The Role of rules in personal development and interpretations of the Vinaya in western countries (original) (raw)
Related papers
Jr. Donald S. Lopez - Critical Terms for the Study of Buddhism (2009)
University Of Chicago Press, 2009
Over the past century, Buddhism has come to be seen as a world religion, exceeding Christianity in longevity and, according to many, philosophical wisdom. Buddhism has also increasingly been described as strongly ethical, devoted to nonviolence, and dedicated to bringing an end to human suffering. And because it places such a strong emphasis on rational analysis, Buddhism is considered more compatible with science than the other great religions. As such, Buddhism has been embraced in the West, both as an alternative religion and as an alternative to religion. This volume provides a unique introduction to Buddhism by examining categories essential for a nuanced understanding of its traditions. Each of the fifteen essays here shows students how a fundamental term—from art to word—illuminates the practice of Buddhism, both in traditional Buddhist societies and in the realms of modernity. Apart from Buddha, the list of terms in this collection deliberately includes none that are intrinsic to the religion. Instead, the contributors explore terms that are important for many fields and that invite interdisciplinary reflection. Through incisive discussions of topics ranging from practice, power, and pedagogy to ritual, history, sex, and death, the authors offer new directions for the understanding of Buddhism, taking constructive and sometimes polemical positions in an effort both to demonstrate the shortcomings of assumptions about the religion and the potential power of revisionary approaches. Following the tradition of Critical Terms for Religious Studies, this volume is not only an invaluable resource for the classroom but one that belongs on the short list of essential books for anyone seriously interested in Buddhism and Asian religions.
Buddhism Briefly Explained - second revised edition
This book introduces Buddhism by describing its approach to spiritual development and those who undertake the Buddhist path. It aims to make Buddhism more easily understood by those who might be unfamiliar with its objectives – and this task is made easier by the pragmatic ways in which Buddhism meets our enduring urge for happiness. Among the various spiritual traditions that have been developed over the past three thousand years to relieve humans of their suffering and distress, Buddhism is perhaps the most methodical, practical and comprehensive. As a function of its essential tolerance and loving kindness, the Buddhist tradition is expressed in a variety of forms that recognise different individual needs, and diverse cultural environments throughout the world. Our appreciation of this tradition, as it expands in the West, will increase as we understand some of its insights and key principles of spiritual development.
The Maha Bodhi, 2024
In Pali Buddhism which is generally called Theravāda Buddhism, the religious education focused more on moral-spiritual development of life. Due to the advent of Mahāyāna Buddhism at the hands of the philosophers like Nāgārjuna, Asaṅga and Vasubandhu, the focus of Buddhist education changed to metaphysical knowledge of non-essentialist and idealist kind. Similarly when Buddhism had interaction with other philosophical systems, the philosophers like Diṅnāga and Dharmakīrti brought logico-epistemological discussions at the centre of the Buddhist education. The first part of the note will be concerned with understanding the notion of Buddhist education from Pali sources. The second part will be concerned with the Mahāyānist and logico-epistemological turn the Buddhist education took. In the third part I will hint at the challenges posed by modernity before Buddhist education.
RELI 226 INTRODUCTION TO BUDDHISM
Concordia University
Office hours: Tuesdays, 1-2 p.m by appointment Course Description This course surveys Buddhism from its early history to contemporary practice. It introduces students to the various forms of Buddhism such as Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana. The spread of Buddhism outside of India during the early medieval period will be discussed through the examination of subsequent developments of Buddhist experiences in Tibet, China, Vietnam, and Japan. We will begin the course with a brief discussion of how Buddhism has been studied and reconstructed in the West. We will then examine some of the fundamental Buddhist doctrines that are shared in common by all Buddhists. In addition, other areas of interest such as Buddhist architecture and art will be explored, as well as how Buddhist ideals and beliefs are expressed through worship, pilgrimage, and meditation. In short, the goal of this course is to familiarize students with the history of the development of various schools of Buddhism in India and other countries, and how Buddhist doctrines, social regulations, and objects of religious art are understood, represented and practiced in contemporary times. Course Readings 1.An anthology (coursepack) of articles and book chapters has been prepared for this course. It can be purchased at the Concordia University Book Store. 2. Additional handout materials will be posted on Moodle. Assignments and Evaluation Assignments of various types will be given for assessment so that each student will have a chance to use their own strong skills to shine. Essay assignments will help students foster their abilities to think, read and write critically.
CONTENTS The online pagination 2012 corresponds to the hard copy pagination 1992 Abbreviations............................................................................vii List of Illustrations.....................................................................ix Introduction...............................................................................xi T.H. Barrett Devil’s Valley to Omega Point: Reflections on the Emergence of a Theme from the Nō..............................1 T.H. Barrett Buddhism, Taoism and the Rise of the City Gods................13 L.S. Cousins The ‘Five Points’ and the Origins of the Buddhist Schools...27 P.T. Denwood Some Formative Inf1uences in Mahāyāna Buddhist Art…...61 G. Dorje The rNying-ma Interpretation of Commitment and Vow…..71 Ch.E. Freeman Saṃvṛti, Vyavahāra and Paramārtha inthe Akṣamatinirdeśa and its Commentary by Vasubandhu….................................97 D.N. Gellner Monk, Househo1der and Priest: What the Three Yānas Mean to Newar Buddhists...................................................115 C. Hallisey Councils as Ideas and Events in the Theravāda…………....133 S. Hookham The Practical Implications of the Doctrine of Buddha-nature……................................................................149 R. Mayer Observations on the Tibetan Phur-ba and the Indian Kīla ........................................................................163 K.R. Norman Theravāda Buddhism and Brahmanical Hinduism: Brahmanical Terms in a Buddhist Guise……………..............193 References...............................................................................201
syllabus: Introduction to Buddhism -- A Fictional Approach
Certain worldviews are more comfortable than others with what might be called the fictionality of reality. Buddhism, with its notions of impermanence, dependent origination, emptiness, non-self, etc., may be understood in this light, and, therefore, this course is organized around the theme of fictionality. Under this theme, we shall explore (1) how Buddhism reflects insight into the contingency, constructedness, and fictionality of human reality, (2) how “Buddhism” itself may be understood as constructed—including both (a) Western academic representations of Buddhism as a “world religion,” reception of Buddhism by Western practitioners, and fictional depictions of Buddhism in mass media and (b) the variety of Asian Buddhisms, and (3) how the plurality of Buddhisms, both Western and Asian, reveals and reinforces insight into the fictionality of reality, including Buddhism itself.