Wheel Of Dharma Research Articles

Humanistic Buddhism: Noble Eightfold Path and Eight Pagodas

Master Hsing Yun advocated Humanistic Buddhism in the hope that people can apply Buddhist teachings and practice methods in real life to solve various problems in real life. The concepts of Humanistic Buddhism are embodied in the Eight Paths Pagoda of the Buddha Memorial Hall in Taiwan. The eight pagodas of the Buddha Memorial Hall in Fo Guang Shan, Taiwan are named: (1) One Teaching, (2) Two Assemblies, (3) Three Goodness, (4) Four Givings, (5) Five Harmonies, (6) Six Perfections, (7) Seven Admonishment, and (8) Eightfold Path. However, the Eight Towers in Mahaparinirvana Temple, India have different meanings. Firstly, the Tower of Birth symbolizes the birth of the Buddha. Secondly, the Bodhi Tower represents the time when the Buddha became enlightened. Thirdly, the Tower of the Wheel of Dharma indicates the time when the Buddha taught the Dharma. Fourthly, the tower of Sangha Vini stands for the time when the Buddha taught the Dharma. Fifthly, the Tower of Relics signifies the Nirvana of the Buddha. Sixthly, the Tower of Turning the Wheel of Dharma symbolizes the time when the Buddha turned the wheel of Dharma for the first time. Seventhly, the tower of the second turning of the Dharma wheel denotes the time when the Buddha turned the Dharma wheel for the second time. Finally, Tower of Nirvana symbolizes the time of Buddha's Nirvana.

Поняття «страждання» в буддизмі: онтологічна проблематика

Unlike the most common in the modern studies – the psychological, ethical, socio-cultural – approaches to the problem of suffering, in this paper the philosophical problematics of ontological dimension of the suffering in the Buddhist philosophy is raised. Many modern scholars are inclined to think that a more adequate translation for the Sanskrit term duḥkha is “unsatisfactoriness”. However, from the material presented in the article follows that this rendering does not feet the sense of the notion of duḥkha when it is examined in the ontological plane, and thus the traditional translation “suffering” in this sense remains more adequate. It is also shown that the etymology of the Sanskrit term duḥkha as a «improperly installed» axle of the wheel of a cart has strong connotations with the metaphor of the wheel and the symbol of swastika in the Buddhist cultural tradition (wheel of being, three turnings of the Wheel of Dharma etc.). In this paper the main causes of suffering (self, body, ignorance, desire and other afflictions) exposed in Buddhist texts and scholarship are revised, and on the example of the Cūḷasuññata-sutta it is demonstrated that the real final cause of suffering in the Early Buddhism is our body and not our “self” and ignorance. While in the Mahayana Buddhism based on the philosophy of emptiness and the principle of nonduality, the dichotomy of soul and body is removed, the attainment of nirvana becomes possible in this body and the real cause and source of suffering becomes the ignorance. On the other hand, the paper argues that just the ontological view on the problem of suffering (under the angle of the principle of nonduality) provides us with understanding of the fact that the suffering can be overcome despite its indestructible ontological status.

초전법륜(初轉法輪)에 대한 원측(圓測)의 해석학적 지평

초전법륜(初轉法輪)에 대한 원측(圓測)의 해석학적 지평

“Writing as enlightenment”: Don DeLillo’s Buddhism and postsecular writing

This essay conducts a cross-cultural study of Don DeLillo’s novels from a Buddhist perspective. DeLillo’s writing has long been concerned with profound spiritual and religious yearning, but it has often been read within a Catholic context due to the author’s Catholic background. This essay argues that DeLillo’s engagement with mysticism also owes debts to his knowledge of Buddhism. By referring to DeLillo’s early adulthood experience in the 1960s, I position DeLillo’s novels in a postsecular narrative which means not only the resurgence of religious belief in a secular age but the coexistence of various beliefs in both social and literary context proposed by John McClure. Specifically, this essay will examine DeLillo’s Buddhist engagement within the framework of three turnings of the dharma wheel, namely, the four noble truths, emptiness and Buddha nature. This new framework would allow me to explore systematically how DeLillo’s Buddhist imagination has filtered into the fabric of everyday life of his characters. And reading through the lens of Eastern religion would also open up new possibility in understanding both DeLillo and contemporary American postsecular literature.

THE SPIRITUAL AND CULTURAL SYMBOLS IN A MAHAYANA BUDDHIST TEMPLE ‘VIHARA LOTUS’ SURAKARTA

The symbols contained in a vihara is intentionally used to remind the people to something that is believed, both cultural and spiritual values. This article aims to analyze the meaning and value of spiritual and cultural symbols in Vihara Lotus Surakarta. This is a qualitative research. This article shows that (1) The meaning and value of spiritual symbols in Vihara Lotus can be found on the category of altar and statue which consist of ancestor altar, Amitabha Buddha Altar, Avalokitesvara Altar, Three Buddhas Alta, Si Mien Fo Altar, Maitreya Buddha, Si Da Tian Wang Statues, And Earth Gods. Then in category of Prayer tools consist of Ching/Gong, Muk Ie, He Che, and Tan Che. Those spiritual symbols have meaning and value in term of the Buddha teaching such as the Sigalovada sutta, sukhavati realm, reflection of Buddhas nature, concept of Tri Kaya, affection state, four nobles qualities, dharma wheel turning, awareness, equanimity concept, introspection, and catumaharajika realm. (2) Meaning and Value of Cultural Symbols in Vihara Lotus can be found on the category of altar and statue consists of Thian Kong Altar, Chinese Generals, Earth gods, and Horse statues. Then in plant and food category consist of soy bean, Candy and Cookie, cigarette, wine, Chinese evergreen, and pineapple. Those cultural symbols have meaning and value in term of Chinese tradition and habit, such as Tradition of Sky Praising, merits appreciation, Chinese mythology, traditional food, hope of better life, special service to idol, and hope of sustenance.

The Middle Kingdom and the Dharma Wheel: Aspects of the Relationship Between the Buddhist Saṃgha and the State in Chinese History. Edited by ThomasJülch. Leiden: Brill, 2016. Pp. x + 418. $179.00.

The Middle Kingdom and the Dharma Wheel: Aspects of the Relationship Between the Buddhist Saṃgha and the State in Chinese History. Edited by ThomasJülch. Leiden: Brill, 2016. Pp. x + 418. $179.00.

The Secret of Shangri-La: Agricultural Travels and the Rise of Organic Farming Discourse

The Secret of Shangri-La: Agricultural Travels and the Rise of Organic Farming Discourse

Self-Harm and Falun Gong: Karmic Release, Martyrdom or Suicide

The teachings of Falun Gong explicitly forbid suicide, yet in 2001, five protesters set themselves ablaze in Tiananmen Square resulting in the death of two. Allegedly, their stated aim was to bring the world's focus onto the repression of the movement by the Chinese government. Falun Gong spokespeople were quick to speak out in defence of founder Li Hongzhi, saying that the movement strictly forbids suicide in line with the traditional Chinese belief that says that suicide is an affront to the ancestors. They further claimed that the Chinese government had staged the suicides in order to stir up public opinion against the movement and indeed the tide of public opinion did turn against Falun Gong and its founder (Bell and Boas 2003, 285). Even given Falun Gong's stated opposition to suicide, the movement does encourage its adherents to refuse to take medicine or accept medical treatment and some consider this refusal of treatment could be considered to be suicidal. Chinese state media seized upon Li's writing in which he expressed that illnesses are caused by karma, and claimed that in excess of 1000 deaths were the direct result of adherents following Li's teachings. Authorities also maintain that several hundred practitioners had cut their stomachs open looking for the Dharma Wheel that turns in response to the practice of the five meditative exercises characteristic of the movement. Indeed, many of their fellow followers had been arrested in Tianjin, following condemnation of their movement by physicist He Zouxiu of the Chinese Academy of the Sciences. He had claimed that Falun Gong had been responsible for several deaths (Bejsky 2004, 190). This paper will examine the complex relationship between Falun Gong and the Chinese government, exploring the reality behind the claims and counterclaims in relation to the former's stated opposition to suicide. This will be contrasted with other Falun Gong writings which encourage adherents to refuse medical treatment and medication in order to rid themselves of karma.

Spirituality and Aging (review)

Reviewed by: Spirituality and Aging Mary Beth Werdel (bio) Spirituality and Aging. By Robert C. Atchley. Baltimore: The John Hopkins University Press, 2009 199 pp. Hardcover. $45.00. This text is the outgrowth of Robert C. Atchley’s forty years of academic experience as a gerontologist, thirty of which focused specifically on the relationship of aging and spirituality as terms and phenomena. With a broad audience in mind, he offers clarity and authority for “spirituality . . . to be a major topic in gerontology in its own right” (149). In these 199 pages, Atchley describes a framework he considers to be a “useful starting point” for people in various aspects of the field: educators, researchers, and those working with the aging, thereby presenting one “example of how the jumble of concepts and empirical evidence in the field can be put together into a meaningful mosaic” (147). The text is suitable not only for gerontolgically-focused classes on both the undergraduate and graduate level, but also for graduate classes in fields such as pastoral care and counseling, mental health counseling, and social work. The book is presented in three parts, followed by a conclusion and two appendices. The first section presents Atchley’s basic frame for understanding spirituality, spiritual development, spiritual experience and the spiritual self. The second section presents two dimensions of spirituality that Atchley sees as having key relationships with aging. First is the idea of sage-hood and being a spiritual elder. A sage is understood as a way of being; it is “not a destination at which we arrive but, rather, a capacity that we can bring into being in any moment” (73). Secondly he presents the model of “serving from the spirit,” a way of being based on transpersonal sociology and communities. Finally in section three the author examines the interactive relationships between spirituality and spiritual development as they pertain to three different areas: coping, the experience of time, and the experience of death and dying. Both appendices are rich additions to the text. [End Page 307] Appendix A is an 85-question (22-page) spiritual inventory in which respondents answer questions on a lickert-type scale. Appendix B is 3-page spiritual self-assessment structured with open-ended reflection questions. Both could be useful from academic, clinical, and personal standpoints. Throughout the book, readers will find mention, and noted influences, of the works of William James, Robert Withnow, Erick Erikson, Lars Thornstam, Adlous Huxley, Harry Moody and David Carroll, Ram Dass, Ken Wilber, and Parker Palmer. Though the book expresses a specific disconnect from theology, readers will also find specific references to the Buddhist teachings of the Eight-fold path and the Wheel of Dharma. Atchley’s definition of spirituality is key to understanding not only what to study in regard to spirituality and aging, but also how to study the relationship. He explains spirituality as that which “sensitizes us to a region of human experience” (5). Unlike “denotative” concepts that refer to an observable part of life, spirituality is a sensitizing concept that “deals with qualities to be sensitive to if we want to communication about a general field or region (5). Spirituality is a balance between being and doing (7). It is Atchley’s observation that individuals often lose sight of being and as such need help to bring this into consciousness. A main premise of his work is that spirituality is subjective but not individualistic; it is an “open-system” which necessitates discussion and feedback. The open-feedback system definition of spirituality supports Atchley’s Continuity Theory, which is presented in the book as a useful way of understanding the relationship between spirituality, development, and aging. Continuity Theory suggests that self-development is a continuous process; a person’s mental frame work is based on life experience; a person makes decisions based on their framework; they witness the results of their decision; modify their framework based on the observed results; and then make new decisions (53). With the above concepts in mind, research on spirituality then necessitates understanding not broad standardized relationships of spirituality and aging but rather how a person’s individual self-system evolves en route to becoming (or not becoming) spiritual...

Shakya Chokden’s Interpretation of the Ratnagotravibhāga: “Contemplative” or “Dialectical”?

This reconciliation of the dialectical and contemplative approaches to the buddha-essence is related to and closely resembles Shakchok’s reconciliation of the two approaches to ultimate reality advocated respectively by Niḥsvabhāvavāda (ngo bo nyid med par smra ba, “Proponents of Entitylessness”) system of Madhyamaka and Alīkākāravāda (rnam rdzun pa, “False Aspectarians”) system of Yogācāra. These approaches in turn are connected respectively to the explicit teachings (dngos bstan) of the second dharmacakra (chos ’khor, “Wheel of Dharma”) and the definitive teachings (nges don, nītārtha) of the third dharmacakra that he also presents in a reconciliatory manner. In the same way as the teachings of the last two dharmacakras, as well as the Niḥsvabhāvavāda and Alīkākāravāda systems that derive from them, come to the same point, the dialectical and contemplative traditions also come to the same point. This point is the above-mentioned naturally pure primordial mind luminous by nature, the ultimate reality. In Shakchok’s opinion, application of non-affirming negations is a powerful tool for accessing direct realization of that reality, while its identification as primordial mind (ye shes, jñāna) is important for maintaining that realization and turning it into the basis of unfolding positive qualities on the path to buddhahood. When in the passage above Shakchok says that the two traditions are not contradictory, and when he reconciles the two last dharmacakras together with Alīkākāravāda and Niḥsvabhāvavāda, he is not arguing that their words are non-contradictory. They obviously are! Nevertheless, those systems are non-contradictory in terms of complementing each other in getting access to and maintaining realization of the ultimate reality of primordial mind.

Political Authority: The Two Wheels of the Dharma

Political AuthorityThe Two Wheels of the Dharma Whalen Lai “The twin wheels of the dharma The two wings of the dove” The twin wheels of the dharma, one of power and the other of righteousness, is the classic metaphor in the Buddhist view of the state and the saṅgha. We will first register the distinction of that metaphor by going back to its historical roots, showing how and why it is more meaningful for Buddhists than for Hindus. Then we will map its structural growth sociologically, weigh its overall strengths and weaknesses, and consider other Buddhist options for civil order and interstate relationships. Finally we will examine the price of modernity and the crisis of authority that Buddhist culture faces. Toward a Genealogy of the Twin Wheels The legend of the Buddha is by now well known. Prince Siddhārtha left family and home, and renounced the kingdom and the world. He had seen the inevitability of suffering. He vowed to find its cause to eliminate that result. After his enlightenment, he reflected upon releasing that path to the world. When the Buddha so taught the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path to his old companions at Benares, tradition then remembers that as the Buddha “turning the wheel of dharma.” The wheel (cakra) is a metaphor; it refers to the wheel of a sun chariot and is now on the national flag of India. That cosmic wheel has rolled on since time immemorial; as saṃsāra, it has been endless suffering. That is, until the Buddha so turned the sun wheel anew, marking it possible for the first time end that cycle and point the way to nirvāṇic liberation. History was so changed with that act of the Buddha at Benares. Mankind turned a corner. Christianity sees the event on the cross to be, likewise, a break in time. History as we know it had ended. The end time, the eschatological kingdom with its promise of a new heaven and a new earth, have dawned. The price of Adam’s sin was death. Christ’s resurrection turned that around. In Buddhism, the normal course of life and death (rebirth: saṃsāra) also ended [End Page 171] with the Buddha’s enlightenment under the Bodhi tree. The path to nirvāṇa was open. The city of nirvāṇa is in sight. Or as a Buddhist miracle would tell it, the water of the Ganges flowed backward in response to an act of truth (satyāgraha). The event at Benares when the Buddha turned the wheel of dharma anew may be a major inspiration for the ideology of the twin wheels. In general, Hinduism needs only to presume one wheel; it does not count a second. Although Hinduism knows its share of renunciation and liberation (mokṣa), the Brahmanical system set down by the Vedas is committed to safeguarding the sanctity of the caste system. It can absorb mokṣa under the larger law for its varṇāśramadharma. The renunciation is ideally the last station in life, coming after formal retirement from active household duties, and well approaching old age and a good time for learning how to transcend it. Buddhism challenged the caste system by setting up the saṅgha, a new Buddhist community. Hinduism lacks that call for reconstituting society. It does not know the “saṅgha and state” tension that Buddhists know like Christians would the tension between church and state. In the end, the Vedānta philosophy in Hinduism does not postulate that tension. The ātman-brahman identity of self and universe is inherently monistic. This is not to say Hindus do not face a basic conflict between two contrary worlds. It does but it solves it differently. The tragic dilemma in the Bhagavadgītā is that Arjuna, who came to embrace nonviolence like a Buddhist or a Jain would, was eventually persuaded to fight, namely, to perform his caste duty of being a warrior, ready to kill and be killed. That, in a Greek tragic term, is the dike of some cosmic dharma wheel. Oedipus Rex, in the end, must bow to his fate and lot...

Emptiness in the Pali Suttas and the Question of Nagarjuna's Orthodoxy

This essay attempts to clarify the position of Nāgārjuna in the history of Buddhist philosophy by comparing the concept of emptiness in the Pāli Nikāyas and the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā. It is argued that the identity of samsāra with nirvāna, the emptiness of svabhāva of all dharmas, and the equating of emptiness and dependent arising are not revolutionary innovations of Nāgārjuna or the second turning of the wheel of Dharma, but orthodox philosophical moves entailed by the teachings of early Buddhism.

Walking the Bodhisattva Path/Walking the Christ Path

Walking the Bodhisattva Path/Walking the Christ Path U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Catholics and Buddhists brought together by Dharma Realm Buddhist Association, the San Francisco Zen Center, and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) met 20-23 March 2003 in the first of an anticipated series of four annual dialogues. Abbot Heng Lyu, the monks and nuns, and members of the Dharma Realm Buddhist Association hosted the dialogue at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas in Talmage, California. The community had transformed their Confucius Hall into a chapel, with a large, newly constructed wooden cross on a wall above an altar facing out from a raised platform, so the Catholic delegation would have a space for worship. A special poster announcing the theme of the conference, "Walking the Bodhisattva Path/Walking the Christ Path," showing a Buddhist dharma wheel at one foot of a bridge and a Celtic cross at the other foot, had been created by the hosting community. The daily schedule for the dialogue did not interfere with the monastic routine at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, which included early morning chanting (4:00-5:00 am), daily rituals in the Buddha Hall, and the single large meal for monastics before noon to which all participants were invited. Catholics and Buddhists meeting in the dialogue began each day with an optional forty-five minutes of quiet sitting together in the monastery meditation hall, each following their own form of meditation and prayer. There was a Eucharist on Friday and Saturday evenings for the Catholics and to which the Buddhists were invited, and additional meals of breakfast and supper throughout the meeting at the City's Jyun Kang Restaurant. Fourteen Buddhists and fourteen Catholics participated in the formal discussions. Each participant spoke on what it means to them to follow Christ or the way of the Bodhisattvas or enlightened beings. In addition to speaking, each participant distributed a short passage, usually from a traditional text, on this topic. Several passages from Master Dogen's Shobogenzo and the Gospel of John were among those shared by the group. Other passages shared were taken from the Avatamsaka Sutra and the Shurangama Sutra and from the other gospels and the writings of Zen master HakuinZenji, the Dalai Lama, Korean Zen Master I-sahn Hye-yeon, the teachings of Master [End Page 247] Hsuan Hua, Shantideva, Origen, St. Ignatius, St. Benedict, the author of The Cloud of Unknowing, St. John of the Cross, and Chiara Lubich. A minute of silence separated the fifteen-minute segments for each presentation. With so large a group, most of the time in the formal sessions involved listening to series of presentations; however, during discussion periods the participants asked several challenging questions of one another. Some participants noted the tension they felt between belonging to a particular religious group and the need to let go of any consequential narrowness. The goal of the discussion was to promote understanding of the differences and similarities between Christianity and Buddhism. At one point, the participants noted several concerns about mutual enrichment: whether Buddhist methods can be separated from Buddhism and Christian methods from Christianity, and what specific aspects of Christian practice truly enrich Buddhists and which Buddhist practices likewise enrich Christians. Several times participants discussed their understanding of terms such as transformation, grace, the incarnation and the passion of Jesus, discernment of spirits, prayer, Buddha-nature, and related terms. There was consensus that Buddhists and Catholics can practically help one another regarding mental cultivation and religious precepts. They expressed this consensus in their choice of the topic forthe next dialogue, "Transformation of Hearts and Minds: Chan/Zen-Catholic Approaches to Precepts."The group agreed to reconvene in 2004 to respond to six presentations, three from each side, on different aspects of this topic. Chairing the sessions were Rev. Heng Sure for the Dharma Realm Buddhist Association, Rev. Taigen Dan Leighton for the San Francisco Zen Center, and Bishop John Webster for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Their three organizations are the sponsors of the Northern California Chan/Zen-Catholic Dialogue. Chan and Zen are respectively the Chinese and Japanese terms for the meditation school...