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Books by ANKUR BARUA

“Applied Buddhism” is the foundation of our true understanding of all the events occurring in nat... more “Applied Buddhism” is the foundation of our true understanding of all the events occurring in nature. The term “Applied Buddhism” explains how every person can relate Buddhist ideas in his or her daily life and in profession. This book is a humble endeavour to motivate the new learners and provide them first-hand guidance on the vastness of the Philosophical approach of Buddhism. This book is a simplified version and provides guidance on how to apply the principles of the Doctrine of the Buddha in our day to day life in an effective manner.

The term “Applied Buddhism” explains how every person can relate Buddhist ideas in his or her dai... more The term “Applied Buddhism” explains how every person can relate Buddhist ideas in his or her daily life and in profession. This book is a humble endeavour to motivate the new learners and provide them first-hand guidance on the vastness of the Philosophical approach of Buddhism. This book is a simplified version and provides guidance on how to apply the principles of the Doctrine of the Buddha in our day to day life in an effective manner.

In recent times, some of the new concepts that have evolved in Buddhism are Engaged Buddhism, Social Buddhism, Socially Engaged Buddhism and Green Buddhism. “Applied Buddhism” is an effort to integrate all these scattered aspects of Buddhism under one single and unified concept. Through this Applied Buddhism, one should be able to follow Buddhism without being a Buddhist.

“Applied Buddhism” is the foundation of our true understanding of all the events occurring in nat... more “Applied Buddhism” is the foundation of our true understanding of all the events occurring in nature. The term “Applied Buddhism” explains how every person can relate Buddhist ideas in his or her daily life and in profession. This book provides guidance on how to apply the principles of the Doctrine of the Buddha in our day to day life in an effective manner to enrich our phenomenal and mental cultivation.

Introduction Stem cells are blank cells that have the potential to develop into any type of cell ... more Introduction
Stem cells are blank cells that have the potential to develop into any type of cell in the body. Scientists are trying to harvest the cells before they have differentiated, then coax them into becoming certain types. These cell lines are colonies of embryonic stem cells of different types. There is a rapid and astonishing progress in the field of cloning since the making of “Dolly” – the first cloned sheep, a few years ago.

Advantages of Stem Cell Research and Cloning Technology
The Stem Cell Research may lead to cloning a whole human being. In that case, if we can accept surrogate motherhood as an ethically acceptable process, cloning is more or less the same. Cloned individuals need not be necessarily being identified with the donor. Even identical twins are different from each other, influenced by environment and other psycho-social factors. During cloning of various organs and bone marrow transplants, these organs would be an exact genetic match of the recipient and so there will be no rejection.

Disadvantages of Stem Cell Research and Cloning Technology
Every form of reproductive technology raises the question of human values, dignity, worth, jurisdictional rights. A person should not be used as a mere mechanical instrument. Human being is an unrepeatable entity. Cloned embryo may undergo mutation and can lead to the creation of a monster instead of a human being. Natural birth is a product of human love. In cloning, the values of love and human procreation are missing. It violates the principle of equality among human beings and principle of non-discrimination through selective eugenic dimension used for specific cloning.

Conclusions
The clone’s sense of self-worth or individuality or dignity would be difficult to sustain. From the religious perspectives Judaism and Islam support most forms of Stem Cell Research and Cloning. The Vatican has expressed sadness and dismay at the proposal for this human cloning venture by stating that this process of cloning violates the right of a human being to be conceived in human way. Buddhist Bioethics also discourages cloning technology due to the fact that there is no limit to human ambitions and no strict judicious control over Stem Cell Research and Cloning in many countries of the world.

Key words: Stem Cell, Cloning, Bioethics, Research, Theological, Religious

Initiated in India by the Sakyamuni Buddha, Buddhism has now become a world religion and at prese... more Initiated in India by the Sakyamuni Buddha, Buddhism has now become a world religion and at present, the Buddhist population is the third largest religious community in the world. Buddhism lasted over a thousand years in India, the land of its origin. But the supreme irony of the history of Indian Buddhism still remains with the unexplained question regarding what led to the disappearance of Buddhism from India. Many scholars of Indian history and religion are devoted to unraveling this puzzle. Due to the lack of historical and archeological evidence, the debate continues for centuries and there is no absolute consensus on this matter till date.

Since, the teachings of the Buddha is appreciated by people of every religion all across the world, everyone in India now wants a share of its merit. As a result, none of the concerned royal families or the religious communities in India is ready to own the responsibility for its disappearance.

However, this research explores the probable reasons for the gradual decline and subsequent disappearance of Buddhism from India. An attempt is also made at the end to arrange all these sequence of events in a chronological manner to understand the actual process of this decline.

The orgin of the Pāli language is rooted in the Prakrits, the vernacular languages, used in north... more The orgin of the Pāli language is rooted in the Prakrits, the vernacular languages, used in northern India during the Middle period of Indian linguistic evolution. Though Pāli is closely related to Sanskrit, but its grammar and structure are simpler. The Traditional Theravadins regard Pāli as the language in which the Buddha (historical – Sakyamuni Buddha) had given his discourses. However, in the opinion of leading linguistic scholars, Pāli was probably a synthetic language created from several vernaculars to make the Buddhist texts comprehensible to Buddhist monks living in different parts of northern India. Pāli language was also used to preserve the Buddhist canon of the Theravada Buddhist tradition, which is regarded as the oldest complete collection of Buddhist texts surviving in an Indian language. As Theravada Buddhism spread to other parts of southern Asia, Pāli as the language of the Buddhist texts spread along with it. Thus, Pāli became a sacred language in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. Pāli has been used almost exclusively for Buddhist teachings, although many other religious and literary works related to Buddhism were also written in Pāli. This book is designed to provide the basics of Pāli grammar and vocabulary to enable the reader to understand the discourses of the Buddha in original form.

This book provides first-hand guidance and adequate information on publication in indexed journal... more This book provides first-hand guidance and adequate information on publication in indexed journals. Due to paucity of space in most of the indexed journals, researchers are advised to be stringent with the use of language and make an attempt to express the maximum information by using optimum words in their research reports. This book is a simplified version and a ready guide on how to frame and conduct a health research, analyze the data and present the final report in an effective manner.

Buddhism has now involved wider participation by incorporating individuals from various occupatio... more Buddhism has now involved wider participation by incorporating individuals from various occupational fields and diverse religious backgrounds. In recent years, Hong Kong has become a platform for the exchanges of ideas among the Buddhist organizations in Greater China. The academic studies of Buddhism unite and facilitate exchange among organizations based in Taiwan, China and Hong Kong. Although the majority of Hong Kong Chinese believe in Buddhism or some folkloric forms of the religion, the higher-educated professionals have become Buddhists. The Hong Kong Government has also provided favorable support to Buddhism and all activities of the Buddhist organizations. The Birthday of the historical Gautama Buddha is an official holiday in Hong Kong and the activities organized to celebrate this auspicious event are attended by millions of people.

Key words: Mahayana, Theravada, Buddhism, Lantau, Wisdom, Monastery.

The cult of Amoghapāśa, originating from India, was widespread at Dunhuang and in Sichuan, Java, ... more The cult of Amoghapāśa, originating from India, was widespread at Dunhuang and in Sichuan, Java, Sumatra, Bali, Japan and received impetus from the Himalayan tradition as well as local adaptations. Though the Amoghapāśahṛdaya Mahāyāna-sūtra also describes the iconography in making images of this Bodhisatta, and the rituals attending the worship, but the study of images shows a wide variation in following these instructions. Numerous early appearances of Amoghapāśa images outside of India provide the evidence that widespread popularity of Amoghapāśa was not limited to surviving texts. The oppression associated with the revival of Hinduism followed by the Muslim invasion of the Gangetic plains had led to the widespread destruction of Buddhist monasteries and mass killing of Buddhist monks during the 12th Century CE. This had resulted in the extinction of this Amoghapāśa cult from India, which was its place of origin. However, the various traditions of representation of Amoghapāśa, which had evolved independently in India and East Asia during the eighth to tenth centuries6,7, need to be investigated in detail for better understanding of the history of evolution of Buddhist art and archeology.

Globalization is the latest expression of a long-standing strategy of development based on econom... more Globalization is the latest expression of a long-standing strategy of development based on economic growth and liberalization of trade and finance. Globalization leads to the globalization of economy and the homogenization of culture. It can undermine local cultures and disrupt traditional relationships in a society with the assumption that free trade will also to lead to a more democratic society.

Modern Buddhism has become an intrinsic part of a globalized world. With its philosophy of the way of life, it takes special place in human and cultural identity. Buddhism in modern times had already incorporated either other genuine Asian traditions or Western traditions and merged with the socio-cultural backgrounds of many countries across the world. Buddhism stresses the principle of interdependence which is also the foundation of globalization in economic interest.

An important truth is that no economic system is value-free. Every system of production and consumption encourages the development of certain values and discourages others. So, it is not possible for economics to be free of values when, in fact, it is rooted in the human mind.
The economic process begins with want, continues with choice and ends with satisfaction. All of these are functions of the mind. We need to give up our attachments to material wealth and conquer greed and obsession for social recognition at individual level in order to make the economy value free. The practice of ‘Dāna’ or ‘giving’ is the traditional Buddhist way of redistribution of wealth. Dāna is selfless giving. It is giving in the spirit of Non-clinging. Non-clinging is the Wisdom of Insight into the Insubstantiality (Anattā; Nairātmya) or Emptiness (Śūnyatā) of all things. The emphasis on ‘Dāna’ and merit-making is the Buddhist contribution to the healthy and uniform economic globalization.

Key words: Dāna, Globalization, Buddhism, Applied, Redistribution, Wealth, Economy.

Papers by ANKUR BARUA

In Buddhist perspective, the phenomenal and mental cultivations refer to the successful eradicati... more In Buddhist perspective, the phenomenal and mental cultivations refer to the successful eradication of greed, hatred and delusion. There is also no cultivation without discipline, concentration and wisdom. Although the mind is the dominant factor of all, yet only through the body and the mouth can its activities be manifested. Thus, all the three aspects are indivisible and inseparable from one another. Since, the body and the mind are correlated and inseparable from each other, the cultivation of the one aspect necessarily involves that of the other.

Key words: Cultivation, Integration, Phenomenal, Mental, Applied, Buddhism.

Buddhism is the only world religion which does not recognize nor non-recognize the presence of an... more Buddhism is the only world religion which does not recognize nor non-recognize the presence of any soul or self-entity. Whether a soul or a self-entity is present or absent was never answered by the Buddha. These questions are categorized as unanswered questions in Buddhism which the Buddha had insisted to be put aside (thapaniya) as they always lead to suffering and never address the issue of cessation of suffering. The Anatta teaching in Buddhism is not a doctrine of no-self, but a not-self strategy for shedding suffering by letting go of its cause that leads to the highest level of unlimited happiness. Without viewing anything as pertaining to “self” or “other”, we should recognize each phenomenon simply for what it is, as it is directly experienced and then perform the duty appropriate for it.

Key words: Self, Entity, Soul, Cultivation, Mind, Four Noble Truths.

The Yogācāra school of Buddhist thought was founded by the two brothers, Asanga and Vasubandhu in... more The Yogācāra school of Buddhist thought was founded by the two brothers, Asanga and Vasubandhu in the fifth century. The most famous innovation of the Yogācāra School was the doctrine of eight consciousnesses and it upheld the concept that consciousness (vijñāna) is real, but its objects of constructions are unreal. The key emphasis of Yogācāra is on insight meditation which is actually considered to be a means of abandoning delusions about the self and about the world. When the storehouse consciousness is finally transformed into the grand-mirror-like wisdom, it reflects the entire universe without distortion. This wisdom can perceive many objects accurately and simultaneously.

Key Words: Mind, Manas, Ālaya, Consciousness, Insight, Meditation.

Key words: Buddha, Globalization, Buddhism, Applied.

Modern Buddhism has become an intrinsic part of a globalized world. With its philosophy of the w... more Modern Buddhism has become an intrinsic part of a globalized world. With its philosophy of the way of life, it takes special place in human and cultural identity. Buddhism in modern times had already incorporated either other genuine Asian traditions or Western traditions and merged with the socio-cultural backgrounds of many countries across the world. Buddhism stresses the principle of interdependence which is also the foundation of globalization in economic interest.

Key words: Globalization, Buddhism, Applied, Wealth, Economy.

An important truth is that no economic system is value-free. Every system of production and consumption encourages the development of certain values and discourages others. So, it is not possible for economics to be free of values when, in fact, it is rooted in the human mind. The economic process begins with want, continues with choice and ends with satisfaction. All of these are functions of the mind. We need to give up our attachments to material wealth and conquer greed and obsession for social recognition at individual level in order to make the economy value free.
Modern Buddhism has become an intrinsic part of a globalized world. With its philosophy of the way of life, it takes special place in human and cultural identity. Buddhism in modern times had already incorporated either other genuine Asian traditions or Western traditions and merged with the socio-cultural backgrounds of many countries across the world. Buddhism stresses the principle of interdependence which is also the foundation of globalization in economic interest.

The practice of ‘Dāna’ or ‘giving’ is the traditional Buddhist way of redistribution of wealth. Dāna is selfless giving. It is giving in the spirit of Non-clinging. Non-clinging is the Wisdom of Insight into the Insubstantiality (Anattā; Nairātmya) or Emptiness (Śūnyatā) of all things. The emphasis on ‘Dāna’ and merit-making is the Buddhist contribution to the healthy and uniform economic globalization.