Buddhist Community Research Articles

Buddhist-Muslim Tolerance In Malang From 1998-2020

Buddhist community in Malang is maintaining good relationship with other religious communities especially Muslim which are majority of Indonesia resident. Religious communities in Malang are very clever in maintaining tolerance so that religious diversity in Malang does not cause riots among religious people. Specifically, the researcher attempts to reveal the ingredients of tolerance between Buddhist and Muslim in this city so the other countries which face the problem of tolerance between religious communities should adopt from them. The researcher chose this region intentionally because it was the land of Buddhist growing in Indonesia along with the majority population of Muslim and limited the period from 1998-2020 because in this period the issues of tolerance arose significantly among Buddhist and Muslim and several interfaith activities were held to maintain Buddhist-Muslim harmony in this region.

광해군 대(代)의 종교지형 변동

The purpose of this paper is to review the representative Buddhist policies enforced during the reign of Gwanghaegun (光海君), the 15th king of the Joseon Dynasty, and the aspects of the Buddhist community affected by them. Through this, the influence and dynamism of Buddhism during the reign of Gwanghaegun will be revealed. Some of the findings will run contrary to what is popularly known about Joseon Buddhism and the policy of Sungyueokbul (崇儒抑佛), ‘Revering Confucianism and Supressing Buddhism.’ During the Joseon Dynasty, Neo-Confucianism was taken as an ideological background, and consequently, Buddhism was ostracized by the ruling class who advocated the exclusion of heretical views. This also characterized King Gwanghaegun’s reign during the Mid-Joseon Dynasty. In reality though, the ruling class held mixed opinions about Buddhism, and this influenced the Buddhist community in the Gwanghaegun Period. The military might of Japan demonstrated during the Japanese Invasion of Korea in 1592, led the ruling class to recognize Buddhism, and as a result, the status of Buddhism rose to a certain extent. Based on its elevated status and the aftermath of the Japanese Invasion of Korea, the Buddhist community engaged in social welfare activities inspired by the notion of requiting favors, and the Buddhist community gained recognition for providing relief services. As a result, the number of monks increased, and the economic situation improved as land ownership was granted to temples and monks. This is the means by which the Japanese Invasion of Korea influenced the Buddhist policies of the Gwanghaegun Period and changed the religious topography of Buddhism. During the reign of King Gwanghaegun, the ruling class regarded Buddhism as heretical, but offered posthumous titles to monks who engaged in meritorious services during the Japanese invasions of 1592~1598. Favorable and/or preferential treatment was also granted to some Buddhist monks. In addition, monks began to perform labor projects that demanded organizational and physical strength, such as those which related to national defense and architecture. However, throughout the Gwanghaegun Period, the monks were paid a certain amount of compensation for their labor, and the monks’ responsibility for labor increased. This can be understood as a partial reconciliation with Buddhism or an acceptance of Buddhism rather than the suppression of Buddhism often presented by historians. As for policies which affected Buddhism, the Buddhist community showed signs of cooperation with the ruling class, the creation and reconstruction of temples, and the production of Buddhist art. Through close ties with the ruling class, Buddhism during the Gwanghaegun Period saw the Buddhist community actively responded policies that impacted Buddhism, and this allowed their religious orders to be maintained. In this way, it was also confirmed that the monk, Buhyu Seonsu (浮休 善修) and his disciple Byeogam Gakseong (碧巖 覺性), took up leadership roles in their Buddhist community. The Buddhist-aimed policies of Gwanghaegun were implemented against the backdrop of the Buddhist community, wherein the ruling class held mixed opinions regarding Buddhism. As such, both improvements and set backs for Buddhism could be observed during that time period. The ruling class actively utilized the organizational power of Buddhism for national defense and civil engineering after the Japanese invasions of 1592~1598. Out of gratitude, they implemented appropriate compensation for the Buddhists involved. The Buddhist community also responded to policies that affected them through exchanges with the ruling class. They succeeded in securing funds and support to repair and produce Buddhist temples and artworks. A thoughtful inspection of the policies towards and responses to Buddhism during the Gwanghaegun Period, shows that Buddhism actually enjoyed considerable organizational power and influence. This flies in the face of the general description of Joseon Buddhism as “Sungyueokbul (revering Confucianism and supressing Buddhism).”

The Role of Integrated Schools in Improving Islamic Education in Muslim Minority Areas of Cambodia

This study aims to find out how to improve Islamic religious education in the Krouch Chmar area, Cambodia where this area is an Islamic village in the middle of Cambodia, which is a majority Buddhist community, then the Musa Asih Integrated School (SEPAMA) is present which has a role in helping increase in Islamic education. This research uses qualitative methods, data collection using observation, interviews and documentation, qualitative data analysis is carried out continuously to completion. The findings of this researcher are that Islamic religious education in the Krouch Chmar area began to develop with the existence of an integrated school system where this school has a combination of curriculum, namely the national curriculum and the Islamic religious education curriculum, through this school finally Islamic religious education begins to increase because children and the community can easily learn Islamic religious education, this is supported by programs owned by SEPAMA, so that from this school it provides a role in improving Islamic religious education in Islamic minority areas in Cambodia, starting from a pedagogical role, a moral-spiritual role and a socio- culture which ultimately improves Islamic religious education in the area.

Migrant Buddhists and Korean “Multiculturalism”—A Brief Survey of the Issues Surrounding Support for South Korea’s Immigrant Buddhist Communities

The three largest Korean religious organizations have worked to provide material, educational, medical, and social support to the various growing migrant communities. Among them, the Catholic community has been the most organized, sustained, and effective in its support of migrants by systematically providing for the legal, material, educational, and medical needs of various immigrant communities while advocating for their rights. Although lacking the centralized authority and organization of the Catholics, since the 1990s, Korea’s Protestants have also been active in supporting their country’s growing immigrant communities, which Evangelical churches also view as fertile grounds for proselytizing. The Korean Buddhist community, in comparison, has been slower to engage with Korea’s immigrants and has provided considerably fewer support services. In 2008, the Jogye Order organized the Maha Association for Supporting Immigrants to coordinate individual and localized Buddhist migrant support services at a national level. This article examines the Buddhist reactions to the increase in South Korean immigration over recent decades, with a focus on immigrant-support efforts supported by the Jogye Order for migrant Buddhist communities.

Bad Buddhists, Good Robots: Techno-Salvationist Designs for Nirvana

When Buddhism fails to live up to the projected promise of its doctrine or past forms, it is often the human nature of its adherents (“Bad Buddhists”), rather than the content of its teachings (“Bad Buddhism”), that is blamed. But what if such human failings—greed, corruption, violence, even mortality—could be transcended? In the quest for a “good Buddhism,” high-tech designs that utilise robotics, artificial intelligence, algorithmic agency, and other advancements are increasingly pursued as solutions by innovators inside and outside Buddhist communities. In this paper, we interrogate two recent cases of what we call “Buddhist techno-salvationism.” Firstly, Pepper, the semi-humanoid robot who performs funeral sutras to a rapidly secularising and aging population of parishioners in Japan. Secondly, the Lotos Network, a US start-up proposing to use blockchain technology to combat financial corruption within global sangha . We argue that such robotic and digital experiments are the logical outcome of techno-salvationist discourses that identify human failings as the principal barrier to perfect Buddhist praxis. If not always practical solutions, these interventions are powerful nonetheless as contested projections of Buddhist futures.

IX Богд жавзандамбын халимаг дахь үйл хэрэг (= О деятельности IX Богдо-гэгэна Джебцзун-дамба-хутухты среди калмыков)

Introduction. Traditional Buddhist communities are well aware of prominent Buddhist scholars to have further disseminated and developed the Buddha’s Teaching. The most famous are Dalai and Panchen Lamas. Since the beginnings of Buddhism’s prevalence in Mongolia, it is Bogd Gegeen who is revered most of all nationwide. To date, there have been nine reincarnations of Bogd Gegeen that immensely contributed to the development of Buddhism in the country. Goals. The paper seeks to analyze visits of the 9th Bogd Gegeen Jebtsundamba Khutuktu to the Volga Kalmyks (as members of the Mongolian world) and his delivered teachings. Results. The article highlights key points of the Bogd Gegeen’s biography, narrates about his six visits to Kalmykia in the late 1900s and early 2000s. Special focus is laid on that most significant efforts to arrange the visits were undertaken by Kalmykia’s government executives and Shajin Lama Telo Tulku Rinpoche. Those events proved fruitful enough and facilitated further strengthening of Buddhism in the region.

Buddhist Teachers' Responses to Sexual Violence: Epistemological Violence in American Buddhism

In 2018, popular North American Buddhist teacher, Noah Levine, was accused of sexual assault and misconduct. Several Buddhist teachers responded in Levine’s defense through a seemingly neutral posture of “waiting to find out” the truth. This paper examines these teachers’ responses, asking the question: “Which Buddhist concepts are mobilized in responding to alleged sexual violence?” I find that these teachers respond to allegations with the language of not-knowing, equanimity, and right speech. They ask their communities to “wait and see” whether these allegations are true, with the unspoken assumption that they are not. I assert these responses use Buddhist teachings to uphold cis-masculine innocence by using hegemonic logics and commitments to downplay and delegitimize the phenomenon of sexual violence. I argue that these responses uphold hegemonic control within Buddhist communities, and conclude that a feminist response to allegations of misconduct requires centering survivors of sexual assault.

The medieval Chinese vision of Japan: Buddhist perspectives in the Tang and Song periods

ABSTRACT This article explores the medieval Chinese perception of ‘Japan’ in both secular and Buddhist sources, arguing that in reality two separate lineages of history writing and geography-ethnography existed in China: one based out of the court and another rooted in the Buddhist community. This comparative exercise will further highlight the utility of using state and Buddhist texts when exploring the treatment of foreign polities from the Chinese perspective. In addition, these resources can be aligned with contemporary Japanese sources to further evaluate and confirm details and narratives. This article will argue that major Chinese Buddhist interest in Japan commenced from the tenth century, which was due to connections between Tiantai and Tendai, although recorded testimonies from the ninth century demonstrate that this relationship originated during the late Tang.

The Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019: A Religion Based Pathway to Indian Citizenship

The passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019,(Act) has India’s secular values under scrutiny as the Act has created an ever-narrowing Indian pathway to citizenship. This amendment is seen as the first legal provision that begins to make India a homeland for Hindus. The Act grants Indian citizenship to persons belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities on grounds of religious persecution in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The bill grants these specific groups to be granted citizenship if they have arrived in India before December 14, 2014. Furthermore, the CAA gives an expedited path to citizenship to these groups of people who belong to the particular religion required by the CAA. Leaving out Muslims in this Act makes it discriminatory and puts India's seculars values at risk. In Part I, this article will analyze the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 and its specific provisions. Part II and Part III will explore the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 under both International Human Rights Law and the Law of India. In Part IV, this article will explore the Citizenship Amendment Act in the context of Indian history and politics. Part V will explore various proposals to be considered in this situation.

Affective Futures and Relative Eschatology in American Tibetan Buddhism

Tibetan Buddhist prophecies of decline are largely unattended when it comes to practitioners’ lived experiences. This article considers such narratives through a focus on a community of American Buddhists in California. The relationship between Buddhist narratives of degenerating future and the American landscape is played out through the creation and distribution of sacred objects, which are potent containers for—and portents of—prophetic futures. Ruptures in time and landscape become, through the frame of prophecy, imaginative spaces where the American topography is drawn into Tibetan history and prophetic future. Narratives of decline, this article argues, also find common ground with salient American rhetoric of preparedness and are therefore far from fringe beliefs, but a more widely available way of thinking through quotidian life.

근대 전라도 불교의 동향과 종단설립 운동

이 글은 근대 전라도 지역 본산들을 중심으로 교육·포교 활동 및 각종 현황을 살펴보고, 불교계의 총본산건설운동에 어떤 영향을 끼쳤는지 살펴본 연구이다. 식민지기 불교는 사찰령의 통제 아래 전국 사찰이 31개 본산으로 재편되었다. 이 중 전라도는 전북에 2개 사찰, 전남에 5개 사찰이 본산으로 지정되었다. 1920년대 재단법인 조선불교중앙 교무원이 설립되고 시행된 불교계 중앙 사업은 각 본산의 분담금으로 유지되었는데, 전 라도 7개 본산의 분담 비율은 전체의 16.3% 수준이었다. 이것은 절반 이상의 분담금을 냈던 경상도 8개 본산에 미치지는 못하지만, 두 번째로 많은 경제적 지원을 했다는 점에 서 교단 내 전라도 본산의 위상을 짐작할 수 있다. 전라도 불교의 교단 내 출자금, 사찰· 승려·포교당 등의 수치는 대체로 전체 불교의 20% 안팎의 비율을 보였던 것으로 집계 된다. 1930년대 후반에는 전남5본산연합회가 결성되면서 도내 교육·포교 활동에 활력을 불어 넣었다. 특히 연합회는 경남 3본산 및 경북 5본산과의 협력을 통해, 교단 내 통제기 관으로서 총본산의 건설을 구체화 시켰다. 그리고 이들 연합회의 노력은 결국 1941년 조선불교조계종이 출범하는 결과로 이어졌다. 전라도 불교는 1910년대 초반 조선불교 의 자주성을 표방하고 일어났던 임제종운동과 1930년대 종단 건설을 위한 초석을 놓는 데 많은 기여를 했다는 점에서 근대불교사적 의미를 평가할 수 있다.

Progress or Pathology? Differential Diagnosis and Intervention Criteria for Meditation-Related Challenges: Perspectives From Buddhist Meditation Teachers and Practitioners.

Studies in the psychology and phenomenology of religious experience have long acknowledged similarities with various forms of psychopathology. Consequently, it has been important for religious practitioners and mental health professionals to establish criteria by which religious, spiritual, or mystical experiences can be differentiated from psychopathological experiences. Many previous attempts at differential diagnosis have been based on limited textual accounts of mystical experience or on outdated theoretical studies of mysticism. In contrast, this study presents qualitative data from contemporary Buddhist meditation practitioners and teachers to identify salient features that can be used to guide differential diagnosis. The use of certain existing criteria is complicated by Buddhist worldviews that some difficult or distressing experiences may be expected as a part of progress on the contemplative path. This paper argues that it is important to expand the framework for assessment in both scholarly and clinical contexts to include not only criteria for determining normative fit with religious experience or with psychopathology, but also for determining need for intervention, whether religious or clinical. Qualitative data from Buddhist communities shows that there is a wider range of experiences that are evaluated as potentially warranting intervention than has previously been discussed. Decision making around these experiences often takes into account contextual factors when determining appraisals or need for intervention. This is in line with person-centered approaches in mental health care that emphasize the importance of considering the interpersonal and cultural dynamics that inevitably constitute the context in which experiences are evaluated and rendered meaningful.

Preserving the values of cultural negotiation through social learning: ‘Two Religion Community Life’ case study in Phattalung, Southeast Thailand

Prolonged conflict on the southern Thailand border still continues, especially in four provinces – Pattani, Yala, Narathivat, and Satun. These four provinces are the home base of the Malay-Muslim community. However, conflicts have almost never occurred in the province of Phattalung, particularly in the region called ‘Two Religion Community Life’. This is because people can find solutions to every problem using cultural negotiation. This research aims to describe the results of cultural negotiation and social learning between Muslims and Buddhists in solving daily life problems. The most important data collection techniques are in-depth interviews and observations. There are five critical informants chosen purposively: Islamic and Buddhist religious leaders, community leaders, school principals, and community members in the Tamot and Khaocan regions. The results found that there are several forms of cultural negotiation in Phattalung, including annual ritual prayers conducted together by Muslims and Buddhists, agreement on how to slaughter animals to be served during ceremonies, tradition of food bartering, and agreement on animal caring. Furthermore, social learning to preserve the results of the negotiations is carried out through the establishment of voluntary medical groups whose members consist of young men and women from the Muslim and the Buddhist community, sports and arts activities, commemorations of national holidays, and conducting annual religious rituals at the same place and time. This study also found four important aspects to strengthen the social learning in multireligious society – moderate values derived from their respective religious teachings, moderate values taught by the country, the existence of trust among citizens, and win-win solutions to the emerging problems. Contribution: This research promotes the world that there is a heterogeneous religious community in the Phattalung province, Thailand which has a building construction of tolerance and harmony of locality namely the ‘Two Religion Community Life’ by preserving the cultural negotiation values through social learning.

The Promise and Peril of Buddhist Meditation

ABSTRACT Buddhist meditation promises liberation and relief of suffering. In considering the benefits of Buddhist meditation, one must also examine what potential damage could be sustained when practicing meditation in an unethical or unconscious Buddhist community. Particularly, the guru-student relationship has resulted in challenges and abuses of power. This article reviews the wholesome aspects of meditation, reveals the systemic failures we are encountering in Western Buddhist communities that fail to protect their vulnerable members from exploitation, and offers some theoretical maps of the territory.

Growing Up in the Dharma and Psychoanalysis: Watching the Conversation Change

ABSTRACT The intersection of Buddhism and psychoanalysis has now spanned multiple generations, each with their own emphasis on theoretical meeting points and places of departure. Observing and practicing both traditions from childhood into adult clinical practice has offered a particular vantage point from which to observe this unfolding and lively conversation. Of note, is the developmental trajectory that has ushered in a greater capacity in both clinical and Buddhist communities to sustain curiosity about the differences and resonant methods in these contrasting traditions. From a personal perspective, the author reflects on her own maturational process as she’s sought to bring these traditions into active conversation in both her clinical and spiritual work in ways that reflect the larger evolution of religious and psychoanalytic perspectives in dialogue.

Mani and the Messiah in the Record of the Dharma-Jewel through the Generations—The origins of Manichean and Nestorian elements in Tibetan texts

This paper for the first time reveals the records on Manichaeism and Nestorianism in the Dunhuang manuscript of an early Chan text Record of the Dharma-Jewel through the Generations. It traces the origins of the story manipulated by Buddhist monks against Manichaeism and Nestorianism in the late part of the eighth century and contextualizes the religious milieu after the An Lushan rebellion. It argues that the Buddhist community in the Sichuan region faced the challenges of foreign religions including Manichaeism and Nestorianism due to the military compaign involving numerous Uyghur troops against the An Lushan rebellion. In the meantime, Nestorians built their connections with the Tang army. This paper also examines the contacts between Tibet and the Tang Empire via Chengdu and the transmission of the Chinese Chan texts to Tibet and therefore the records of Manichaeism and Nestorianism also appeared in the Tibetan manuscripts.

A reexamination of the reasons for the closure of the Dunhuang Library Cave

Cave 17 or the cave library is located on the northern wall in the hallway of Cave 16 in Mogao Caves, Dunhuang. The murals on the cover layer of Cave 16 are closely connected with the reason why the cave library was sealed. The transformation tableaux of the thousand Buddhas on the cover layer of Cave 16 seems to reflect the thought of the Final Dharma, which could be dated in the late Guiyijun period when Dunhuang was ruled by the Cao family. In 1052, the trend of the Final-Dharma thought flourished in the Liao Dynasty. With the frequent communications between the Guiyijun regime and the Liao, this trend came to Dunhuang and merged with the original thought of the Final Dharma in this region, which tremendously impacted the Buddhist community in Dunhuang. So the local Buddhist community made the transformation tableaux on the mural of Cave 16 and also transformed Cave 17 for storing Buddhist texts as a response to the coming Final Dharma. These activities seem to have led to the eventual sealing of Cave 17.

Reducing Suffering During Conflict: The Interface Between Buddhism And International Humanitarian Law

ABSTRACT This article stems from a project launched by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in 2017 to examine the degree to which Buddhism might complement or enhance international humanitarian law (IHL), also known as ‘the law of war’ or ‘the law of armed conflict’. Given that Buddhist teachings discourage violence, scholarship has critiqued Buddhists’ involvement in armed conflict rather than considered how Buddhism might contribute to regulating the conduct of hostilities once war has broken out. Yet the Buddhist aim to reduce suffering is particularly relevant during armed conflict, and the empirical realism of early Buddhist texts shows that early Buddhist communities were very much aware of its grim reality. The article investigates the evidence for this empirical realism before exploring a range of concepts, doctrines and practices from within Buddhism that are pertinent to the recognition and implementation of IHL principles and the conduct of war. While IHL lays down explicit rules to follow during war, Buddhism emphasises broader ethical principles to be applied, so as not to dilute its ideal of non-violence. At a deeper level, it addresses the intention or motivation of parties to armed conflict, and possesses psychological insights and resources to help change their behaviour.

Infractions of moral precepts by monks and nuns in the Buddhist community of Dunhuang during the late-Tang and Five Dynasties period—The case of alcohol drinking

Though the monastic code prohibited monks from consuming alcohol, many monks and nuns in the Dunhuang area customarily consumed alcohol, disclosing a gap between the ethical principles in the Buddhist canonical texts and the local practice in the late Tang and Five Dynasties. Combing through numerous monastic accounting records in the Dunhuang manuscripts about alcohol consumption in some monasteries, the authors find that the custom of consuming alcohol in Dunhuang was due to the Tibetan occupation of this region. Tibetan Buddhists and some Central Asian Buddhists such as Sogdian monks drank alcohol, causing Chinese Buddhist monks and nuns to follow suit. Dunhuang monasteries developed alcohol-making businesses, and the entire Buddhist monastic community participated in that business. In a word, alcoholic drinks were frequently served during monastic banquets in numerous Buddhist ceremonies and festivals, as well as in social, agricultural, and political activities, which marked a stark contrast to Buddhist practices in the Central Plains and elsewhere.

Woman’s Status in the Kalmyk and Buryat Buddhist Tradition: History and the Current State

The article deals with the problem of the woman’ status in the history of Buddhism of the Mongol-speaking peoples of Russia, such as the Kalmyks and the Buryats. Special attention is paid to the female clergy issue in the religious history of these indigenous groups. The authors note that with the spread of Buddhism, women in Buryatia and Kalmykia acquired a higher social and religious status, which is enshrined in legal documents. At the same time, in the traditional Kalmyk and Buryat society a woman was generally excluded from active social life and could not make a career in the religious sphere. In the 20th century, the position of Kalmyk and Buryat women in the society underwent significant societal changes. The Soviet state sought to involve the women of Kalmykia and Buryatia into building a new society, actively fighting against the Buddhist religion and conducting the nation-wide atheistic propaganda. All these contributed to the significant decrease in the religiosity of the population in these regions, including its female part. Today, the position of women in the religious life of Kalmykia and Buryatia is characterized as ambivalent. On one hand, in traditional Buddhist organizations women can only occupy the positions of worshipers, secular employees, or perform certain religious duties during rites. On the other hand, the women’s role in the laity is more significant. They take an active part in the life of Buddhist communities and organizations, study Buddhist philosophy and medicine. Buddhist activists in modern Buddhist communities in these regions of Russia make a great contribution to the revival of Buddhism. Even though the majority of the Buddhist clergy is made up by men, these are women who constitute the majority of lay practitioners both in Kalmykia and Buryatia