Buddhist Enlightenment Research Articles

Ornamental plants associated with Buddhist figures in China

BackgroundIn China, many ornamental plants associated with Buddhist figures, including the Sakyamuni, Bodhisattva, and Arhat, were grown and worshiped because of their cultural and religious significance. However, the systematic collation and ethnobotanical information about these culturally important plants have yet to be fully understood.MethodsOnline information was collected from 93 e-commercial platforms for ornamental plants all over China. Field sampling was conducted in 16 ornamental markets and 163 Buddhist temples using key informant interviews and participatory observation with traders, tourists, and local disciples. The types, distributions, and associated characteristics of the screened plants were summarized and the evolving characteristics of these ornamental plants were analyzed.ResultsA total of 60 ornamental plants, including six varieties and one subspecies, were screened, of which 43 species were associated with Sakyamuni, 13 with Bodhisattva, and four with Arhat. Among the 60 species, three were regarded as the Asoka tree related to Buddha's birth, ten as the Bodhi tree connected to Buddha's enlightenment, three as the Sal tree associated with Buddha's nirvana, nine were related to Buddha’s head, belly, or hand, and 18 were connected with Buddha as lotus throne, bamboo monastery, or Bodhi beads. The evolving characteristics of these ornamental plants primarily constituted the substitution of the original plants by similar native plant species, followed by the introduced species with comparable morphology to the Buddhist figures.ConclusionsPeople grow ornamental plants associated with Buddhist figures to reflect their love and praise for plants and Buddha. The association between the ornamental plants and Buddhist figures will aid the inheritance of Buddhist culture and promote ornamental plants in the commercial market. Thus, the ethnobotany of ornamental plants associated with Buddhist figures can serve as a basis for future investigation of modern Buddhist culture.

Buddhist Art Center of Bihar

Mahatma Buddha took birth in Lumbini, Nepal and spread Buddhism in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The remains of Buddhist architecture in the form of stupas, chaityas and Bihar are spread over the states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh in the form of Buddhist art centers of India. The state of Bihar has been the abode of Buddha. Bodh Gaya situated here is famous for the Buddha's enlightenment. Among the famous Buddhist art centers of Vihara state, Laurianandangarh, Rajgir, Nalanda, Bodh Gaya and Vaishali are the main ones.
 
 Abstract in Hindi Language: लौरियानन्दनगढ़, राजगीर, नालन्दा, बोधगया, वैशाली।

Masked Violence

Abstract This article examines the carnivalesque in two recent Bhutanese films, Hema Hema: Sing Me a Song While I Wait (2016, dir. Khyentse Norbu) and The Red Phallus (2018, dir. Tashi Gyeltshen). Bhutanese Buddhist rituals contain a number of elements that bear striking parallels with Mikhail Bakhtin’s conception of the carnivalesque, most notably in the use of masks and in the presence of jester figures known as atsaras. However, important differences also exist, most importantly the fact that in Bhutanese rituals masks are held to be sacred and are worn during dances intended to bring both participants and audience closer to Buddhist enlightenment. In both films discussed in this article, the anonymity provided by these traditional and ostensibly sacred masks prompts acts of sexual violence. As such, the article argues that the content of both films questions the use of ritual in contemporary Bhutan, while the use of carnivalesque form acts to deepen the nature of that questioning. In the case of Hema Hema, this is achieved by removing barriers between performance and spectatorship, while The Red Phallus in contrast seeks to alienate its audience.

Feeling the Way to Revelation: Patterns of Doubt and Persuasion in Tibetan Buddhist Auto/biographical Treasure Narratives

Abstract In the Tibetan Buddhist Treasure (gter ma) tradition, communities cohere around the marking of certain visions as offering insight into the proper method of ritual practices, the veracity of reincarnation claims, decisions about institutional structures, assertions of lineage relationships, and most importantly for the purposes of this article, the phenomenology of Buddhist enlightenment for readers lacking such experience. There is a long and robust history of doubt around such visions and their narrative accounts. Doubters seek to debunk and disenfranchise those whose visions they dispute. This article analyzes the emotional dynamics and aesthetic charge of five exemplary visionary accounts from the 17th–20th century, with a focus on how doubts are overcome through intense positive sensory experiences within their life stories. Such narratives generate a sense of religious belonging in Tibetan Buddhist Treasure communities, beginning with the visionary him- or herself whose successful navigation of doubt is resolved by the persuasive power of intensely positive aesthetic experience.

Spiritual Pain in Palliative Care and Buddhist Enlightenment

Spiritual Pain in Palliative Care and Buddhist Enlightenment

Genre Conflation and Fictional Religiosity in Guilian meng (Returning to the Lotus Dream)

Abstract The early Qing (1644–1911) midlength vernacular novel Guilian meng 歸蓮夢 (Returning to the Lotus Dream, hereafter Lotus Dream), attributed to Su'an zhuren 蘇庵主人 (Master of Su'an, hereafter Su'an), features a triple hybrid narrative: a hagiographic account of the female protagonist's path to Buddhist enlightenment, a scholar-beauty romance, and a heroic military adventure. Although Su'an (himself a lay Buddhist) claims to preach Buddhist teachings through the novel, the text does not represent the exclusive voice of a single religion or belief system. Instead, its hybrid narrative allows Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism, and the teachings of other popular sects to interact, intertwine, and compete. This essay argues that the novel's narrative amalgamation is a result of the author's conscious adherence to established genre conventions and market tastes, while it quietly subsumes other religious beliefs into its own Buddhism. In its own way, the novel reflects the larger trend of syncretism, found in literary and religious practices alike in the seventeenth century. As such, Lotus Dream offers us a good example of “fictional religiosity,” encompassing both the religious elements scattered throughout vernacular novels and these novels' growing cultural authority. The religiosity of fiction is best understood in light of the notion of xiaoshuo jiao 小說教 (cult/teachings of fiction), denoting the genre's quasi-religious power of persuasion. Lotus Dream thus serves as an excellent starting point for a reconsideration of the spiritual authority that vernacular novels exercised in the Qing dynasty.

EL RECONOCIMIENTO DE SÍ MISMO EN EL PERDÓN

RESUMEN: Confesar quiere decir reconocer. Reconocemos la misericordia divina, que nos infunde confianza para confesar ante ella la propia vida vulnerada y necesitada de perdón. En este reconocimiento de sí mismo, como pecador arrepentido y perdonado, se articula la antropología del animal vulnerable con la espiritualidade de la criatura reconciliable. Ambas están ancladas en el reconocimiento de sí mismo en lo profundo de la propia interioridad agraciada, herida y sanada. Coincide esta espiritualidad cristiana con la del camino del bodisatva en el budismo Mahayana, que vive el arrepentimiento como reconocimiento de sí mismo en la contemplación y la compasión. En la integración del Zen con la espiritualidad ignaciana este reconocimiento de sí se expresa en la vivencia simultánea de contrición y gratitud en la Primera Semana de los Ejercicios.ABSTRACT: To confess means to aknowledge. There is a double acknowledgment in the act of asking and of accepting forgivenness. The sacrament of confession can be called a sacrament of self-knowledge. We re-discover our own self both as sinner and as forgiven. We discover a new self, when going out of our self-deceiving attitudes, while at the same time we discover a new self in the awareness of being healed, forgiven, and loved. The Buddhist enlightenment, as awareness of one‘s Buddha-nature can be related to the Christian experience of original grace. That is why in the integration of the ignatian spirituality with the contemplative experience of Zen, both contrition and thankfulness are inseparable in the First week of the Spiritual Exercises.

Juan L. Ortiz y el budismo: vacuidad y reescritura del dolor

espanolEn mas de una ocasion, Juan L. Ortiz sugirio posibles anclajes de su poetica en puntuales accesos a la doctrina del budismo zen. En su escritura, la luz es la principal herramienta para delinear las formas que subyacen al despliegue de la materia natural; se trata de una poesia que, guiada por una voluntad “iluminadora”, insiste en proyectar luz alli donde se ensenorea la oscuridad. La iluminacion budista (la disolucion de las oscuridades de la mente q EnglishMore than once, Juan L. Ortiz in his poetic writing suggested possible references in his poetry to specific aspects of the Zen Buddhist doctrine. In his work, light is the main tool for delineating the forms that underlie the unfolding of natural matter. This poetry, guided by an “enlightening” will, insists on projecting light where darkness dominates. Buddhist enlightenment (the dissolution of the mind darkness that generates suffering and pain) is the unfailing horizon towards which the path to dharma leads. And the poetry of Ortiz, too, seems to slowly and tirelessly persevere on that path. In this paper, we try to suggest some approaches to his poetry, to key notions of the Buddhist doctrine, especially the emptiness one, the last nature of the pathway of human life, as Buddhism understands it.

Przezwyciężanie strachu przed śmiercią w zenie - argumentacja Daisetza Teitaro Suzukiego i dyskusja nad nią (The Overcoming of the Fear of Death in Zen - the Argumentation of Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki and its Discussion)

The overcoming of the fear of death in Zen - The argumentation of Daisetz Teiaro Suzuki and its discussion Studying the relationship between zen and kendō, Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki very often expressed the assertion that zen helps the swordsman to overcome the fear of death. The article, in its first part, presents the arguments which were used by Suzuki to justyfiy his conviction. Suzuki’s argumentation says first of all that the Buddhist enlightenment (satori), as the transgression of all differentiations, can help to overcome the fear of death, because it naturally eliminates the difference between life and death. Second part of the article shows how Brian Victoria, in his famous book Zen at War, refers to Suzuki’s argumentation. As Victoria’s opinion is not based on the philosophical ground, therefore the remaining part of the article tries to critically examine Suzuki’s argumentation, taking to account the full epistemological doctrine of enlightenment, which beside the transgression of differentiation aspect has also an affirmation of differentiation character.

Cleaning Up Bodhgaya: Conflicts over Development and the Worlding of Buddhism

AbstractIn 2007 the Indian government deployed police and soldiers in Bodhgaya to oversee the demolition of a number of long‐standing businesses and homes. These actions were pursued as part of the “Master Plan,” a sweeping, fifty‐year government‐led development plan for Bodhgaya, place of Buddha's enlightenment in the north Indian state of Bihar, designed to manage Bodhgaya's increasing global significance as a pilgrimage and tourism destination while negotiating an array of competing interests. In this article I argue that understanding the Master Plan requires an attention to how such place‐making takes shape with and against the Indian state, neoliberal policies, the ongoing emergence of a contemporary global Buddhist sacred geography, and the diverse, multifaceted desires of Bodhgaya residents. [India, Buddhism, governance, pilgrimage, development, policy, tourism]

The Role of the Ego in Jungian Individuation and Yogacara Buddhism’s Enlightenment

This article explores the Buddhist and Jungian approaches to the role of the ego in overcoming the limited (for Jung) or illusive (for Buddhists) sense of self rooted in ego-consciousness. Even though both Buddhists and Jung turn to the unconscious (for Jung) or the subliminal consciousness (for Buddhists) to overcome the limitations of the ego, their approaches are radically different. The Jungian ego seems to work diligently in order to transcend itself, whereas Buddhists believe that we can bypass the ego’s participation, namely, its rational analysis and interpretation, and can directly access the subliminal consciousness, alaya. In other words, Buddhists see the ego itself as the problem, or obstacle, in the path to Enlightenment whereas Jung ends up relying upon the active ego’s intervention to become the full Self via individuation. Understanding this substantial difference will lead us to reappraise the reciprocal relationship between the ego and the subliminal mind in both the Jungian theory of individuation and Buddhist enlightenment.

The Aspects of Korean Folktales of Buddhist Practice and Enlightenment and Generating of Buddhist Lectures

구연설화를 선지식의 법문에 활용할 가능성을 탐색했다. 불공에 호응하는 부처의 영험을 보여주는 설화들은 스스로 수행하기 보다는 불공에 정성을 더 들이는 대중을 위한 법문에 적극 활용될 수 있을 것이다. 일상생활을 하면서 부처가 되거나 부처를 발견하는 설화 유형도 있다. 이런 설화들은 부처의 본질에 대해 통속적 질문을 던지고 그에 대해 나름대로의 답을 모색하게 한다. 그리고 그것을 일상생활의 덕목이나 생활 태도로 응용한다.BR 화두수행과 득도의 과정을 보여주는 설화들은 화두수행의 가치와 효용에 대한 대중의 성찰을 보여준다. 이들은 재물에 대한 욕심이 득도에 결정적 장애가 되는 것으로 보았다. 아랫사람인 어린 상좌가 웃어른인 스님을 구원하고 득도케 한다는 점에서 세속 통념을 파괴했다. 웃어른 스님의 충격적 자기 부정은 ‘무아(無我)’의 진리로 나아가는 시금석이 될 수 있다.BR 불공 올리기에만 익숙해져 화두 수행으로부터 멀어져 있거나 화두 수행의 감을 잘 못잡고 있는 대중들을 화두 수행으로 이끌어주는데 알맞은 설화 작품들도 있다. 이들 설화들은 생을 거듭해서라도 간절히 수행하면 결국 득도해 해방될 수 있다는 희망을 불어넣어준다는 점에서 법문에서 중요하게 다뤄질 수 있을 것이다.

The Aspects of Korean Folktales of Buddhist Practice and Enlightenment and Generating of Buddhist Lectures

The Aspects of Korean Folktales of Buddhist Practice and Enlightenment and Generating of Buddhist Lectures

Event: A Philosophical Journey through a Concept by Slavoj Žižek, and: Ereignisse in aller Kürze. Narratologische Untersuchungen zur Ereignishaftigkeit in Kürzestprosa von Thomas Bernhard, Ror Wolf und Helmut Heißenbüttel by Carola Gruber (review)

Reviewed by: Event: A Philosophical Journey through a Concept by Slavoj Žižek, and: Ereignisse in aller Kürze. Narratologische Untersuchungen zur Ereignishaftigkeit in Kürzestprosa von Thomas Bernhard, Ror Wolf und Helmut Heißenbüttel by Carola Gruber Andrew B.B. Hamilton Event: A Philosophical Journey through a Concept. By Slavoj Žižek. Brooklyn: Melville House, 2014. Pp. 182. Paper $13.21. ISBN 978-1612194110. Ereignisse in aller Kürze. Narratologische Untersuchungen zur Ereignishaftigkeit in Kürzestprosa von Thomas Bernhard, Ror Wolf und Helmut Heißenbüttel. By Carola Gruber. Bielefeld: transcript, 2014. Pp. 338. Paper €35.99. ISBN 978-3837624335. Now is a good time to be curious about the event, that protean term that Slavoj Žižek calls “something shocking, out of joint that appears to happen all of a sudden and interrupts the usual flow of things; something that emerges seemingly out of nowhere, without discernible causes, an appearance without solid being as its foundation” (4) in his recent Event: A Philosophical Journey through a Concept. It is one of two books published last year, which offer the finest points of entry in recent memory into this challenging term. There is an emergent systematicity to be found in reading Slavoj Žižek’s Event and Carola Gruber’s Ereignisse in aller Kürze together. These two books could hardly be more different, and for precisely that reason they illustrate the vast range and power of the monoverbal lynchpin in their titles that holds them together. While Žižek’s book rests on the conceit of an imagined subway train ride (each chapter is a stop), jumping from topic to topic keeping only one hand clinging to the term “event,” Gruber offers a clear, concise, and systematic analysis of the narratological discussions surrounding the event and eventiveness. While Žižek is interested in the philosophical range of meaning that an event can take on and is prepared to trace the resonances of the event in intellectual history from Buddhism to Badiou, Gruber’s ultimate aim is an analysis of short-form prose (Kürzestprosa), which is informed and supported by her chapters on the narratological legacy of the event. Yet for all these differences, the texts resonate remarkably with one another, [End Page 211] their strengths being so complementary that a reader curious about theories of the event could not wish for a better way to be brought up to speed in all departments than to read these volumes together. Žižek’s book, one of six he published in English in 2014, is the livelier of the two: the sheer energy with which the author sends the argument hurtling forward makes for a fun, and fast, reading experience. Žižek frames his approach in almost the broadest possible terms: “Already with this approximate definition, we find ourselves at the very heart of philosophy,” an exploration of which will invariably “culminate in some notion of Event” (5–6). From this promising, if bombastic, beginning, the ride itself cannot help be something of a letdown. Readers familiar with Žižek’s work will recognize many of his main lines of argumentation: regular recourse to Marx, a recurring ideology critique, and many, many cinematic illustrations. The breadth of reference in a book of this length may obscure the fact that the core argument of the book is in fact quite simple. An event, in Žižek’s account, is “an effect which exceeds its causes” (6). But such a definition is in fact unhelpful, and so one must encounter the event to define it: “The only appropriate solution is thus to approach events in an evental way” (7), and the subway conceit is born. Here is the overview of the book: “Let us then imagine that we are on a subway trip with many stops and connections, with each stop standing for a putative definition of event.” He goes on to enumerate the stops: the first is “a change or disintegration of the frame through which reality appears to us,” the second “a religious Fall,” the third “the breaking of symmetry,” the fourth “Buddhist Enlightenment” and so on via encounters with self-knowledge, encounters with absolute truth, and trauma...

過去七仏と縁起成仏説

過去七仏と縁起成仏説

Rebuilding the Navel of the Earth: Buddhist pilgrimage and transnational religious networks

AbstractCentral to the modern rebirth of Bodh Gaya as the place of Buddha's enlightenment is the growing influence of Buddhist missionaries and transnational religious networks on this pilgrimage landscape in North India. Although this process began in the late nineteenth century, it was not until after India's independence that Buddhism became an integral part of the nation-building project and a key site of post-colonial diplomacy with neighbouring Asian countries. Symbolic of these international and diplomatic ties are the increasing numbers of foreign Buddhist monasteries and temples that have acquired land around Bodh Gaya. This paper seeks to document the historical and transnational religious processes that support the growing globalization of Bodh Gaya and to survey the institutional means through which monasteries have elevated the Buddhist memory of the site. In tracing these different national and regional networks of Buddhism, I argue that there is an underlying tension between Buddhist culture anchored in the national polity and the forces of globalization and religious experience that seek to transcend it.

The decline of the Bodh Gaya Math and the afterlife of zamindari

The decline of the Bodh Gaya Math is arguably the most significant event in Bodh Gaya's recent history and is often overlooked by contemporary scholars who celebrate the global Buddhist resurgence at the site. A Shaivaite monastic institution with an extensive landed estate in the south Bihar region, the Bodh Gaya Math, rose to prominence during the Mughal and British colonial periods. Through its privileged land holdings and claim to be the principle guardian of the Mahabodhi Temple and Bodhi tree, the Bodh Gaya Math had long maintained a monopoly of power and influence over the site of Buddha's enlightenment and the surrounding agricultural area. To understand these changing social configurations of power and the possible futures, this paper provides an institutional history of the Shaivaite monastery and discusses the impact of the zamindari abolition bills, land-gift movement and land struggles that took place in the wake of India's independence. Through an analysis of changing local and regional power structures, the paper shows how the afterlife of zamindari has given rise to new claims of social, political and religious authority that significantly undermined the Math's former suzerainty. In that, it studies religious power and authority within the frame of agrarian social relations.

Satori, koan and aesthetic experience: Exploring the “realization of emptiness” in Buddhist enlightenment via an empirical study of modern art

We compare the cognitive basis of satori, or the “realization of emptiness” at the heart of Zen Buddhist enlightenment, and with the mechanism whereby satori is most often evoked – a pedagogical relationship between master and student called “koan” – to modern artworks and the conception of aesthetic experience, noting structural and psychological similarity. Based on our previous work on this topic in art-perception (Pelowski & Akiba, 2011), we offer a cognitive model for satori’s consideration. We then discuss empirical evidence for art-induced satori, noting a correlation with a progression of cognitive and emotional factors suggesting a movement through all posited model stages and a major distinction from non-satori outcomes. We also note a positive correlation between satori and hedonic evaluations of beauty, art potency and importance, understanding of art and artist’s intention, change in subject self image and a fundamental shift in meaning analysis from a mimetic to an experience-based interpretation. This study, through the exploration of the underlying satori mechanism made explicit in the Zen koan and duplicated in modern art, suggests a universal nature to and means of exploring the insight underlying the satori phenomenon and opens a new avenue for cross-disciplinary/cross-cultural study of enlightenment.

Buddhist Responses to Brāhmaṇa Challenges in Medieval India: Bodhgayā and Gayā

The sixth to twelfth centuries of the common era were marked by intense religious activity in all parts of India. In the Paramāra kingdom – the main focus of the articles in this special issue – the dominant religious forces were Jainism and the Śaiva traditions of Hinduism. While Buddhism was certainly present in central India, archaeological remains, inscriptions and post-medieval narratives suggest its role was much diminished compared to the early historic period. In substantial contrast, Buddhism remained a vibrant force in eastern India. Bodhgayā, as the site of the Buddha's enlightenment, had emerged as a sacred place by the time of Aśoka in the third century BCE and it evolved subsequently into one of the key centres of the Buddhist world. This importance is attested by existing remains at the site, including the Mahābodhi temple, monastic ruins and innumerable sculptures from medieval times.

A First-Century Stele from Sriksetra

A stele discovered at Sriksetra (Sriksetra) central Burma can now be attributed to the beginning of the first millennium CE, and is therefore the earliest Indie sculpture yet found in Southeast Asia. Nearly 150 cm high, it depicts on one side a great man with two attendants and on the other, an empty throne. Stylistically it can be shown to be related to the early art of Central and South India when Buddhist and Brahmanical iconographies were beginning to evolve. After an outline of recent research on early urban sites in Burma the stele is placed in its archaeological context, the first occupation phase of Sriksetra. The central figure on the front can be compared to yaksa figures at Sanchi and his turban also suggests a connection with Kanganhalli. He carries a large club, symbolising his power. His two attendants carry garuda and cakradhvajas, and it is suggested that the central figure might be a localised pre-Kushanic form of Vasudeva-Krsna, a deity in the process of becoming associated with kingship, power and wealth. The empty throne on the other side, similarly depicted from Bharhut to Amaravati, represents the place of the Buddha's Enlightenment, Bodhgaya. Buddhism, which had become institutionalised in South India in the post-Mauryan period had, together with the Bhâgavata tradition, followed old-established trade routes to Burma.