shi sherry | MahaChulalongkornRajavidyalaya University (original) (raw)

Drafts by shi sherry

This article is the end part of “The Ontology and the Transformation of Consciousness”. This arti... more This article is the end part of “The Ontology and the Transformation of Consciousness”. This article is to introduce theories related with the world. K. Popper put forward the theory of three worlds, who might get inspired from G. Frege’s idea. The theory of three worlds is: the first world is material world; the second world is the spiritual world; the third world is the conceptual world full of logical relations and evidence, etc.[ Sir Karl Raimund Popper, Objective Knowledge: An Evolutionary Approach, 1972, Rev. ed.1979, ISBN 0198750242, 波普尔著，舒炜光等译：《客观知识——一个进化论的研究》（上海：上海译文出版社，1987年），页164-165.] Popper later tent to call three worlds as World 1, World 2 and World 3. According to Popper, no matter John Locke or Descartes, their knowledge system was nothing but subjectivity. Their knowledge system was different from the material world, which was the spiritual production of human, so they did not admit the World 3. They always explored the source and foundation of knowledge from the subjective side. Most humanity scholars belong to this type.[ Ibid.] Popper emphasized that it was necessary to separate World 3 from World 2. By separating the objective content of thoughts from mental process of thoughts, World 3 is set up. This is a key point for Popper’s multiple philosophy.

Tiantai School is a large school in China, which not only has a long history in Chinese Buddhism,... more Tiantai School is a large school in China, which not only has a long history in Chinese Buddhism, but also has transmitted to overseas areas, such as Hongkong, Taiwan, Japan, and European countries. This book is about the history of Tiantai School's teaching, which is different from the history of Tiantai School which the translator had translated before, so it is mainly about the history of Tiantai teaching on the basis and background of the writer's personal knowledge and understanding, which could not represent the entire Tiantai teaching history in a broad manner or in a specific manner. This book includes six chapters, with content including source and features of Tiantai teaching, historical development of Tiantai teaching in different periods, the development of Tiantai teaching in the period between 1840 and 1949, etc. The sixth chapter is rather valuable, because it is about the Tiantai teaching development in the period when China was invaded by foreign countries, which is difficult to collect information and is rare for record materials. May this book inspire scholars and readers in the study on Tiantai teaching.

Chinese Buddhism as a significant transmission product of Buddhism around the world has played an... more Chinese Buddhism as a significant transmission product of Buddhism around the world has played an influential role in the entire history of global Buddhism and has made contribution to Chinese traditional culture and other aspects for China's development. The study on Buddhism has been mainly focused on academic sense, Buddhist studies especially popular in Japan and western countries. For Buddhism in China, only some topics aroused the attention of some scholars of the world as a whole.

Tiantai School is a great Buddhist school in Chinese Buddhism, which is also called Fahua School,... more Tiantai School is a great Buddhist school in Chinese Buddhism, which is also called Fahua School, or Nature School. The actual founder of this school is Master 智顗 Zhiyi (538-597). This article has 19 chapters, with content ranging from thought source, referent scriptures, predecessors, founder, inheritors, developers, changes and debates, relationship with other schools, integration with Chinese traditional culture, and its influence, etc. This article properly displays the characteristics of Tiantai thoughts, historical development, cultural background, social influence, etc. The structure of this article is well-organized, the content is clearly-illustrated, the materials is plentiful, and the argumentation is logical. May this article be helpful and inspiring for scholars and Buddhists. Tiantai School is a great Buddhist school in Chinese Buddhism, over 1500 years of history. It is necessary to make study on the history and thoughts of Tiantai School. As a Buddhist school, Tiantai School not only formed independent monastic economy, monastic management disciplines, but also formed a complete theoretical system. Therefore, to write a general history of Tiantai School, it is necessary to make a complete illustration about its history, lineage, theoretical features, thought evolution, background, influence, etc.

This book is aimed to make a systematic and complete study on Master Yinguang’s thoughts and spir... more This book is aimed to make a systematic and complete study on Master Yinguang’s thoughts and spirit on the basis of the present study achievements. Master Yinguang is the 13th patriarch of Pure Land School. The study on Master Yinguang is not only important for the study on pure land thoughts, but is also helpful for the thought trend exploration of the entire Buddhism. However, in Buddhist studies of early 20th century, the study on Master Yinguang seemed to be ignored. Due to this, based on previous studies, the writer is attempted to make a systematic and complete illustration about Master Yinguang’s thoughts, which is expected to provide a convenient access to the study on Master Yinguang.

This article is a translation of Chinese drafted teaching given by Master Yingshun, a famous Chin... more This article is a translation of Chinese drafted teaching given by Master Yingshun, a famous Chinese monk in early 20 th century in China, who made great contribution to the development of Buddhism and was a great master in Buddhist theoretical study and cultivation. There are about twenty chapters in this article, with each as an independent Buddhist subject about Buddha Dharma. It is actually a general introduction about Buddha Dharma rather than a specific study on Buddha Dharma. Due to historical reasons and other writing factors, the translator would make some deletion of some sentences if necessary. Among twenty chapters, there are various Buddhist topics about Buddha Dharma, including the introduction of Triple Germs, the Buddha's doctrines, the introduction of some Buddhist concepts, such as sentient beings, karma, dharma realm, causes and effects, etc. In addition, it also introduces Buddha's disciples, and some important Buddha Dharma, such as Four Noble Truths, Eightfold Path, Dependent Arising, Middle Way, etc. At last, it also includes the enlightenment of all sentient beings, the methods to enlightenment, etc. In general, this article would provide a simple and overall outlook of Buddhism. However, due to the limited ability of the translator, there must be several mistakes and shortcomings in the article. May these not affect the understanding of Buddha Dharma as a whole. Buddha Dharma is the valuable asset the Buddha gives to us human beings, and the truth we must and need understand and practice sincerely and diligently. May this article inspire your readers and bring more wisdom and inspiration in life.

Yongming Yanshou is a great master in Chinese Buddhism, who made great contribution to the develo... more Yongming Yanshou is a great master in Chinese Buddhism, who made great contribution to the development of Buddhism in China as a whole. He is great in various aspects, whihc could be reflected in his articles. In this paper, the writer intends to translate four articles about the study on Master Yanshou, with the aim to see Master Yanshou's greatness and influence on ancient and modern Chinese Buddhism. These four articles include:
1. The Background, Value and Authenticity of Master Yanshou’s 四料简;
2. New Materials related with Master Yanshou’s Biography永明智觉禅师方丈实录；
3. Master Yanshou’s Cultivation on Dharma of Huayan School---A Study Focused on智觉禅师自行录；
4. Buddhist Thought Integration—A Study on Master Yanshou’s Buddhist Thoughts.
May these articles bring inspiration to the study on Master Yanshou.

In the development process of thousands of years, China created rich and colorful culture. Chines... more In the development process of thousands of years, China created rich and colorful culture. Chinese culture is the spiritual backbone of the continuity and development of Chinese nation, who once was in the top list of world civilization for a long period, and made great contribution to human civilization and advancement. There were some famous civilized ancient countries, among which only China still stands in the world and advances forward.
The first characteristics of communication history between China and Japan could be the long history, which was more than two thousand years as was recorded by words. Although there were some wars between the two countries, culture communication between Chinese people and Japanese never stopped. The second characteristics is extensive in content, which could cover, in narrow sense, philosophy, literacy, history, science, religion, education, arts, music, dance, calligraphy, physical education, architecture, artifact, gardening, local customs, etc.; in broad sense, it could cover material culture, regulation culture, spiritual culture, etc. The third characteristic is the far-reaching influence. The culture communication between China and Japan have influenced a lot in various areas, such as politics, economy, culture, thoughts, science, local customs, etc.
This translated article is a series of article collections related with the communication between China and Japan. There listed twenty-one articles or stories about the communication between Chinese and Japanese. They are all illustrated by detail from one specific person to one specific word or photo, so that these articles would offer a new and valuable assets and information for the study on the relationship between China and Japan.

In this phenomenal and mental combined world, nothing happens not merely by accident. The study o... more In this phenomenal and mental combined world, nothing happens not merely by accident. The study on Buddhist topics has been a hot field in many areas, such as Buddhist studies with psychological sense, philosophical sense, historical sense, ontological sense, estemological or cultural, social sense. Since the academic world has been interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary, the study on even one Buddhist topic might generate various new ideas, fresh and inspiring values. This translated material is attempted to take the study on Master Yanshou(904-976) for example, to explore the value and research history of Master Yanshou’s thoughts and cultivation, to apply new mindsets to make Master Yanshou’s thoughts and cultivation more meaningful and valuable in modern academic studies and social life.
Generally, this dissertation contains three parts, with 13 chapters in all.
In the first part is titled as the legendary life and great works, including three chapters. It tries to illustrate and display the splendid lifetime of Master Yanshou based on systematic analysis abut historical materials related with Master Yanshou. In this process, there are some disputable questions or questions to possibly arouse misunderstanding, which would be given necessary analysis with the aim to find out the truth.
The second part is about the integration thought and diligent cultivation, including four chapters. It is based on analyzing the historical background of integration and penetration and the source of such thought, to discuss and display the greatest feature of Master Yanshou’s thoughts, to focus on the core of One Mind, to integrate all thoughts of Buddhist schools, and to finally reach the integration and penetration among Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. In the sixth and seventh chapters, it tries to explore the practice of Master Yanshou’s thoughts, and to explore the characteristics of Master Yanshou’s perfect cultivations, such as openness and secular-benefited, as well as some extensive aspects, including Buddhist education, peaceful unity of the country, social harmony and the co-existence between the human and the nature, etc.
In the third part, it is titled as profound influence presented deeply along with the history, including four chapters. It is generally in historical order, from Five dynasties, Song dynasty, Yuan dynasty, Ming dynasty, Qing dynasty, and until modern times, and even overseas. It takes some important figures and events as examples, to systematically arrange and display the great influence of Master Yanshou’s thoughts and cultivation, and to reflect the high status and deep influence of Master Yanshou, especially the integration thought of all schools presenting integration a developing and changing trend.
It is hoped that by the illustration in three parts, this book would make readers to have a clear knowledge and understanding about Master Yanshou and his thoughts and cultivation.

This article was written by a Japanese scholar in Japanese, and was translated by Shi Jianhan, Zh... more This article was written by a Japanese scholar in Japanese, and was translated by Shi Jianhan, Zhong Xiusan, Ou Xianzu, and Lin Zhengzhao in Chinese. In order to transmit Buddhist vinaya in ancient China, I had a try to translate this article in English. There are altogether twelve chapters in this article, ranging from vinaya at the initial transmission period in China, vinaya popularity, the sinicization of vinaya, great vinaya masters in ancient China and their views and works related with vinaya, the development of bodhisattva vinaya in ancient China. The time is limited in the area of the initial transmission of Buddhism in East Han dynasty to the period of Qing dynasty, with not a comprehensive coverage of Buddhist vinaya development in China due to the writer's personal focus on the major trend of vinaya and bodhisattva vinaya, rather than the development process of vinaya in China, etc. Therefore, vinaya development in each period is not specifically illustrated. It is hopeful that this article would provide some valuable materials for the study on vinaya in ancient China.

In Sectarian Buddhist thoughts, defilement eradication theory is a topic difficult to understand.... more In Sectarian Buddhist thoughts, defilement eradication theory is a topic difficult to understand. This paper is attempted to explore defilement eradication theory in Sarvastivada School from the perspective of the structure of defilements, the dormant thought 随眠心(anuśaya kileśa), and the methods to eradicate defilements, etc.

This article is about the development process of calming and contemplation theory in Tiantai scho... more This article is about the development process of calming and contemplation theory in Tiantai school. It traces back to Indian Buddhism, in which there found some hints about the origin of calming and contemplation illustrated by the Buddha, with only different expressions, such as samatha or vipasyana. Zhi 止 and Guan 观 became an independent term in Tiantai School, which had different designations. The establishment of systematic Mahayana Zhi and Guan theory was made by Master Zhiyi 智顗, who inherited Mahayana Zhi and Guan theory from previous masters, such as Huiwen 慧文 and Huisi 慧思. By tracing back to the origin of Zhi and Guan theory and by exploring its development process in different schools, it could be seen that Tiantai Zhi and Guan theory really displays the prosperity of Mahayana Zhi and Guan thought, as well as the emphasis on mind cultivation. This implies that Tiantai Zhi and Guan not only achieves perfect in theory, but also deserves cultivation and verfication in practice, by combination of which people could achieve enlightenment and Buddhahood.

This article is about the philosophical annotation of direct seeing in Chan or Zen in Chinese Bud... more This article is about the philosophical annotation of direct seeing in Chan or Zen in Chinese Buddhism. Chan or Zen 禅, as a type of mediation or dhyāna, developed in Chinese Buddhism and finally became an independent Chan School. There are various types of Chan theory even in Chinese Buddhism, the most famous and systematic among which are two types: the north Chan with Shenxiu 神秀 as the representative and the south Chan with Huineng 慧能 as the representative. This article is about the philosophical annotation of direct seeing, which was also famous even in the Buddha's time, such as seeing the dharma and seeing the truth. This article is attempted to explore some philosophical annotation of direct seeing in Chan School, especially in Huineng's south Chan theory, which would be given analysis by three aspects: dissolving or emptying while accepting existence; direct seeing and the original state; pure direct seeing and the pure world. It is hoped that this article would provide some inspiration and interesting points about the study on Chan theory, especially Chan in Chinese Buddhism, to find out how Chinese Buddhists understand and verify the Buddha's teaching in Chinese tradition.

This paper is attempted to give a general introduction about precepts in Chan School, the topic a... more This paper is attempted to give a general introduction about precepts in Chan School, the topic about which is exciting and inspiring. Due to the common view that in Chan School in Chinese Buddhism, it is always misunderstood that Chan practitioners did not or did not need to cultivate precepts, so that some people even regard Chan practitioners as precept violators. This paper provides evidence that Chan theory and Chan practitioners are all consistent with precept cultivation, though it seems that their cultivation is not the same with those in Vinaya School, the latter more emphasis on precept characters and precept items. This paper focuses on the imageless precepts advocated in Platform Sutra by Master Huineng, and Master Baizhang in his Baizhang Pure Disciplines, who both became important Chan practitioners in Chan School, and emphasized precept cultivation. Their skillful claim for Chan cultivation and precept cultivation led Chan School to prosperity even in the hardest period. Therefore, it is better to set a good attitude or a right view toward Chan School, by discarding pre-injected wrong views. On the basis of right views toward Chan School, people would get benefit and joy from Chan cultivation, since Chan theory as the special teaching given by the Buddha only to Mahākaśyapa by only smiling without preaching a word. Therefore, it is inspiring to study Chan theory and cultivate Chan dharma with confidence and diligence.

When Buddhism was transmitted to China, the initial task is to translate Sanskrit texts into Chin... more When Buddhism was transmitted to China, the initial task is to translate Sanskrit texts into Chinese, so it could be said that scripture translation signals the transmission start of Buddhism in China. Scripture translation in China does not advance according to the evolution stages of Buddhism in India, but proceeded with Hinayana and Mahayana unanimously. Therefore, due to different time, location, conditions and manners, there might appear some contradiction in the aspects of content and tenets, etc., which made Buddhist beginners feel at loss. Motivated by these problems, in South and North dynasties, some virtuous monks were devoted to doctrine classification, who classified Buddhist scriptures into different types with systematic arrangement. The doctrine classification 判教 in Huayan School is characterized by five kinds of teachings: Hinayana teaching, Mahayana initial teaching, Mahayana final teaching, sudden teaching, perfect or round teaching. The doctrine classification in Huayan School is not merely referred to one sutra, but extensively referred to all kinds of scriptures. This paper is attempted to give a simple illustration about five kind of teachings in the aspects of the origin, concepts, ideas, cultivation, etc.

This series of articles are about the study on Master Xuanzhuang's achievements and influences, t... more This series of articles are about the study on Master Xuanzhuang's achievements and influences, together with some study in Luo Xianglin's 旧唐书僧玄奘传讲疏 and Liang Qichao's 关于玄奘年谱的研究, Master Dongchu's 玄奘大师生平年代考, which were regarded as complements of this series of study on Master Xuanzhuang.

Master Xuan Zhuang is one of the greatest high monks in China, unparalleled by any other one in C... more Master Xuan Zhuang is one of the greatest high monks in China, unparalleled by any other one in Chinese Buddhist history. Among many modern scholars' works, Master Xuan Zhuang is acclaimed as the most brilliant translator, the most greatest traveller, the most excellent international student, and the most splendid linguist, etc. All these designations are endowed for granted. When he came back from India, he received warm and unprecedented welcome by Emperor Taizong in Tang dynasty. It had become a hot topic to study on Master Xuan Zhuang even in early 1920s. Therefore, it is meaningful to collect these academic works by reference to some literatures to make study on the topics related with Master Xuanzhuang, such as his years of the important events, his travel to India, his lifetime, his translation, his influence, etc. The following eight articles are collected to make a general study on the years or ages of the important events related with Master Xuanzhuang.

The title of this dissertation is Birth and Death View in Saṃyuktāgama Sūtra, which would include... more The title of this dissertation is Birth and Death View in Saṃyuktāgama Sūtra, which would include the following three subjects: the view on the birth (jāti) and death (marana) phenomenon, the problems after death, and how to confront birth and death. These subjects are arranged as followed: the second chapter is about the dependent arising mechanism of birth and death continuity (pravratti), which illustrates the idea and the angle about birth and death phenomenon in Saṃyuktāgama Sūtra, as well as the reason to observe birth and death phenomenon from this angle. The third chapter is about birth and death view in Middle Way from the perspective of different situations after death, which illustrates the idea about after-death situation in Saṃyuktāgama Sūtra, the expression about birth and death view. Based on the second chapter and the third chapter, which included some entering points and observation about birth and death and life, and how to treat birth and death (jātimarana) in scriptures, then the fourth chapter and the fifth chapter respectively illustrated Buddha dharma cultivation under mundane and super mundane two systems to face birth and death. Modern theory about birth and death as a social thought trend makes people change from fear of death to reconsideration about death. This dissertation tries to enumerate views and practice abut birth and death in Saṃyuktāgama Sūtra, with the aim to provide another view and solution to face death in modern birth and death theory.

Essence, character and function as a kind of metaphysical mode appeared in the sixth or the seven... more Essence, character and function as a kind of metaphysical mode appeared in the sixth or the seventh century in Chinese Buddhist arena, which is the fundamental mode to interpret ontology and mind nature theory in Chinese Buddhism. Masters in Di Lun school which was based on Dasabhumi-sastra creatively put forward the thinking mode of essence, character, and function by combining Chinese philosophy and metaphysical thoughts in Indian Buddhism, and by integrating Buddhist thoughts in south and north dynasties. Masters in Di Lun school applied essence, character, and function to interpret the dependent accumulation thought, such as Ling Yu's (灵裕) 华严经文义记, S.4303 教理集成文献, and 法界图, etc., which illustrated four kinds of dependent accumulation, such as conditioned dependent accumulation, unconditioned dependent accumulation, svabhāva dependent accumulation, and dharma realm condition arising. Meanwhile, there are also some works such as Ling Yu's works, 融即相无相论, S.4303, S.613, etc., which combined "integrated essence" and "integrated character" with "essence, character and function" to interpret some thoughts about equality and integration of dharma realms. "Integrated essence" and "integrated character" together with "essence, character, and function" constitute four kinds of dependent accumulation as the interpreting mode, which are in complete conformity with "one mind, two methods and three greatnesses" in Mahāyānaśraddhotpadaśāstra 大乘起信论. Keyword: Di Lun school, integrated essence and integrated character, essence and character and function, Mahāsamnipātasūtra 大集经, dependent accumulation, integration and identity