one's
The karma of kusala (skillful) and akusala (unskillful) actions produces "seeds" in the mind which come to
Rebirth
Rebirth means to be born again, and each rebirth is can be one of many possible lifes. This types of lifes where later formally classified as the Five or
- Hell
- Animals
- Ghosts
- Humans
- Asuras (sometimes): variously translated as demons, titans, antigods
- Heaven: life as devas, variously translated as gods, spirits, angels, or left untranslated
Theravada does not recognize asuras as a separate realm, but most Mahayana sources do.
Rebirths in the higher heavens can be attained by the practice of samatha meditation.
The Four Noble Truths
According to the Theravada
According to one interpretation,[
This interpretation is followed closely by many modern Theravadins,[
According to other interpretations by Buddhist teachers and scholars and lately recognized by some western scholars as well[23] the "truths" do not represent mere statements, but "things". According to that view, they present a perfect division of most phenomena as falling into one of these four categories: true sufferings and true causes are the effect and cause on the side of suffering; true cessations and true paths are the effect and cause on the side of liberation. They are according to the Macmillan Encyclopedia of Buddhism [24]
- "the noble truth that is suffering"
- "the noble truth that is the arising of suffering"
- "the noble truth that is the end of suffering"
- "the noble truth that is the way leading to the end of suffering"
The early teaching[25] and the traditional understanding in the Theravada[26] is that the four noble truths are an advanced teaching for those who are ready for them. The Mahayana position is that they are a preliminary teaching for people not yet ready for the higher and more expansive Mahayana teachings.[27] They are little known in the Far East.[28]
The Noble Eightfold Path
The Noble Eightfold Path is the way to the cessation of suffering, the fourth part of the Four Noble Truths. In the early sources (the four main Nikayas) it is not generally taught to laymen, and it is little known in the Far East.[29] This is divided into three sections: Prajñā (wisdom), Śīla (ethics or morality) and Samadhi (meditation or concentration of the mind).
Prajñā is the wisdom which purifies the mind, concerning spiritual insight into the true nature of all things. This section has two subsections:
- सम्यक् दृष्टि (dṛṣṭi), Correct Understanding:
Understanding reality as it is, not just as it appears to be. - सम्यक् संकल्प (saṃkalpa), Correct Thoughts:
Change the way of thinking.
Śīla is the morality of abstaining from unwholesome deeds of body and speech. This section has three subsections:
- सम्यक् वाच् (vāk), Correct Speech:
One speaks in a non hurtful, not exaggerated, truthful way - सम्यक् कर्मन् (karmān), Correct Actions:
Wholesome action, avoiding action that would do harm - सम्यक् आजीवन (ājīvana), Correct Livelihood:
One's way of livelihood does not harm in any way oneself or others; directly or indirectly
Samadhi is developing mastery over one’s own mind through the practice of meditation and other mental disciplines. This section has three subsections:
- (samyag-vyāyāma, sammā-vāyāma) Correct Effort/Exercise:
One makes an effort to improve - (samyak-smṛti, sammā-sati) Correct Mindfulness/Awareness:
Mental ability to see things for what they are with clear consciousness - (samyak-samādhi, sammā-samādhi) Correct Concentration/Meditation:
Being aware of the present reality within oneself, without any craving or aversion.
The word सम्यक् (samyak) means correctly, properly, well, accurate[30]. There are basically two ways to interpret the practice of the Eightfold Path:
- It is spoken as being a progressive series of stages through which the practitioner moves, the culmination of one leading to the beginning of another
- The states of the 'Path' require simultaneous development, they're practiced in parallel.
Middle Way
An important guiding principle of Buddhist practice is the
- It is often described as the practice of non-extremism; a path of moderation away from the extremes of self-indulgence and opposing self-mortification.
- It also refers to taking a middle ground between certain metaphysical views, e.g. that things ultimately either exist or do not exist.[31]
- An explanation of the state of nirvana and perfect enlightenment where all dualities fuse and cease to exist as separate entities (see Seongcheol).
- Another term for emptiness, the ultimate nature of all phenomena, lack of inherent existence, which avoids the extremes of permanence and nihilism or inherent existence and nothingness.
Reality in Buddhism
According to the
In the Pali Canon and numerous Mahayana sutras and Tantras, the Buddha stresses that Dharma (Truth) cannot truly be understood with the ordinary rational mind or logic: Reality transcends all worldly concepts. What is urged is study, mental and moral self-cultivation, faith in and veneration of the sutras, which are as fingers pointing to the moon of Truth, but then to let go of ratiocination and to experience direct entry into Liberation itself. In the Mahayana
Most Buddhists agree that, to a greater or lesser extent, words are inadequate to describe the goal; schools differ radically on the usefulness of words in the path to that goal.[34]
Buddhist scholars have produced a prodigious quantity of intellectual theories, philosophies and world view concepts. See e.g. Abhidharma, Buddhist philosophy and Reality in Buddhism. Some schools of Buddhism discourage doctrinal study, but most regard it as having a place, at least for some people at some stages.
Mahayana often adopts a pragmatic concept of truth:[35] doctrines are "true" in the sense of being spiritually beneficial. In modern Chinese Buddhism, all doctrinal traditions are regarded as equally valid.[36]
Mahāyāna Buddhism received significant theoretical grounding from
Sarvāstivāda teaching, which was criticized by Nāgārjuna, was reformulated by scholars such as
In the Mahayana school, emphasis is also often placed on the notions of Emptiness (
Theravāda promotes the concept of
Pratītya-Samutpāda - Dependent Origination or The Cycle of Samsara
- Avidyā: ignorance, specifically spiritual[39]
- Saṃskāras: literally formations, explained as referring to Karma.
- Vijñāna: consciousness, specifically discriminative[40]
- Nāmarūpa: literally name and form, referring to mind and body[41]
- Ṣaḍāyatana: the six sense bases: eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind-organ
- Sparśa: variously translated contact, impression, stimulation
- Vedanā: usually translated feeling: this is the "hedonic tone", i.e. whether something is pleasant, unpleasant or neutral
- Tṛṣṇā: literally thirst, but nearly always in Buddhism used to mean craving
- Upādāna: clinging or grasping; the word also means fuel, which feeds the continuing cycle of rebirth
- Bhava: literally being (existence) or becoming. (The Theravada explains this as having two meanings: karma, which produces a new existence, and the existence itself.[42])
- Jāti: literally birth, but life is understood as starting at conception[43]
- Jarāmaraṇa (old age and death) and also śokaparidevaduḥkhadaumanasyopāyāsa (sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness and misery)
Human beings always suffer throughout Samsara, until they become free from this suffering when attaining Nirvana. Then the absence of ignorance leads to the absence of the others as above.
Nirvana
Nirvana (devanagari: निर्वन) is a concept that comes from Sanskrit and means "cessation", "extinction" (of suffering) or (
Mahayana Buddhism generally regards as its most important teaching the path of the bodhisattva. This already existed as a possibility in earlier Buddhism, as it still does in Theravada today, but the Mahayana gave it an increasing emphasis, eventually saying everyone should follow it.
In the Mahayana, the Buddha tends not to be viewed as merely human, but as the earthly projection of a beginningless and endless, omnipresent being (see
Buddhas
Theravada
A person may awaken from the "sleep of ignorance" by directly realizing the true nature of
These people, also occasionally referred to as buddhas, are classified into three types.
- Sammasambuddha, usually just called Buddha, who discovers the truth by himself and teaches the path to awakening to others
- Paccekabuddha, who discovers the truth by himself but lacks the skill to teach others
- Sāvakabuddha, who has followed the teaching of a Buddha, and may use it to guide others (see also: Arhat)
Bodhi and Nirvana carry the same meaning, that of being freed from craving, hate and delusion. The Arahant, according to Theravada doctrine, has thus overcome greed, hatred, and delusion, attaining Bodhi. In Theravada Buddhism, the extinction of only greed (in relation to the sense sphere) and hatred, while a residue of delusion remains, is called
Mahayana
Celestial Buddhas are individuals who no longer exist on the material plane of existence, but who still aid in the enlightenment of all beings.
Nirvana came to refer only to the extinction of greed and hate, implying that delusion was still present in one who attained Nirvana. Bodhi became a higher attainment that eradicate delusion entirely.
The method of self-exertion or "self-power" - without reliance on an external force or being - stands in contrast to another major form of Buddhism, "Pure Land", which is characterised by utmost trust in the salvific "other-power" of Amida Buddha. Pure Land Buddhism is a very widespread and perhaps the most faith-orientated manifestation of Buddhism and centres upon the conviction that faith in
Nearly all Chinese Buddhists accept that the chances of attaining sufficient enlightenment by one's own efforts are very slim, so that Pure Land practice is essential as an "insurance policy" even if one practises something else.[49]
Buddha Eras
Buddhists believe the Gautama Buddha was the first to achieve enlightenment in this Buddha era and is therefore credited with the establishment of Buddhism. A Buddha era is the stretch of history during which people remember and practice the teachings of the earliest known Buddha. This Buddha era will end when all the knowledge, evidence and teachings of the Guatama Buddha have vanished. This belief therefore maintains that many Buddha eras have started and ended throughout the course of human existence. Therefore, the Gautama Buddha is the Buddha of this era, who taught directly or indirectly to all other Buddhas in it (see types of Buddhas).
In addition, Mahayana believes there are innumerable other Buddhas in other universes[citation needed], but Theravada denies this.[citation needed]
Practice
Devotion
Devotion is an important part of the practice of most Buddhists.[50] Devotional practices include bowing, offerings, pilgrimage, chanting. In Pure Land Buddhism, devotion to the Buddha Amitabha is the main practice. In Nichiren Buddhism, devotion to the Lotus Sutra is the main practice.
Refuge in the Three Jewels
Traditionally, the first step in most Buddhist schools requires taking
The Three Jewels are:
- The Buddha (i.e.,Awakened One). This is a title for those who attained Nirvana. See also the Śākyamuni Buddha. The Buddha could also be represented as a concept instead of a specific person: the perfect wisdom that understands Dharma and sees reality in its true form.
- The Dharma: The teachings or law as expounded by the Buddha. Dharma also means the law of nature based on behavior of a person and its consequences to be experienced (action and reaction). It can also (especially in Mahayana Buddhism) connote the ultimate and sustaining Reality which is inseverable from the Buddha.
- The Sangha: This term literally means "group" (of Buddhists) or "congregation" (of monks), but when it is used in Buddhist teaching the word refers to one of two very specific kinds of groups[citation needed]: either the community of Buddhist monastics (bhikkhus and bhikkhunis)[citation needed], or the community of people who have attained at least the first noble stage (Sotapanna (pali): one who has entered the stream to enlightenment)[citation needed]. According to some modern Buddhists[citation needed], it also consists of laymen and laywomen, usually also the caretakers of monks.
According to the scriptures,
The Three Jewels is part of Buddhist devotion.
Buddhist Ethics
Monastic life
Meditation
Buddhist meditation encompasses a variety of
Dhyāna
in Theravāda
In Theravāda Buddhism, the cause of human existence and suffering is identified as the craving, which carries with it the various defilements. These various defilements are traditionally summed up as greed, hatred and delusion. These are believed to be parasites that have infested the mind and create suffering and stress. In order to be free from suffering and stress, these defilements need to be permanently uprooted through internal investigation, analyzing, experiencing, and understanding of the true nature of those defilements by using jhāna, a technique which is part of the Noble Eightfold Path. It will then lead the meditator to realize the Four Noble Truths, Enlightenment and Nibbana. Nibbana is the ultimate goal of Theravadins.
History
Indian Buddhism
Early Buddhism
The history of Indian Buddhism may be divided into the following five periods:[53]
- Early Buddhist Schools (also called Pre-sectarian Buddhism); Hajime Nakamura[54]subdivides this into two subperiods:
- original Buddhism (other scholars call this earliest Buddhism or precanonical Buddhism[citation needed])
- early Buddhism
- Period of the Early Buddhist schools (also called Sectarian Buddhism, Nikaya Buddhism)
- Early Mahayana Buddhism
- Later Mahayana Buddhism
- Vajrayana Buddhism(also called Esoteric Buddhism)
These developments were not always consecutive. For example, the early schools continued to exist alongside Mahayana. Some scholars have argued that Mahayana remained marginal for centuries.[citation needed]
Pre-sectarian Buddhism
The earliest phase of Buddhism (pre-sectarian Buddhism) recognized by nearly all scholars (the main exception is Dr Gregory Schopen,
Certain basic teachings appear in many places throughout the early texts, so most scholars conclude that Gautama Buddha must have taught at least:[56]
- the three characteristics
- the five aggregates
- dependent arising
- karma and rebirth
- the four noble truths
- the eightfold path
- nirvana
Some scholars disagree, and have proposed many other theories.[57]
Councils
According to the scriptures, soon after the
According to most scholars, at some period after the Second Council however, the Sangha began to break into separate factions. Schopen suggests that Buddhism was very diverse from the beginning and became less so.[60] The various accounts differ as to when the actual schisms occurred: according to the Dipavamsa of the Pāli tradition, they started immediately after the Second Council; the Puggalavada tradition places it in 137 AN; the Sarvastivada tradition of Vasumitra says it was in the time of Asoka; and the Mahasanghika tradition places it much later, nearly 100 BCE.
The Asokan edicts, our only contemporary sources, state that 'the Sangha has been made unified'. This may refer to a dispute such as that described in the account of the
The root schism was between the
Further developments
Following (or leading up to) the schisms, each Saṅgha started to accumulate an
Buddhism may have spread only slowly in India until the time of the Mauryan emperor Aśoka the Great, who was a public supporter of the religion. The support of Aśoka and his descendants led to the construction of more stūpas (Buddhist religious memorials) and to efforts to spread Buddhism throughout the enlarged Maurya empire and even into neighboring lands – particularly to the Iranian-speaking regions of Afghanistan and Central Asia, beyond the Mauryas' northwest border, and to the island of Sri Lanka south of India. These two missions, in opposite directions, would ultimately lead, in the first case to the spread of Buddhism into China, and in the second case, to the emergence of Theravāda Buddhism and its spread from Sri Lanka to the coastal lands of Southeast Asia.
This period marks the first known spread of Buddhism beyond India. According to the
Buddhism today
Buddhism had become virtually extinct in India, and although it continued to exist in surrounding countries, its influence was no longer expanding. It is now again gaining strength. Estimates of the number of Buddhist followers are uncertain, ranging from 230 to more than 1.600 million worldwide. Most scholars classify similar numbers of people under a category they call Chinese folk or traditional religion, which is an amalgam of various traditions, including Buddhism. Estimates are uncertain and in dispute because:
- of difficulties in defining who counts as a Buddhist;
- of synchretism in the Eastern religions such as Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Shinto and traditional religions or Shamanism, animism; having beliefs comprising a mix of religious ideas;[66][67][68][69][70][71][72]
- it was difficult to estimate accurately the number of Buddhists because they did not have congregational memberships and often did not participate in public ceremonies;[73]
- of uncertainties in the situation for several countries; most notably China, Vietnam and North Korea[74][75][76].
According to one analysis,
- Burma. Also the Dalit Buddhist movement in India (inspired by B. R. Ambedkar) practices Theravada.
- East Asian forms of Mahayana Buddhism that use scriptures in Chinese are dominant in most of China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Vietnam as well as within Chinese and Japanese communities within Indochina, Southeast Asia and the West.
- Russian Federation.
- Most Buddhist groups in the West are at least nominally affiliated to some eastern tradition listed above. An exception is the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order, though they can be considered Mahayanist in a broad sense.
The numbers of adherents of the three main traditions listed above are about 124, 185 and 20 million, respectively.[78]
At the present time, the teachings of all three branches of Buddhism have spread throughout the world, and Buddhist texts are increasingly translated into local languages. While, in the West, Buddhism is often seen as exotic and progressive, in the East, Buddhism is regarded as familiar and traditional. Buddhists in Asia are frequently well organized and well funded. In a number of countries, it is recognized as an official religion and receives state support. In the West, Buddhism is recognized as one of the growing spiritual influences.
Schools and Traditions
The most frequently used classification of Buddhism among scholars[79][page needed] has two divisions, Theravada and Mahayana. In this classification, Mahayana includes both East Asian and Tibetan Buddhism. This scheme is the one ordinarily used in the English language.[80] Some scholars[81] use other schemes. Buddhists themselves have a variety of other schemes. A common addition to this three is Vajrayana, but it can also be considered part of Mahayana. Hinayana (literary "smaller vehicle") is used to name Theravada, but this can be consider derogatory.
An alternative scheme used by some scholars[82] divides Buddhism into the following three traditions or geographical or cultural areas: Theravada, East Asian Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism.
Not all traditions of Buddhism share the same philosophical outlook, or treat the same concepts as central. Each tradition, however, does have its own core concepts, and some comparisons can be drawn between them.
Mahayana Buddhism shows a great deal of doctrinal variation and development over time, and even more variation in terms of practice. While there is much agreement on general principles, there is disagreement over which texts are more authoritative.
Despite some differences among the Theravada and Mahayana schools, there are several
- Both accept the Buddhaas their teacher.
- Both accept the noble eightfold path, in theory, though in practice these have little or no importance in some traditions.
- Both accept that members of the laity and of the bodhi).
- Both consider buddhahood to be the highest attainment; however Theravadins consider the arahantsas identical to that attained by the Buddha himself, as there is only one type of nirvana. According to Theravadins, a buddha is someone who has discovered the path all by himself and taught it to others.
Theravāda
The Theravada school bases its practice and doctrine exclusively on the
Theravāda is primarily practiced today in
Mahayana
The precise geographical origins of
Around the second century CE, the Kushan emperor
and finally to Japan in 538 CE. The East Asians would go on to write more indigenous sutras and commentaries to the Mahayana Canon.
After the end of the Kuṣāṇas, Buddhism flourished in India during the dynasty of the Guptas (4th – 6th century). Mahāyāna centres of learning were established, the most important one being the Nālandā University in north-eastern India.
In addition to the
Native Eastern Buddhism is practiced today in China, Japan, Korea, Singapore, parts of Russia and most of Vietnam. The Buddhism practiced in Tibet, the Himalayan regions, and Mongolia is also Mahayana in origin, but will be discussed below under the heading of Northern Buddhism. There are a variety of strands in Eastern Buddhism, which in most of this area are fused into a single unified form of Buddhism. However, in Japan they form separate denominations. The five major ones are the following.
In Korea, nearly all Buddhists belong to the Chogye school, which is officially Son (Zen), but with substantial elements from other traditions.[87]
Pure Land Buddhism
There are estimated to be around 100 million Chinese Buddhists.[88] Pure Land Buddhism is the most popular form in China, particularly among the laity.[89] In the first half of the twentieth century, most Chinese monks practised Pure Land, some combining it with Chan (Zen); Chan survived into the 20th century in a small number of monasteries, but died out in mainland China after the communist takeover.[90] In Taiwan Chan meditation is popular,[91] but most Buddhists follow Pure Land.[92]
There are estimated to be about 40 million Buddhists in Vietnam.[93] The Buddhism of monks and educated lay people is mainly Thien (Zen), with elements of Pure Land and tantra, but that of most ordinary Buddhists has little or no Thien element, being mainly Pure Land.[94]
Vajrayāna or Tibetan Buddhism
There are differing views as to just when Vajrayāna and its tantric practice started. In the Tibetan tradition, it is claimed that the historical Śākyamuni Buddha taught tantra, but as these are esoteric teachings, they were written down long after the Buddha's other teachings. Nālandā University became a center for the development of Vajrayāna theory and continued as the source of leading-edge Vajrayāna practices up through the 11th century. These practices, scriptures and theory were transmitted to China, Tibet, Indochina and Southeast Asia. China generally received Indian transmission up to the 11th century including tantric practice, while a vast amount of what is considered to be Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayāna) stems from the late (9th–12th century) Nālandā tradition.
In one of the first major contemporary academic treatises on the subject,
Vajrayana combined and developed a variety of elements, a number of which had already existed for centuries.[96] In addition to the Mahāyāna scriptures, Vajrayāna Buddhists recognise a large body of Buddhist Tantras, some of which are also included in Chinese and Japanese collections of Buddhist literature, and versions of a few even in the Pali Canon.
Although it continued to in surrounding countries, over the centuries Buddhism gradually declined in India and it
Buddhist texts
Scholars categorize Buddhist scriptures by the languages in which they are written.[
Pāli Tipitaka
Pāli Canon |
---|
1. Vinaya Piṭaka |
2. Sutta Piṭaka |
3. Abhidhamma Piṭaka |
Buddhist scriptures and other texts exist in great variety. Different schools of Buddhism place varying levels of value on learning the various texts. Some schools venerate certain texts as religious objects in themselves, while others take a more scholastic approach. The Buddhist canons of
- The , as well as a range of other texts including explanations of why and how rules were instituted, supporting material, and doctrinal clarification.
- The the Buddha.
- The Abhidhamma Pitaka) contains material often described as systematic expositions of the Buddha's teachings.
According to the scriptures, soon after the death of the Buddha, the first Buddhist council was held; a monk named
The
The followers of Theravāda Buddhism take the scriptures known as the Pāli Canon as definitive and authoritative, while the followers of Mahāyāna Buddhism base their faith and philosophy primarily on the Mahāyāna sūtras and their own versions of the Vinaya. The Pāli sutras, along with other, closely-related scriptures, are known to the other schools as the āgamas.
Whereas the Theravādins adhere solely to the Pali canon and its commentaries, the adherents of Mahāyāna accept both the agamas and the Mahāyāna sūtras as authentic, valid teachings of the Buddha, designed for different types of persons and different levels of spiritual penetration. For the Theravādins, however, the Mahayana sūtras are works of poetic fiction, not the words of the Buddha himself. The Theravadins are confident that the Pali canon represents the full and final statement by the Buddha of his Dhamma—and nothing more is truly needed beyond that. Anything added which claims to be the word of the Buddha and yet is not found in the Canon or its commentaries is treated with extreme caution if not outright rejection by Theravada.
For the Mahāyānists, in contrast, the āgamas do indeed contain basic, foundational, and, therefore, relatively weighty pronouncements of the Buddha. From the Mahayana standpoint the Mahāyāna sutras articulate the Buddha's higher, more advanced and deeper doctrines, reserved for those who follow the
Unlike many religions, Buddhism has no single central text that is universally referred to by all traditions. However, some scholars have referred to the
Over the years, various attempts have been made to synthesize a single Buddhist text that can encompass all of the major principles of Buddhism. In the Theravada tradition, condensed 'study texts' were created that combined popular or influential scriptures into single volumes that could be studied by novice monks. Later in Sri Lanka, the Dhammapada was championed as a unifying scripture.
Dwight
See also
- Buddhism in the West
- Buddhist Ceremonies
- Buddhist flag
- Basic Points Unifying the Theravada and the Mahayana
- Buddhist terms and concepts
- List of Buddhist topics
- List of Buddhists
- Buddhism in the west
- Shinbutsu shūgō
Comparative studies
Buddhism provides many opportunities for comparative study with a diverse range of subjects, including various religion, ethics, philosophy and science. For example,
List of Buddhism related topics in comparative studies
- Buddhism and Jainism
- Buddhism and Hinduism
- Buddhism and Christianity
- God in Buddhism(Buddhism, mysticism, and monotheism)
- Buddhism and Eastern teaching(Buddhism and East Asian teaching)
- Buddhism and psychology
- Buddhism and science
- Buddhist Ethics(Buddhism and ethics)
- Buddhist philosophy (Buddhism and Western philosophy)
- Buddhism and Thelema[100]
Buddhist symbols
The 'eight auspicious symbols' (Sanskrit: ashtamangala) of Mahayana and Vajrayana are:
- the White Shell
- the Dharma wheel
- the Endless Knot
- the Golden Fish
- the Lotus flower
- the Treasure Vase
- the Parasol (Umbrella)
- the Victory Banner
Notes
- ^ Chambers Dictionary, 2006; Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 2003; New Penguin Handbook of Living Religions, px998; Dewey Decimal System of Book Classification; Robinson & Johnson, The Buddhist Religion; [1]
- ^ US State Department's International Religious Freedom Report 2004,
- ^ Garfinkel, Perry. "Buddha Rising." National Geographic Dec. 2005: 88-109.
- ^ [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/xx.html#People CIA - The World Factbook
- ^ Major Religions Ranked by Size
- .
- ^ UNESCO webpage entitled "Lumbini, the Birthplace of the Lord Buddha". Gethin Foundations, p. 19, which states that in the mid-third century BCE the Emperor Ashoka determined that Lumbini was the Buddha's birthplace and thus installed a pillar there with the inscription: "... this is where the Buddha, sage of the Śākyas, was born."
- ^ For instance, Gethin Foundations, p. 14, states: "The earliest Buddhist sources state that the future Buddha was born Siddhārtha Gautama (Pali Siddhattha Gotama), the son of a local chieftain—a rājan—in Kapilavastu (Pali Kapilavatthu) what is now the Indian-Nepalese border." However, Professor Gombrich (Theravada Buddhism, p. 1) and the old but specialized study by Edward Thomas, The Life of the Buddha, ascribe the name Siddhattha/Siddhartha to later sources
- ^ http://buddhism.about.com/library/blbudlifesights2.htm The Life of the Buddha: The Four Sights "On the first visit he encountered an old man. On the next excursion he encountered a sick man. On his third excursion, he encountered a corpse being carried to cremation. Such sights sent home to him the prevalence of suffering in the world and that he too was subject to old age, sickness and death. On his fourth excursion, however, he encountered a holy man or sadhu, apparently content and at peace with the world."
- ^ http://www.wildmind.org/mantras/figures/shakyamuni/5 Wild mind Buddhist Meditation, The Buddha’s biography: Spiritual Quest and Awakening
- ^ see: The Bodhi Tree
- ^ Bodhi leaf
- ^ Skilton, Concise, p. 25
- ^ "the reputed place of the Buddha's death and cremation,"Encyclopedia Britannica, Kusinagara
- ^ spokensanskrit dictionary, using कर्मन् as input
- ^ Harvey, Introduction to Budhism, page 40
- ^ Lopez, Story of Buddhism, page 239/Buddhism, page 248
- ^ T.P. Kasulis of Ohio State University, "Zen as a Social Ethics of Responsiveness." Journal of Buddhist Ethics: [2].
- ^ Thera, Piyadassi (1999). "Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta". The Book of Protection. Buddhist Publication Society. In what is said in Theravada to be the Buddha's first sermon, the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, which was given to the five ascetics with whom he had practised austerities, he talks about the Middle Way, the Noble Eightfold Path and the Four Noble Truths.
- samsara), so it is believed by many that suffering is too narrow a translation and that it is best to leave dukkha untranslated.
- ^ Warder (1970), p. 34.
- ^ See for example: http://www.thebigview.com/buddhism/fourtruths.html The Four Noble Truths
- ^ Gethin, Foundations, page 60
- ^ (2004), Volume One, page 296
- ^ Harvey, Introduction, p. 47
- ISBN 0140514805.,pages 393f
- ^ Harvey, Introduction to Buddhism, p. 92
- ^ Eliot, Japanese Budhism, Edward Arnold, London, 1935, page 60
- ^ Eliot, Japanese Buddhism, Edward Arnold, London, 1935, pages 59f
- ^ with सम्यक् as input
- ^ Kohn, Shambhala, pp. 131, 143
- MN 72 (Thanissaro, 1997). For further discussion of the context in which these statements was made, see Thanissaro (2004).
- ^ The Sovereign All-Creating Mind tr. by E.K. Neumaier-Dargyay, pp. 111–112.
- ^ Philosophy East and West, volume Twenty-Six, page 138
- ^ Williams, Mahayana Buddhism, Routledge, 1989, page 2
- ^ Welch, Practice of Chinese Buddhism, Harvard, 1967, page 395
- ^ Christian Lindtner, Master of Wisdom. Dharma Publishing 1997, page 324.
- ^ Welch, Practice of Chinese Buddhism, Harvard, 1967, page 395
- ^ Harvey, Introduction to Buddhism, page 56
- ^ Harvey, Introduction to Buddhism, page 57
- ^ Harvey, Introduction to Buddhism, page 58
- ^ Harvey, Introduction to Buddhism, page 59
- ^ Harvey, Introduction to Buddhism, page 60
- ^ spokensanskrit dictionary with निर्वन as input
- ^ http://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?c.3:1:489.pali Pali Text Society Pali Dictionary
- ^ http://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?c.1:1:2598.pali Pali Text Society Pali Dictionary
- ^ http://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?c.3:1:229.pali Pali Text Society Pali Dictionary
- ^ An important development in the Mahayana [was] that it came to separate nirvana from bodhi ('awakening' to the truth, Enlightenment), and to put a lower value on the former (Gombrich, 1992d). Originally nirvana and bodhi refer to the same thing; they merely use different metaphors for the experience. But the Mahayana tradition separated them and considered that nirvana referred only to the extinction of craving (= passion and hatred), with the resultant escape from the cycle of rebirth. This interpretation ignores the third fire, delusion: the extinction of delusion is of course in the early texts identical with what can be positively expressed as gnosis, Enlightenment.’’ How Buddhism Began, Richard F. Gombrich, Munshiram Manoharlal, 1997, p. 67
- ^ Routledge Encyclopedia of Buddhism, 2007, page 611
- ^ Harvey, page 170
- ^ Bhikku, Thanissaro (2001). "Refuge". An Introduction to the Buddha, Dhamma, & Sangha. Access to Insight.
- ^ Middle-Length Discourses of the Buddha, tr Nanamoli, rev Bodhi, Wisdom Pubns, 1995, pages 708f
- ^ A History of Indian Buddhism - Hirakawa Akira (translated and edited by Paul Groner) - Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, Delhi, 1993, p. 7
- ^ Indian Buddhism, Japan, 1980, reprinted Motilal Banarsidass,Delhi,1987,1989,table of contents
- ^ Professor of Sanskrit, Tibetan, and Buddhist Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. His main views and arguments can be found in his book Bones, Stones, and Buddhist Monks, University of Hawai'i Press
- ^ Mitchell, Buddhism, Oxford University Press, 2002, page 34 & table of contents
- ^ Skorupski, Buddhist Forum, vol I, Heritage, Delhi/SOAS, London, 1990, page 5; Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies, vol 21 (1998), part 1, pages 4, 11
- ^ spokensanskrit.de dictionary with पर and निर्वाण as input
- ^ Encyclopedia of Religion, Macmillan, New York, sv Councils, Buddhist
- ^ Journal of the Pāli Text Society, volume XVI, p. 105)
- ^ Janice J. Nattier and Charles S. Prebish, 1977. Mahāsāṅghika Origins: the beginnings of Buddhist sectarianism in History of Religions, Vol. 16, pp. 237–272
- ^ Harvey, Introduction to Buddhism, p. 74
- ^ Fa-Hien. "Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms". Translated by James Legge. Project Gutenberg. Retrieved 2008-08-18."In the community here, moreover, we got the Samyuktabhi-dharma-hridaya-(sastra), containing about six or seven thousand gathas; he also got a Sutra of 2500 gathas; one chapter of the Parinir-vana-vaipulya Sutra, of about 5000 gathas; and the Mahasan-ghikah Abhidharma"
- ^ Dutt, Nalinaksha. "Notes on the Nagarjunikonda Inscriptions". The Indian Historical Quarterly. Retrieved 2008-08-18."the Mahasanghikas, so far as the traditions go, did not recognise the seven texts of the Theravadins as Buddhabhasita, (6) but had an Abhidharma Pitaka of their own according to the testimony of Yuan Chuang,(7) who further supplies us with the information that he himself studied certain Abhidharma treatises of the Mahasanghika"
- ^ Samuel Beal, "The Life of Hiuen-Tsiang: By the Shaman Hwui Li. With an introduction containing an account of the works of I-tsing", published by Tuebner and Co, London (1911), Digital version: University of Michigan. "this is the spot where the assembly of the Great Congregation (Mahdsanghikas) was held….So they made another collection of the Sutra-pitaka, and the Vinaya-pitaka, and the Abhidharma-pitaka, and of the Miscellaneous-pitaka, and the Dharall-pitaka, five pitakas in all. As in this assembly there were both ordinary persons and holy men present; it is called the convocation of the Mahasafghikas."
- ^ Chinese Cultural Studies: The Spirits of Chinese Religion
- ^ Windows on Asia - Chinese Religions
- ^ Religions and Beliefs in China
- ^ SACU Religion in China
- ^ Index-China Chinese Philosophies and religions
- ^ AskAsia - Buddhism in China
- ^ BUDDHISM AND ITS SPREAD ALONG THE SILK ROAD
- ^ U.S. Department of States - International Religious Freedom Report 2006: China (includes Tibet, Hong Kong, and Macau)
- ^ Center for Religious Freedom - Survey Files
- ^ The Range of Religious Freedom
- ^ Garfinkel, Perry (December 2005). "Buddha Rising". National Geographic: 88–109.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ [3], retrieved on 2008-01-15
- Tantric Buddhism.
- ^ "Tibetan Buddhism". American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. Houghton Mifflin Company. 2004. Retrieved 2007-07-07.
- ^ See e.g. the multi-dimensional classification in Encyclopedia of Religion, Macmillan, New York, 1987, volume 2, pages 440ff
- ^ (Harvey, 1990); (Gombrich,1984); Gethin (1998), pp. 1–2, identifies "three broad traditions" as: (1) "The Theravāda tradition of Sri Lanka and South-East Asia, also sometimes referred to as 'southern' Buddhism"; (2) "The East Asian tradition of China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam, also sometimes referred to as 'eastern' Buddhism"; and, (3) "The Tibetan tradition, also sometimes referred to as 'northern' Buddhism." Robinson & Johnson (1982) divide their book into two parts: Part One is entitled "The Buddhism of South Asia" (which pertains to Early Buddhism in India); and, Part Two is entitled "The Development of Buddhism Outside of India" with chapters on "The Buddhism of Southeast Asia," "Buddhism in the Tibetan Culture Area," "East Asian Buddhism" and "Buddhism Comes West."
- ^ http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/history/comparative.htm
- ^ Gethin, Foundations, page 1
- ^ Williams, Paul (1989). Mahayana Buddhism: the doctrinal foundations. London: Routledge., pages 20f
- ISBN 0710085400.
- ^ Macmillan Encyclopedia of Buddhism (Volume One), pages 430, 435
- ^ World Christian Encyclopedia, 2nd ed, Oxford University Press, 2001, volume 1, page 191, & volume 2, page 10
- ^ Harvey, Introduction to Buddhism, page 152
- ^ Welch, Practice of Chinese Buddhism 1900-1950, Harvard, 1967, pages 47, 396
- ^ Harvey, Introduction to Buddhism, page 283
- ^ World Christian Encyclopedia, 2nd ed, volume 1, page 723
- ^ World Christian Encyclopedia, 2nd ed, Oxford University Press, 2001, volume 1, page 803
- ^ Harvey, Introduction, page 159; Macmillan Encyclopedia of Buddhism (Volume Two), page 882
- ISBN 0231126190.
- ^ Prebish & Keown, Introducing Buddhism, page 89
- ^ A.K. Warder, Indian Buddhism, 3rd edition (2000), p. 4
- ^ A.K. Warder, Indian Buddhism, 3rd edition (2000)
- ^ Eliot, Japanese Buddhism, Edward Arnold, London, 1935, page 16
- ^ Thelema & Buddhism in Journal of Thelemic Studies, Vol. 1, No. 1, Autumn 2007, pp. 18-32
References
paper
- Bechert, Heinz & Richard Gombrich (ed.) (1984). The World of Buddhism, Thames & Hudson.
- Cousins, L. S. (1996). "The Dating of the Historical Buddha: A Review Article". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society. Series 3 (6.1): 57–63. . Retrieved 2007-07-11.; reprinted in Williams, Buddhism, volume I; NB in the online transcript a little text has been accidentally omitted: in section 4, between "... none of the other contributions in this section envisage a date before 420 B.C." and "to 350 B.C." insert "Akira Hirakawa defends the short chronology and Heinz Bechert himself sets a range from 400 B.C."
- Davidson, Ronald M. (2003). Indian Esoteric Buddhism: A Social History of the Tantric Movement. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 0231126190.
- de Give, Bernard (2006). Les rapports de l'Inde et de l'Occident des origines au règne d'Asoka. Les Indes savants. ISBN-10: 2846540365.
- ISBN 0-19-289223-1.
- Harvey, Peter (1990). An Introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, History and Practices. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-52-131333-3.
- Lamotte, Étienne (trans. from French) (1976). Teaching of Vimalakirti. trans. Sara Boin. London: Pali Text Society. pp. XCIII. ISBN 0710085400.
- Skilton, Andrew (1997). A Concise History of Buddhism. Windhorse Publications. ISBN 0904766926.
- Williams, Paul (1989). Mahayana Buddhism: the doctrinal foundations. London: Routledge.
- Williams, Paul (ed.) (2005). Buddhism: Critical Concepts in Religious Studies, 8 volumes, Routledge, London & New York.
- Armstrong, Karen (2001). Buddha. Penguin Books. p. 187. ISBN 0-14-303436-7.
- Buswell, Robert E. (ed.) (2003). Encyclopedia of Buddhism. MacMillan Reference Books. )
- Coogan, Michael D. (ed.) (2003). The Illustrated Guide to World Religions. Oxford University Press. )
- Donath, Dorothy C. (1971). Buddhism for the West: Theravāda, Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna; a comprehensive review of Buddhist history, philosophy, and teachings from the time of the Buddha to the present day. Julian Press. ISBN 0-07-017533-0.
- Juergensmeyer, Mark (2006). The Oxford Handbook of Global Religions. Oxford Handbooks in Religion and Theology. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195137989.
- Lowenstein, Tom (1996). The Vision of the Buddha. Duncan Baird Publishers. ISBN 1-903296-91-9.
- Kohn, Michael H. (trans.) (1991). The Shambhala Dictionary of Buddhism and Zen. Shambhala. ISBN 0-87773-520-4.
- Morgan, Kenneth W. (ed), The Path of the Buddha: Buddhism Interpreted by Buddhists, Ronald Press, New York, 1956; reprinted by Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi; distributed by Wisdom Books
- Nattier, Jan (2003). A Few Good Men: The Bodhisattva Path according to The Inquiry of Ugra (Ugrapariprccha). University of Hawai'i Press. ISBN 0-8248-2607-8.
- Robinson, Richard H., and Johnson, Willard L. (1982). The Buddhist Religion: A Historical Introduction. Wadsworth Publishing. ISBN 0-534-01027-X.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - Sinha, H.P. (1993). Bhāratīya Darshan kī rūprekhā (Features of Indian Philosophy). Motilal Banarasidas Publ. ISBN 81-208-2144-0.
- Smith, Huston (2003). Buddhism: A Concise Introduction. HarperSanFrancisco. ISBN 978-0060730673.)
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- ISBN 0-7679-0369-2.
- )
- ISBN 0-8021-3031-3.
- ISBN 0-7734-5985-5.
- Yamamoto, Kosho (translation), revised and edited by Dr. Tony Page. )
- ISBN 0-86171-133-5.
- Indian Books Centre. Bibliotheca Indo Buddhica Series, Delhi.
- Ranjini. Jewels of the Doctrine. Sri Satguru Publications.
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website
- Berzin, Alexander (November 2001). "Historical Sketch of Buddhism and Islam in Afghanistan". Berzin Archives.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - Wei, Wei Wu (1960). "Why Lazarus Laughed: The Essential Doctrine Zen-Advaita-Tantra". Routledge and Kegan Paul Ltd., London. Sentient Publications.
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- Dhammananda, K. Sri (2002). "What Buddhists Believe" (PDF). Buddhist Missionary Society of Malaysia.
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