Download or read book Buddhist Images of Human Perfection written by Nathan Katz and published by Motilal Banarsidass Publ.. This book was released on 1989 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Buddhist Images of Human Perfection written by Nathan Katz and published by . This book was released on 1989 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Six Perfections written by Dale Stuart Wright and published by Oxford University Press on Demand. This book was released on 2009 with total page 299 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides a guide to the six perfections, a set of Buddhist teachings designed to transform human character.
Download or read book Mapping the Buddhist Path to Liberation written by Jianxun Shi and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021-04-15 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Due to the diversity in Buddhism, its essence remains a puzzle. This book investigates the Buddhist path to liberation from a practical and critical perspective by searching for patterns found in the Pāli Nikāyas and the Chinese Āgamas. The early discourses depict the Buddhist path as a network of routes leading to the same goal: liberation from suffering. This book summarizes various teachings in three aspects, provides a template theory for systematically presenting the formulas of the sequential training of the path, and analyses the differences and similarities among diverse descriptions of the path in the early Buddhist texts. By offering a comprehensive map of the Buddhist path, this book will appeal to scholars and students of Buddhist studies as well as those practitioners with a serious interest in the Buddhist path.
Download or read book Linguistic Approach to Buddhist Thought written by Genjun Sasaki and published by Motilal Banarsidass Publ.. This book was released on 1986 with total page 230 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dr. Sisir Kumar Mitra's book, entitled The Early Rulers of Khajuraho constitutes a welcome addition to the existing literature on the history of the Candellas of Bundelkhand. He gives a comprehensive and fascinating account of the varied activities of this distinguished family of rulers, based on a minute and detailed study of the material which he collected with great industry and thoroughness from diverse sources, indigenous and foreign, literary and archaeological. Though most of his data have been compiled from epigraphic sources, he is not over-zealous in his estimate of the importance and reliability of inscriptional material which he examines as critically as any piece of literary gerated. he has discussed the controversial issues connected with his subject without any bias. His chapters on administrative, social, economic and religious history will be specially useful to those interested in the compilation of epigraphic material bearing on the evolution of ancient Indian culture.
Download or read book Paranormal States written by D. E. Osto and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2024-09-10 with total page 206 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A number of converts to Buddhism report paranormal experiences. Their accounts describe psychic abilities like clairvoyance and precognition, out-of-body experiences, near-death experiences, and encounters with other beings such as ghosts and deities, and they often interpret these events through a specifically Buddhist lens. This book is a groundbreaking exploration of these phenomena and their implications for both humanistic and scientific study of the paranormal. D. E. Osto examines accounts of paranormal phenomena experienced by convert Buddhists from around the world collected through an online survey and interviews, placing them in the context of Indian Buddhist sources and recent scientific research. They focus in detail on the life stories of two interviewees and the important role the paranormal has played in their lives. These contemporary first-person narratives demonstrate the continued importance of the psychic and paranormal within the Buddhist tradition, and they can be interpreted as a living Buddhist folklore. Osto considers the limitations of both traditional religious views and Western scientific studies of the paranormal and proposes instead a new Buddhist phenomenological approach. Ultimately, Paranormal States contends, these deeply mysterious and extraordinary experiences exceed current understandings—and they can help bridge the gap between religious and scientific worldviews.
Download or read book Buddhist Christian Dialogue as Theological Exchange written by Ernest M Valea and published by James Clarke & Company. This book was released on 2015-10-29 with total page 253 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is intended to encourage the use of comparative theology in contemporary Buddhist-Christian dialogue as a new approach that would truly respect each religious tradition's uniqueness and make dialogue beneficial for all participants interested in a real theological exchange. As a result of the impasse reached by the current theologies of religions (exclusivism, inclusivism, and pluralism) in formulating a constructive approach in dialogue, this volume assesses the thought of the founding fathers of an academic Buddhist-Christian dialogue in search of clues that would encourage a comparativist approach. These founding fathers are considered to be three important representatives of the Kyoto School - Kitaro Nishida, Keiji Nishitani,and Masao Abe - and John Cobb, an American process theologian. The guiding line for assessing their views of dialogue is the concept of human perfection, as it is expressed by the original traditions in Mahayana Buddhism and Orthodox Christianity. Following Abe's methodology in dialogue, an Orthodox contribution to comparative theology proposes a reciprocal enrichment of traditions, not by syncretistic means, but by providing a better understanding and even correction of one's own tradition when considering it in the light of the other, while using internal resources for making the necessary corrections.
Download or read book A Comparative Study of Don Juan and Madhyamaka Buddhism written by Mark Macdowell and published by Motilal Banarsidass Publishe. This book was released on 1981 with total page 152 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The publication of Carlos Castaneda`s works on the teachings of Don Juan, a yaqui Indian seer, was a momentous event in the history of esoteric literature. At the time of their publication, the author was engaged in the study of Indian philosophy, with special reference to the Madhyamaka Buddhism, as formulated and expounded by Nagarjuna. The author was struck by the profound similarities between the teachings of Don Juan and Nagarjuna--in particular concerning Samvrti and Paramartha of Madhyamaka and the Tonal and Nagual of Don Juan and the concept of categorical frameworks. This recognition on his part prompted him to compose the present work. The author has chosen to write in a manner and style intelligible to the non-specialiist and yet an inquiring reader. The essential unity of human experience is clearly demonstrated by the fact that human beings widely separated in space, time, language and culture, discern, at their wisest, the same fundamental truths concerning man and the world.
Download or read book The Hidden God written by Peter Baekelmans and published by Angelico Press. This book was released on 2022-05-27 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Theology" means "discourse about god." Christian theology is a reflection on the Christian faith in which God takes a central place. Therefore, the Christian theology of other religions seeks to understand if and how "God" as Christians call their experience of Him may be present in the thought, devotion, and ritual of those other religions. Christian theology of Buddhism is then a Christian reflection on the Buddhist faith in "god" or "gods." Now, Buddhist teaching contains many seeming contradictions (as does Christian teaching). Accepting these, and looking for clues to understand how they came about and how they might be reconciled, is not only an intellectual challenge but also a religious duty. The Hidden "God" feels like a detective story, taking the reader along on an exacting investigation of the manifold themes, concepts, and persons of the different Buddhist faith traditions in order to discern whether they can be related to the Christian understanding of who God is. The result, which is both complex and simple, will enable readers to take steps toward uniting both religions in the mystery that God or the Dharma is.
Download or read book Faces of Compassion written by Taigen Dan Leighton and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2012-05 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Formerly published as Bodhisattva archetypes: classic Buddhist guides to awakening and the modern expression.
Download or read book Buddhism written by Peter Harvey and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2001-07-05 with total page 349 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This collection of essays examines ten core themes from a comparative perspective and thus provides an integrated introduction to the social and spiritual values at the centre of Buddhist thought. Following an introductory chapter, the themes covered are moral decision making, worship, myth and history, the role of women, attitudes to nature, sacred writings, beliefs about human nature, rites of passage, sacred place and the depiction of the divine. Each chapter concludes with a list of recommended further reading.
Download or read book Early Buddhist Meditation written by Keren Arbel and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-03-16 with total page 253 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book offers a new interpretation of the relationship between 'insight practice' (satipatthana) and the attainment of the four jhànas (i.e., right samàdhi), a key problem in the study of Buddhist meditation. The author challenges the traditional Buddhist understanding of the four jhànas as states of absorption, and shows how these states are the actualization and embodiment of insight (vipassanà). It proposes that the four jhànas and what we call 'vipassanà' are integral dimensions of a single process that leads to awakening. Current literature on the phenomenology of the four jhànas and their relationship with the 'practice of insight' has mostly repeated traditional Theravàda interpretations. No one to date has offered a comprehensive analysis of the fourfold jhàna model independently from traditional interpretations. This book offers such an analysis. It presents a model which speaks in the Nikàyas' distinct voice. It demonstrates that the distinction between the 'practice of serenity' (samatha-bhàvanà) and the 'practice of insight' (vipassanà-bhàvanà) – a fundamental distinction in Buddhist meditation theory – is not applicable to early Buddhist understanding of the meditative path. It seeks to show that the common interpretation of the jhànas as 'altered states of consciousness', absorptions that do not reveal anything about the nature of phenomena, is incompatible with the teachings of the Pàli Nikàyas. By carefully analyzing the descriptions of the four jhànas in the early Buddhist texts in Pàli, their contexts, associations and meanings within the conceptual framework of early Buddhism, the relationship between this central element in the Buddhist path and 'insight meditation' becomes revealed in all its power. Early Buddhist Meditation will be of interest to scholars of Buddhist studies, Asian philosophies and religions, as well as Buddhist practitioners with a serious interest in the process of insight meditation.
Download or read book Sexualities in Buddhist Narrative Iconography and Ritual written by Serinity Young and published by Psychology Press. This book was released on 2004 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Courtesans and Tantric Consorts, Serinity Young takes the reader on a journey through more than 2000 years of Buddhist history, revealing the colourful mosaic of beliefs that inform Buddhist views about gender and sexuality.
Download or read book An Introduction to Buddhist Ethics written by Peter Harvey and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2000-06-22 with total page 504 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A systematic introduction to Buddhist ethics aimed at anyone interested in Buddhism.
Download or read book Holy People of the World 3 volumes written by Phyllis G. Jestice and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2004-12-15 with total page 1044 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A cross-cultural encyclopedia of the most significant holy people in history, examining why people in a wide range of religious traditions throughout the world have been regarded as divinely inspired. The first reference on the subject to span all the world's major religions, Holy People of the World: A Cross-Cultural Encyclopedia examines the impact of individuals who, through personal charisma and inspirational deeds, served both as glorious examples of human potential and as envoys for the divine. Holy People of the World contains nearly 1,100 biographical sketches of venerated men and women. Written by religious studies experts and historians, each article focuses on the basic question: How did this person come to be regarded as holy? In addition, the encyclopedia features 20 survey articles on views of holy people in the major religious traditions such as Islam, Buddhism, and African religions, as well as 64 comparative articles on aspects of holiness and veneration across cultures such as awakening and conversion experiences, heredity, gender, asceticism, and persecution. Whether exploring by religion, culture, or historic period, this extensively cross-referenced resource offers a wealth of insights into one of the most revealing—and least explored—common denominators of spiritual traditions.
Download or read book Manual of Indian Buddhism written by Hendrik Kern and published by Motilal Banarsidass Publ.. This book was released on 1989 with total page 172 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Buddhism is a religion of universal peace and concord. The present book fulfils its aim by placin emphasis on the facts in relation to this aspect of the creed.The book is divided into five sections. Section I is Introductory. It recounts in particular the sacred books of the Buddhists, literature subsidiary to the canon the period of Origin of buddhism and Indian thoughts and ideals contemporaneous with it. Section II deals with the life of Buddha from conception birth the childhood to Parinirvana cremation and partition of the relics.
Download or read book Women in P li Buddhism written by Pascale Engelmajer and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-10-17 with total page 157 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
