Buddhist Concept Research Articles

Risks and issues: reactions of Vietnam and the experience to the world in the first wave of coronavirus pandemic

PurposeThis paper mentions the quick reactions of Vietnam to avoid explosive catastrophes before and during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic. The work presented here has profound implications for future research of disaster response and preparation for future pandemics. In order to estimate the causal general effect of the pandemic, the authors have to do a quantitative survey at the end of the pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThe difference in damage caused by the pandemic between the great powers and Vietnam is the quick reaction. It plays a decisive role. In attempting to tackle emerging phenomena in the pandemic, this study is deliberately broad-based. Considerable attention is given to explaining each methodological choice. It centers on a core case of Vietnam. Using data from multiple methods, it adopts publish media and contemporary research during the pandemic as a way to draw out key themes within the core case.FindingsThe paper focuses on the lessons for the post-pandemic consist of the Buddhist conception (cause and effect) based on the quick reaction of the Vietnamese government and the adaptation of Vietnamese people. This is a key success for the future anti-pandemic process.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper is not exploring the pandemic within a larger scale of all nations to approach a general lesson for the world.Practical implicationsThe success of the first anti-pandemic phase does not guarantee that subsequent efforts will be successful. Respecting the “opponent” (the coronavirus) is the best way to avoid falling into the deadly subjective trap that some great powers have encountered.Social implicationsThis article highlights the rapid response of the Vietnamese before and during the coronavirus pandemic. From that, the article draws some lessons for the next similar disasters based on the cause and effect.Originality/valueA quick reaction is one of the most important ways to deal with any disaster. After a half year of the coronavirus pandemic spread, Vietnam has 408 infectious cases and no deaths within 96,208,984 people (The Ministry of Health of Vietnam on July 22nd, 2020). Vietnam achieved success with the least expensive price that should be finding in risks and issues in the future.

In A Mindful Moral Voice: Mindful Compassion, The Ethic of Care and Education

This paper argues that Carol Gilligan’s Ethic of Care has strong affinities with the Buddhist concept of karuna (compassion) which, Jay Garfield has argued, is the necessary foundation of rights theory. Its central argument is that both moral compassion and thus rights theory are grounded in the natural compassionate care a mother exercises in order to promote the flourishing of her child without which children, and consequently adult society, would not survive in any form. Wittgenstein’s concept of language-games is brought to bear on Buddhist philosophy to foreground the rootedness of human experience in connection and empathy. This further supports the naturalness of compassionate care, the Ethic of Care and karuna. Finally, mindfulness meditation is proposed as a practice appropriate for the educational context for the development of karuna as a moral resource for personal, civil and professional life.

Application of Pictorial Elements in Body Art: Focusing on the Buddha expressed in Buddhist art in the Unified Silla Period

In modern society, with its coexistence of diverse culture, it is a process of genuine cultural development to remember the beauty of the traditions in our cultural heritage and allow it to continue to evolve through art and cultural exchange and creative work. The truth and concept of religion are invisible in our daily lives. To expose it, help from art is needed. Buddhism, in which people realize truth on their own, samsara, and the redemption of all people are recognized as the highest values, has long been entwined with the history of the Republic of Korea. During the era of the Unified Silla Dynasty, Buddhism was beyond a mere religion and was an official state religion. Since it was directly connected with the country’s fate, Buddhist temple-related fine arts flourished. Therefore, this study attempted to reinterpret the images of Buddha based on a theoretical review of Buddhist concepts and characteristics of Buddhist art during the Unified Silla period and suggested new styles of both Korean and modern ambivalence by expressing pictorial element-applied design through body painting in a torso mannequin style. It is expected that these works would offer an opportunity to contemplate the meaning and value of Korean traditional patterns by expressing the Buddhist art of the Unified Silla Dynasty. It is also anticipated that they would be available as art and aesthetic cultural contents in a creative and diverse fashion.

무인집권기 임춘의 은거관념 －불교를 중심으로－

This article examines the seclusion concept of the intellectuals during the military regime, centering on Im Chun’s 『Seohajip』. This is because, Im Chun’s thoughts about the concept of seclusion are richly described in the 『Seohajip』. Im Chun’s concept of seclusion was briefly addressed in relation to Confucianism. However, he was interested in not only Confucianism, but also in the seclusion concept of Buddhism. Therefore, Im Chun’s concept of seclusion needs to be dealt with newly in relation to Buddhism. Im Chun tried to grasp the history of seclusion related to Buddhism throughout the Korean history. This is why he had a profound interest in the seclusion of the Silla period, and continued to summarize the aspects of seclusion that took place during the middle period of Goryeo. All of this was to suggest how seclusion should be in his time. Based on this, Im Chun emphasized to monks and inhabitants that the temple is a place of seclusion. At this time, he paid great attention to what spirit Buddhists should pursue when they seclude at the temple. As a criterion for evaluating the seclusion, he focused on whether the believers are properly practicing the truth of Buddhism, that is, Tao. For this reason, he criticized very harshly when the believers’ seclusion was in wrong direction. Moreover, he claimed that even if the believers seclude, it must be a truthful seclusion, not a false one. Meanwhile, Im Chun also had interest in the monks’ participation in reality. To him, participation in reality and the seclusion were not separate from each other. However, he thought that even if the monks participate in reality, they should return to their original place after the participation and seclude. He believed that there are still many things that the monks can do for the world, even in the temple. Thus, he revealed how the concept of seclusion is different between the Buddhism and the Confucianism. For the monks, essential path is to seclude. Whereas participation in reality is the proper path for the Confucian scholars. Only then could Buddhism be able to give the right help to society of Goryeo at that time. Through this, he believed that the social problems of Goryeo, that occurred due to the military regime, can be correctly solved.

A Buddhist reconfiguration of John Hick's pluralistic hypothesis: a Madhyamaka perspective

AbstractIn presenting his theory of religious pluralism, John Hick discussed the Buddhist concept of śūnyatā, emptiness, which he regarded as functionally equivalent to his postulated noumenal Real. This article introduces Hick's pluralistic hypothesis and reviews the major criticisms of his theory. It then investigates Hick's understanding of śūnyatā, before arguing that a Madhyamaka interpretation of śūnyatā, within the context of the Buddhist theory of ‘two truths’, differs considerably from Hick's understanding. The article suggests that the Madhyamaka interpretation of śūnyatā can be used to reconfigure Hick's pluralistic hypothesis, thereby avoiding the major criticisms Hickian pluralism faces, for it provides a new way of thinking about the relation between ultimate reality and the reality that we experience.

Emptiness, Equanimity and the Selfobject Function

ABSTRACT The article draws links between the selfobject function and two major Buddhist concepts, emptiness and equanimity. The selfobject function and these Buddhist concepts are based on a common belief, namely, that transformations of the mind occur within and are dependent on context. The selfobject function enhances transformations of archaic narcissism to mature narcissism through renunciation of personal desires and their transformation into concern for the wellbeing of others. This process derives from an ethical promise rather than from an emotional stance. The Buddhist tradition strives to obtain similar ideals while offering distinctive practices that promote these transformations. The article demonstrates how the Buddhist position contributes to the analytic process.

Resilience to crises of Thai MICE stakeholders: A longitudinal study of the destination image of Thailand as a MICE destination

The COVID-19 outbreak has changed rapidly the business operation and travel behavior of global communities and calls for research on resilience. This study aims to identify the changing destination image of Thailand as a MICE destination during crises and examine the resilience of Thai MICE stakeholders. A mixed method of qualitative and quantitative design was employed using interviews, observations and questionnaire surveys. A longitudinal study of Thai MICE stakeholders during 14 years revealed that the Buddhist concepts of resilience and Thainess contribute to psychological resilience. Buddhism and Thainess cultivate the concept of crisis concierge. Surveys showed unchanged image of exhibition facilities during the political instability. Thailand's incentive travel benefits from the availability of bleisure (a combination of business and leisure) attractions. Good value for money, Thai hospitality, bleisure attractions, and international standard venues are key resilient factors.

Impermanence in relationships: Trait mindfulness attenuates the negative personal consequences of everyday dips in relationship satisfaction

Satisfying intimate relationships are crucial to human health and well-being. Yet even the best relationships include good days and bad ones, and when people experience bad days in terms of relationship satisfaction, it tends to undermine personal well-being. What can reduce the extent to which bad relational days spill over into personal well-being? Based on the Buddhist concept of impermanence, as well as modern theory and research examining mindfulness, we argue trait mindfulness renders people more aware and accepting of all forms of change, including to changes in their relationships. As such, we hypothesized that people with greater trait mindfulness would be less likely to experience decrements in personal well-being on days in which they experienced dips in relationship satisfaction. In a daily study of 80 couples across 14 days ( N = 1,798 observations), people experienced lower life satisfaction, greater negative emotions, and fewer positive emotions on days when they reported lower than their average relationship satisfaction, but this association was attenuated for people high in mindfulness. These results suggest trait mindfulness partially buffers the negative consequences of daily dips in relationship satisfaction.

Self-compassion in Relation to Alexithymia, Empathy, and Negative Mood in Young Adults

Alexithymia, a trait defined by difficulties identifying and describing emotional feelings and overly concrete thinking, is a known risk factor for psychopathology. Given recent evidence that therapeutic constructs based on Buddhist concepts are positively related to emotional self-awareness and mental health, the present study examined the relationship between one such construct, self-compassion, and alexithymia as well as empathy and mood in a sample of young Australian adults. Participants were 253 young adults aged 18–30 years who were recruited from two Australian universities. They were administered validated measures of alexithymia, self-compassion, and empathy via a survey-hosting website. Relationships among variables were as expected: alexithymia was negatively correlated with self-compassion and empathy, and the latter two variables were positively correlated with each other. After controlling for relevant covariates, alexithymia was the strongest (negative) predictor of self-compassion in a hierarchical regression model. Both alexithymia and self-compassion explained variance in negative mood (depression, anxiety, stress) in a second regression. Of the six subcomponents of self-compassion, only self-judgement was significant. Further research is needed on alexithymia as a risk factor in young adults and the potential role of self-compassion in mitigating such risk.

Encounters with suchness: contemplative wonder in environmental education

Much of the current literature on environmental education links the outdoors with experiences of wonder, which connotes a range of experiences from fascination to curiosity, excitement to delight. Most of these associations fall within a nexus of positive valences that render the discourse of wonder in glowing light. However, pedagogical recommendations that unfurl from ‘wonder’ can often reproduce anthropocentric attitudes toward the natural world. In addition to the positive vision of environmental education under the guise of wonder, other modes of attention and interaction can help educators broaden students’ engagement with wild places. This paper explores the Buddhist concept of suchness, a raw encounter with phenomena in the stark clarity of awareness. The development of such awareness can potentially generate a deep respect for place, a reverence for life, and a recognition of subtleties in nature that often escape notice. The author posits suchness as a concept that complements existing practices that cultivate wonder, and points to pedagogical practices that refine students’ awareness.

Martin Heidegger’s Phenomenology of Boredom and Zen Practice

In this article, Martin Heidegger’s phenomenology of boredom is compared with some aspects of Zen practice. Heidegger is primarily interested in boredom as a “fundamental mood,” which takes us beyond the opposition of the subject and object. Thus, boredom reveals the existence more initially than those forms of cognition that are the basis of classical philosophy and special sciences. As an essential feature of the experience of boredom, Heidegger singles out that being in this state we feel that our attention is held by something in which we find nothing but emptiness. In the article, this emptiness is compared with the Buddhist concept of shunyata, and various forms of experiencing boredom are paralleled with the different types of concentration achieved in Zen practice (samadhi). Besides, the question is discussed how the Buddhist perception of emptiness corresponds to Heidegger’s “openness.”

Практики самопознания в буддизме и современное философское образование

Introduction. The article is focused on studying the self-knowledge techniques used in Buddhism and their application in teaching philosophy. The relevance of the study is due to the search for new approaches to studying philosophy, including approaches related to philosophical practice, as well as the interest of modern scientists in the problem of consciousness. The problem of consciousness is interdisciplinary and its study is of practical importance for philosophers, psychologists, linguists, specialists in artificial intelligence. Buddhism as a philosophical doctrine provides rich material for the study of the phenomenon of consciousness, which does not lose its relevance today. A feature of the Buddhist approach to consciousness is that it has an axiological orientation that is directly related to the problem of self-knowledge. The practices of self-knowledge used in Buddhism enable a person to become happier and more harmonious, which is so important for each of us. The aim of the study is to conduct a philosophical analysis of Buddhist practices of self-knowledge and self-transformation in order to use them in the educational process. Methods: the author uses general scientific methods of analysis and synthesis, deduction and induction; phenomenological method to identify the intentions that are key for consciousness. The author also uses the hermeneutical method to interpret Buddhist texts. The method of introspection as self-observation of consciousness is used in Buddhist meditation techniques. The scientific novelty of the study is that we approach the study of extensive material on Buddhism in the context of the problem of selfknowledge, which is inextricably linked with the Buddhist concept of consciousness. The revealed and studied Buddhist techniques of self-knowledge have been adapted for teaching philosophy. Results. A philosophical analysis of the literature on Buddhism in the context of the problem of self-knowledge was carried out. As a result of the analysis, Buddhist techniques for working with consciousness, such as meditation, the method of pondering Zen koans, the method of getting rid of material attachments, or the practice of austerities, were studied and described. A philosophical analysis of various Buddhist meditation techniques showed that they are based on the Buddhist concept of consciousness, which denies the existence of an individual “I”, considers the “I” to be nothing more than a combination of various dharmas, therefore the purpose of meditation in Buddhism is to identify oneself with one’s own “I”, to achieve a state of voidness in which we must comprehend our true identity. The method of pondering Zen koans is also one of the techniques for working with one’s consciousness in Buddhism. As a result of deliberation of these paradoxical miniatures, a person goes beyond the boundaries of logical thinking; there is a transition from the level of profane consciousness to the level of deep consciousness. The basis of the method of getting rid of material attachments or the practice of austerities in Buddhism is the concept of the middle path. We have established a similarity between the method of getting rid of material attachments, the concept of the middle path and minimalism as a way of life. Findings. Elements of the Buddhist practices of self-transformation can be successfully used in the teaching of philosophy at the university as a practical aspect of studying this discipline, forming students with the idea of philosophy as a way of life leading to positive self-transformation. Studying the practical aspects of Buddhist philosophy contributes to the formation of tolerance, awareness, education of humanism and altruism, and the skills of psycho-emotional self-regulation.

Between Karma and Buddha: Prosocial Behavior among Mongolians in an Anonymous Economic Game

ABSTRACTNorenzayan and colleagues argue that culturally evolved beliefs in monitoring and punishing supernatural agents contributed to the expansion of large-scale cooperation. Previous studies showed that Western participants primed with the God concept in anonymous dictator games tended to be more prosocial. However, there is a lack of studies that would investigate karmic beliefs and its effect on pro-sociality, thus expanding the scope of supernatural punishment hypothesis. The current study is one of the first attempts to address the question of belief in karma and its relation to prosocial behavior in a non-Western Buddhist culture. Using karma as a prime and a dictator game to measure generosity, the present study was carried out with Mongolians. Overall, Mongolians were rather generous. While we did not find the effect of the karma prime, there remains a possibility that this effect was masked by overall generosity. However, first, it is argued that the Mongolian Buddhist conceptions of karma (üiliin ür) and merit (buyan), intertwined with nomadic generosity norms, might have facilitated prosocial behavior among Mongolians. Second, results from regression analyses highlighted some variation between self-ascribed Buddhist and non-religious Mongolians, showing that Buddhist participants tended to give slightly more than non-religious participants. Third, the current results also indicate that belief in Buddha with God-like attributes, though espoused by a non-negligible number of Buddhist Mongolians, is not unanimous. And those who expressed this belief were no more generous than those who did not.

Silencing and Oblivion of Psychological Trauma, Its Unconscious Aspects, and Their Impact on the Inflation of Vajrayāna. An Analysis of Cross-Group Dynamics and Recent Developments in Buddhist Groups Based on Qualitative Data

The commercialization of Buddhist philosophy has led to decontextualization and indoctrinating issues across groups, as well as abuse and trauma in that context. Methodologically, from an interdisciplinary approach, based on the current situation in international Buddhist groups and citations of victims from the ongoing research, the psychological mechanisms of rationalizing and silencing trauma were analyzed. The results show how supposedly Buddhist terminology and concepts are used to rationalize and justify economic, psychological and physical abuse. This is discussed against the background of psychological mechanisms of silencing trauma and the impact of ignoring the unconscious in that particular context. Inadequate consideration regarding the teacher–student relationship, combined with an unreflective use of Tibetan honorary titles and distorted conceptualizations of methods, such as the constant merging prescribed in so-called 'guru yoga', resulted in giving up self-responsibility and enhanced dependency. These new concepts, commercialized as 'karma purification' and 'pure view', have served to rationalize and conceal abuse, as well as to isolate the victims. Therefore, we are facing societal challenges, in terms of providing health and economic care to the victims and implementing preventive measures. This use of language also impacts on scientific discourse and Vajrayāna itself, and will affect many future generations.

“Poethic” Particulars: Anne Waldman’s Poetics of Detail in Manatee/Humanity

In Manatee/Humanity (2009), Anne Waldman investigates our world through a poetics of detail that records diversity in what Édouard Glissant calls the ‘totality- world,’ against the threat of ‘monolithic’ representations of the world that, inWaldman’s terms, are shaped by totalitarian discourses. The poet’s language engagesher own relationship with the world. As Waldman asks: “What is poetry’srelationship to the composite world, /in the relative world?” In Manatee/Humanity, Waldman deals with relativity through a Buddhist conception of time. Besides, her poetic quest echoes Édouard Glissant’s definition of a poetics of Relation and challenges the ability of poetic writing to account for a Glissantian relationship with the world. Waldman’s interrogation also entails a questioning of the relation betweenthe ‘particulars’ of the world and the world as structure. This essay argues that Waldman uses detail as an epistemological standpoint for herpoetics of interconnected particulars which is entwined with an ethical approach to our contingent world, and may be defined as a poetics of Relation.

Implementation of Heidegger’s Angst into Buddhist Problem of Suffering: On How Buddhist Discourse Engenders and Epistemological Problem and How to Approach to it with Western Ontology

El discurso budista de los primeros tiempos reconoce el problema del dukkha (sufrimiento) y sostiene que su causa se puede eliminar. Este artículo intenta demostrar cómo la afirmación budista de que se puede eliminar el dukkha no cierra, ya que genera complicaciones epistemológicas dentro del discurso budista e intenta demostrar que sustituir el concepto budista de dukkha por el concepto de Angst de Heidegger podría resolver este problema. Se argumenta que la solución propuesta por las cuatro verdades nobles de la tradición budista de los primeros tiempos contradice las propiedades e implicaciones ontológicas y epistemológicas del concepto de dukkha, y, en consecuencia, estas propiedades de dukkha se deberían revisar. Como solución, se propone que Angst aborda el problema del sufrimiento de manera más eficiente al no generar tales complicaciones epistemológicas al tiempo que conserva la filosofía y la cosmovisión del discurso budista ya que facilita con precisión la perspectiva budista.

Urban agriculture and buddhist concepts for wellbeing: Anuradhapura sacred city, Sri lanka

Urban agriculture and buddhist concepts for wellbeing: Anuradhapura sacred city, Sri lanka

Watsuji Tetsurō’s Concept of “Authenticity”

ABSTRACTThe translation of honraisei as “authenticity” has caused scholars to compare Watsuji with Heideggerian and Taylorian accounts of authenticity. In this article, it will be demonstrated that this translation of “authenticity” is misleading insofar as it suggests a sense of subjective individuality as prevalent within Western philosophical thought. However, rather than rejecting a Watsujian account of authenticity, it will be argued that we can salvage this understanding by rethinking honraisei as a distinctly Japanese approach to authenticity and one which is underpinned by the Buddhist concept of emptiness.

Jayanta's Refutation to Buddhist Definition of Pramana

It is a well established fact that India has been the center of famous thinkers and philosophers right from the ancient time as a result of its various philosophical traditions. These branches of thought are deeply embedded in the Indian culture and are commonly categorized as the six orthodox and the three heterodox systems of Indian philosophy. The concept of epistemology has been the topic of heavy discussion as scholars in the past have agreed or strongly disagreed on their formulations of the different schemes of metaphysics. For Indian philosophers knowledge is a means to reach at ultimate truth through speculation and experience. In this paper I am going to present the Jayanta’s refuration to Buddhist concept of pramāṇa .

Univerza v Ljubljani

By internalizing Zen Buddhist teachings, the protagonists of Ruth Ozeki’s A Tale for the Time Being (2013) resolve their conflicts with the world and within themselves. The scenario echoes current theoretical interest in the Buddhist concept of no-self as a model of self that is suited to the postmodern condition. This article argues that since the fundamental Buddhist principles conceptually accommodate the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics—the key to the novel’s structure—and the metaphysical framework of postmodernity, Ozeki’s novel illuminates the empowering aspects of the fractal nature of postmodern selves, while charting the possibilities for their actualization. Keywords: Buddhism; digital cultures; empowerment; fractal subject; postmodernity