Ethics, Meditation, and Wisdom

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin S. Whitaker ◽  
Douglass Smith
Keyword(s):  
Hand Washing ◽  
The Other ◽  
Pali Canon ◽  
Early Buddhism ◽  
Pāli Canon

The Pāli Canon presents a number of summaries of the Buddha’s teaching, one of the most concise being that of the Three Trainings (or Three Disciplines): ethics, meditation, and wisdom. The purpose of this chapter is to explicate the various formulations of these Three Trainings as well as to discuss their relationship to one another and other Pāli Buddhist teachings. Its focus is on the Pāli material of early Buddhism and Theravāda in particular. It discusses the Three Disciplines and their interrelations, along with analyses of what comes before the discipline, namely the ordinary worldling or person, and what comes after, namely the awakened person. The Three Trainings can be analytically divided, but the development of each reciprocates the development of the others. An illustration from the Pāli Canon, leaving out meditation, suggests that ethics and wisdom act ‘like one hand washing the other’.

scholarly journals A JANGADA DO SELF: USOS SOTERIOLÓGICOS DO EU E DO NÃO-EU NO BUDDHISMO ANTIGO

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (24) ◽  
pp. 279
Author(s):  
Felipe Nogueira de Carvalho
Keyword(s):  
Present Article ◽  
The Self ◽  
The Other ◽  
Pali Canon ◽  
De Se ◽  
The Buddha ◽  
Pāli Canon

O objetivo deste artigo é sugerir que os ensinamentos Buddhistas sobreanattā(não-eu) não devem ser entendidos como uma negação categórica do eu, mas fazem parte de uma estratégia soteriológica comumente empregada pelo Buddha, de utilizar algo como ferramenta para o seu próprio fim. Tomando o kamma(ação) como o elemento central que estrutura todos os ensinamentos, podemos pensar na identificação do eu como um tipo de ação. Algumas instâncias desta ação serão hábeis e condutoras à libertação, e outras inábeis e condutoras ao sofrimento. Com isso em mente, este artigo irá analisar algumas ações inábeis do eu e do não-eu em suttasselecionados do Cânone Pali, mostrando como se encaixam na estratégia do Buddha de se utilizar de elementos como ferramentas para o abandono desses próprios elementos. Nessa perspectiva, o eu não é negado em absoluto desde o início do caminho, mas aprende-se a usa-lo de forma hábil como um meio de abandoná-lo.THE RAFT OF THE SELF: SOTERIOLOGICAL USES OF SELF AND NOT-SELF IN ANCIENT BUDDHISM ABSTRACTThe purpose of this article is to suggest that the Buddhist teachings on anattā (not-self) should not be understood as a categorical denial of the self, but constitute a soteriological strategy commonly employed by the Buddha, of using something as tool for its own demise.Taking kamma (action) as the main framework that structure all the other teachings, we can think of self-identification as a kind of action. Some instances of this action will be skillful and will lead to liberation, while others will be unskillful and will lead to suffering.With this in mind, the present article will analyze some skillful actions of self and not-self in selected suttas of the Pali canon, showing how they fit into the Buddha’s overall strategy of using elements as tools for their own demise. In this perspective, the self is not denied from the beginning of the path, but one learns how to use it skillfully in order to let go of it.

scholarly journals A SKETCH ON NĀGĀRJUNA'S PERSPECTIVES ON "RELATION"

2016 ◽  
Vol 57 (133) ◽  
pp. 153-176
Author(s):  
Krishna Del Toso
Keyword(s):  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Change Theory ◽  
The Other ◽  
Pali Canon ◽  
New Perspective ◽  
Cambridge Change ◽  
Pāli Canon ◽  
The Way

ABSTRACT The aim of this paper is to provide a sketch on the way Nāgārjuna deals with the idea of 'relation'. The concept of 'relation' as expressed in the Pāli sources is here theoretically systematized according to three patterns: 1. (onto)logical, 2. strictly subordinative existential, 3. non-strictly subordinative existential. After having discussed Nāgārjuna's acceptance and treatment of these three patterns, particular attention is paid to the non-strictly subordinative existential relation. This kind of relation is meant to describe the way the factors of the conditioned co-origination are linked to each other and is exemplified by Nāgārjuna by means of the father-son bond. A possible way to explain the conditioned co-origination doctrine in the light of the father-son example is here suggested by having resource to the 'Cambridge change' theory. Even if in the Pāli Canon the non-strictly subordinative existential pattern is said to apply to all the other factors of the conditioned co-origination, there is no direct evidence that it concerns also the avidyā-saṃskāras link. It will be shown how Nāgārjuna, by applying it to the avidyā-saṃskāras link, seems to introduce a new perspective in the conditioned co-origination theory.

Buddha frees the disc of the moon (Candrasūtra)

1970 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 179-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ernst Waldschmidt
Keyword(s):  
The Other ◽  
The Sun ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Pali Canon ◽  
The Buddha ◽  
Pāli Canon

The Candimā-sutta or ‘discourse on the moon’ in the Samyuttanikāya of the Pali canon based on the Indian myth according to which eclipses of the moon as well as of the sun are caused by a demon named Rāhu ‘the Seizer’, who is supposed to try to lay hold of one or the other of the two planets at certain times. The Sutta reports that on such an occasion the god dwelling in the moon takes his refuge in the Buddha who successfully shows his power and pity by directing Rāhu emphatically to set the moon at once at liberty.

scholarly journals Potyczki Kryszny z Buddą. Kilka uwag o polemicznej wymowie Bhagawadgity wobec wczesnego buddyzmu

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-69
Author(s):  
Przemysław Szczurek
Keyword(s):  
Religious Thought ◽  
Pali Canon ◽  
Early Buddhism ◽  
Buddhist Doctrine ◽  
The Buddha ◽  
Pāli Canon

Krishna’s skirmishes with the Buddha. Remarks on the polemical meaning of the Bhagavadgītā towards early Buddhism: The paper discusses the issue of the confrontation of the Bhagavadgītā with some aspects of the early Buddhist doctrine as presented in the Pāli canon. The confrontation points to the Bhagavadgītā as being a poem of the (broadly understood) orthodox current of Indian religious thought, which also contains some polemical elements, these mostly addressed to the most powerful heterodox religious current in the first centuries B.C. (which is most probable the date of the Bhagavadgītā’s composition). Several parts of the famous Sanskrit poem are compared and confronted with the respective parts of the Pāli canon in order to demonstrate, firstly, the different approaches of both currents, mostly in ethics and metaphysics, and secondly, the Bhagavadgītā’s reaction to particular elements of early Buddhism. The first six chapters of the Sanskrit poem have been subjected to analysis in this respect.

scholarly journals Nierozróżniający wgląd w medytacji buddyzmu chan i jego wczesnobuddyjskie analogie

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-110
Author(s):  
Kamil Nowak
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Ideal Type ◽  
The Other ◽  
Chinese Buddhism ◽  
Chan Buddhism ◽  
Buddhist Meditation ◽  
Pali Canon ◽  
Buddhist Tradition ◽  
Pāli Canon ◽  
The Ideal

Undifferentiating insight in the Chan Buddhist meditation and its early Buddhist analogies: In the paper a comparative analysis of Chan Buddhist meditation and the early Buddhist meditation has been conducted. In the first part the meditational instructions present in Zuochan yi and the corresponding texts of Chinese Buddhism have been demonstrated. Subsequently, based on those texts, the ideal type of Chan Buddhist meditation is created. The second part consists of the analysis of Aṭṭhaka‑vagga with the corresponding motifs from the other Pali Canon Suttas. The last part consists of a comparative analysis of the ideal type of Chan Buddhist meditation and meditation as shown in Aṭṭhaka‑vagga. The whole of the analysis aims at demonstrating the topos common for the early Buddhist tradition and Chan Buddhism.

scholarly journals Kathāvatthu (“Points of Controversy”) as a Primary Source of Early Buddhist Philosophy

2021 ◽  
Vol 63 (12) ◽  
pp. 81-101
Author(s):  
Anastasiya V. Lozhkina
Keyword(s):  
Indian Philosophy ◽  
Large Body ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
Buddhist Literature ◽  
Buddhist Text ◽  
Pali Canon ◽  
Early Buddhism ◽  
Logical Method ◽  
Philosophical Texts ◽  
Pāli Canon

This article focuses on the under-researched Buddhist text Kathāvatthu (“Points of Controversy”) and aims to better determine its place within Indian philosophy. We consider how the text was compiled, its contents, and main characteristics (such as its genre, its classification lists – mātika). To understand some of those characteristics, we suggest viewing them as shared with the whole Pali Canon (a large body of heterogeneous texts, of which the Kathāvatthu is part). This article also illustrates the issues of translating religious and philosophical texts from the Pāli language. Particularly, we highlight that the Kathāvatthu belongs to the part of Pāli Canon known as the Abhidhamma Piṭaka, and consider how this influences the philosophical discourse presented in this text. We analyze the historical and philosophical content of the Kathāvatthu. We argue that such content of this work is consistently revealed in the discussion of issues controversial for the schools of Early Buddhism. At the beginning of the text, there are the most significant questions for Early Buddhism (about the subject (pudgala), about the one who has reached perfection – arhat). As we get closer to the end of the text, the importance of the issues discussed diminishes. Its final part contains the latest questions. The discussion in each question depends on the logical method of the eight refutations, the use of lists (mātika), and the position of the Theravada school to which the final version of the text belongs. In the article, special attention is paid to the determination of the Kathāvatthu genre. We conclude that the genre of this work can be considered as a unique example of religious and philosophical dialogue in Early Buddhist literature.

Gṛhastha in the Śramaṇic Discourse

Gṛhastha ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 58-74
Author(s):  
Oliver Freiberger
Keyword(s):  
The Other ◽  
Pali Canon ◽  
Pāli Canon

Stephanie Jamison suggests in her chapter of this volume that the Brahmanical authors of the Dharmasūtras borrowed the term gṛhastha from the śramaṇic discourse of the time. Aside from Aśoka’s inscriptions, this śramaṇic discourse may also be reflected in the earliest layer of the Buddhist Pāli canon. This chapter takes a closer look at these texts and its vocabulary for householders. A lexical survey shows that of the three most commonly used terms, gahaṭṭha (Sanskrit gṛhastha) is the least popular one. The other two, gahapati (Sanskrit gṛhapati) and gihin (Sanskrit. gṛhin) are much more common and also more clearly distinguished in their usage, with positive and negative connotations, respectively. The chapter suggests that precisely the fact that it was the least specific and most flexible term may have made gahaṭṭha/gṛhastha attractive for Brahmanical appropriation.

Alagadd?pama Sutta as a Scriptural Source for Understanding the Distinctive Philosophical Standpoint of Early Buddhism

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 111-123
Author(s):  
P. D. Premasiri
Keyword(s):  
History Of Philosophy ◽  
Pali Canon ◽  
Early Buddhism ◽  
Buddhist Doctrine ◽  
Philosophical Standpoint ◽  
History Of ◽  
Special Mention ◽  
The Common ◽  
The Buddha ◽  
Pāli Canon

The Alagadd?pama Sutta is the 22nd discourse of the Majjhima-nik?ya of the Pali canon. In the sutta itself it is mentioned that the Buddha’s delivery of this discourse was necessitated by the need to refute a wrong view held by one of his disciples named Ari??ha. Parallel versions of the sutta are found preserved in the Chinese ?gamas. The two main similes used in the sutta, those of the snake and of the raft, are referred to in the scriptures of a number of non-Therav?da Buddhist traditions as well, showing that the Buddhist doctrine represented in it is early and authentic and the message contained in the sutta was considered to be extremely significant by many early Buddhist traditions. The Alagadd?pama Sutta shows the Buddha’s role as one of the earliest thinkers in the history of philosophy who engaged in a critique of the craving for metaphysics and dogma frequently exhibited in those who propound worldviews. The Buddha did not value a belief or a worldview on grounds of the logical skill with which it was constructed but on grounds of the transformative effect it could have on the character of an individual and the sense of wellbeing it could promote. There are several discourses of the Pali canon which give prominence to this aspect of the Buddha’s teaching. Among them the Brahmaj?la Sutta of the D?gha-nik?ya and the A??hakavagga of the Suttanip?ta need special mention. The Buddha is seen to have consistently avoided engagement in speculative metaphysics, pointing out that the goal of his teaching goes beyond all such engagement. The Buddha himself distinguished his own worldview as a Teaching in the Middle (majjhena) avoiding the common tendency of humankind to be trapped by either of the two extremes, Eternalism or Annihilationism. These distinctive standpoints of the Buddha are all seen to be amply represented in the Alagadd?pama Sutta.

The Doctrine of the Buddha.

1932 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 867-896 ◽  
Author(s):  
Th. Stcherbatsky
Keyword(s):  
History Of Philosophy ◽  
The Other ◽  
Sixth Century ◽  
Comparative History ◽  
Axiom A ◽  
Pali Canon ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Buddha ◽  
Pāli Canon

We must be thankful to Professor Berriedale Keith for once more calling attention to the problem of the doctrine preached bythe Buddha. The problem is indeed important for the history of Indian civilization, as well as for the comparative history of philosophy. Was there or was there not a real philosophy, or, to use an expression of the late M. Émile Senart, “ une pensée maàtresse d'ellemêeme,” in the sixth century B.C. in India ? Professor Keith thinks it “ really impracticable to discover with any precision the doctrine which Buddha in fact expounded ”. The reasons for this despair are several. First of all, an extraordinary diversity of doctrine has developed from the teaching of the Buddha in the sixth century B.C.1 Professor Keith apparently thinks that if a doctrine has much developed, it becomes “ undiscoverable ”. I rather feel inclined to disbelieve such an axiom. A rotten seed will have no growth; but a seed strong and healthy may produce luxuriant vegetation. The other reason is more plausible. “ What assurance have we that the Pali Canon really represents the views of the Buddha with any approach to accuracy ? ” But, even if it contained the records of contemporary eyewitnesses, the scepticism of Professor Keith would not be shaken, for “we need”, he says, “ only remember the difficulties presented by the Aristotelian view of the doctrine of Plato ”—in order to disbelieve an eyewitness of the highest authority.

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