Phra Payutto and Debates ‘On the Very Idea of the Pali Canon’ in Thai Buddhism

2009 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Seeger
Keyword(s):  
Significant Role ◽  
Religious Beliefs ◽  
Focal Point ◽  
Public Intellectual ◽  
Theravada Buddhism ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
Pali Canon ◽  
And Function ◽  
Meaning And Function ◽  
Pāli Canon

In this paper I investigate a number of public intellectual debates in current Thai Theravada Buddhism that are related to several fundamental questions regarding the meaning and function of the Pali canon. The focal point of this investigation will be debates in which the Thai scholar monk Phra Payutto (b. 1939) has been playing a significant role. In these debates, the Pali canon is regarded as a central text endowed with special normative and formative authority. I will look at contestations that concern Theravada-ness and, at the same time, and inextricably linked with this, at concepts of demarcation to systems of religious beliefs and practices that are believed to be ‘outside’ Theravada. This, of course, engages the question of inclusivism, exclusivism and pluralism within Theravada. In so doing, I explore and posit concepts on the meanings and functions of the Pali canon that position it either as the or an authoritative reference.

Buddhist scriptures for Non-Buddhists The Pāli Canon - an overview

1995 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-190
Author(s):  
M. Clasquin
Keyword(s):  
Theravada Buddhism ◽  
Pali Canon ◽  
History Of ◽  
Pāli Canon

AbstractThis article discusses the history and structure of the Pali canon (Tipiţaka). The main sections of this, the canonical scripture of Theravada Buddhism, are outlined, placed in context and displayed in diagram format. The role and history of the Pāli language are also discussed.

scholarly journals Religion and Conservation: A Review of Use and Protection of Sacred Plants and Animals in Nepal

2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 61-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ghanashyam Niroula ◽  
N.B. Singh
Keyword(s):  
Significant Role ◽  
Religious Beliefs ◽  
Animal Species ◽  
Science And Technology ◽  
Spiritual Values ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
Religious Importance ◽  
The Way

The objective of this paper is to examine the socio-cultural and spiritual values of plants and animals. It focuses on how religious beliefs and practices affect the way these species are understood, utilized and managed. Large number of plant and animal species with religious importance has been found to be conserved and protected in Nepal. Religious prospect has played a significant role in conservation of plants and animals.Journal of Institute of Science and Technology, 2015, 20(2): 61-66

scholarly journals Situating the Concept of Mindfulness in the Theravāda Tradition

Asian Studies ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 13-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamara DITRICH
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Theoretical Background ◽  
Special Role ◽  
Theravada Buddhism ◽  
Meditation Practice ◽  
Buddhist Meditation ◽  
Pali Canon ◽  
Buddhist Practice ◽  
Philosophical Framework ◽  
Pāli Canon

Mindfulness plays a prominent role in traditional and modern Buddhist meditation practice. This paper examines the theoretical background of the concept of mindfulness (sati) as presented in the early Buddhist sources, recorded in Theravāda Buddhism. It outlines the definitions and presentations of mindfulness (sati) in the Pāli Canon and examines how it is embedded within the fundamental models of Buddhist discourse. Then it investigates mindfulness within the philosophical framework of the Abhidhamma, where it is presented as one of the mental factors (cetasika) involved in cognitive processes; it outlines its characteristics, functions, conditions, and compatibility with other mental factors, which occur as components within the interdependent processes of consciousness (citta). The article shows how mindfulness has a special role as a component on the Buddhist path to liberation from suffering (dukkha) and how it is integrated within the soteriological and ethical goals of Buddhist practice. 

scholarly journals The fivefold eye of the Buddha in Pāli Canon and Commentaries

2021 ◽  
Vol 06 (01) ◽  
pp. 29-42
Author(s):  
A. Nanda
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Historical Development ◽  
Theravada Buddhism ◽  
Social Challenges ◽  
Buddhist Literature ◽  
Textual Study ◽  
Pali Canon ◽  
Extensive Search ◽  
The Buddha ◽  
Pāli Canon

In the early strata of Buddhist literature, the Buddha is depicted as the man perfected, who is sometimes referred as ‘one who endowed with eye’ (cakkhumanta). (Suttanipāta verses 160, 405 & 540; Dīghanikāya II 123, 166, 167 & 256; Dhammapāda verse 273). ‘Endowed with eyes’ could be interpreted as ‘spiritual insight’ or ‘wisdom’. In the later Pāli literature, this concept was allegorically referred to as ‘fivefold’. However, the epithet has not always been associated with the Buddha, and other mendicants were often referred to as cakkumanta (Dīghanikāya II 254; Dhammapāda verse 273). For example, in the Mahāsamaya sutta of Dīghanikāya, it had been used to describe monks in general. In the modern field of the Theravāda Buddhalogy, less attention has been given to the concept of the fivefold eye of the Buddha. An extensive search for scholarly works in this area will startle a serious researcher by its glaring omission. A brief mention is found in Toshiichi Endo’s book on ‘Buddha in Theravāda Buddhism: A Study of the Concept of Buddha in the Pāli Commentaries’ (2002). He touched on the concept as explained in the Pāli commentaries, skipping over the issue of origins and development of the concept. Therefore, my primary goal here is (i) to explore the concept of the fivefold eye of the Buddha in the Pāli commentaries, and (ii) to attempt to trace its origins and development. I argue that the fivefold eyes of the Buddha developed in the process of apotheosis of the Buddha, which was prompted by emerging challenges of different religious and social challenges, particularly devotionalism of Brahmanism. It is a textual study. The main source of this study is Pāli canon and commentaries. It also referred to the Mahāvastu-Avādana in order to show a historical development and a comparative analysis of the fivefold eyes of the Buddha.

Conception and intrauterine life in the Pāli Canon

2000 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 301-311 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathieu Boisvert
Keyword(s):  
Research Effort ◽  
Theravada Buddhism ◽  
Major Research ◽  
Intrauterine Life ◽  
Pali Canon ◽  
Buddhist Tradition ◽  
The Moment ◽  
Pāli Canon

This article is part of a major research effort to investigate childhood in Theravāda Buddhism. Because the Buddhist tradition understands birth to be the emergence of the first consciousness in the mother's womb, birth takes place at the time of conception. Thus, age is calculated from the moment of conception. Research on childhood cannot neglect intrauterine life. This article analyzes various canonical passages that refer to conception and life in the womb. The article will look at the "three prerequisites" for conception, analyze various stories that do not adhere to these set criteria and clarify various Pāli terms with reference to embryology. This study permits us to map out four different usages of the imagery associated with conception and intrauterine life.

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