Buddhist Missionaries Research Articles

A Study of Pre-Islamic Religions in Afghanistan

The magical and vast nature of Afghanistan has been one of the most essential factors in the implementation of strategic plans of great powers throughout history in this part of the world including its strong economy in the Middle Ages and the tall mountain ranges, plains, and flats, desert areas, rivers and the special geopolitical situation showed the magnificence of the country to the explorers. Therefore, yesterday's Khorasan and today's Afghanistan hosted them at certain times, and the powers came and went, or they were dissolved among the native people with their cultural and ideological mixing. The arrival of pre-Islamic religions is one of the consequences of those movements, whose remains include golden cups from the treasure of Flaul Hill, Greek works of Ai Khanum, vases with Roman sheaves, small Indian plates found in Bagram, and luxurious jewelry. Tala Tepe and thousands of other remains talk about the artistic, cultural, and religious mixing of this ancient region. Receiving works from many places such as Hoda, Bamiyan, Bakhtar, Gandhara region, etc. in Afghanistan is a clear expression of the existence of Greek-Bactrian civilization and the spread of Greek culture and ideas with our religious mixtures, before the spread of the holy religion of Islam, as Gandhara was the main route of trade caravans and the passage of Buddhist missionaries to the eastern lands of the country, it was considered the first place to build Buddhist statues. In Bamiyan, Salsal is 55 meters high and Shamameh is 35 meters high, and it stamps the seal of Buddhism on the forehead of the time. The art of high-quality paintings indicates the existence of another religion called the religion of Mani, which was inspired by the Indo-Greek style in the spirit of the industry of the Sassanid period. Shivaism and Brahmanism in Kabul and the coronation of Rayan Kabuli in the region of Shiyuki (Shiva's place) and Andaki (Andra's place) in the southwest of current Kabul, and Shiyuki idols of Shiva and Andaki idols of Indra and Brahma existed because these two are considered to be the lords of the Brahmins. Here still possible to visit those places and hold special ceremonies there, which indicates the existence of this religion in Afghanistan before Islam.

Why Do European Buddhists Meditate? The Practical Problem of Inventing Global Buddhism

Abstract Globalising “Buddhism” beyond its pre-colonial homelands was a complex practical challenge. Actors seeking to bring Buddhism to new audiences in very different cultures met with failure far more often than success until recent decades. Modern-era Buddhist missionaries to Europe had to experiment, selecting elements of Asian Buddhism that could theoretically be transmitted – ordinations, preaching, textual knowledge, rituals etc. – and attempt to institutionalise these as conversion mechanisms. This article uses the lens of Irish and British converts and sympathisers in Asia and Europe in the late C19th and early C20th centuries to explore the European situation – one with fewer Asian missionaries and different relationships between society and religion than those in North America. It explores the sources of their various versions of Buddhism; their organising techniques and repertoires of “Buddhist” activity, their audiences and how they defined “Buddhism” in relation to politics, ethnicity and colonialism. It argues that meditation (and “practice”) became central to European Buddhism because it solved a crucial organisational problem: what could Buddhist globalisers offer to turn audiences into Buddhists?

Prerequisites for the formation of schools of Chinese Buddhism in the Nanbeichao period.

The article examines the initial stage of the formation of schools of Chinese Buddhism in the era of Nanbeichao (Northern and Southern kingdoms). Buddhism of the era of the Southern and Northern Kingdoms (386-589) is a little-studied period in the history of Buddhism in China in domestic science. At the same time, this period represents a very important stage in the development of Buddhism in China, characterized by the completion of the adaptation of Buddhism to the political, social, cultural and mental traditions of this country and the formation of Chinese religious and philosophical principles of Buddhism, which began during the reign of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420) and which continued during the period of the division of China into Southern and Northern kingdoms. The division of China began with the capture of the nomadic tribes of the Tobians of the northern part of the Eastern Jin (317-420). By this time, the rule of the Eastern Jin Dynasty was characterized by political chaos, internal strife, economic decline, famine and devastation. The research is based on translations of sources from Chinese, as well as on the works of Russian scientists. As a result of the study, it can be concluded that it was the period of the Northern and Southern Kingdoms that became a kind of prerequisite for the formation of Chinese schools of Buddhism, the appearance of which marked the final formation of Buddhism in China, known as "Chinese Buddhism". Translations of texts into Chinese became the basis for the formation of schools of Buddhism. The translation activity of Buddhist missionaries of the era of the Southern and Northern Kingdoms, despite the political, economic and social difficulties caused by internecine strife, the invasion of nomadic tribes, devastation and famine, steadily continued. The tradition of translation activities of the Eastern Jin was continued in the Southern and Northern kingdoms. During Southern and Northern Kingdom epoch was made a significant contribution to the development of Buddhism in China, preparing the textual ground for the formation of schools of Chinese Buddhism, which began in the subsequent Sui era (581-618) and ended in the Tang era (618-907).

마산포교당의 교육사업 현황과 역사적 의의 - ‘배달유치원’을 중심으로 -

이글은 마산지역 마산포교당에서 운영했던 배달유치원을 중심으로 동향을 살펴보고, 이러한 활동이 가지는 근대사적 의의를 고찰한 것이다. 이글에서 살펴본 배달유치원은 마산지역을 대표하는 교육기관으로, 부모가 적극적으로 행사에 참여할 정도로 마산지역 조선인 부모의 근대적 교육에 대한 갈망이 담겨있었다. 교육 외에도 다양한 활동을 전개하여 지역민의 문화센터와 같은 역할을 충분히 수행했다. 또한, 이 배달유치원은 조선 독립을 향한 일제의 식민지 지배에 대한 저항을 위한 공간으로서도 의미가 있었다. 배달유치원 준비단계에서 조선 독립을 위해 힘쓴 이형재, 명도석, 이상만 등이 중심이 되었던 것만으로도 유치원의 성격을 충분히 알 수 있겠지만, 그 외 학부모의 모임인 자모회와 근우회 협업으로 여성계몽 활동이 개최되었고, 유학생을 포함한 청년들의 각종 행사 및 지역 발전 모임, 강연회를 위한 중요한 공간이 되기도 했다. 아이들이 열심히 준비한 학예회는 단순한 재롱잔치가 아닌 유치원 경영을 위한 자금 모집을 위한 하나의 수단임과 동시에 근대적 교육 계몽을 설하는 공간이기도 했다. 아이들의 율동, 동화, 가곡은 자신이 조선 민족임을, 자연스럽게 세기고 되뇌는 역사적 순간이었다. 이처럼 배달유치원은 단순한 교육기관의 기능뿐만 아니라 일제 식민지 지배에 저항하는 하나의 ‘방편’의 공간으로도 그 역사적 의미를 함께 생각해야 할 것이다.

The study of mindfulness as an intervening factor for enhanced psychological well-being in building the level of resilience.

By using a practice like mindfulness, people may become more adaptable and flexible in difficult situations, which lowers the levels of unfavorable experiences. Only a small number of research have examined the connection between mindfulness and resilience, with mindfulness as a source of PWB influencing millennials' resilience when faced with adversity. This study sought to close this gap by exploring the role that mindfulness practice plays in millennials' PWB and subsequent increases in resilience to adversity. In this study, key components linked to mindfulness, PWB, and resilience are combined with a thorough literature assessment. Millennials who are active members of the Ti-Ratana Youth in Malaysia and the Buddhist Missionary Society of Malaysia (BMSM) Youth Section make up the study's sample population. Before completing the online survey form, each participant was instructed to engage in 4 weeks of supervised mindfulness practice. To assure the validity of the data gathered, it was crucial to secure the youth's commitment. Only 231 of the 300 respondents who received the link to the online survey had replies that could be used for further research. To analyze the collected data and conduct hypothesis testing, Smart-PLS was used. Academic research has shown that factors, such as a heavy workload, time constraints, lengthy workdays, work-related home conflicts, and an unstable and uncertain environment all lead to a drop in PWB. According to the findings, the two most significant variables promoting resilience are mindfulness and positive PWB. The outcomes of this experimental study confirmed earlier findings that millennials' PWB and resilience are enhanced by mindfulness training. The study's findings suggest that, in times of high uncertainty, mindfulness-based intervention programs should be expanded to include all young people. This study offers empirical support for the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions in raising PWB and resilience.

Cultural Dimensions of India–Thailand Relations: A Historical Perspective

In today’s world of ‘Asianisation’ whereby the countries of Asia are reinventing their historical linkages and asserting their combined power on the world stage, an understanding of the cultures of neighbours and how reciprocal cultural linkages can contribute to enhance cooperation among the countries assumes importance. India shares a long history of cultural and commercial contacts with the region of Southeast Asia including Thailand date back to the very early centuries of the Common Era, perhaps even earlier. India’s interaction with this region in terms of history, culture and religion has been unique, deep, rich and apparently visible even today. Since time immemorial, the Bay of Bengal has been a highway of communication between the two regions bringing closer the cultures, economies and the people of both sides. Culture, along with commerce, contributed to exchange of ideas and knowledge between the two regions. The people of this land became so responsive to the Indian cultural elements that they imbibed and well adapted these to the native environmental conditions. Through contact and interaction, Indian cultural influence slowly and gradually penetrated into the local pattern of life in Southeast Asia. This peaceful penetration of Indian culture was carried out by traders, Brahmin priests, Buddhist monks, scholars and adventurers all along the maritime trade routes. The notable feature of this early interaction is that, the native people of Southeast Asia did not follow Indian cultural traits blindly. They absorbed only those Indian cultural elements into their indigenous cultural patterns which were either consisted with or could be shaped to their own beliefs and necessities. The process of Indian cultural influence never eradicated indigenous foundation of their society and culture. Moreover, it has been a mutual learning process in which both sides learned many things from each other. In order to understand and comprehend the processes responsible for such deep cultural interactions, Thailand has been chosen as a case study, owing to its geographical and historical proximity. India and Thailand located in each other’s extended neighbourhood and share a unique cultural linkage with the great Indian Emperor Ashoka, sending Buddhist missionaries to Thailand and thus making it one of the major religions in Thailand and the rest of Southeast Asia. A notable feature of this time-honoured cultural interaction is that it has been entirely peaceful and having no political ambitions. In modern times, the civilisational linkages constitute a special asset for the further development of multifaceted relationship between the two countries. The shared cultural heritage helps both the countries to understand and confront contemporary challenges. This article attempts to study the cultural dimensions of India’s multifaceted interaction with Thailand in the historical context. It argues that history and culture are central to any understanding of prospective Indo-Thai relations, and therefore, should be harnessed and promoted as a foreign policy tool to take the bilateral relations to the next level.

О переводах буддийских сутр в эпоху Наньбэйчао Южных и Северных царств. 420–589 гг.

Translation of Buddhist texts from Sanskrit into Chinese was of great importance for spreading and emergence of Buddhism in China. And yet the history of these texts translation has not yet received a sufficiently complete and comprehensive coverage in the Russian literature. The relevance of studying this topic is determined by importance of studying the centuries-long process of translating Buddhist literature into Chinese for understanding the history of Buddhism in China. It was one of the most important factors in transformation and Sinification of Buddhism in the country. This article is devoted to the least known period in the history of Buddhist texts translation, i.e. the period of Nanbeichao (Southern and Northern Kingdoms, 420–589). This period is of particular importance for the history of Buddhism in China, since it was then that social, cultural, and religious fodder had developed for emergence of schools of Chinese Buddhism, which marked the definitive formation of Buddhism in China. The article is to study the translation activities of Buddhist missionaries in the Southern and Northern Kingdoms. Therefore, it sets several tasks: to analyze the process of translating Buddhist literature in both kingdoms; to determine the continuity and differences between translations of the specified period and those of the previous eras; and to assess their historical significance. The solution to these problems rests on the method of systematic and comparative analysis. The article shows that, despite the difference in political, economic, and social situations in both kingdoms, translation activities did not differ much. They followed translation traditions of the Eastern Jin period (316–420). Much attention was paid to translation of the Yogachara school literature, reflecting the development of Buddhism in India. Attention was also paid to translation of the Mahayana texts, which played a huge role in the formation of philosophical and soteriological principles of Chinese Buddhism. The research has introduced into scientific use some little-known translations of Buddhist sources and named their translators. It has been revealed that, in the period under review, the greatest importance was attached to repeated translations, which indicated the further improvement of translation technique. It has been determined that re-translations played an important role in the shaping of doctrines of the schools of Chinese Buddhism. The study concludes that the history of translation of Buddhist texts in the Nanbeichao period is a valuable source for studying not only history of Buddhism of the period, but also social and political history of medieval China. It can clarify many issues related to adaptation of the Indian Buddhism values to the Chinese cultural environment.

A Study of the Buddhist Mission by the Action of the Buddha

A Study of the Buddhist Mission by the Action of the Buddha

만해의 『조선불교유신론』에 나타난 布敎觀과 그 指向點

만해의 『조선불교유신론』에 나타난 布敎觀과 그 指向點

Development of Religious Textbooks for Buddhist Missionary Schools: System and Reality, the History of Encounter and Parallel

Development of Religious Textbooks for Buddhist Missionary Schools: System and Reality, the History of Encounter and Parallel

불교종립대학의 불교기반 인성교육 교과과정 개선방향

불교종립대학의 불교기반 인성교육 교과과정 개선방향

Synodale machteloosheid en mystieke vrijzinnigheid: Louis A. Bähler (1867-1941) en de Gereformeerde Bond

The publication of Buddhist mission: ‘Christian’ barbarism in Europe, translated by Louis Adriën Bähler (1867­1941), a Christian anarchist and pastor of the Dutch Reformed Church, led to the founding of the Reformed League in the Dutch Reformed Church (Nederlandse Hervormde Kerk). The classis censured Bähler, but Synod rehabilitated him and therefore the orthodox Reformed within the church charged that Synod’s actions revealed its powerlessness to maintain doctrinal discipline. Bähler’s Buddhist leanings have drawn much attention. This article places Bähler’s sympathy for pietism and mysticism in the broader context of his theology, one characterized by a spiritualization and moralization of the Gospel.

О цивилизационных типах цинизма: Ближний и Дальний Восток

<p>В статье рассматриваются типы цинизма, возникшие в восточных цивилизациях, ядром которых были мировые религии — буддизм и ислам.</p><p> Мистическое направление буддизма (традиции дзен) в ХХ в. обретает черты «глобальной культурно-символической туманности» (А. Агаджанян) — глобального необуддизма. Она свободна от поклонения Богу, конкретных традиций и одновременно навязывает миру определенную духовную моду. Хотя она кажется альтернативной западным традициям, но проявляет себя как «прирученная альтернатива». Облик глобального необуддизма можно описать так: транснациональная сетевая структура с центрами вокруг харизматических учителей; медитация как ключевая практика; новое буддийское миссионерство (благотворительность, общественное участие, реклама в массмедиа); создание реформаторских установок на «очищение ядра» или «научный» буддизм. На примере буддизма видно, как западная культура тестирует, фильтрует, обрабатывает духовные феномены различных культур, вырывая их из национальной почвы и встраивая в глобальный масскульт.</p><p>Ядром ближневосточного, арабского мира, является ислам, имеющий мистическое направление — суфизм. В конце ХХ в. суфизм превращается в народный праздник, некое действо, промежуточное между мистерией и цирком, не предполагающее отныне духовных практик. В то же время традиционный ислам создает религиозно-политические организации и группировки, которые обозначаются как «радикализм», «экстремизм», «терроризм» с добавлением определения «исламский». Так отлаженная система глобального государственного террора, созданного Западом, запустила ответный механизм — терроризм групп и одиночек, который пытается противостоять глобализму в его же цинической системе координат. Цинизм усиливается тем, что постепенно «воины Аллаха» превращаются в глобальных наемников, которые начинают служить силе, против которой изначально создавались, — Западу.</p><p>Делается вывод, что духовное движение — это всегда движение против энтропийного овеществления и объективирования миропонимания. Когда антиэнтропийный процесс прекращается, в мире происходит распыление и ослабление духовности. И мировые религии, и крупные цивилизации прошли свой энтропийный путь, создав собственные типы цинизма. Всеобщий цинизм — тревожный сигнал глобального «разбожествления» мира.</p>

О ранних переводах буддийских сутр в Китае в эпоху Троецарствия. 220–280 гг.

The paper discusses the early days of translation in China which began with the translation of Buddhist texts from Sanskrit into Chinese. The article addresses one of the most difficult and dramatic periods in the history of translation activities, the era of Three Kingdoms (220-280). First efforts of the Buddhist missionaries in translating the Buddhist texts from Sanskrit into Chinese are poorly studied in the Russian science. The article aims to fill the gap. This goal sets the following tasks: (1) to analyze the translation activities in the kingdoms of Wei (220–265) and Wu (222–280) during Three Kingdoms period; (2) to show the place and role of the translators of these kingdoms in the development of the translation tradition in China; (3) to consider the quality of the Buddhist texts translations and their contribution to the development of Buddhism in China. The study shows that Buddhist missionaries who came to China from India and the countries of Central Asia during the Three Kingdoms period played an important role in the spreading of Buddhism. Their search for methods and tools to give the sense of Sanskrit texts in Chinese, which experience had had no experience of assimilation before Buddhism, prepared a fertile ground for the emergence in China of such translations of Buddhist literature that were able to convey the exact meaning of Buddhist teachings. The activities of the Three Kingdoms Buddhist texts translators reflected the rise of Indian Mahayana Buddhism and its texts formation. The article draws on bibliographic works of medieval authors: Hui Jiao’s “Gao Sen Zhuan” (“Biography of worthy monks”), Sen Yu’s “Chu San Zang Ji Ji” (“Collection of Translation Information about Tripitaka”), Fei Changfang’s “Li Dai San Bao Ji” (“Information about the three treasuries [during] historical epochs”), which figure prominently in Buddhist historiography. Also the authors draw on the latest Chinese research summarized in the monograph: Lai Yonghai (ed.). “Zhongguo fojiao tongshi” [General History of Chinese Buddhism]. Nanjing, 2006.

On How Religions Could Accidentally Incite Lies and Violence: Folktales As a Cultural Transmitter

This research employs the Bayesian network modeling approach, and the Markov chain Monte Carlo technique, to learn about the role of lies and violence in teachings of major religions, using a unique data-set extracted from long-standing Vietnamese folktales. The results indicate that, although lying and violent acts augur negative consequences for those who commit them, their associations with core religious values diverge in the final outcome for the folktale characters. Lying that serves a religious mission of either Confucianism or Taoism (but not Buddhism) brings a positive outcome to a character. A violent act committed to serving Buddhist missions results in a happy ending for the committer. What is highlighted here is a glaring double standard in the interpretation and practice of the three teachings: the very virtuous outcomes being preached, whether that be compassion and meditation in Buddhism, societal order in Confucianism, or natural harmony in Taoism, appear to accommodate two universal vices — violence in Buddhism and lying in the latter two. These findings contribute to a host of studies aimed at making sense of contradictory human behaviors, adding the role of religious teachings in addition to cognition in belief maintenance and motivated reasoning in discounting counterargument.

Understanding the Interplay of Lies, Violence, and Religious Values in Folktales

This research employs the Bayesian network modeling approach, and the Markov chain Monte Carlo technique, to learn about the role of lies and violence in teachings of major religions, using a unique dataset extracted from long-standing Vietnamese folktales. The results indicate that, although lying and violent acts augur negative consequences for those who commit them, their associations with core religious values diverge in the outcome for the folktale characters. Lying that serves a religious mission of either Confucianism or Taoism (but not Buddhism) brings a positive outcome to a character. A violent act committed to serving Buddhist mission results in a happy ending for the committer.

The Direction of Activities of the Period of 1920's Gongju Buddhist Missionary Center : In Context of Han Yong Un and Lee Young Jae's the Argument of Buddhist Reform.

The Direction of Activities of the Period of 1920's Gongju Buddhist Missionary Center : In Context of Han Yong Un and Lee Young Jae's the Argument of Buddhist Reform.

The South American Mission of the Shinshu Otani-ha and Its Contribution to Buddhism in Brazil

This article summarizes 130 years of Brazilian history since 1888, when slavery was abolished, to set the socioeconomic and cultural grounds which made possible the arrival of the first immigrants, particularly the Japanese, in 1908, who brought Buddhism as their religion. After the war, the Japanese colony in Brazil split up with violence and that opened up the door for the arrival of the first Buddhist missions. In 1952, the Shinshu Otani-ha Order, founded in 1321 in Japan, begins to build up its 64-year history in Brazil, with the construction of the first temples, up to the foundation of the Institute of Missionary Studies, which now makes public translations of sacred texts and other literature in Portuguese.

河上麻由子著, 『古代アジア世界の対外交渉と仏教』(山川歴史モノグラフ 23), 山川出版社, 二〇一一・一〇刊, A5, 三一六頁, 五〇〇〇円

河上麻由子著, 『古代アジア世界の対外交渉と仏教』(山川歴史モノグラフ 23), 山川出版社, 二〇一一・一〇刊, A5, 三一六頁, 五〇〇〇円

極東ロシアにおける浄土真宗 : 浦潮本願寺・太田覚眠を事例に( する日本仏教の諸相,パネル, 第六十六回学術大会紀要)

極東ロシアにおける浄土真宗 : 浦潮本願寺・太田覚眠を事例に( する日本仏教の諸相,パネル, 第六十六回学術大会紀要)