Buddhist Practice Research Articles

Circularity of Metapraxis and Buddhist Practice: Anthem for Children

이 글의 목적은 메타프락시스적 순환론을 통해 인간의 숙명이 어떻게 규정될 수 있는 것인지 보다 구체적으로 이해해 보는 데에 있으며, 이러한 구체적인 이해를 바탕으로 ‘교육학적 의미’에서의 인간의 숙명은 큰어른을 지향해야 한다는 점을 규명하는 데에 있다. 그리하여 이 글은 우선 ‘어린이와 어른’을 개념적으로 구분하여 이해해 보고, 어린이는 어떻게 큰어른이 될 수 있는지를 밝혀 보았다. 그런데 여기서 정작 중요한 점은 큰어른은 그냥 ‘주어지는 것’이 아니라, 어린이가 큰어른이 되고자 하는 노력 또는 교육에 의해 그 심성이 함양될 수 있으며, 이를 위해서는 사회적 역량이 집결되어야 하면서도, 한편으로 그 스스로의 ‘결단과 노력’이 반드시 뒷받침되어야 한다는 점이다. 또한 인간은 태어나는 순간 어린이의 상태 또는 시절을 운명적으로 받아들일 수밖에 없다고는 할지라도, 어른의 상태 또는 자질은 자신의 노력 또는 정상적인 교육에 의해 얼마든지 큰어른이 될 수 있다는 점에서 그 운명이 ‘결정된 상태’가 아니라 ‘결정되어져 가는 상태’에 있다고 할 수 있다. 그리하여 이 글에서 살펴본 바와 같이, 이는 불교 수행에서의 지관수행과 정혜수행의 ‘구분과 관련’에 의해 그것이 ‘어떻게 가능한지’ 보다 구체적으로 이해해 볼 수 있게 된다.The purpose of this article is to understand in more detail how human destiny can be defined through metapraxis circular theory, and based on this specific understanding, human destiny in the ‘educational sense’ should be aimed at spiritual person(大人). Thus, this article first conceptually distinguished and understood ‘children and adults’, it revealed how childrencan become spiritual person. However, the important point here is that spiritual person are not just ‘given’, but children can be cultivated by their efforts to become spiritual person or education, and for this, social competence must be gathered, and on the other hand, their own ‘decision and effort’ must be supported. In addition, even if humans have no choice but to accept the child’s state or time as fate at birth, the state or quality of an adult can be said to be in a state of being determined, not a state of being determined, in that it can become a spiritual person by its own efforts or normal education. Therefore, as discussed in this article, it is possible to understand more specifically how it is possible by ‘related to division’ between Concentration & Contemplation[止觀] and Samadhi & Vipassana[定慧] in Buddhist practice.

Two Letters from the Correspondence of V.E. Sesemann and B.D. Dandaron

This work presents the two surviving letters preserved from the extensive correspondence of V.E. Sesemann, a professor of philosophy at Vilnius University at the time (1961), and B.D. Dandaron, a Buddhist teacher who was a researcher at the Buryat Integrated Research Institute at that time. The letters discuss the authors’ current work and creative plans, as well as everyday life and resettling after release from prison in 1956. In his letter, B.D. Dandaron devotes significant attention to a list of literature that he was using in writing a study on aesthetics and/or that was mentioned in the records of the lectures of V.E. Sesemann in the prison camp. The letters give some idea of the nature of the relations between the correspondents and the areas of their research interests. The publication is preceded by a preface, which offers reflections on the context of the appearance of lectures on aesthetics that formed the basis of B.D. Dandaron’s research interest in this issue. The preface also provides context on the prison camp “seminar” on philosophy, in which the correspondents were active participants. V.E. Sesemann lectured on a wide range of areas in Western philosophy, including aesthetics, the history of philosophy, and philosophical anthropology. B.D. Dandaron lectured on the philosophy and practice of Buddhism. B.D. Dandaron’s particular interest in aesthetic issues was due to the fact that in the system of Buddhist teachings he developed, he paid great attention to the development of emotional intuition (associated with aesthetic perception) as an intermediate link between the rational intuition inherent in every person and the emotional-mystical intuition developed during yogic practice.

Guest Editors’ Introduction

Inasmuch as Buddhism’s professed goal is the elimination of all attachment to the material world, a pre-occupation with that materiality would immediately strike the disinterested observer as strange, if not improper. Indeed, the monastic tradition eschews engagement with what we colloquially refer to as artistic endeavour, as it detracts from the discipline required to attain the ultimate goal of “snuffing out” the flame that perpetuates suffering (LaFleur 2003, Introduction). Yet, the path to liberation is trodden in the material world, and its manifestations, perceived and processed through the physical senses, are necessary instruments and tools to that end. Cognition of the nature of actions and their fruits can only be achieved by engaging with their manifestations and permutations, using the techniques and disciplines that have been developed in the course of Buddhism’s history. However, the monastic tradition forms but a small part of the Buddhist tradition and the contributions to this volume are concerned in the main with artefacts that circulated outside the cloisters. They present a fascinating purview of how Buddhist ideas and practices circulated in pre-modern Japanese society, showing core beliefs about the Buddhist cosmos and how people from non-monastic walks of life (mainly in the spheres of politics and the aristocracy) availed themselves of that understanding of the world they lived in.

Bhutan's Living Buddhist Traditions: Past, Present, and Future

The study looks at the present state of Buddhism in Bhutan, highlighting the key features of the country's religious practices and the role of the monastic community. The research investigates how the government has incorporated Buddhist principles into its development policies, including the adoption of the Gross National Happiness (GNH) philosophy, which emphasizes the importance of spiritual and cultural values alongside economic growth. Finally, the paper explores the challenges and opportunities facing Buddhism in Bhutan in the future. The study identifies the impact of globalization, modernization, and technological advancement on Bhutan's traditional Buddhist practices and values. The research also examines the ways in which Bhutan can continue to promote and preserve its Buddhist heritage in the face of these challenges. In conclusion, this paper provides a comprehensive overview of Bhutan's living Buddhist traditions, highlighting their historical roots, present state, and future prospects. The research underscores the importance of Buddhism in shaping Bhutan's identity and provides insights into how the country can continue to preserve and promote its unique cultural heritage in the 21st century.

The Development and Dissemination of Pro-Environmental Dharma among Taiwan’s Humanistic Buddhists

In the early 1990s, two of Taiwan’s humanistic Buddhist groups—Buddhist Tzu Chi Compassionate Relief Foundation (Tzu Chi) and Dharma Drum Mountain (DDM)—began incorporating modern environmentalism as a major component in their religious teachings, practices, and behavioral norms. Neither group had been clearly pro-environmental before the 1990s, but Venerable Cheng Yen, the founding master of Tzu Chi, and Venerable Sheng Yen, the founding master of DDM, redefined and expanded Buddhist teachings and practices to include modern concepts and practices of environmental sustainability as central components of their dharmas. This comparative ethnographic study contributes to scholarship with findings regarding how and why the two groups developed and disseminated pro-environmental dharma: (1) both groups began promoting environmentalism as a moral, religious response to Taiwan’s waste management crisis of the early 1990s; (2) both groups tied their pro-environmental teachings to two of the most popular elements of Buddhist dharma among Chinese humanistic Buddhists—the bodhisattva path and pure land teachings; (3) both groups fully integrated environmental teachings, practices, and behavioral norms into all aspects of their organizations; and (4) both groups adjusted the framing of their pro-environmental messages to match specific audiences in their work in order to promote environmentalism in Taiwan’s society.

SGI Canada Educators' Perspectives on Creating Value in the Teaching and Learning Environment

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the perspectives and experiences of educators who practice Soka (value-creating) pedagogy in their teaching and learning environment. Methodology: The participants were educators who were teaching, or had taught, in a formal public or private education system in Canada and were also affiliated with the Soka Gakkai International Association of Canada Educators Group. An online survey was distributed to the educators describing the study and requesting their participation in a semi-structured interview. Fourteen survey respondents were chosen for an interview. Results: The study’s findings revealed important themes concerning how Soka education positively influenced the educators’ relationships with their students, how teachers structured their teaching and learning environment, how teachers perceived their role as educators, and how the teachers’ Buddhist spiritual practice inspired and guided their application of Soka education. Limitations: The findings are best interpreted within the study’s limitation of selecting participants from a teacher population that would likely perceive Soka education in a largely favorable light. Contribution: Our research poses potential inquiries for further study, given the novelty of the finding that identified how teachers used their Buddhist practice to inspire and advance their teaching. This aspect of teaching practice is not widely represented to date in the Soka education discourse and may have implications for future investigation.

The Radical in Ambedkar: Critical Reflections

The Radical in Ambedkar: Critical Reflections

Freeing Animals: Sino-Tibetan Buddhist Environmentalism and Ecological Challenges

Buddhist environmentalism in its varieties across the world is an integral part of the global environmental discourse centered on exploring new planetary ethics for sustainable futures. While recognizing the Buddhist role in global environmental movements, the author of this article proposes that the observable strength of Buddhist environmentalism is in local and global environmental advocacy grounded in the Buddhist ethics of interdependence, even as, canonically, Buddhism does not offer what is commonly recognized by scientists and scholars as traditional ecological knowledge or religious ecology. To substantiate this, this article offers a textual assessment of the Buddhist canon’s lack of systematic ecological knowledge, and a case study of how freeing domestic animals and advocating vegetarianism among contemporary Tibetan Buddhists in China, inclusive of non-Tibetan converts, mainly benefits human wellbeing and at the same time is entangled in social affairs that have little to do with the ecological wellbeing of the Tibetan Plateau and urban China. This debate is by no means intended to negate the successes of Buddhist environmentalism; instead, it draws fine lines between the claimed canonic basis of Buddhist ecology, the strength of Buddhist environmental advocacy, the everyday practices of Buddhism, and the aspirations for strengthening the ecological foundation of Buddhist environmental activism. Thinking in line with eco-Buddhists, the author concludes the article by proposing an Earth Sutra, a hypothetical future canonic text as the ecological basis of Buddhist environmentalism.

“Meditation madness”: meditation’s popularity, popular religion and unsupervised religion

ABSTRACT Publications have used pathologizing language when reporting a boom in the popularity of meditation practices: a ‘meditation madness’. I argue that analysing the intellectual roots of the category ‘popular religion’ improves our understanding of debates about the status of meditation and its potential adverse effects. My analyses first provide historical context for portrayals of religiocultural activities of ‘the masses’ as irrational and dangerous. But European ideas about ‘the popular’ are also foundational to the very construction of ‘meditation’ in its current dominant forms. Buddhist studies scholars today critique a new ‘popular Buddhism in the West’ precisely because it, in turn, denigrates common Asian Buddhist practices as ‘popular religion’ dross obscuring the true essence of Buddhism (as transmitted through modern(ist) meditation forms). I find that responses to the popularity of meditation may evoke old dichotomies of popular/elite religion, but they often ultimately express concrete, practical anxieties about the recent rapid spread of therapeutic meditation practices. Psychologists studying ‘meditation sickness’, for example, may be less concerned about ‘unofficial’ than ‘unsupervised religion’. They warn that ‘meditation mania’ risks actually rendering meditators manic, that, without guidance from responsible educated (if not elite) teachers, uninformed meditators can, indeed, experience episodes of mania and other difficulties.

Protecting Environment through the Teachings of Buddha

Recently, the word ‘environment’ is actively being used because it needs attention more than anything else. The rush to protect the environment is the minimum move one can do for oneself. Many ways of protecting the environment are discussed but until and unless people don't realise themselves to be an integral part of the environment nothing will work. Buddhism is a religion that has long recognized the interconnectedness of all things, including humans and the natural world. The paper aims to build a framework for understanding the possibilities of Buddhism in order to protect the environment. As such, Buddhism has a lot to offer in terms of promoting environmental awareness and sustainability. The paper explores the ways in which Buddhist teachings and practices can be applied to environmental issues. For example, the practice of mindfulness can help us develop a deeper awareness of the natural world and our impact on it. Buddhist concepts such as non-attachment and non-harming can help cultivate a more sustainable relationship with the environment. The study concludes by offering a foundation to develop a new way for protecting the environment with inner self involvement. Buddhist path of moral action, mindfulness and meditation, and wisdom, the figure of the bodhisattva, who is dedicated to working to lessen the suffering of all sentient beings, serves as a model for sustaining a commitment to working toward what may seem like an impossibly lofty goal. The study demonstrates the potential for Buddhism to play a role in fostering environmental awareness and sustainability by examining the ways in which Buddhist teachings and practices can be applied to environmental challenges.

Buddhism.

After Christianity, Judaism, and Hinduism, Buddhism is the 4th major religion of the world. The Pew Research Center estimates that as of 2020, about 500 million people (or 6.6% of the world's population) practice Buddhism. China has the largest Buddhist population at 254 million, followed by Thailand at 66 million, and then Myanmar and Japan at about 41 million.

Проблема систематизации буддийских учений и практик и стадиальный подход

The article formulates the thesis about the insufficiency of approaches from the standpoint of the history of philosophy for understanding the systemic whole of Buddhist teachings and practices, in particular, due to their tendency to isolate Buddhist philosophy in its “pure form” from the polymorphic whole of the Buddha’s Teachings in the likeness of Western philosophy, and also because of Eurocentric stereotypes. The illegitimacy of the philosophical opposition between the «gradual» Path of the Sūtras and the «swift» Path of the Tantras is affirmed. An approach to the gradual systematization of the Buddha's Dharma is proposed in the relationship of its theoretical and practical aspects, based on Indo-Tibetan texts and the oral commentary tradition, with the recognition of the fundamental importance of the classical Indian schemes for the gradual systematization of Dharma, contained in the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtras, Madhyamaka texts (Nāgārjuna, Āryadeva, Chandrakirti), Maitreya/Asanga's «Abhisamayalamkara», Asanga's writings on the bhūmī, Śantideva's «Bodhicharyāvatāra», Atisha's «Lamp», as well as in the texts of Lamrim by Je Tsongkapa and other authors. It is concluded that the gradual systematization of the Buddha Dharma, revealed within the Indo-Tibetan Mahāyāna, has a universal character.

Первоисточники учения о стадиальности Пути в индо-тибетской Махаяне

The Mahāyāna concept of gradual Dharma teaching, learning and staged realization of the Path of Enlightenment in Tibet was developed by Tsongkhapa and others as a practical guide to the stages of the Path (Lamrim). However, Lamrim is not a Tibetan teaching and expresses a more general concept of gradualness, which has an Indo-Buddhist origin. The article is to present the system of Indian primary sources of this concept. The novelty of the approach is due to the fact that the authors consider the “internal” position in the systematization and classification of the teachings of the Buddha, presented by the Madhyamikas, especially the reformer of Tibetan Buddhism, Je Tsongkhapa, to be a very significant factor in the reconstruction of the Mahāyāna concept of gradualness. The authors come to conclusions also containing novelty. First, the concept of the "Three Turns of the Wheel of the Teaching" formulated in the “Samdhinirmochana Sūtra” is the first hermeneutical scheme for ordering and classifying the many teachings of the Buddha. It was based on the principle of gradual assimilation of the ontology of emptiness by students. Within this gradualism conceptualization scheme, based on the philosophical (ontological) criteria for classifying the teachings of the Buddha, the Prajnaparamita Sūtras are the root source of the concept of gradualness. Secondly, the Mahāyāna concept of gradualness has both explicit and implicit aspects. The explicit aspect is represented by those Prajnaparamita Sūtras, in which the main subject is the doctrine of emptiness and contains the substantiation of the gradualness of the Path, depending on the depth of comprehension of emptiness and selflessness. This aspect of the Prajnaparamita is presented in Nāgārjuna's six treatises on the Madhyamaka. Chandrakirti revealed the connection of the deep view with the stages of the Path of the Bodhisattvas. Thirdly, along with the ontological scheme for substantiating gradualness, the Indian primary sources also present practical schemes for the gradual systematization of the Buddha's teachings: the concept of three chariots ("Lotus Sūtra"), as well as the doctrine of bhūmi ("Yogācārabhūmi" by Asanga) and six (ten ) paramitās ("Bodhicharyāvatāra" by Śantideva). This article is part of a larger study of the sources of the Mahāyāna concept of gradualness. Results of this analysis are significant for the correct source systematization of Buddhist doctrines and practices.

Collective responsibility and environmental caretaking: toward an ecological care ethic with evidence from Bhutan

Attention to environmental caretaking practices of Indigenous, traditional, and rural societies is an important strategy for Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination, as well as for greater ecological sustainability and resilience. Rural practices of caring for the eco-social commons in Himalayan Bhutan demonstrate an implicit care ethic. Mahayana Buddhism and indigenous animism blend to create distinctive attitudes and practices of environmental caretaking displayed in rural relationships with forests, mountains, and water bodies that influence community-based natural resource management. Elements of an eco-social care ethic became even more vivid in the nation's response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Bhutan's response was among the world's most successful, forestalling any deaths at all for the first nine months of the pandemic and limiting deaths to nine total as the pandemic entered its third year in March 2022. Bhutanese Buddhist values and practices parallel the care ethics articulated by Western moral theorists, providing a contemporary example of caring for the common good and alternative pathways toward flourishing futures.

УКРАЇНСЬКИЙ БУДДИЗМ І НЕОБУДДИЗМ В УМОВАХ ВІЙНИ

The article is devoted to the analysis of the peculiarities of the functioning of Buddhist and neo- Buddhist movements in the conditions of the war in Ukraine. It is noted that the modernization of Ukrainian culture, which is accompanied by the development of post-secular trends, manifests itself not only in the revival and transformation of religious beliefs traditional for our people, but also in the spread of non-traditional and neo-religious teachings and movements, among which Buddhism and Neo-Buddhism occupy a special place. The revival of Buddhism in Ukraine in the 90s of the last century took place mainly with the mediation of Russia. In the situation that developed at that time, Buddhism acted as a kind of "agent" of Russian cultural expansion. In the conditions of the war against rashism, it largely became independent from Russian influence. Among the most striking manifestations of Buddhism in Ukraine is the sangha of the Mahayanist direction of the Nipponzan Myōhōji Order, whose representatives have suffered from racist aggression since 2014 and until today. As a result of the occupation by Russian terrorists of parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, neo-religious groups, including Buddhists, were displaced from these territories. Seeking refuge, Ukrainian Buddhists were directly faced with the need to form a clear position in relation to Russia's military invasion of Ukraine, not hiding behind the general Buddhist notion of the absurdity of any war as a way to resolve conflicts. During the analysis, it was also established that under the influence of transformational processes in Western European Buddhism, domestic Buddhism is being modernized. In Ukraine, neo-Buddhist practices are identified with such directions and schools as Karma Kagyu, Zen Buddhism, Nittiren, White Lotus, as well as with Protestant and cyber Buddhism. Within the boundaries of neo-Buddhist teachings, the problem of Russia's aggressive war of aggression against Ukraine is discussed sporadically, but it is already possible to distinguish certain trends in the understanding and interpretation of its essence and the preference for a negative assessment of the moral component of rashist aggression, which certainly indicates positive shifts in the ideas of domestic followers of the doctrine and hope on the useful application of Buddhist methods and practices to improve the spiritual and psychological state of the Ukrainian community, as well as on the further development of antitotalitarian tendencies and tolerance towards non-traditional religious phenomena in its environment.

Involvement of the Buddhist Society in Various Social Activities and Social Integration

According to conventional knowledge, Buddhist practice increases empathy and mutual understanding. To verify this hypothesis, we compared the levels of participation in and integration into different social activities of practicing Buddhists and non-Buddhists in Taiwan. Social activities, presence in the community, and membership in clubs, societies, and non-governmental organizations. This indicates that religious affiliation affects how people portray themselves in their work and how they see themselves in relation to others.

<b>Changes in the Forests of Mt. Hiei and Characteristics of Vegetation along the Mountain's kaihogyoja Buddhist Practice Path</b>

<b>Changes in the Forests of Mt. Hiei and Characteristics of Vegetation along the Mountain's kaihogyoja Buddhist Practice Path</b>

The Utility of Yoga and Buddhist Practices in Sri Lanka’s Wellness and Spiritual Tourism

The Yoga and Buddhist meditation practices utilized in the Sri Lankan wellness and meditation retreats majorly affect the destination preference. Consequently, utilization of the new and demanding wellness practices is essential for the sustainability of wellness and spiritual tourism in Sri Lanka. Therefore, this study has explored the spectrum of the Yoga and Buddhist practices utilized in Sri Lanka’s wellness and spiritual tourism. Sri Lanka wellness retreats utilize Yoga and Buddhist meditation practices as alternative interventions. Meditation retreats exposure to the Buddhist practices in narrow. However, a vast variety of yoga practices are offered by foreign yoga teachers. Therefore, developing the capabilities of local yoga teachers and promoting a variety of Buddhist meditation practices is essential for the sustainability of Sri Lanka's wellness spiritual and meditation tourism industry.

Observational Studies on Personal Hygiene and Sanitation Practices of Elderly Buddhists in Kathmandu Valley

The study Entitled “Observational studies on personal hygiene and sanitation practices of elderly Buddhists" was conducted in Kathmandu Valley. The main objective of this study was to analyze the personal hygiene and sanitation practices of elderly Buddhists. The study was based on descriptive design with qualitative and quantitative nature. Convenient sampling method was applied to collect the data and altogether 640 elderly Buddhists including of 320 male and 320 female were selected as a sample for study. Similarly, observation checklist with direct observation method was used for data collection. The three dimensions for hygiene and sanitation condition measurement such as satisfactory, good and poor were used. Out of total respondent, the most of the respondents (40.16%) were in age Group 60-64 years. The highest sex ratio (141.17) was found in 75-79 years age group and the lowest sex ratio (80.00) was found in 80 years and above age group. The mean age of male elders was 68 years and 67.36 years for female. Around 48% of elderly Buddhist had moderate condition of personal hygiene practices, nearly 40% respondents had satisfactory and around 12% elders had poor hygiene practices. Similarly, 39% elders had satisfactory sanitation practices, 42% respondents had moderate and 19% respondents had poor sanitation practices. As conclusion, most of the elders were practicing with moderate hygiene practices. The moderate condition negatively affects the health condition of Buddhists elders. Most of the elders were practicing with satisfactory sanitation practices the also affects the wellbeing of the Buddhists elders in Kathmandu Valley.

Prayer and Buddhism? The Supreme Offering

AbstractHow can comparative categories be used with vigorous attention to historical context and cultural variation? My example is the concept of prayer applied to various forms of premodern Buddhism. After analyzing past attempts to square theocentric notions with Buddhism, I propose a more circumspect mode of comparison. Adopting a performative approach to the study of religious language, I stipulate prayer as “speech acts directed toward seen and unseen sentient beings.” This strategy broadens the addressees in prayer discourse to include Buddhas, bodhisattvas, minor gods, ghosts, spirits, and other beings. It also covers a wide range of Buddhist practice and focuses on exchange, morality, and bodily engagement. The article then analyzes a specific ritual, the supreme offering, found in many articulations across Buddhist cultures. The conclusion argues that this approach offers several insights. Engaging a wide range of beings in the cosmos, the supreme offering envisages a hierarchical moral community. The different steps in prayer highlight the importance of karma in Buddhist ritual. As a regimen of practice, the supreme offering aims at forming ethical dispositions and cultivating character.