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Books > Religion & Spirituality > Non-Christian religions > Religions of Indic & Oriental origin > Buddhism
This is the first translated and edited collection of the most significant scripture from the Buddhist literature of South Asia. It was on the basis of this collection that the English speaking reader became acquainted with the 'Bible of Tibet'. This collection still represents the most complete collection of Buddhist teachings and remains indispensable today.
Also Available as a Time Warner AudioBook and as a Digital Audiobook Download It is my hope that the reader of this small book will take away a basic understanding of Buddhism and some of the key methods by which Buddhist practitioners have cultivated compassion and wisdom in their lives. The methods discussed have been taken from three sacred texts of Buddhism. I would like to stress at the outset, however, that one doesn’t have to be a Buddhist to make use of these meditation techniques. Meditation is merely the process whereby we gain control over the mind and guide it in a more virtuous direction. Meditation may also be thought of as a technique by which we diminish the force of old thought habits and develop new ones. Yet the techniques themselves do not lead to enlightenment or a compassionate and open heart. That is up to you, and the effort and motivation you bring to your spiritual practice.
This book suggests that previous critiques of the rules of Buddhist monks (Vinaya) may now be reconsidered in order to deal with some of the assumptions concerning the legal nature of these rules and to provide a focus on how Vinaya texts may have actually operated in practice. Malcolm Voyce utilizes the work of Foucault and his notions of 'power' and 'subjectivity' in three ways. First, he examines The Buddha's role as a lawmaker to show how Buddhist texts were a form of lawmaking that had a diffused and lateral conception of authority. While lawmakers in some religious groups may be seen as authoritative, in the sense that leaders or founders were coercive or charismatic, the Buddhist concept of authority allows for a degree of freedom for the individual to shape or form themselves. Second, he shows that the confession ritual acted as a disciplinary measure to develop a unique sense of collective governance based on self regulation, self-governance and self-discipline. Third, he argues that while the Vinaya has been seen by some as a code or form of regulation that required obedience, the Vinaya had a double nature in that its rules could be transgressed and that offenders could be dealt with appropriately in particular situations. Voyce shows that the Vinaya was not an independent legal system, but that it was dependent on the Dharmasastra for some of its jurisprudential needs, and that it was not a form of customary law in the strict sense, but a wider system of jurisprudence linked to Dharmasastra principles and precepts.
This book explores a number of themes in connection with the concept of Emptiness, a highly technical but very central notion in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism. It examines the critique by the leading Nyingma school philosopher Mipham (1846-1912), one of Tibet's brightest and most versatile minds, formulated in his diverse writings. The book focuses on related issues such as what is negated by the doctrine of emptiness, the nature of ultimate reality, and the difference between 'extrinsic' and 'intrinsic' emptiness. These issues continue to be the subject of lively debate among contemporary exponents of Tibetan Buddhist thought. Karma Phuntsho's book aptly undertakes a thematic and selective discussion of these debates and Mipham's qualms about the Gelukpa understanding of Emptiness in a mixture of narrative and analytic style. For the first time, a major variant understanding of Emptiness to the Gelukpa interpretation that has become dominant in both Tibet and the West is revealed.
This exceptional work of scholarship is the work of the scholar who brought the world "The Tibetan Book of the Dead" and an equally important work entitled "Tibet's Great Yogi Milarepa," This book, perhaps the most valuable in the trilogy, exposes the deeds of some of the principal yogas and meditations which many of the most illustrious Tibetan and Indian philosophers, including Tulopa, Naropa, Marpa, and Milerepa, employed in attaining Right Knowledge.
This work shows how the Mahayanistic views of life and the world differs markedly from that of the Theravada, which is generally taken as Buddhism by occidentals, to explain how the religion of Buddha has adapted itself to its environment in the Far East. For this purpose, out of thirteen Japanese sects, the Zen sect has been singled out, not only because of the great influence it has exercised on the nation, but also because of the unique position it holds among the established religious systems of the world. As regards Japan, it was first introduced into the island as the faith for the Samurai or the military class, and molded the characters of many distinguished soldiers and statesmen.
The notion of "view" or "opinion" ("ditthi") as an obstacle to
"seeing things as they are" is a central concept in Buddhist
thought. This book considers the two ways in which the notion of
views are usually understood. Are we to understand right-view as a
correction of wrong-views (the opposition understanding) or is the
aim of the Buddhist path the overcoming of all views, even
right-view (the no-views understanding)? The author argues that
neither approach is correct. Instead, he suggests that the early
texts do not understand right-view as a correction of wrong-view,
but as a detached order of seeing, completely different from the
attitude of holding to any view, wrong or right.
David Webster explores the notion of desire as found in the Buddhist Pali Canon. Beginning by addressing the idea of a 'paradox of desire', whereby we must desire to end desire, the varieties of desire that are articulated in the Pali texts are examined. A range of views of desire, as found in Western thought, are presented as well as Hindu and Jain approaches. An exploration of the concept of ditthi(view or opinion) is also provided, exploring the way in which 'holding views' can be seen as analogous to the process of desiring. Other subjects investigated include the mind-body relationship, the range of Pali terms for desire, and desire's positive spiritual value. A comparative exploration of the various approaches completes the work.
This book provides a philosophical account of the major doctrinal
shift in the history of early Theravada tradition in India: the
transition from the earliest stratum of Buddhist thought to the
systematic and allegedly scholastic philosophy of the Pali
Abhidhamma movement. Conceptual investigation into the development
of Buddhist ideas is pursued, thus rendering the Buddha's
philosophical position more explicit and showing how and why his
successors changed it. Entwining comparative philosophy and
Buddhology, the author probes the Abhidhamma's metaphysical
transition in terms of the Aristotelian tradition and vis-a-vis
modern philosophy, exploiting Western philosophical literature from
Plato to contemporary texts in the fields of philosophy of mind and
cultural criticism. This book demonstrates that not only does a
philosophically oriented inquiry into the conceptual foundations of
early Buddhism give rise to a better understanding of what
philosophy and religion are qua thought and religion, but that it
also helps introduce innovative ideas and fresh perspectives into
the traditional Buddhological arena.
Hagiographies or idealized biographies which recount the lives of saints, bodhisattvas and other charismatic figures have been the meeting place for myth and experience. In medieval Europe, the "lives of saints" were read during liturgical celebrations and the texts themselves were treated as sacred objects. In Japan, it was believed that those who read the biographies of lofty monks would acquire merit. Since hagiographies were written or compiled by "believers," the line between fantasy and reality was often obscured. This study of the bodhisattva Gyoki - regarded as the monk who started the largest social welfare movement in Japan - illustrates how Japanese Buddhist hagiographers chose to regard a single monk's charitable activities as a miraculous achievement that shaped the course of Japanese history.
"The Politics of Buddhist Organizations in Taiwan" looks at a
relatively unexplored aspect of modern Taiwan: the influence of
religion on politics. Although much has been written on the
contribution of Christian churches to the debates on
self-determination and democratic tradition on the island, we know
less about the political influence on Buddhist organizations, which
claim together to attract over four million adherents. These
organizations exercise considerable influence in Taiwanese society
and yet their stand on relations across the Taiwan Strait, communal
harmony, economic and political liberalization, as well as the
creation of a welfare State, remains largely unexplored.
Zen Buddhism and Environmental Ethics explores the implications of Zen Buddhist teachings and practices for our moral relations with the natural world. At once an accessible introduction to Zen and an important contribution to the debate concerning the environmental implications of the tradition, this book will appeal both to readers unfamiliar with East Asian thought and to those well versed in the field. In elucidating the philosophical implications of Zen, the author draws upon both Eastern and Western philosophy, situating the Zen understanding of nature within the Buddhist tradition, as well as relating it to the ideas of key Western philosophers such as Aristotle, Kant and Heidegger. These philosophical reflections on Zen are used to shed light on some prominent debates in contemporary environmental ethics concerning such issues as the intrinsic value of nature.
How do contemporary Westerners and Tibetans understand not only what it means to be 'Buddhist', but what it means to be hailed as one from 'the West' or from 'Tibet'? This anthropological study examines the encounter between Western travellers and Tibetan exiles in Bodhanath, on the outskirts of Kathmandu, Nepal and analyses the importance of Buddhism in discussions of political, cultural and religious identity. Moran examines how Tibetans and Tibetan Buddhism are 'created' in the encounters taking place in Bodhanath and how Western Buddhists come to terms with their imagined, then reified culture and religion. Tibetan Buddhism has become Bodhanath's cultural product par excellence, it is not only a spectacle for foreign tourists to see, but a reminder of national-culture for displaced Tibetans. Special focus is given here to the ways in which Tibetan Buddhism has been presented as an object to be observed, reflected upon, and internalized by Western travellers, often at the feet of Tibetan lamas. perception of Tibetan Buddhism, as well as the practices and narratives through which Tibetan and Western Buddhist subjects are produced. Based on extensive field research in Nepal, Buddhism Observed questions traditional assumptions about Buddhism and examines the rarely considered phenomenon of Western conversions to a non-Western religion. Scholars of anthropology, religion and cultural studies will find here a refreshing insight into how to approach 'other' societies, religions and cultures.
In this user's guide to Psychedelic Buddhism, Lama Mike Crowley presents techniques for Buddhists who wish to incorporate psychedelics into their practice as well as for psychonauts who are interested in the maps of inner space provided by Buddhism. The author details how psychedelics have led to spontaneous awakening experiences, such as "Indra's net" and universal voidness, that were once thought to be available only to advanced meditators. He explores the use of psychedelics, such as LSD or psilocybin mushrooms, in a Buddhist context, sharing the kind of spiritual experiences and benefits that can be gained with each. The author also looks at the use of psychedelics encoded in Vedic and Buddhist scriptures, particularly in the Vajrayana tradition, from the Middle Ages until the present day. Presenting an informed summary of Buddhism for psychonauts, the author explores the key beliefs of Buddhism, the life of the Buddha, and the practices followed in various yanas, or paths. He describes meditation techniques, with special attention being given to the generation of the Four Positive Attitudes: loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity, each being taken from their personal to their universal forms. He looks at Buddhism symbols, ceremonies, deities, and initiations, as well as psychic powers in Buddhist tradition, and how these ideas and practices can be used in the exploration of the inner realms of consciousness. Providing a complete guide to integrating psychedelics into Buddhist practice, this book reveals how the ancient Buddhist teachers discovered their universal maps of consciousness and how you can use their wisdom to guide your journey.
This book discusses what is now called "Buddhism". It started as an effort to strengthen a weak point in that "immanence" which had become the accepted religious teaching in the valley of the Ganges, by showing that the "God/in/man" was realizable, not by gnosis and ritual, but in conduct. Conduct needed to be brought into relgion, into the relation between man and his eternal destiny. Man's being is more truly becoming; and only in and by becoming a More, will he attain to an actual, not potential Most. In teaching a More worth in conduction, Buddhism brought in a teaching of the man himself as Less.
A secret traveller to the Tibetan capital of Lhasa, the author was forced to live, dress and behave as a Tibetan in order to remain undetected. Because of his unique perspective, he was able to provide an excellent description of the diplomatic, political, military and industrial situation of the country in the 1920s.
The aphorisms collected in this book, first published in 1953, were composed by Patanjali, a great Indian sage, over 1,500 years ago, and here translated into clear English prose. The accompanying commentary interprets the sayings for the modern world, and in doing so gives a full picture of what yoga is, what its aims are, and how it can be practised.
The Zhenzheng lun (T 2112, Treatise of Revealing the Correct) is a Chinese Buddhist apologetic treatise with a distinct anti-Daoist stance in three juan. It is organized as a dialogue between a Daoist, the "Venerable Obstructed by Customs" (zhisu gongzi ), and the Buddhist "Master Revealing the Correct" (zhenzheng xiansheng ) in which the former is gradually led towards an orthodox Buddhist understanding by the latter through the refutation of his various arguments against Buddhism. Composed in the late 7th century, the text was authored depending on the political interests and strategies of Wu Zhao (624-705), who in 690 was enthroned as Empress Wu Zetian . This study of Thomas Julch offers a richly annotated and complete translation of the Zhenzheng lun along with an introductory part that focuses on reconstructing the political and propagandistic circumstances relevant to the understanding of the Zhenzheng lun.
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