Buddhist Images of Human Perfection

Buddhist Images of Human Perfection PDF Author: Nathan Katz
Publisher: Motilal Banarsidass Publ.
ISBN: 9788120806474
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 360

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Book Description
All forms of Buddhism--The Theravada, the Mahayana and the Vajrayana--affirm the perfectability of the person, and one finds this notion of perfection embodied in three images; the arahant, the bodhisattva and the mahasiddha. Reader also finds, in scholarly treatments of Buddhism, much made of the perceived differences among these three `vehicles` (yana). By close textual analysis as well as by extensive field work, Katz criticizes this emphasis on difference and prefers to treat Buddhism as a whole, a position he finds in accord with the teachings of both Buddhists and Buddhist texts. By a close examination of these three images of human perfection, bridges among the Theravada, the Mahayana and the Vajrayana are built and continuities within Buddhism are explored. This comparison involves pioneering discussions of Buddhist philosophy of language and hermeneutics, which are facilitated by Katz`s familiarity with Pali, Sanskrit and Tibetan Buddhist texts as well as his sympathetic involvement with the living Buddhist tradition.

Buddhist Images of Human Perfection

Buddhist Images of Human Perfection PDF Author: Nathan Katz
Publisher: Motilal Banarsidass Publ.
ISBN: 9788120806474
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 360

Get Book Here

Book Description
All forms of Buddhism--The Theravada, the Mahayana and the Vajrayana--affirm the perfectability of the person, and one finds this notion of perfection embodied in three images; the arahant, the bodhisattva and the mahasiddha. Reader also finds, in scholarly treatments of Buddhism, much made of the perceived differences among these three `vehicles` (yana). By close textual analysis as well as by extensive field work, Katz criticizes this emphasis on difference and prefers to treat Buddhism as a whole, a position he finds in accord with the teachings of both Buddhists and Buddhist texts. By a close examination of these three images of human perfection, bridges among the Theravada, the Mahayana and the Vajrayana are built and continuities within Buddhism are explored. This comparison involves pioneering discussions of Buddhist philosophy of language and hermeneutics, which are facilitated by Katz`s familiarity with Pali, Sanskrit and Tibetan Buddhist texts as well as his sympathetic involvement with the living Buddhist tradition.

The Notion of Diṭṭhi in Theravāda Buddhism

The Notion of Diṭṭhi in Theravāda Buddhism PDF Author: Paul Fuller
Publisher: Psychology Press
ISBN: 9780415342933
Category : Buddhism
Languages : en
Pages : 280

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Book Description
The notion of 'view' or 'opinion' (ditthi) as an obstacle to 'seeing things as they are' is a central concept in Buddhist thought. Through its argument this book makes a valuable addition to the study of Buddhist philosophy.

An Introduction to Buddhism

An Introduction to Buddhism PDF Author: Peter Harvey
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 0521859425
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 551

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Book Description
Extensively revised and updated, this book provides a comprehensive overview of the development of Buddhism in Asia and the West.

Women in Pāli Buddhism

Women in Pāli Buddhism PDF Author: Pascale Engelmajer
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317617983
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 241

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Book Description
The Pāli tradition presents a diverse and often contradictory picture of women. This book examines women’s roles as they are described in the Pāli canon and its commentaries. Taking into consideration the wider socio-religious context and drawing from early brahmanical literature and epigraphical findings, it contrasts these descriptions with the doctrinal account of women’s spiritual abilities. The book explores gender in the Pāli texts in order to delineate what it means to be a woman both in the context in which the texts were composed and in the context of their ultimate goal - that of achieving escape from the round of rebirths. The critical investigation focuses on the internal relationships and dynamics of one tradition and employs a novel methodology, which the author calls "critical sympathy". This assumes that the tradition’s teaching is valid for all, in particular that its main goal, nibbāṇa, is accessible to all human beings. By considering whether and how women’s roles fit within this path, the author examines whether women have spiritual agency not only as bhikkhunīs (Buddhist nuns), but also as wives and mothers. It offers a new understanding that focuses on how the tradition construes women’s traditional roles within an interdependent community. It aims to understand how what many scholars have seen as contradictory and inconsistent characterizations of women in Buddhism have been accepted and endorsed by the Pāli tradition. With an aim to show that the Pāli canon offers an account of women that is doctrinally coherent and consistent with its sociological facts, this book will be of interest to students and scholars of Buddhism and Asian Religion.

Metaphor and Literalism in Buddhism

Metaphor and Literalism in Buddhism PDF Author: Soonil Hwang
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134254350
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 177

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Book Description
Soonil Hwang studies the doctrinal development of nirvana in the Pali Nikaaya and subsequent tradition and compares it with the Chinese aagama and its traditional interpretation. He clarifies early doctrinal developments of Nirvana and traces the word and related terms back to their original metaphorical contexts, elucidating diverse interpretations and doctrinal and philosophical developments in the abhidharma exegeses and treatises of Southern and Northern Buddhist schools. The book finally examines which school, if any, kept the original meaning and reference of Nirvana.

Omniscience and the Rhetoric of Reason

Omniscience and the Rhetoric of Reason PDF Author: Sara L. McClintock
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 086171931X
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 442

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Book Description
The great Buddhist scholars Santaraksita (725 - 88 CE.) and his disciple Kamalasila were among the most influential thinkers in classical India. They debated ideas not only within the Buddhist tradition but also with exegetes of other Indian religions, and they both traveled to Tibet during Buddhism's infancy there. Their views, however, have been notoriously hard to classify. The present volume examines Santaraksita's Tattvasamgraha and Kamalasila's extensive commentary on it, works that cover all conceivable problems in Buddhist thought and portray Buddhism as a supremely rational faith. One hotly debated topic of their time was omniscience - whether it is possible and whether a rational person may justifiably claim it as a quality of the Buddha. Santaraksita and Kamalasila affirm both claims, but in their argumentation they employ divergent rhetorical strategies in different passages, advancing what appear to be contradictory positions. McClintock's investigation of the complex strategies these authors use in defense of omniscience sheds light on the rhetorical nature of their enterprise, one that shadows their own personal views as they advance the arguments they deem most effective to convince the audiences at hand.

The Historical Buddha

The Historical Buddha PDF Author: Hans Wolfgang Schumann
Publisher: Motilal Banarsidass Publ.
ISBN: 9788120818170
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 306

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Book Description
No man has had a greater inflience on the spiritual development of his people than Siddartha Gautama. Born in India in the sixth century BC into a nation hungry for spiritual experience, he developed a religious and moral teaching that, to this day, brings comfort and peace to all who practise it. This comprehensive biography examines the social, religious and political conditions that gave rise to Buddhism as we now know it.

Dukkha

Dukkha PDF Author: Madura Venkata Ram Kumar Ratnam
Publisher: Discovery Publishing House
ISBN: 9788171416530
Category : Buddhism
Languages : en
Pages : 218

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Book Description
This book on Dukkha: Suffering in Early Buddhism gives an introduction to the concept of suffering, deals with the analysis of suffering in non-Buddhist system, examples the components of suffering in early Buddhism, identifies the origin of suffering and discusses about deliverance. Contents: Introduction, Duhkha in Indian Philosophy, Conception of Dukkha in Early Buddhism, Origin of Dukkha, Means of Deliverance from Dukkha, Nibbana, Conclusions.

Jataka Stories in Theravada Buddhism

Jataka Stories in Theravada Buddhism PDF Author: Naomi Appleton
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317111249
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 202

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Book Description
Jataka stories (stories about the previous births of the Buddha) are very popular in Theravada Buddhist countries, where they are found in both canonical texts and later compositions and collections, and are commonly used in sermons, children's books, plays, poetry, temple illustrations, rituals and festivals. Whilst at first glance many of the stories look like common fables or folktales, Buddhist tradition tells us that the stories illustrate the gradual path to perfection exemplified by the Buddha in his previous births, when he was a bodhisatta (buddha-to-be). Jataka stories have had a long and colourful history, closely intertwined with the development of doctrines about the Buddha, the path to buddhahood, and how Buddhists should behave now the Buddha is no more. This book explores the shifting role of the stories in Buddhist doctrine, practice, and creative expression, finally placing this integral Buddhist genre back in the centre of scholarly understandings of the religion.

Destroying Mara Forever

Destroying Mara Forever PDF Author: John Powers
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
ISBN: 1559393416
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 322

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Book Description
A thought-provoking collection of essays on Buddhist ethics by some of the leading thinkers in the field. The reader is provided with engaging explorations of central issues in Buddhist ethics, insightful analyses of the ways Buddhist ethical principles are being applied today in both Asian and Western countries, and groundbreaking proposals about how Buddhist perspectives might inform debates on some of the core ethical issues of the modern world, including consumerism, globalization, environmental problems, war, ethnic conflict, and inter-religious tensions. The leading figure in identifying the field of Buddhist ethics and articulating some of its core issues is Professor Damien Keown of the University of London. This book brings together a group of eminent scholars who have all been influenced by Keown's work and who are also friends and close colleagues. The result is a wonderful volume for those who are struggling with practical issues of ethical concern. This will be a valuable resource in the study of ethics for years to come.