Buddhist Scriptures Research Articles

원 제국 시기 水陸齋의 고려 유입

Suryukhoe (水陸齋) is a Buddhist ceremony for the purpose of consoling the wandering spirits and hungry spirits of water and land, sermons on Buddhist scriptures and incense food to save souls. The record of the origins of these rites and various rituals and procedures is called Suryukritual(水陸儀式文). Suryukhoe was first practiced by Wuzong of Liang Dynasty. The origin of Suryukhoe was the ceremony held to save the queen of Mujong who was reincarnated as a serpent due to her sins committed during her lifetime. And the picture depicting this story is called <Liang Huangbao Repentance Picture, 梁皇寶懺圖>, and the ritual book Cibeidaochang chanfa (『慈悲道場懺法』) containing the rituals and procedures of repentance was organized by the military commander. Suryukhoe was a Korean-centered Buddhist ceremony until the Song Dynasty. However, with the patronage of Yuan Yuan, it spread throughout China, and the collection of rituals related to Suryukhoe was also published and edited several times. Heaven, Earth, Mingyang, Water and Land Rituals (『天地冥陽水陸儀文』) and Dharma Realm Saint Fan Shui Lu Sheng will practice fasting rituals『法界聖凡水陸勝會修齋儀 There is a 軌』. Among them, <Liang Huangbao Repentance Picture, 梁皇寶懺圖> was drawn on the first page of Heaven, Earth, Mingyang, Water and Land Rituals (『天地冥陽水陸儀文』) published in the Yuan Dynasty, configuration is maintained. On the other hand, <Liang Huangbao Repentance Picture, 梁皇寶懺圖> is the earliest extant example of two engravings engraved in the Western Xia. Yuan played a role in spreading Suryukhoe throughout China and organized ritual houses related to Suryukhoe. Here, it was seen that the engravings of West Xia flowed into the collections of ceremonies compiled in the Yuan Dynasty and were present in the collections of ceremonies related to Suryukhoe in Goryeo and Joseon.

谷川士淸 『日本書紀通證』·本居宣長 『古事記傳』의 史學史的 意義

Tanikawa Kotosuga (1709-1776) and Motōri Norinaga (1730-1801) were from the same region and lived in the same era, exchanging letters and having close academic exchanges. As Shintoists, they recognized Nihonshoki and Kojiki as the sacred book of Shintoism, a perception that was by no means unique to them, but was universal at the time. In addition, although there was a general trend of emphasis on Nihonshoki and disregard for Kojiki, Tanikawa Kotosuga began to write Nihonshoki-tsūshō and Motōri Norinaga began to write Kojikiden as commentaries. Thus, Tanikawa Kotosuga completed the 35th volume of Nihonshoki-tsūshō in 1751 and published it in 1762, while Motōri Norinaga completed the 44th volume of Kojikiden in 1798 and published it in its entirety between 1790 and 1822. Tanikawa Kotosuga's scholarly contributions include, firstly, that Nihonshoki-tsūshō spans the entire Nihonshoki epidemic, and is honored as a pioneer of Nihonshoki studies in the modern era. Second, it can be pointed out that he was well versed in Japanese and Chinese scholarship and was not obscured by Buddhist scriptures, so he took a rational and empirical method. On the other hand, Motōri Norinaga's scholarly contributions include the fact that he wrote Kojikiden, reflecting the relatively good representation of the old style in the first Kojiki. Second, it can be acknowledged that this led to a new appreciation of Kojiki, and that Kojikiden was able to be both a commentary and a study of history. However, it is pointed out as a flaw that they strongly advocated the spiritualism of Shintoism by recognizing Nihonshoki and Kojiki as Shintoists and working on their commentaries, recognizing them as sacred books of Shintoism. In particular, in the case of Motōri Norinaga, there is also an assessment that Kojikiden itself is not an academic study of an objective nature, but merely a commentary based on his own religion, Shintoism. On the other hand, there is a view that he is the best historian. Therefore, I think it is persuasive to point out that when citing the two books, one must distinguish between facts and narratives through rigorous fodder criticism.

Possessing Enlightenment: Sorcery, Selfhood, and Tragic Responsibility in a Chinese Buddhist Apocryphon

Abstract This article explores how the Lengyan jing, or Śūrangama Sūtra – an apocryphal Buddhist scripture written in China around 705 CE – remapped Chinese Buddhist understandings of moral responsibility in consequential ways. Although grounded in the orthodox doctrinal premise that all sentient beings innately possess buddha-nature, the Lengyan jing is punctuated by warnings about the danger that even the most earnest seekers of enlightenment might be possessed by demons, embark on evil behavior, and end up fully demonic. Such warnings depart from longstanding norms in Buddhist ethics, according to which responsibility for fault is measured in terms of a person’s intentions. Instead, I argue that the Lengyan jing articulates a moral logic of what Sandra Macpherson calls “tragic responsibility.” This logic informed important but overlooked aspects of the soteriological vision found in key texts from the Chan (Japanese Zen) tradition, which rose to prominence in the centuries following the Lengyan jing’s composition.

THE GUIDELINES FOR THE USE OF VIPASSANĀ MEDITATION FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF NAKHON PHANOM SANGHA ADMINISTRATORS IN THE SANGHA REGION 10

The objectives of this research were: 1) to study the use of Vipassanā meditation for the development of Sangha administrators in the Sangha Region 10; 2) to study the guidelines for using Vipassanā meditation for the development of Nakhon Phanom Sangha administrators in the Sangha Region 10; 3) to propose a guideline for the use of Vipassanā meditation for the development of Nakhon Phanom Sangha administrators in the Sangha Region 10. This study was carried out by means of qualitative research by studying documents and fieldwork to interview 35 key informants. The obtained data were interpreted by descriptive analysis. The research results were as follows: the use of Vipassanā meditation for the development of Sangha administrators: for the practice of Vipassanā meditation in general, practitioners will use two approaches: (1) follow the teaching guidelines that appear in Buddhist scriptures, namely the principle of mindfulness; (2) follow the teaching guidelines of Phra Vipassanācāra with practical experience. The guidelines for using Vipassanā meditation for the development of Nakhon Phanom Sangha administrators in the Sangha Region 10: the way to develop the body is to maintain mindfulness in all postures by determining Rūpa-Nāma according to the symptoms that appear. In terms of Sīla, practitioners have to be aware of Vinaya, do not bother others. In terms of Citta, they always are conscious of walking, standing, sitting, and lying down, by using consciousness as a controller. In terms of Paññā, listening to sermons, seeing the body condition as it is, and considering the truth in the body according to the law of the Tilakkhaṇa should be performed. A guideline for the use of Vipassanā meditation for the development of Nakhon Phanom Sangha administrators in the Sangha Region 10: the guideline of Kāya development is to determine Iriyāpatha and to calm Āyatana and to consider Paccavekkhaṇa. The guideline to develop Citta emphasizes mindfulness development, chanting, and walking meditation. The guideline to develop Paññā is to identify the condition of Tilakkhaṇa and to consider the sermons and Asubha-kammaṭṭhāna.

SELF MANAGEMENT IN BUDDHIST PERSPECTIVE

This research is motivated by the development of the times and advances in technology, to deal with these conditions, it is necessary to have good self-management. The purpose of this research is to find out how Self-Management in the Perspective of Buddhism. The research method used in this proposal is library research. The approach method in this scientific work uses text analysis and interpretation of the material text that will be used as a research source, namely in the form of primary sources and secondary sources. Primary sources consist of Buddhist scriptures, namely the Tripitaka, while secondary sources are taken from the opinions and writings of people who perceive self-management. Based on the literature review, it was found that self-management is very important to apply in everyday life. According to the teachings of Buddhism there are several suttas that discuss the importance of self-management, including namely; Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, Parabhava Sutta, Cullaka Setthi Jataka, and Dhammapada Poem 103. As Buddhists, these suttas are our basis for implementing good self-management within ourselves

Protection of Buddhist structures under Emperor Tao-wu of the Northern Wei dynasty as a way of asserting political power

The subject of the study is the analysis of the formation of Buddhism under the Northern Wei Dynasty. The object of the study is Buddhist construction projects as a way of asserting political power. The author examines in detail such aspects of the topic as the construction of a Buddhist pagoda, a hall on Mount Sumeru, Vulture Peak and the "Great Monastery" (Dasa). When the state of Northern Wei was formed at the end of the fourth century, Buddhism became extremely widespread in their empire. Imperial patronage of Buddhist society continued throughout the dynasty until its decline in the sixth century. Powerful images of rulers, alternative ideas about the centers of power and special ways of sponsoring public monuments came from the understanding of the rulers of Northern Wei of ancient India, which, in turn, were obtained from Indian missionaries, reports of Chinese pilgrims and Buddhist scriptures translated into Chinese. Construction projects, in particular, gave the rulers the opportunity to present themselves to the people in various mythological and historical figures. The main conclusions of the study are that Emperor Tao-wu created an image legitimizing his rule, based on Indian Buddhist symbols of power, and not on Chinese Confucian traditions of government. The association of pagodas, Vulture Peak with King Ashoka was still strong in the popular imagination, which Tao-wu could not help but take advantage of. The new Buddhist construction complexes were actually intended to demonstrate political dominance in the capital. The novelty of the study lies in the fact that the author showed Emperor Tao-wu portraying himself as mytho-historical Indian authority figures such as Indra, King Bimbisara, Emperor Ashoka and Vimalakirti to assert his imperial authority.

鄭玄 『箋』의 禮論 小考

This thesis, through the study of Zheng Xuan's 『Jian』, was ultimately compared with the interpretation of hair poetry in order to trace the way of thinking of scholars of the Han Dynasty reflected in it. Since Zheng Xuan was well versed in rites, he inevitably quoted the three rites a lot in the process of interpreting 『Shijing』 as rites, and reflected the contents of rites in the commentary. Examples of commenting on the interpretation of the Book of Poetry from the perspective of ceremonies were analyzed in Zheng Xuan's 『Jian』. A new way of interpreting poetry, including the achievements of Han Confucian studies on the Book of Poetry, was presented. Zheng Xuan's 『Jian』 is to interpret the sutra with the sutra, which is the way of interpreting the sutras of Confucian scholars, with other sutras, with the exhortation of letters, with the interpretation of the sutras as the Buddhist scriptures, and with concrete events. All methods such as interpreting the sutra were properly used to interpret the sutra. He extensively quoted the Confucian classics and major historical sources, exerting a great influence on the Han Dynasty. Through the process of completing 『Zhuan』 and 『Xu』 in the Han Dynasty as the Confucian family's interpretation system of the scriptures began to be established from the early Qin period, the interpretation system of mother poems through Zheng Xuan's 『Jian』, and through the process of Zheng Xuan completing 『Jian』 It shows the process of gradual materialization. It played an important intermediate stage in the formation of the interpretation system of hair poetry. 『Jian』, which was annotated on 『Shijing』 by Zheng Xuan during the Donghan period, was developed based on the interpretation of 『Xu』 and 『Zhuan』, which are the interpretation systems of mother poetry, and is the most basic and important data in the study of poetry and scripture.

A Brief Introduction to Xuanzang's View of Translation

The translation of Buddhist scriptures was the first translation climax in Chinese history, and Xuanzang is one of the representative scripture translators who cannot be left out. As a famous monk of the Tang Dynasty, Xuanzang was also one of the four major translators of Buddhist scriptures from Chinese Buddhism in China. His life was full of legends, and he left a colorful stroke in the history of Buddhist scripture translation, and made a significant contribution to the translation of Buddhist scriptures in China. The quality and quantity of his translation achievements are rare in ancient and modern times, and his translation views in the process of translation of Buddhist scriptures have also deeply influenced modern translation theories. This paper gives a brief introduction of the translation theory and Xuanzang's life.

On Hsuan Tsang's Five Principles of Non-Translation Theory

Hsuan Tsang, who left a large number of translation works for later generations, is one of the most influential translators of Buddhist scripture translation in the history of Chinese translation. His Five Principles of Non-Translation Theory has greatly promoted the development of Chinese translation. There are some related papers about "Hsuan Tsang Translation" and "Five Principles of Non-Translation Theory ", but few related studies can be found on the relationship between Five Principles of Non-Translation Theory and the translation of Buddhist source words. Therefore, this paper selects Prajñā pāramitā Heart Sutra to explore the application of Hsuan Tsang's Five Principles of Non-Translation Theory in the translation of Buddhist source words.

Burning Still

Using an eighth-century copy of the 60-fascicle Flower Ornament Sutra as a case study, this article examines the transformation of a Buddhist scripture into an aesthetic object in early modern Japan. On the 14th day of the second month, 1667, a fire decimated Nigatsudo at Todaiji (Nara prefecture) along with most of the sacred objects within. Clerics salvaged partially burnt scrolls of an eighth-century Flower Ornament Sutra done in silver ink on indigo-dyed paper. The scrolls were restored ten years later, but by the first half of the eighteenth century, part of the set left the temple and began circulating in the art market as collectable calligraphy fragments, later known as the “Nigatsudo burnt sutra” (Nigatsudo yakegyo). This study traces the curious shift in the attribution of Nigatsudo yakegyo’s calligrapher that took place in the eighteenth century to consider how the burn marks impacted the transformation of this scripture from a devotional text into a collectable artefact. I argue that the curious switch in attribution occurred adhering to the popular imagination of the calligraphers, as well as the distinct role certain fragments played within the early-modern calligraphy collecting culture.

How to Protect One’s Home in Medieval China? A Study of the Fóshuō ānzhái shénzhòu jīng 佛說安宅神呪經

The protection of one’s home and ensuring the safety of one’s family have been deep-rooted concerns throughout time and in all cultures. Ānzhái 安宅 (“pacifying one’s residence”) rituals can be traced to ancient China and are still practiced in contemporary China. In this study, we will focus on the Fóshuō ānzhái shénzhòu jīng 佛說安宅神呪經 (AZSZJ; T.21, No. 1394), one of the extant Buddhist scriptures dealing with home protection. There have been (at least) two lines of transmission of ānzhái scriptures and on the basis of internal and external evidence, we project the compilation of the extant version of this text to include the late 6th century and mid 7th century and show that the scripture—in earlier catalogues labeled as “fake”—entered the Buddhist canon on the basis of a mistake or confusion by Míng Quán when he recorded it in his Dà-Zhōu kāndìng zhòngjīng mùlù大周刊定眾經目錄. The main part of the study consists of an annotated translation of AZSZJ and a preliminary analysis of the difficult terminology appearing in parts of the text. In the last part, we discuss some aspects of the text’s traditional Chinese and Buddhist elements and how they were skillfully combined in order to make the overall text attractive for the medieval Chinese Buddhist community and to successfully compete with other contemporary ritual practices concerned with the safety of one’s home.

Posthumous Release for Lay Women in Tang China: Two Cases from the Longmen Grottoes

Famous for its cliff-carved Buddhist cave-shrines, Longmen was also a burial ground that attracted a few women from the seventh and the eighth centuries. This paper examines the burial caves of two lay women, Lady Lou (d. 661) and Lady Zhang (c. 658–c. 718), in relation to the newly excavated archaeological material and epigraphic evidence. Lady Lou compared her cave burial to the Indian ascetic practice in the forest of Śītavana but did not enact the compassionate offering of flesh. Lady Zhang was later removed from her burial cave by her sons so that she could be interred in a joint tomb with her husband. Through these two cases, I investigate the motivations behind the adoption of cave burials in medieval China. Canonical Buddhist scriptures taught these women that their social gender presented an obstacle to the final release. Dedicatory inscriptions at women’s burials and two tales of miraculous events at Longmen further suggest that family ties, an important constituent of women’s social gender, were believed to persist posthumously. Married women were expected to maintain their spousal and parental relations in the afterlife, and unmarried girls were imagined as turning into seductive spirits because of their lack of spousal union in their lifetime. I argue that cave burials at Longmen were not a compromise of the Indian ascetic practice but rather presented these lay women with a socially acceptable way to break free from their familial attachments after death.

Bhiṣvā Stūpa of Birgunj as an 'Ancient Stūpa'

An earthen mound, Bhiṣvā located on Birgunj, where Buddhist pilgrims stayed during the night between their journey from Lumbini and Bodhgaya. During the Rana period, Ranas assumed a trove of treasure and jewellery inside the earthen mound in the Terai region, excavated it, found ancient bricks and coals, and then left the digging of the hill. A sculptor expert from the Archaeology Department of Nepal declared the earthen mound Bhiṣvā stupa in 1977 without any scientific investigation. Later, Two Buddhist priests worshipped jivanyāsapūjā on the stūpa in 1978. After that, Hindu and Buddhist followers installed different Hindu and Buddhist images on the stupa at various times. The Department of Archeology has not done any research on it and has not declared it as a Stupa. It cannot be called a stupa without the declaration of an official institution, without mention in any Buddhist scriptures, and without any authentic document based on the words of people. But it can be called a stupa based on its shape and name.

A Study of Religious and Scientific Perspectives on Buddhist Cosmology

This research was qualitative, it was to investigate Buddhist cosmology as found in Buddhist scriptures and compare cosmological perspectives between 5 Buddhist scholars and 5 scientists. In Thai Buddhist cosmology, the principles of Paṭiccasamuppāda and Tilakkhaṇa share some similar ideas with the causality principle of science. Scientists regard them as a fundamental universal principle that underpins the laws of nature, which is unsurprising. Another similarity is Saṃsāra, the cycle of rebirth, which may be compared to the birth and extinction of stars but is not comparable to the physical Universe as a whole. Thai Buddhist scholars have accepted that Buddhist and scientific cosmologies are compatible. I argue that when it comes to the physical matter of the universe, its definition, evolution, shape, space, and time, the perspectives of Buddhist scholars and scientists are radically different and cannot be compared. Furthermore, Buddhist and scientific approaches to understanding natural laws are diametrically opposed; Buddhism concentrates on the mind, whilst science concentrates on the physical universe; thus, they cannot be naturally compared.

Thai funeral rites in late modernity

For at least 700 years, the ancient Siamese and modern Thai people have been conducting funerals. These often end with the cremation of the body. The length of the Buddhist wake depends on the social status of the deceased and his or her wealth. Also, for the descendants of the Tai speakers across Southeast Asia, the words and phrases used in ancient Siamese funerals and modern Thai ones have been deeply intertwined with Tai language, Standard Thai Language, Buddhist rites, and Theravada Buddhist scripture from the Pali canon. The objective of this paper is to convey a narrative snapshot of the nature of Thai funerals as they are practiced today via personal experiences and the existing scholarship by local and farang academics. The paper concludes with the meanings that have come to attach themselves to the fascinating world of modern Thai funerals.

Research on the Works of Bhiksu Shengke in Chongqing in the Early Qing Dynasty

Bhiksu Shengkedeyu (1628~1701), a Zen-Buddhist monk of Linji school in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasty, was the successor of the Buddhist monk of Poshan.He founded Chongqing Huayan Temple, the “first famous temple in east Sichuan”, and has an important influence in the Buddhist circle in southwest China and even in the whole country. After receiving the precepts, Shengke first learned Chan School(禪宗), then went to Baohua Mountain of Nanjing to learn the Vinaya Schoo(l 律宗)，and then began to advocate the parallel between Chan School and Vinaya School. Shengke integrated Buddhist theories and Confucianism theories to established his own theory. He is a scholar type eminent monk who integrated Zen master, calligrapher and poet. There are three kinds of Buddhist scripture notes and two kinds of statement records, which focus on his integrated Chan School thoughts. Shengke is an important figure in the Bashu Buddhist circle at the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty. His works, as an integral part of the Chan School writings in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, help to build the history of Bashu Buddhism, especially the history of Chongqing Buddhism, and also help to make up for the lack of Bashu history, especially the Chongqing history.

Buddhism, Buddhist Studies, and “Buddhist Studies” Studies? Purposes and Methods of Studying Buddhist Scriptures

Buddhism, Buddhist Studies, and “Buddhist Studies” Studies? Purposes and Methods of Studying Buddhist Scriptures

Moral Ideas in Manimegalai

Every period record different types of moral ideas. The special characteristics of morality is found in Tamil literature. There are moral messages in other literature too. Manimegalai is filled with moral ideas. As Manimegalai is a Buddhist scripture, the teachings of virtue and emphasis on virtue is must. Moral ideas are explained in Manimegalai through small short stories. The moral ideas in Manimegalai are very useful. Virtuous actions are necessary for human beings to acquire the best qualities. Likewise, moral thinking is necessary for a man to develop himself to the highest level, to remove bad behavior from him and to become a saint. Human cannot survive without love and virtue. Love and virtue should be the fundamental trait among the people. Manimegalai teaches about the bad qualities found in human beings such as murder, theft, lying and tells people to follow good qualities such as helping the poor and so on. Thus, Manimegalai teaches moral ideas to people and even in today’s education system moral ideas are given important.

Self-acceptance in today's young people

Acceptance of the self, others and the environment is a force for personal change that has its origins in many eastern and western cultures. The benefits of accepting are described by many cultures through religious literatures (New Testament, Tao Te Ching, Buddhist Scriptures, Bhagavad Gita or "The Divine Song", Yoga Sutras of Patañjali), philosophical (Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, Keirkegaard, Krishnamurti, Lao Tzu, Watts), as well as in other various literary forms such as romance (Austen), modernism (Nabok), realism (Tolstoy), poetry or theater (Shakespeare). Acceptance requires a person to tolerate experiences as given; otherwise, simply someone will only pursue pleasure, run away from pain and be prone to judge experiences. The Stoics (Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, Seneca) appreciated the ability to tolerate or willingly resist experiences, because it increases the degree of self-control, of detachment without emotion and develops indifference to pleasure and pain. Since acceptance involves contact with reality as it is at a certain moment, it is necessary to be able to remain present and aware even when the available stimuli are less desirable. Consequently, tolerance can be considered a skill through which we can remain present and experience anything that happens completely.

The Production of the Book of Mormon in Light of a Tibetan Buddhist Parallel

The Production of the Book of Mormon in Light of a Tibetan Buddhist Parallel