Buddhist Thought Research Articles

Компендиум тибето-буддийской мысли для современного изучения

Компендиум тибето-буддийской мысли для современного изучения

탁오(卓吾 ) 이지(李贄 )의 불교사상과 그 의의(意義 )

탁오(卓吾 ) 이지(李贄 )의 불교사상과 그 의의(意義 )

사형제도 폐지론의 법사상적 불교사상적 근거

사형제도 폐지론의 법사상적 불교사상적 근거

A Study of Tang xian zus Chan Buddhist Thought Formed through Da guan chan shi s influence and evinced by 《Nan ke ji》

유명한 시인이며 희극작가인 湯顯祖는 중국 만명 시기 문학사상사에서 상당히 중요한 위치를 차지하고 있다. 어려서부터 종교적인 영향을 받으면서 성장한 그는 특히 일생 동안 달관선사를 다섯 번에 걸쳐 만나 불교에 대한 가르침을 받으며, 불교의 禪思想에 대한 인식과 형성에 중요한 계기가 되었다. 그 중 세 번째 만남은 탕현조가 관리로서 정치적인 배경도 없고 현실에 타협도 하지 못해 실의에 차있을 때, 달관선사는 그에게 “寸虛”란 화두를 주어 禪을 수련하게 했다. 그리고 다섯 번째 만남에서 탕현조가 관료생활에서 퇴직하고 고향에 은거하면서 희극작품을 창작할 때, 달관선사는 탕현조에게 無情, 無生 등의 불교적 의미를 직접 강의했다. 이후 달관선사는 탕현조에게 편지를 써서 “廣虛”라고 인가하고 ‘海若’라는 호를 주었다. 이러한 달관선사의 사상적 영향을 받은 탕현조는 불교의 禪思想을 기반으로 더욱 풍성한 작품 창작과 무한한 상상력을 보였고, 사람들에게는 작품 감상을 뛰어 넘어 깊은 심적인 공감을 이끌어 내었다. 이같은 점이 반영된 대표적인 희극작품이 《南柯記》이다. 《南柯記》는 주인공 淳于棼이 현실 세계에서 적응하지 못하고 술에 취해 홰나무 아래서 잠이 들었다가 꿈속에서 大塊나라 공주와 결혼한 후 南柯郡의 태수를 거쳐 정승 반열에 오르고, 이어 공주가 병으로 죽게 되자 고위관료들의 참소로 관직에서 쫓겨나면서 꿈에서 깨어나고 곧 부귀영화의 허무함을 깨닫는 내용이다. 《南柯記》 작품에서 契玄禪師와 淳于棼의 禪 문답은 탕현조가 禪에 대한 깊은 이해가 없으면 표현할 수 없었을 것이다.Tang xian zu(湯顯祖) is a famous poet and comedy writer and occupy a significant place in the history of literary thought in the late Ming Dynasty(晩明). Tang xian zu(湯顯祖), who grew with being religiously affected from childhood, met Da guan chan shi five different times throughout his life, during which he received lessons on Buddhism, which thereby provided him with an important opportunity in terms of the perception and formation of Chan Buddhist-Thought(禪思想). During the third meeting in particular, Da guan chan shi(達觀禪師) provided Tang xian zu(湯顯祖) with instruction on Chan(禪) through rhetoric dubbed the Cun Xu(寸虛), which was shared with Tang xian zu at a time when he was confronted by great adversity, which was due not only to his lack of political background but also his failure to grasp reality. In the fifth meeting, Da guan chan shi gave a lecture on aspects delineating the meaning of Buddhism such as Wu qing(無淸) and Wu sheng(無生), which he shared with Tang Xian zu as he was in the process of creating a comic work and had become a hermit in his hometown following his resign from a post as a government official. Subsequently, Da guan chan shi(達觀禪師) wrote a letter to Tang Xian zu, and was thereby given a pen name Hai ruo(海若), Which was certified by Guang xu(廣虛). Tang Xian zu, who was therefore ideologically influenced by Da guan chan shi, demonstrated an unlimited imagination, and in addition to producing additional extensive works based on Chan Buddhist- Thought(禪思想), his works elicited a deep emotional empathy from readers that transcended mere appreciation. The comedy work, 《Nan ke ji(南柯記)》, reflects this point. 《Nan ke ji(南柯記)》 features contents focused on realizing the futility of wealth and honor, the leading character, Chun yu fen(淳于棼) falls asleep in a state of extreme drunkenness under a locust tree after failing to acclimate to the real world, and marries the princess of Da huai(大塊) in a dream. He then advances to the rank of prime minister after overturning Nan ke jun (南柯郡)’s governor-general, and wakes from the dream when he is ousted from his public office owing to the slander of high-level bureaucrats and the princess dies from an illness. In the work of 《Nan ke ji(南柯記)》, the questions and answers pertaining to Chan(禪) exchanged by Qi xuan chan shi(契玄禪師) and Chun yu fen(淳于棼) could not have been expressed if Tang xian zu(湯顯祖) did not possess a deep understanding of Chan(禪).

Buddhist and Zen Implications in Dream of the Red Chamber

Chinese classical work Dream of the Red Chamber not only contains various human affection but also refers to Buddhist thoughts, which mainly shows in three aspects: the view of cause and effect, impermanence and the idea of form and emptiness. By researching on poems in this wonderful work, we can savor so many Buddhist and Zen implications.

Buddhist Thought and Esthetic Boundaries Inherent in <Seung-Mu>

Buddhist Thought and Esthetic Boundaries Inherent in <Seung-Mu>

Towards the Beauty of Buddhism: The Development and Validation of a Buddhist Aesthetics Scale

Buddhist aesthetics, as a profound intrinsic value of pleasure, has continually attracted scholars to shed light on its influential effects. Its aesthetic nature, however, has drawn on the laws of profound Buddhist thoughts, which is challenging for empiricists to generate evidence for. Though some individual components or factors deriving from Buddhist aesthetics have been developed and exploited in previous studies, a holistic construct of Buddhist aesthetics remains ambiguous and lacks a pragmatically useable measure. This study fills this gap by creating a Buddhist aesthetics scale. A total of fifteen items have been found valid and reliable to measure three determinants, namely, value, acumen, and response. This scale can be used in further empirical studies in designing objects aiming to elicit the unique Buddhist aesthetic experience. Moreover, it can be utilized in measuring Buddhist aesthetics as a determinant in relevant practices, such as religious psychotherapy, cognitive engineering, and business.

Breath by Breath: Reconsidering the Project of Critical Pedagogy Through the Lens of Zen Buddhist Thought and Practice

This article examines how Zen Buddhism conceives of human suffering, the causes of suffering, and the method by which human suffering can be alleviated and compares these with similar notions within critical social theory and its educational manifestation in the critical pedagogy movement. While both Zen Buddhist and critical theories/discourses aim to uncover the roots of human suffering and offer particular methods to help alleviate it, these systems of thought differ in fundamental ways. Consideration of significant concepts within Buddhist thought and practice can address some of the criticisms that have been leveled against the foundations and project of critical pedagogy. Ultimately, the article illustrates how a Zen Buddhist–oriented critical pedagogy based upon notions of interdependence, impermanence, and “no-self” can be a more humane, inclusive, relevant, and applicable approach to working toward a more just and equitable social order.

Some Reflections on Translating the Pali Texts: Literary Conventions, Buddhist Thought, Cultural Background and Textual History

For over a century many Buddhist texts in Pali have been translated into English, the four main Nikāyas at least twice. Significant improvements have been made in regard to English translations of Pali texts. This paper provides five case studies that illustrate the problems and complexities involved in translating Pali texts. Examples are taken from four suttas of the Aṅguttara Nikāya. Various issues are addressed using textual and contextualised analyses. I attempt to offer solutions to some problems related to translating the Pali through different approaches, including style, philology, history, Buddhist thought and inter-religious relation.

“That Is Why The Buddha Laughs”: Apophasis, Buddhist Practice, and the Paradox of Language

This essay arose from a collaborative project exploring the meaning of apophatic discourse in different religious traditions. I focus on the paradox of language as both liberating and ensnaring that resonates across the great diversity and heterogeneity of Buddhist traditions. Apophatic discourse is a widespread response to this paradox, as it is motivated by a recognition of the limits of words and concepts even as it seeks to point to that which is beyond these limits. The questions of whether there is a nonconceptual reality beyond the limits of words and concepts, and if so, what it might be, and why, precisely, language and reason are incapable of articulating nonconceptual reality, and what the role of language might be in leading beyond itself, are all sources of considerable debate among Buddhist thinkers. What is shared by figures with different responses to these questions is an understanding of apophasis as a form of Buddhist practice. The aim of Buddhist apophatic practice is to disrupt our natural linguistic attitude, in which we are beguiled by language, presupposing that our words and concepts somehow correspond with the ultimate nature of reality. How is apophatic discourse—enacting an awareness of the limits of language—meaningful if it cannot actually describe that which it is about? Buddhist apophatic discourses, such as ontological doctrines of ineffability, negations, and silence, are not simply pointing to ultimate reality, but are meaningful as transformative practices in the context of an interpretive community with shared soteriological goals and doctrines. Thus, even as apophatic discourse is ever transcending positive claims, it depends on kataphatic discourse to have any specific meaning.

Response to Monima Chadha and Sean M. Smith Reviews of Attention, Not Self

Response to Monima Chadha and Sean M. Smith Reviews of Attention, Not Self Jonardon Ganeri (bio) I thank Sean Smith and Monima Chadha for their reviews of Attention, Not Self and for their commentary. It has been rewarding to think through the issues they have raised, and I am grateful to both. Let me begin with the methodological principle that Sean Smith endorses at the beginning of his review. Smith says this: "My main argument is that Ganeri attributes views to Buddhaghosa that the latter does not hold. Embedded in this complaint is the assumption that we should try to get a thinker right and on their own terms as a precursor to seeing how their views interface with those of others. It is an assumption I will rely on throughout." Let me call this the Exegesis First assumption. The assumption takes the form of a prescriptive rule governing intellectual engagement with historical texts, the rule being that philological exegesis should precede philosophical engagement. Now I do think there are intellectual disciplines for which Exegesis First supplies a governing constraint. Most historians of philosophy will endorse it, I believe. The leading historian of philosophy, Peter Adamson, for example, has formulated twenty "Rules for History of Philosophy," and he comments that "With all these worries about avoiding anachronism, you may have gotten the impression that I am only worried about 'getting the text right,' and in fact I do think that is a first step in dealing with any historical source material." So Smith's claim that I am guilty of violating this rule would have application if Attention, Not Self were a work in the discipline of history of philosophy. However, it is not. My book is, rather, a contribution to a newly emerging sub-discipline within philosophy, one that has been variously designated "cross-cultural philosophy" (Garfield, Thompson), "cosmopolitanism in philosophy" (Ganeri), and "philosophy without borders" (Chakrabarti). I state this clearly in the Introduction, and devote the Postscript entirely to setting [End Page 1151] out the contours of the new field. As Arindam Chakrabarti puts it most eloquently, "instead of preserving, quoting, and juxtaposing [one's sources], one picks up a concept, a line of reasoning or some, however minor, point arising out of years of imaginative rearrangement and cross-fertilization of the ideas retrieved from different cultures, periods, texts, and disciplines" (2015, p. 231). The borderless philosopher thinks with past historical figures, and not just about them. In Attention, Not Self my ambition was to develop a radically reoriented philosophy of mind, one that is anti-Cartesian and non-Aristotelian, and deeply inspired by historical figures like Buddhaghosa. Just as we can now discuss, if we wish, whether the historical Descartes was in fact a Cartesian, or how neo-Aristotelian was the historical Aristotle, someone may wonder about how much of the view I develop would have been endorsed by Buddhaghosa had he been alive today. That's an interesting question, but it wasn't mine in writing this book. Mine, as I state on the last page, was to "draw on a rich theoretical vocabulary in Pāli of terms for concepts about the mind, and demonstrate a way in which that vocabulary can be transformed into a philosophy of mind with the assistance of tools, techniques, and empirical findings from the cognitive sciences." So Smith is guilty of an old fallacy—of using weighing scales to measure air quality. Let me nevertheless address, one by one, the specific points he raises. Phenomenal consciousness and cognitive access. Smith is correct when he notes that I see an "overlap" between the distinction, well attested in contemporary philosophy of mind, between phenomenal consciousness and cognitive access and the system of five aggregates (a system, which though endorsed by all Buddhists, is one whose exact content is the subject of considerable disagreement between Buddhist thinkers). However, he misrepresents my view and his criticisms therefore miss their mark. Smith says "I conclude that Ganeri's attempt to construe vedanā as being primarily responqsible for phenomenal character and denying that viññāṇa has anything to do with phenomenal character is unsuccessful." I made no such attempt. My attempt was to locate a...

An Analysis On The Sincization of Apsaras Art In Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes

Buddhist art is an important way to illustrate Buddhist thoughts. Among Buddhist art, Apsaras Art is an extremely significant part of it. Simultaneously, it is the essence of Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes art as well as. As it known to all, Apsaras Art, as an artistic expression of religious thoughts, its artistic style is bound to be influenced by different social consciousness in different times with little doubts. At the same time, this influence will inevitably let creators make performance style of Apsaras increasingly close to the mundane life, which is more and more in line with the aesthetic standard of them as a consequence. To go a step further, it is essential to learn the origin of Apsaras. This paper will analyze the artistic characteristics of Apsaras in Mogao Grottoes from three stages of budding period, exploring period and mature period according to the context of the chronicle to generalize about the sinicization of Apsaras Art.

A Concise Note on the Theory of Two Truths in Buddhism

The concept of two truths in the Theravāda Buddhism is found in Saṅgīti Sutta of the D ῑ ghanik ā ya, where the four kinds of knowledge are enumerated. “Knowledge to wit: knowledge of the Doctrine, knowledge in its corollaries, knowledge of what is in another’s consciousness and popular knowledge”. The latter two types of knowledge refer to the concept of two truths in Theravāda Buddhism. In the history of Mahāyāna Buddhism, there are four philosophical systems in Buddhist thoughts, viz. the Vaibhāṣika School, the Sautāntrika School, the Yogācāra/Cittamatra, and the Madhyamaka School. According to Vaibhāṣikas, it is claimed that wholes and continua which are reducible are to be known as conventional truth, while the atoms and point-instant consciousness which are irreducible is to be known as the ultimate truth. In terms of the Sautrāntika, they formulated the principle of two truths in such a way that workability phenomenon is recognized as the ultimate truth and the phenomenon which is not workability is to be understood as conventional truth. In accordance with Yogācāras, being an idealist, they propose that all physical objects are just mental construction and they are unreal. They are to be known as conventional truth, whereas the ultimate reality is pure consciousness. It is the perfect nature of the things and it is ultimate truths. According to Mādhyamaka, the conventional illusory mode of appearance which is in disagreement with their mode of existence is known as conventional truth and its mode of appearance is in agreement with its mode of existence is known as ultimate truth.

Thoughts on the Early Indian Yogācāra Understanding of Āgama- Pramāṇa

The Buddhist approach to testimony ( āptavāda , āptāgama ) as a valid means of cognition ( pramā ṇa ) is far from univocal and involves an intricate and often also ambivalent attitude toward scriptural authority. The paper focuses on several early Yogācāra Buddhist thinkers who accepted testimony as a reliable epistemic warrant, and offers an account of the sophisticated and highly reflective manner in which they approached the issue of scriptural meaning and authority. For this purpose, the paper first outlines the theoretical framework for considering scripture presented by the early Yogācāra philosopher Vasubandhu’s Vyākhyāyukti , focusing especially on his discussion of the criteria for canonicity and its implications for a system of hermeneutics based on the uncovering of authorial intent. The paper then examines in turn the way in which this framework and its internal tensions were worked out in the writings of Sthiramati (circa 6 th century CE) and especially in his Madhyāntavibhāga-bhā ṣya-ṭīkā , focusing on his definition of “treatise” ( śāstra ) and his implied understanding of textual authority.

Interreligious Art in Light of Hindu and Buddhist Thought

Interreligious Art in Light of Hindu and Buddhist Thought Melanie Barbato Art is nourished by religious imagination, often from more than one religious tradition. But how do we know in which cases of art with multi‐religious elements it makes sense to speak of explicitly interreligious art? Maybe we can exclude all forms of polemical art that integrate icons and symbols of other traditions in order to devalue or deny them the right to be part of a respectful interreligious dialogue. Starting the definition that way allows us to concentrate on the other end of the spectrum: deliberate attempts to foster constructive interreligious dialogue through art. A type of art that lies between the ends of this spectrum is enculturated interreligious art: art that does not consciously form part of interreligious activism but which brings together elements from different religions due to the contact between different traditions, such as Christian artists operating in an environment dominated by another religion. This article will deal predominantly with the growing trend of art that aims to be interreligiously stimulating, and it is this narrower sense in which the term “interreligious art” will be used throughout the text. After presenting different possible forms of art in interreligious dialogue, the discussion will center on the question of what issues have to be considered if interreligious art is to be effective in interreligious dialogue. Of course, there is always something elusive about “good art.” However, there are certain issues in interreligious dialogue that should be considered if art should have the ability to speak to an interreligious or religiously plural audience as a means for furthering mutual learning experiences. If interreligious art is to live up to the relational aspect implied in the name, it is to integrate and reflect the conceptualizations of what interreligious art could mean for different traditions, as well as the dynamics that arise from the de‐ and recontextualization of religious imagery in this new art form. Theorizing in this context does not have to imply the possibility or desirability of an alternative grand narrative, but a discussion of the theoretical issues that underlie interreligious art and that are relevant to those engaged in creating, curating, and critiquing interreligious art. It means that theoretical questions like “what is the role of art?” have to be answerable from the perspective of different religions, denominations, and world views and that there is an awareness of the plurality of answers that is possible for these questions. This article will concentrate on the issues of verbality, representation, hybridity, and context, and it will develop the discussion in the light of Hindu and Buddhist thought. The examples of interreligious art are, however, drawn from a variety of traditions. Besides the general applicability of the issues, this is due to the fact that hardly any depictions of dialogue‐oriented Buddhist–Hindu art are known to the author. There are of course Hindu depictions of the Buddha as an incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu, but these are typically produced solely for the Hindu community and constitute a form of inclusivism rather than interreligious dialogue. However, there are some examples of contemporary artists from a Hindu background who draw on Buddhist (as well as Christian) imagery: Satish Gupta's paintings include among many Hindu themed works one of A Thousand Buddhas. Gupta states on his personal website that his work was “honed through a deep engagement with mysticism and Zen spirit.” Also, Govinda Azad, whose recent work concentrates on depictions of cosmic space on the boundaries of abstraction and concreteness, “recognizes that his artistic roots first germinated from the unique fusion of Hindu and Buddhist Tantric traditions that are found in Nepal.” Overall, the majority of interreligious art projects are initiated by Western organizations and artists, and hence, art works tend to be focused, for example, on Hindu–Christian or Buddhist–Christian, but not Hindu–Buddhist dialogue. Also, contrary to the peaceful image both Buddhism and Hinduism enjoy in the West, the interreligious relations between Buddhists and Hindus are far from well developed, if not to say tense and marked by mutual animosity. The engagement with Hindu and Buddhist art includes thus for the Western observer before creativity the...

Interreligious Art in Light of Hindu and Buddhist Thought

Interreligious Art in Light of Hindu and Buddhist Thought

동아시아 불교사상사 연구의 한 반성 - 개념의 이미지와 역사적 현실 사이의 간극 -

동아시아 불교사상사 연구의 한 반성 - 개념의 이미지와 역사적 현실 사이의 간극 -

Adam Smith and the Buddha

Economics is a powerful way of thinking. While there may occasionally be major errors in its application, at its core the principles of economics remain the strongest paradigm in the social sciences. Buddhism is also a powerful way of thinking. The central question in Buddhist philosophy is the same as that in economics: what is the key to human happiness? How can human suffering be reduced? But the answer to this question in the Buddhist way of thinking is exactly the opposite of that given by economics. Can Adam Smith learn from the Buddha? Can Buddhism learn from economics? This essay explores these topics. I first present an interpretation of what I take to be the core of Buddhist thinking in economic terms, and then show how that could be incorporated into economic thinking, and how economics would change as a result. I then try to do the reverse, and show how the economic way of thinking can clarify Buddhist thinking. I apply simple economic theory to develop a model of rational Zen Buddhism.

Violence and Nonviolence in Shinran

This article examines the Pure Land Buddhist thinker Shinran (1173–1263), from whose teachings the Shin Buddhist tradition emerged. Shinran’s ideas provide an alternative model for considering moral judgments and issues related to violence. Since Shinran viewed violence as a mode of human action, the author asks how violence, whether inflicted or suffered, is to be understood by Shin Buddhists. This article further discusses how practitioners engaging the Pure Land path might deal with it, and the relevance of Shinran’s understanding here and now. This line of inquiry expands to consider how Shinran’s approach relates to norms used in modern discussions of violence. It scrutinizes the double structure of ethical awareness, discussing in particular how usual judgments of good and evil action can be contextualized and relativized. In the section dedicated to defusing the violence of ignorance, the author introduces Shinran’s nonviolent, nonconfrontational response, and analyzes how Shinran recasts the Buddhist stories of Ajātaśatru and Aṅgulimāla in relation to his understanding of the “five grave offenses”—specifically murder and near matricide—usually understood as excluding practitioners from the benefits of Amida Buddha’s Vows. The author shows that Shinran focuses on saving even the evil, not solely the worthy, thus rejecting the exclusion provision of the Eighteenth Vow.

Yongming Yanshou and Pure Land Buddhist Thought in Nara

Yongming Yanshou and Pure Land Buddhist Thought in Nara