Buddhist Perspective Research Articles

Trauma as the turning point in opening up self-education: Embracing sorrow and this world through no-self realisation

Life is ever-changing and unpredictable. Because of drastic changes in our society, numerous people are under pressure from various sources at school, in the workplace, or in their families. People need a therapeutic pedagogy to develop the capacity to heal from their traumas. Conventionally, education is assumed to enhance learners’ self-realisation. This article proposes another viewpoint of self-realisation, or rather its reverse, from the spiritual aspect as a manner of self-realisation without the self, called no-self realisation. The idea is developed from both the Buddhist and Daoist perspectives on the wisdom of the no-self. This article suggests that no-self realisation is a therapeutic approach that supports one to turn direction from seeking for extrinsic value to exploring inner wisdom while meeting with misfortune. It can be applied as a manner of self-education for equipping positive attitude to cope with human trauma. No-self realisation can be attained by achieving freedom from releasing self-consciousness. It deconstructs the narrow idea of the ego-self. When the ego is out of mind, the capacity of the human self is able to broaden its scope. This creates a realisation—a no-self realisation—for completing a mature life with a no-self mind that opens up the capacity for unlimited tolerance. One is thus able to embrace this world and the harm caused in the world.

Heideggerian Existence after Being and Time: In the Nameless ─ and a Brief Comparison of Namelessness and the Underlying Philosophy of Language between Heideggerian and Buddhist Perspectives

Abstract In this article, the importance of the namelessness of language will be firstly explained through an analysis of authenticity in Heideggerian philosophy, and will be further clarified by way of the phenomenon of “profound boredom” from his Freiburg lecture. As the exploration of namelessness in Heideggerian philosophy plays a crucial role in bridging the gap between East and West, a brief comparison concerning the idea of namelessness and its underlying philosophy of language between the Heideggerian and the madhyamaka Buddhist tradition will also be discussed.

Mindfulness, empathy, contentment and communication; five buddhist perspectives and five solutions to five UNSDGs

Mindfulness, empathy, contentment and communication; five buddhist perspectives and five solutions to five UNSDGs

The Vulnerable (Post) Modern Self and the “Greening” of Spiritual Personhood through Life in the Spirit

In the period now being called the Anthropocene, the fatal vulnerabilities of the modern way of constructing selfhood are becoming ever more evident. Joanna Macy, who writes from a Buddhist perspective, has argued for the need to “green” the self by rediscovering its participation in ecological and cosmic networks. From a Christian perspective, I would articulate this in terms of an imperative to rediscover our spiritual personhood as radical communion in both God and cosmos. In this paper, “self” refers to an ever-restless process of construction of identity based in self-awareness and aimed at maintaining one’s integrity, coherence, and social esteem. I use the term “person,” on the other hand, to refer to a relational center that exists to be in communion with other persons. How—within the conditions of the dawning Anthropocene—can the tension between these two essential aspects of human existence be opened up in a way that can more effectively protect human and other life on Earth? This would require, it seems, harnessing both the self-protective and the self-giving potentials of human beings. The proposed path is to give ourselves over into the rhythms of the Spirit, being breathed in to selfless personal communion and out to co-creation of our refreshed selfhood.

Deity and Display: Meanings, Transformations, and Exhibitions of Tibetan Buddhist Objects

This paper analyses the values and uses of Tibetan sacred artefacts in their original contexts as well as the transformation of meanings once placed in museums. It discusses the perception of statues, paintings, ritual instruments and books from a Tibetan Buddhist perspective, examining the iconographic and iconometric functions of the images, and asserting that a primary purpose is as a ‘support for practice’ (tib. sku rten, ‘body-support’). Sacred images represent the embodiment of the Buddhas, deities and masters and, once consecrated by lamas, are considered to have the power to confer blessings. Despite the instrumental function of such artefacts, however, it is also possible to identify and delineate a complex Himalayan concept of aesthetics. The text moves on to analyse the effects of the transition of Tibetan Buddhist images into different museological contexts, comparing the display of Tibetan material in the consecrated spaces of Himalayan monastery museums with their exhibition in secular museological sites in the West.

Passing the “Three Doors of Liberation”: Buddhist Allusions in Oxherding Tale

To fully understand Oxherding Tale, which is praised by Rudolph Byrd as “perhaps the most widely taught and admired of Johnson’s novels” (549), a Buddhist perspective is both helpful and necessary,...

Po prostu siedzieć. Wymiary siedzenia z perspektywy buddyzmu zen

Just Sitting. Dimensions of Sitting from a Zen Buddhist Perspective The article deals with the subject of the sitting figure, which seems to be an important element of both practice and reflection in Buddhism. The real inspiration to write this article was the introduction of quarantine in many countries, including Poland, and this fact certainly changed the lifestyle of many people, contributing significantly to the immobilization of many of them. Looking at this situation through the prism of Buddhism, especially Zen Buddhism, to which most of the information contained in this text refers, would be best considered only as a contribution to reflection on the cultural dimensions of the „sitting figure„. This figure, at least from the Buddhist perspective, seems to be an important element conditioning the view of reality.

Powerful not Poor: Reading Fanny Price from a Buddhist Perspective

Powerful not Poor: Reading Fanny Price from a Buddhist Perspective

Mindfulness and yoga: A parallel and comparative analysis

Yoga and mindfulness are widely used interventions in various workplace setups. Both originated in the East and have many common and distinct characteristics. This study is to present the parallel and distinct views of these two major schools of philosophy. We describe Buddhist perspective of mindfulness as well as the basic philosophy of Yoga. We also discuss how these traditions suffer in a similar manner due to partial adoption of the traditional practices in contemporary society. Even though these interventions are increasingly becoming popular, to the same extent deviations from traditional practices are also observed. We also evaluate the role of awareness in the practice of mindfulness and yoga in general. Finally, we try to explore the possibilities of implementing yoga and mindfulness in workplace setups.

Mindfulness‐Based Design Practice (MBDP): A Novel Learning Framework in Support of Designers within Twenty‐First‐Century Higher Education

AbstractWhile the interconnected and technological nature of the twenty‐first century can bring about many positive global connections, the importance of prioritising the development of the ‘inner world’ of designers is receiving less attention; similarly, time for contemplation, reflection and stillness is becoming scarcer. This article discusses mindfulness training from the Buddhist perspective, and how it can act as a pathway to personal introspection and as a supportive method for mental illnesses. With a special focus on design education, it discusses a novel framework, Mindfulness‐Based Design Practice (MBDP), and how it can potentially offer opportunities for design students to foster positive mind qualities such as mindfulness, compassion, resilience, and recognising the true nature of phenomena for becoming more ethical designers. Therefore, this article looks to bridge the gap between the significant lack of contemplative mindfulness‐based methods within the higher design education sector and the increasing mental health crisis within that sector. Thus, the primary concern of the MBDP is to advance both the individual and the collective development of the contemporary designer’s mind. Referring to the mind of the designer as the ‘inner designer’, this article forms an unfolding dialogue of the novel framework MBDP in support of mindful learning within twenty‐first‐century design education.

A Reflection of the Inclusive Attitude towards Homosexuality from the Buddhist Perspective

Although homosexuality is controversial, particularly in conservative communities, many Buddhists accept those whose sexual orientation is different from the majority. In light of scriptures, the Buddhist wisdom reveals compassion towards sentient beings, regardless of sex, age, and social class. This study discusses the Buddhist views on sexual minority, and on how Buddhists react to this challenge. It reveals the significance of inclusiveness in contemporary society.

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.

The way of the Nine Palaces (jiugong dao 九宮道): a lay Buddhist movement

ABSTRACTThe Way of the Nine Palaces (jiugong dao 九宮道) was founded in the late nineteenth century by a monk on Mount Wutai. Largely unknown in Western scholarship, it is studied in Chinese scholarship in the context of secret societies. In earlier research I have argued that research on new religious movements in China suffers from negative labelling, which skews our perspective on new developments at the level of lay religious activities. Since this particular movement has been relatively well-studied in Chinese language scholarship, I will use this case to show what insights we can get when we relinquish traditional labels and look at a specific local group or movement in a more empathetic way. In this case we will see that the Way of the Nine Palaces was very much an ordinary lay Buddhist movement in the eyes of northern Chinese believers of the time. Moreover, it is from this regular lay Buddhist perspective that its followers provided crucial financial support to the rebuilding of Mount Wutai in the early twentieth century. Without their support the mountain’s monasteries would not have survived into the present in their relatively well-kept form.

Motion and Rest from a Chinese Buddhist Perspective

This paper focuses on Seng-Chao’s conception of motion and rest as two different ways to see the same phenomenon and the effect that this has on his understanding of ideas such as impermanence. I point out the parallels that can be made between motion and rest and samsara and nirvana and I argue that a strong Taoist background helps Seng-Chao clarify Indian ideas and make even deeper claims about the true nature of reality.

The Happy Family as an Alternative Approach to Family Discourse From a Buddhist Perspective

The Happy Family as an Alternative Approach to Family Discourse From a Buddhist Perspective

A Task for Mindfulness: Facing Climate Change

This article presents a Buddhist perspective on the challenge posed by climate change, with particular emphasis on the role of mindfulness. Based on translated excerpts from parallel versions of early Buddhist texts extant in Pāli, Sanskrit, Chinese, and Tibetan, three possible reactions to climate change are correlated to three root defilements recognized in early Buddhist psychology: greed, anger, and delusion. Their recognition requires mindful monitoring, which is in turn based on the compassionate intention for the absence of any harm. The noble eightfold path sets the context for the collaboration of such compassionate intention with the cultivation of mindfulness. According to a simile of two acrobats, such cultivation of mindfulness provides the foundation by establishing the balance within oneself that then enables helping others.

Informed consent – A Critical Response from a Buddhist Perspective

Informed consent – A Critical Response from a Buddhist Perspective

Buddhist Approach to Happiness As a Proper Measure of Social Development

The idea of economic progress became commonly discussed with the advent of the work of Adam Smith and thereafter even while economists were starting to measure national income, the sustainability of growth was still questioned. A lot of recent debate on the search for proper indicators for “development” goes beyond limitations of GDP as a sole measure for societal progress. In this context, measuring and understanding of subjective social development has become one of the major challenges in terms of formulating appropriate indices. It is seen that, happiness being promoted as an unconventional indicator of measuring sustainability of both man and environment in the present development discourse through several attempts such as World Happiness Summit, World Happiness Report, Gross National Happiness Index (GNHI) and Better Life Index (BLI) etc. However, those attempts still have failed to explain many of the factors that impact most on people’s material, social and spiritual lives. In order to fill this vacuum, it is assumed that Buddhist teachings on happiness can be effectively applied with the concept of compassion (Metta). Based on this assumption, the present study aims to identify the Buddhist perspective on happiness in relation to the sustainable development and to find out its applicability in formulating indicators for judging the real happiness. Methodology of the research has set up focusing the literature survey and content interpretation based on the primary and secondary sources. Findings of the paper highlights three important Buddhist approaches for using happiness as a social development indicator; interdependency, favourable relationship and total satisfaction. It is revealed that the social development is motivated by Buddhism with emphasis on happiness where material, social and spiritual life overlap. It is recommended that four-fold happiness should be taken into consideration in measuring social development; physical, mental, social and spiritual.

A Comparative Study of the Buddhist Approach to Organizational Behaviour Based on the Canonical Sources

Organizational Behavior (OB) is one of the hot topics discussed in modern management and recognized as one of the most important factors for success of any organization. The interface between the behavior of individuals and the organization is known as the OB and it is the field of study devoted to understanding, explaining and ultimately improving the attitude and behavior of individuals and groups in organizations. In this connection the researcher has developed an OB model based on contemporary management thoughts. The aim of the research is to study the concepts relating to organizational behavior and compare Buddhist approach to organizational behavior based on canonical sources. The Buddhist teaching did not much focus on presenting very complex theories on human behavior like contemporary Western scholars who have developed various theories and models to interpret human behavior. Nevertheless the Buddhist doctrine was of more practical nature which addressed all the issues of human behavior of both laymen and disciples. The existence of the order of Saṅgha which is considered to be the oldest democratic organization in the world for more than 2500 years shows the soundness of the organization structure and the philosophy on which it was built. When studying the monastic order and the monastic discipline in depth one could understand the management skills of the Buddha and how He had applied Buddhist teachings in managing the monastic order. Thus the Buddhist approach to Organizational Behavior is well elaborated in the Vinayapiṭaka. Similarly the Buddhist teaching was focused on wellbeing of the family and the behavior of individuals. Sigālovādasutta alone can be considered as one of the most significant discourses for guiding the behavior of laymen. Similarly Parābava and Maṅgala are a few of the many suttas addressed almost all the issues one would come across in the family. As most of the economic activities are family based, behavior of the individuals and their traits such as attitudes, values, ethics and emotions had much impact on the economy and the society at large during that period. There are many discourses in the Suttapiṭaka which had clearly defined ways and means to change the behavior of individuals and disciplined them with firm changes in individual traits. It is interesting to note that some of the issues addressed by the United Nations to safeguard human rights had been identified and addressed through the pañcasīla and solutions for the most of the Sustainable Development Goals presented under ‘the 2030 Agenda’ too had been provided by the Buddha 2500 years ago. When studying the Canonical sources especially the Suttapiṭaka and Vinayapiṭaka with a view to compare the Buddhist perspective on organizational behavior against the contemporary management thoughts, it is evident that the Buddhist approach results in a permanent improvement in human behavior and the organization.Keywords: Contemporary Management, Organizational Behavior, Individual Traits, Monastic Order, Canonical Sources

A review of the effect of compassion on mental health: emotion regulation as a possible mechanism of action

This article provides a review of the current state of research on compassion. First, the construct of compassion is addressed from a Buddhist perspective. Second, this article reviews the empirical literature on the relation of self-compassion to mental health, including findings from correlational studies as well as intervention studies. Third, compassion and empathy are conceptually differentiated, providing empirical evidence that supports this distinction. Fourth, the idea is discussed that a possible mechanism of action for self-compassion on mental health may be through improvements on emotion regulation. Finally, it is concluded that research on compassion is still emergent and directions for future research are suggested.