Primitive Buddhism Research Articles

Research on Buddhist Cosmology from the Perspective of Religious Comparison

With regard to the assertion of the nature of the world, primitive Buddhism advocates “all phenomena that arise from causes” and opposes the existence of “God” or “Creator”, who created everything in the universe, which is significantly different from monotheistic beliefs such as Brahmanism, Christianity, and Islam and is therefore often called “atheism”. This paper introduces the Buddhist cosmology of Mount Sumeru and the tri-sahasra mahā-sahasra lokadhātu under the perspective of comparative religions and the first human beings who came to this world from the ābhāsvara-deva as recorded in the Buddhist scriptures and explores the question of whether Buddhism is atheistic. It is believed that the key to the debate between Chinese and Western scholars on whether Buddhism is atheistic is the difference in understanding the concept of “God”. Buddhism does not deny the supernatural power of “ghosts and gods”, so its essence is still theism.

기무라 다이켄 『원시불교사상론』의 유정론(有情論)과 의지주의

Taiken Kimura (木村泰賢) was a distinguished Buddhist scholar active during Japan's Taisho period. As a monk affiliated with the Japanese Soto Zen, he completed his education in the Department of Indian Philosophy at Tokyo Imperial University. Subsequently, he pursued further studies in Europe, including stints in England and Germany. During his European sojourn, he authored On Primitive Buddhist Thought (Genshi bukkyō shisōron), which was published in Japan in 1922. Within this publication, Kimura posited that both Primitive Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism were underpinned by voluntarism. He underscored Mahayana Buddhism's continuity with Primitive Buddhism. Kimura extensively employed voluntarism to analyze the Twelvefold Dependent Origination in Primitive Buddhism. Notably, he associated the concept of “ignorance”(avijjā) within the Twelvefold Origination with “blind will”, a notion articulated by Schopenhauer.
 Central to Kimura's perspective was the belief that the essence of sentient beings lay in desire, constituting the driving force behind life's activities. He identified two desires within the Twelvefold Dependent Origination, “craving”(taṇhā) and “ignorance”(avijjā), understanding them as manifestations of will. According to his viewpoint, the life activities of sentient beings unfolded as expressions of desire or will.
 Nevertheless, Kimura contended that desire transcended its role as a mere producer of “defilements” (kilesa), extending into an absolute “actual reality”(dharmatā). He frequently associated the concept of “nibbana without residue”(anupdisesanibbana) or absolute “actual reality” with the will, sometimes identifying it as a material or metaphysical reality. His theoretical framework could be characterized as a form of Metaphysics of Will. Drawing from the apparent reality of sentient beings as driven by desires, Kimura aimed to elucidate not only the life activities of sentient beings amid suffering but also to expound upon the absolute world that transcends suffering.

원시불교와 초기불교의 명칭에 관한 논쟁 고찰-일본불교학계의 상황을 중심으로-

원시불교와 초기불교의 명칭에 관한 논쟁 고찰-일본불교학계의 상황을 중심으로-

A Reading of Primitive Buddhism from Philosophical Praxis

This work proposes a new consideration of suttapiṭaka Buddhism. It is well known that primitive Buddhism offers solid metaphysical, anthropological, epistemological, ethical and psychological foundations from an experiential perspective that combines, in the same movement, theory and practice. This experiential approach, as well as the unconditional love for reality and the therapeutic eagerness are shared by Philosophical Praxis: a recent movement that seeks to rescue philosophy conceived as ars vitae and to fulfill its universal vocation for service. Philosophical Practice offers an adequate framework to relight Buddhist philosophy and to adapt it to serve our society. It is proposed that Buddhism is read and approached from a Philosophical Practice viewpoint and applied in that context.

The basic mode of the lay-Saṃgha relationship in Indian Buddhism, its representations in and repercussions for Chinese Buddhism

The mode of the Saṃgha- laity relationship is theoretically based on different ideas of Mahāyāna and Theravāda, each with varying emphasis given to the ‘perpetuation of the Dharma and liberation of sentient beings,’ and each representing different interpretations of the precepts. The dynamics of this relationship enters into two dimensions: 1) the mission to preserve Buddhism, and 2) the precedence given to practice and liberation. In the period of primitive Buddhism and sectarian Buddhism, all teachings were centered on renunciation of household life, and established the ethical mode of ‘superior Saṃgha, inferior laity.’ Meanwhile, some sects advocated the existence of laity who were ‘transcendent monks,’ ‘lay Arhats,’ and so on, ideas which had great theoretical and practical impact. The fundamental Mahāyāna goal is the ‘salvation of sentient beings’ and the basic mode of the Sangha-lay relationship is equality between the two. Nonetheless, certain scriptural systems espoused a ‘respect for Saṃgha’ perspective while others a ‘deprecation of the Saṃgha’ perspective.

O monge, a morte e o estupa: práxis e padrões funerários no Budismo primitivo a partir das fontes arqueológicas e textuais

O artigo apresenta e discute a práxis e os padrões funerários presentes no Budismo primitivo, revistos a partir das fontes arqueológicas e textuais. Apesar do registro de evidências funerárias desde o início dos estudos sobre o Budismo, elas não haviam recebido atenção até uma década atrás. O suposto silêncio absoluto dos cânones e a inexistência de rituais póstumos entre os budistas deveram-se principalmente à primazia atribuída às fontes escritas em detrimento das fontes arqueológicas e epigráficas. Uma revisão dessas fontes comprova a presença de padrões funerários recorrentes e também permite delinear a práxis ocorrida nos funerais durante o Budismo primitivo.

Mandala of Architects in Ancient India

Can we translate manndalipakara in Theragatha 863 with “a circular rampart”?In the Jataka there are many concepts of vastu-purusa-mandala which is a plan for a temple or a city, but this is not expressed with the word mandala/mandalin. The meaning of mandala/mandalin in verses of the Pali canon can be figured through synthesis with “a theory of mandala” in the Arthasastra of Kautilya and “tisu mandalesu” of the Milindapanha.It means “a unit with peripheral countries led by one great power in the center” and should be treated as the mandala of politics/military affairs.The mandala comes to mean “the whole unit with order relation in the center and the outskirts” in primitive Buddhism. And when it is located in the latter half of a compound, it means “a thing in the center (or the best thing) among the aggregation of the kind”.On the other hand, mandalin means “ruler of a (minor) region” used in “a theory of mandala” as explained in the Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Dictionary.Mandalipakara should be translated with “the rampart for (or to protect) a lord or a king of a (minor) region”.

The transcendence of the death in the primitive Buddhism

The transcendence of the death in the primitive Buddhism

Just This: Buddhist Ultimate Reality

My task is to say about reality as Buddhists would understand term. My Christian partners in dialogue will probably have an easier time speaking of their reality, not having to resort to kind of paradox that is so inescapable for Buddhist. Buddhists also face other difficulties. The primitive Buddhism of India is different in many ways from Sino-Japanese tradition, and there are, it seems to me, important differences betweenJapanese Pure Land Buddhism and Zen Buddhism. It is often difficult to generalize about Buddhism, whereas in central issues, Christianity seems more unified in its doctrines. Christians have also been diligent over centuries telling us in rather unambiguous terms just what is, but in Mahayana Buddhist traditions, it has usually been thought to be futile or presumptuous to say anything positive about ultimate, given Mahayana disdain for concepts and language. For many Mahayana Buddhists, such terms as ultimate are meaningless, as they would be to most rabid Wittgensteinian. Moreover, paradoxical language abounds in Buddhism, with talk of a groundless or ground that is not a ground, the which is no different from non-ultimate, this very body is Buddha, and so on. However, I will try to eschew paradox and attempt to be clear and unambiguous in saying about Buddhist ultimate. Before proceeding with Buddhist ultimate, I want to look briefly at term itself. What are we talking about? What do we denote by term? A dictionary says that by ultimate we mean farthest: most remote in space or time; extreme. A second meaning is last in a train of progression or consequences. It gives as noun form, something final. All meanings seem to indicate a state or condition of finality beyond which there is nothing. It is end, and nothing lies beyond it or can. It is extremus of whatever it is that we are pursuing. While in religious context there is only one for believer, there are in fact many ultimates of a nonreligious nature, and nature of these ultimates casts an interesting light on concept of the Ultimate. People speak of baseball pitcher, for instance, or

The Heart of Buddhism: In Search of the Timeless Spirit of Primitive Buddhism

The Heart of Buddhism: In Search of the Timeless Spirit of Primitive Buddhism

Book Review: The Heart of Buddhism: In Search of the Timeless Spirit of Primitive Buddhism

Book Review: The Heart of Buddhism: In Search of the Timeless Spirit of Primitive Buddhism

Paticcasamuppada and sabba-dhamma in Primitive Buddhism

paticcasamuppada and sabba-dhamma in Primitive Buddhism

Review of: Takeuchi Yoshinori, The Heart of Buddhism: In Search of the Timeless Spirit of Primitive Buddhism

Review of: Takeuchi Yoshinori, The Heart of Buddhism: In Search of the Timeless Spirit of Primitive Buddhism

A Study of the Dhuta in Primitive Buddhism

A Study of the Dhuta in Primitive Buddhism

On dhammata in Primitive Buddhism

On dhammata in Primitive Buddhism

The Fundamental Aspect of Dhamma in Primitive Buddhism

The Fundamental Aspect of Dhamma in Primitive Buddhism

The Problem of Human Existence in Primitive Buddhism

The Problem of Human Existence in Primitive Buddhism

A Study on the Paticca-samuppada in Primitive Buddhism

A Study on the Paticca-samuppada in Primitive Buddhism

A Study of Bhava and Nibhana in Primitive Buddhism

A Study of Bhava and Nibhana in Primitive Buddhism

A Study of Synonyms of Nibbana in Primitive Buddhism (1)

A Study of Synonyms of Nibbana in Primitive Buddhism (1)