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Author: Heng-ching Shih
Publisher: Peter Lang Incorporated, International Academic Publishers
ISBN:
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 304
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Book Description
This fascinating book examines the syncretism of Ch'an (Zen) and Pure Land Buddhism in China. It discusses the syncretic character of Chinese culture and Buddhism. The doctrinal basis of the Ch'an-Pure Land syncretism is thoroughly investigated. As Yung-ming Yen-shou (905-975) is the instrumental figure for the promotion and popularization of the syncretism, the book fully examines his thought and influence. Analyzing the two distinctive types of Buddhist experiences, this book is the first on this subject ever published in English.
Author: Heng-ching Shih
Publisher: Peter Lang Incorporated, International Academic Publishers
ISBN:
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 304
Get Book
Book Description
This fascinating book examines the syncretism of Ch'an (Zen) and Pure Land Buddhism in China. It discusses the syncretic character of Chinese culture and Buddhism. The doctrinal basis of the Ch'an-Pure Land syncretism is thoroughly investigated. As Yung-ming Yen-shou (905-975) is the instrumental figure for the promotion and popularization of the syncretism, the book fully examines his thought and influence. Analyzing the two distinctive types of Buddhist experiences, this book is the first on this subject ever published in English.
Author: Chih I (Patriarch) , T'ien Ju (Zen Master), Thich Thi'en Tam(Dharma Master)
Publisher: The Corporate Body of the Buddha Educational Foundation
ISBN:
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 224
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Book Description
Buddhism, as a major religion and a way of life, is the subject of numerous books and commentaries. Yet the kernel of its teachings can be expressed in two major concepts: purity of Mind and practice. Traditional Pure Land teachings emphasize the three elements of Faith, Vows and Practice (Buddha Recitation) as the essential conditions for rebirth in the Pure Land -- in the Pure Mind. This approach is presented as the easiest, most expedient path for the majority of people in this day and age. These teachings are in harmony with other Pure Land traditions, such as Jodo Shinshu, in which shinjin, Faith, is ultimately defined as Mind -- the True Mind, encompassing Vows and Practice (Sanshin Jsshin). Pure Land is also in line with Zen, which sees all teachings as expedients, "fingers pointing to the moon" - the moon being the True Mind, the Mind of Thusness, always bright, pure and unchanging. In the same vein, the Dhammapada Sutra, a key text of the Theravada School, summarizes the teachings of the Buddha with the words: "Do not what is evil. Do what is good. Keep your Mind pure. Yet, purity of Mind cannot be achieved by study and verbalization alone. It can be attained only through determined practice. There is a story concerning the famous Chinese official and poet Po Chu-i which illustrates this point. One day, the official, passing along the road, saw a Zen monk seated on the branch of a tree preaching the Dharma. The following dialogue ensued: Official: "Old man, what are you doing in that tree, in such a precarious position? One misstep, and you will fall to your death!" Monk: "I dare say, Your Lordship, that your own position is even more precarious. If I make a misstep, I alone may be killed; if you make a misstep, it can cost the lives of thousands." Official: "Not a bad reply. I'll tell you what. If you can explain the essence of Buddhism to me in one sentence, I'll become your disciple. Otherwise, we will go our separate ways, never to meet again." Monk: "What an easy question! Listen! The essence of Buddhism is to do no evil, do what is good, and keep your Mind pure." Official: "ls that all there is to it? Even a child of eight realizes that!" Monk: "True, a child of eight may realize it, but, even a man of eighty cannot practice it!" Buddhism is Mind, Buddhism is practice -- it is praxis.•
Author: Master Sheng Yen
Publisher: 法鼓文理學院
ISBN: 9866443167
Category : Zen Buddhism
Languages : en
Pages : 47
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Book Description
Author: Ari C. Dy
Publisher: Anvil Publishing, Inc.
ISBN: 9712732010
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 283
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Book Description
Drawing on his personal experience of growing up exposed to the rituals of Chinese Buddhism, and yet embracing Catholicism and being ordained a Jesuit priest, Fr. Ari Dy ventures to examine Chinese Buddhism in the Philippines, analyzing its adaptation to the Philippines and its contribution to conceptions of Chinese identity.
Author: Mark L. Blum
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0198028989
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 502
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Book Description
In this book, Mark Blum offers a critical look at the thought and impact of the late 13th-century Buddhist historian Gyonen (1240-1321) and the emergent Pure Land school of Buddhism founded by Honen (1133-1212). Blum also provides a clear and fully annotated translation of Gyonen's Jodo homon genrusho, the first history of Pure Land Buddhism.
Author: James Harlan Foard
Publisher: Jain Publishing Company
ISBN: 0895810921
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 559
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Book Description
This collection includes the scholarship on one of the most important strains of Buddhism, the Pure Land Tradition. The essays trace its historical evolution from its origins in India through its development in China to medieval Japan.
Author: Thiền Tâm (Thích.)
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Buddhism
Languages : en
Pages : 356
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Book Description
Author: Charles B. Jones
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
ISBN: 0824879716
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 224
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Book Description
Chinese Pure Land Buddhism: Understanding a Tradition of Practice is the first book in any western language to provide a comprehensive overview of Chinese Pure Land Buddhism. Even though Pure Land Buddhism was born in China and currently constitutes the dominant form of Buddhist practice there, it has previously received very little attention from western scholars. In this book, Charles B. Jones examines the reasons for the lack of scholarly attention and why the few past treatments of the topic missed many of its distinctive features. He argues that the Chinese Pure Land tradition, with its characteristic promise of rebirth in the Pure Land to even non-elite or undeserving practitioners, should not be viewed from the perspective of the Japanese Pure Land tradition, which differs greatly. More accurately contextualizing Chinese Pure Land Buddhism within the landscape of Chinese Buddhism and the broader global Buddhist tradition, this work celebrates Chinese Pure Land, not as a school or sect, but as a unique and inherently valuable “tradition of practice.” This volume is organized thematically, clearly presenting topics such as the nature of the Pure Land, the relationship between “self-power” and “other-power,” the practice of nianfo (buddha-recollection), and the formation of the line of “patriarchs” that keep the tradition grounded. It guides us in understanding the vigorous debates that Chinese Pure Land Buddhism evoked and delves into the rich apologetic literature that it produced in its own defense. Drawing upon a wealth of previously unexamined primary source materials, as well as modern texts by contemporary Chinese Pure Land masters, the author provides lucid translations of resources previously unavailable in English. He also shares his lifetime of experience in this field, enlivening the narrative with personal anecdotes of his visits to sites of Pure Land practice in China and Taiwan. The straightforward and nontechnical prose makes this book a standby resource for anyone interested in pursuing research in this lively, sophisticated, and still-evolving religious tradition. Scholars—including undergraduates—specializing in East Asian Buddhism, as well as those interested in Buddhism or Chinese religion and history in general, will find this book invaluable.
Author: Charles B. Jones
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
ISBN: 1611808901
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 265
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Book Description
An introductory guide to the beliefs and key concepts of Pure Land Buddhism, the most widely practiced form of Buddhism in East Asia. Pure Land is a brief introduction to the history and practices of Pure Land Buddhism, a popular and growing global tradition. Pure Land practices center on Amitābha Buddha, rebirth in his pure buddha-land, and the guaranteed attainment of buddhahood. It constitutes the dominant tradition of most Buddhists in East Asia and is the most common form of practice within immigrant Buddhist communities in America, yet it remains elusive to many general readers of Buddhism. This brief introduction summarizes the core teachings of this tradition and charts its growth throughout the world. Part of the Buddhist Foundations series, Pure Land covers the spiritual tenets behind the tradition before describing how prayer and devotion to Amitābha allow for rebirth in a realm free from suffering and ideal for progress on the path to enlightenment. It then outlines specific Pure Land practices, all the while providing historical context to account for its widespread popularity throughout East Asia. The author also covers contemporary Pure Land traditions, providing a useful touch point for modern readers. Pure Land practitioners and readers interested in Asian-American Buddhist communities now have a concise guide to the ideas, practices, and origins of this widely popular spiritual tradition.
Author: Patriarch Yin Kuang
Publisher: The Corporate Body of the Buddha Educational Foundation
ISBN:
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 107
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Book Description
After the demise of the historical Buddha, His teachings spread in two main directions, southward (Theravada tradition) and eastward into China, Vietnam, Ko- rea, Japan (Mahayana tradition). In East Asia, these teachings developed into ten different schools, several of which remained important to this day: Zen, Tantric and Pure Land. Pure Land is by far the most widespread form of Buddhism in East Asia. All these schools teach the same basic truth: “Do not what is evil, do what is good, keep the mind pure.” True to this spirit, the Pure Land approach is simple and straightforward. Through mindfulness of the Buddha (i.e. Buddha Recitation), the practitioner can calm his mind and achieve samadhi and wisdom. Thus reborn in the Pure Land (i.e., in his pure Mind), he will eventually attain Buddhahood. This is also the core teaching, the very essence, of Zen and all other Mahayana schools. As D.T. Suzuki has pointed out, “the psychological effects of the repetition of the holy name are close to the effects of Zen meditation.” This notwithstanding, the main emphasis of the Pure Land school lies elsewhere. Pure Land provides a safety net, a refuge of last resort for everyone, through the compassion of Amitabha Buddha – through His Vows. Taken together, these two concepts of the Pure Land – as Mind and as a transcendental land – “effectively brought ... within the reach of all men the deliverance taught by Sakyamuni” (Allan A. Andrews). But why do we have to purify the mind and seek deliverance? It is because in the wasteland of Birth and Death, subject to the three poisons of greed, anger and delusion, we all undergo suffering – the ultimate suffering being, of course, death. Echoing this conclusion, a well-known American professor made this observation about the motivation of Western Buddhists: Probably the majority of non-Orientals who become practicing Buddhists do so because of an overriding need for relief from suffering. Sometimes the suffering is physical, but more often it is emotional and often psychosoma- tic. The individual practicing meditation, chanting, or any kind of Buddhist “self-cultivation” is motivated by a need for symptomatic relief, mitigation of anxiety and depression, reduction of hostility ... (Emma McCloy Layman, Buddhism in America, p. 269) This is precisely why Buddha Sakyamuni, when preaching the Four Noble Truths to Kaundinya and his friends, taught them first the Truth of Suffering. The letters of Master Yin Kuang address this issue squarely. If you are suffering and if you realistically discover that you have only average motivation, fortitude and self-discipline, then Pure Land is for you. Pure Land is about suffering and the liberation from suffering. This book consists of excerpts of selected letters by the Patriarch Yin Kuang [...]. Each letter can be considered a unit in itself [...]. Please note that in this text, the expressions “Buddha Recitation” and “Buddha’s name” refer specifically to Amitabha Buddha. [...] Here, then, are the letters of the Patriarch Yin Kuang. We hope the Western reader will enjoy and benefit from them, as several generations of Eastern readers have. As a Zen Master has written in another context, “read them once, read them twice and look for the same thing that Bodhidharma brought to China: look for the print of the Mind.”
