Chinese Buddhism

Myriads of scholarly sources have studied various aspects of being a bodhisattva; yet few of them look into the practicability of the bodhisattva path in the modern era.  The present research discusses the notion of what a bodhisattva is, and investigates the Buddhist understanding of this concept and its praxis in a contemporary social context.  This study has adopted primary data sources which were produced by means of a mixed method, including a canonical analysis of the Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra, and qualitative fieldwork data, together with other first-hand data sources.  Canonical analysis has provided the theoretical discourse from the Mahāyāna perspective, focusing on the idea of prajñā; while the qualitative data, which were derived from interviews, validate the applicability of the theoretical discourse, namely, bodhisattva-mārga (the bodhisattva path).  The 46 interview sessions with individuals and focus groups involved Buddhist volunteers, helping service practitioners, beneficiaries, and Buddhist masters (totally 38 participants), who were recruited by cold calls, snowball effect, acquaintances, and electronic mailing.  The interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed for analysis through the paradigm of interpretative phenomenological analysis, in order to explore the informants’ lived experiences. In addition, this study was also supported by multiple sources, including visual art.  Ensuring the research rigour, different forms of triangulation were employed, covering member checking and peer analysis at an inter-rater reliability of 92%.  With the aid of ATLAS.ti 7, a computer-assisted software for qualitative data analysis which was used for both the canonical and the interview analyses, eight themes were grouped together, including bodhisattva, bodhicitta, catvāri apramānāni, roles, praxis, qualities, intensions, and causes of sickness, from which self-benefiting altruism (altruistic activities and other forms of help performed towards other people which result in benefit to oneself), representing what is referred to here as the bodhisattva spirit.  This research further differentiates between self-benefiting altruism and reciprocal altruism, reflecting the philosophical disparities in diverse cultures.  Therefore, it offers potential insight into Buddhist helping behaviour that contributes to the well-being of sentient individuals and the society.

Poceski, Mario. Introducing Chinese Religions. New York and London: Routledge, 2009. Also available in an e-book format, as Chinese Religions: The eBook (published by JBE Online Books), and in a Portuguese translation: Introdução às religiões chinesas, published by Fundação Editora da UNESP, Brazil, 2013.

This essay examines how nikāya traditions and early Mahāyānists understood the bodhisattva path. It makes the point that these traditions shared the understanding that it is only possible to enter the path in the presence of a living Buddha and that it is thus impossible for any person now living to do so. It argues that while Buddhists following nikāya traditions found a few ways to work around this problem, the authors of early Mahāyāna sūtras established a coherent bodhisattva tradition by using a bold approach to attribute bodhisattva status to their followers.

Because it is very helpful for the journal that published this paper to get "clicks", please click the following link: https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pdf/10.1086/716425.

This dissertation deals with the Buddhist dhāraṇī, mainly understood as the term selected by Indian Buddhism to assimilate the non-Buddhist notion of mantra. In the Introduction the two major categories of dhāraṇīs are defined, i.e., the ‘formulaic’
and ‘syllabic’ dhāraṇīs. In Chapter 1 the two sources for the emergence of dhāraṇīs are studied: the non-Buddhist source being focused on the non-Vedic, Vedic and Śaiva Tantric factors, and the Buddhist one being focused on several mainstream Buddhist and Mahāyāna factors. It continues with a study on the Dhāraṇī Scriptures’ emergence and their inclusion within Vajrayāna Tantras. Chapter 2 provides a detailed summary
on the traditional definitions of the dhāraṇī term, its synonyms, compound terms, and its pairing with other Dharma qualities. It is followed by a survey on how the dhāraṇī term is defined and classified according to key Indian Mahāyāna Sūtras and Śāstras,
and the Indo-Tibetan and East Asian Vajrayāna traditions. Chapter 3 is focused on the dhāraṇī practice, first dealing with its ethical basis, its non-ritual and ritual approaches, and its mundane and supramundane accomplishments, and then the main dhāraṇī practices are analysed intended for worldly and soteriological purposes. The dissertation closes with five Appendices including a study on a set of early Vedic mantras appearing within the Buddhist dhāraṇīs, an analysis of the ‘formulaic’ and ‘syllabic’ dhāraṇīs, a survey on mantras/dhāraṇīs accepted by several mainstream Buddhist schools, and another one on mantras/dhāraṇīs within Mahāyāna Scriptures,
and finally, a ‘References’ list providing a comprehensive and updated bibliography in several Western languages mainly focused on Buddhist mantras/dhāraṇīs.

The concept of principle is a traditional term in Chinese philosophy. However, it was not a distinguished notion before its use in Chinese Buddhism. Fayun(法雲,467-529) defines the concept of principle as a truth, real aspect, and the end of all teachings that only Buddha’s real wisdom can approach and  its contents are cause and effect of practice.  Zhiyi(智顗,538-597) criticized the fact that Fayun limited reaching  principle only through Buddha’s real wisdom, divided  Buddha’s teachings to real aspect and expedient way too strictly and split principle to cause and effect. According to Zhiyi, real aspect and expedient way are mutual. All Buddhist teaching can express the concept of principle and the principle is a name for a perfect and unitary term before our intellectual discrimination works.  Based on these arguments, the concept of principle becomes an undivided and fundamental notion of beings.

M.A. Thesis, Peking University (written in Chinese), 2009.
M.A. Degree in Classical Chinese Literature.

English Title: “The Influence of the Buddhist Ethical Ideas of Non-Injury and Body Sacrifice on the Tang Dynasty Short Stories--particularly focusing on the stories ‘Xue Wei’ and ‘Yang Sou’.”

Original Chinese Title: “不杀生”与“身体布施”佛教伦理观念对唐代小说的影响——以《薛伟》、《杨叟》故事为中心.”

Beijing: Peking University Library (北京大学图书馆), 020/M2009(58), July 2009.

Thesis defended before a M.A. thesis committee, Department of Chinese Language and Literature, Peking University 北京大学, May, 2009. Advised by: Prof. Yongqiang Liu (刘勇强)

M.A. Thesis Abstract:

        唐代经济的繁荣,国家的统一,使唐王朝成为当时世界上最强大的帝国之一。当时政治的开明,思想的活跃和多样性,加上异域文化、佛教的影响等因素,为唐代作家提供了良好的创作环境,使得唐代文学创作达到空前的高度。
　　 随着佛教的传入,印度的寓言、童话、小说故事以及佛经本生故事也传入了中国。唐代小说不少的故事借鉴了佛典故事,同时也自觉地应用了佛教教义及佛教伦理观念,这些对於唐代小说故事情节的布局与故事所包涵的创作意图皆有着关键性的影响。本文试图讨论佛典故事以及佛教伦理观念对唐代传奇小说的影响。
　　 第一章首先试图说明佛教伦理观念与佛经本生故事的关系,特别要注重“不杀生”及“身体布施”伦理观点在佛经故事裹的作用与表现。本章最後略说明佛教教义以及佛教伦理观念作为外来观念进入中国的情况。
　　 论文的第二章及第三章以两篇唐代的故事小说作为个案研究对象。通过对唐代传奇《薛伟》以及《杨叟》故事情节与其内容的考据分析与研究,试图解读这两篇唐代小说并试图说明它们与佛经故事的关系。其中第二章主要分析《薛伟》故事与“不杀生”及“放生”主题。第三章主要分析《杨叟》故事与“身体布施”、“舍身”主题。
　　 本文的核心研究对象是试图谈佛教伦理观念在佛经故事的特殊作用,并试图表明它们对唐代小说的影响。为了解释伦理观念在故事裹的作用的特殊作用,本文提出“佛教伦理宣验故事类型”解说.即认为佛教伦理观念在敍事模式上,情节布局以及在所表达的主题思想上等方面都有积极动机的成形关键作用。
　　 本文通过对作品的分析和仔细的解读说明,佛教教义的核心思想不仅仅是作为说教应用,也是一种在情节上非常有启发性的写作动机。

This article explores the literary genre of Buddhist bell inscriptions in Song Dynasty China and discusses them in the broader context of Song ‘bell culture.’ These inscriptions were written to commemorate the casting of a temple bell – an event of major significance for both the temple and the surrounding community – and therefore tended to be commissioned from famous writers and influential officials. Close reading of these inscriptions reveals that the prevailing image of Buddhist bells was shaped by both Song academic interest in bells as the preferred musical instruments of ancient rulers and a firm belief that tolling bells helped to advance Buddhist teaching. Some authors even insisted that the bell itself embodied the Buddhist principle of emptiness.

https://www.buddhistdoor.org/tc/mingkok/%E9%80%8F%E8%A6%96%E4%BD%9B% E7%B6%93%E8%AA%9E%E8%A8%80%E7%9A%84%E7%9C%9F%E7%BE%A9%E4%B8 %80%E4%BD%8D%E5%87%BA%E8%89%B2%E8%AA%9E%E6%96%87%E5%AD%B8% E5%AE%B6%E8%BE%9B%E5%B6%8B%E9%9D%9C%E5%BF%97%E6%95%99%E6%8E %88%E7%9A%84%E6%9C%AC%E9%A0%98

吐魯番隨葬衣物疏中五道大神與果願大德比丘解題

中文摘要        "版權所有 引用請註明出處"
        他界觀科層化現象，意即將他界的架構想像為與現世中國官僚制度相對映的信仰概念，普遍被學者視為是中國宗教裡的一個重要特徵。中國宗教中他界觀科層化現象，自漢代起，最早具體呈現在前漢與後漢墓葬如遣策、地券以及鎮墓文，其後為道教、佛教吸收，發展成在喪葬儀式中所使用的牒文等。本文研究在吐魯番所發現六、七世紀高昌時期現存最早佛教墓葬衣物疏形成的起源。雖然經過一千多年，六、七世紀高昌時期佛教衣物疏中，佛教法師與他界五道大神聯繫的文書形式內容，與現代台灣佛教喪葬使用的三寶司牒文相較，仍存在相當程度的類似性。雖然根據史料，在四、五世紀甚至更早以前佛教已盛行於吐魯番地區，不過在高昌時期以前，吐魯番地區的墓葬卻極少發現關於佛教的文物。以往學者如馬雍以為這可能是因為佛教只盛行於上層貴族之故。  根據衣物疏的內容與形式，韓森 (Valerie Hansen) 認為這些吐魯番佛教衣物疏，不僅是佛教僧侶介入信眾墓葬的證明，同時也顯示佛教也由中國傳入吐魯番。  這些學者解讀吐魯番地區墓葬的論點，基本上是建立在墓葬中顯示的宗教觀與死者生前的宗教信仰應該是一致的前提下。
        不過，在本文中，我質疑這個前提是否適用於所有佛教徒的墓葬。我認為在探討佛教徒的墓葬時，有必要先釐清兩個重要的議題 第一：佛教教理與中國墓葬傳統相容性的問題。特別是佛教在印度與中國發展早期，在面對不同的環境以及文化條件時，如何處裡死者遺體的態度與方式。第二：印度與中國佛教僧侶在喪葬儀式中的角色。包括佛教僧侶在喪葬儀式中的主要工作，以及僧侶與葬儀人員及死者家屬在葬儀中的互動。
          我的研究顯示，最初，佛教僧人在喪葬儀式的主要角色就是誦經迴向功德給死者。在處理死者遺體的議題上，早期印度佛教中，因應不同環境條件，有不同處理死者遺體的方法。印度並沒有類似中國式的土葬葬儀，而在印度象徵尊貴的火葬，要到唐宋時期才逐漸被中國人接受，不過，這種在印度，因應不同狀況，有不同方式處理死者遺體的彈性態度也出現在六朝時期的重要偽經，《灌頂經》中。關於喪葬議題，《灌頂經》提到：只要是在依附佛教信仰的前提下，中國式的喪葬儀式傳統可以被視為是正確的喪葬處理方式。以在五世紀北涼時期吐魯番墓葬中發現的北涼王沮渠蒙遜之妻彭氏為例，她極可能如其夫婿及家族，也信仰佛教，不過在其衣物疏及墓葬文物中，並未發現有與佛教相關者。但是，這並不意謂在她的喪葬儀式中一定沒有佛教僧人的參與。可能佛教僧人有為死者誦經迴向功德，只是這樣的角色不一定能具體顯現在中國式的墓葬中。
          其次，關於高昌時期佛教衣物疏，有兩個問題已經困擾學者多年。第一，許多衣物疏都是由署名果願的僧人來聯絡他界的五道大神，不過由於最早與最晚提到果願的衣物疏相隔近一世記，所以，有些學者們懷疑果願可能是某種神聖稱謂，而非真有其人。第二，衣物疏中經常有語意片斷不完整文句，其中部分死者，特別是女性姓名常有留白、不詳的情況。在分析這些高昌時期佛教衣物疏時，過去學者有兩個基本的態度: 第一，佛教衣物疏是佛教僧人終於介入中國式墓葬儀式的證明。第二，他們傾向選取較完整正確的樣本研究，並視其他語意不全的樣本是因書寫者中文能力不足之筆誤。
        然而，高昌時期衣物疏中，僧人的出現並不意謂他們取代原先衣物疏中葬儀專家的角色。因為衣物疏本身陪葬物的內容還是必須有葬儀人員介入，所以這些佛教衣物疏所隱含的葬儀互動架構，應該不僅僅是建立在佛教僧侶以及信眾雙方間的互動，這個架構應該還包括葬儀專家在內的三角配合關係。在我的研究裡，我認為我們不能將那些在高昌衣物疏中，常見的死者或僧人之身份留白、語句顛倒不完整或語意錯誤單純視為是書寫者的錯誤。事實上，這些錯誤顯示反而為我們理解葬儀的互動架構提供許多線索。因此，不同於以往學者，傾向只選取少數內容較完整的衣物疏或墓葬為對象，並試圖將之解釋為處理高昌佛教衣物疏的較正確做法，我選取四個分別出土兩個以上衣物疏的家庭墓葬，作交叉分析比較，並輔以其他有特殊情形的個別衣物疏。我發現，雖然整體來說，高昌佛教衣物疏的書寫者對當中與五道大神聯繫的文書內容有一定程度的共識，但是他們之間對於文書內容的宗教目的、意義、忌諱似乎存有幾種不同的詮釋，有些甚至有可能是出自於誤解。即使是有出土佛教衣物疏的墓葬，有些似乎不見得實際上有佛教僧人的介入，它們的存在，有可能只是被葬儀人員當作是流行的或是具有避邪功用的陪葬物。換句話說，在墓葬的三角架構裡，三者之間的互動模式是有多元的可能而非只是依照某個單一模式。而且，在這個三角架構裡，葬儀人員或專家往往扮演著解讀這些吐魯番佛教衣物疏的關鍵角色。

CCR Translation Contest for Young Scholars


Registration Now Closed for the 2016 Chinese Cultural Relics
CCR Translation Contest for Young Scholars.
Thank you for your entries!


Click for update on submissions and evaluation process.
Open to current graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and young professionals in fields related to Chinese archaeology, history, ancient architecture and art history

Prizes of $1,000, $750 and $500 for the top three translations

Travel stipends for the top three finalists to attend an award ceremony held during the 2016 Society for East Asian Archaeology Worldwide Conference (June 8-12 in Boston)

Winning translations will be published in a forthcoming issue of Chinese Cultural Relics
Online registration has closed.
Click to read an update on the submissions and evaluation process.


Translation Selections

Category I: Archaeological Reports
Full article
Translation selection (6,727 words)

Category II: Research and Exploration
Full article
Translation selection (6,977 words)

Category III: Editor's Choice
Full article
Translation selection (6,331 words)

Contestants may choose any number of articles from the three listed above to submit for the contest; each contestant can only win one prize, even if he/she submits translations for more than one article. For complete details, please download the official contest rules.

~~~~~~~~~

The CCR Translation Contest for Young Scholars is sponsored by the editorial board of Chinese Cultural Relics, Asian American Media Group, Inc. and East View Press. Download complete contest details here or contact ChineseCulturalRelics@gmail.com for more information.

About Chinese Cultural Relics
Chinese Cultural Relics, a quarterly journal published in print and online by East View Press, is the official English translation of the prestigious Chinese archaeology journal Wenwu (Cultural Relics). For more information about the journal, please visit www.eastviewpress.com/Journals/CulturalRelics.aspx

About East View Press
East View Press is the journal and book publishing division of East View Information Services (www.eastview.com) and its related company, East View Geospatial (geospatial.com). Its publications are geared towards serving researchers and others interested in major international and public policy issues related to the geographic area of the former Soviet Union and China. Regardless of format, East View Press has the mission of adding special value (usually by translation into English) to authoritative source materials in order to make them available to the widest possible audience globally.

https://www.deutsche-ostasienstudien.de/doas/039.html

Auch wenn die Wahrsagung in der buddhistischen Ordensdisziplin offiziell verpönt ist, waren über die Jahrhunderte buddhistische Mönche in China in den verschiedensten Bereichen--von der Beratung Fernreisender bis hin zum Wirken am kaiserlichen Hof--als Wahrsager tätig. Wahrsagung und die mit ihr verbundenen mantischen Techniken waren selbstverständlicher Teil des sozialpolitischen Lebens. Dass man Mönchen eine besondere Fähigkeit zuschrieb, Vergangenheit, Gegenwart und Zukunft durchdringen zu können, machte sie zu gefragten Beratern.

Dieses Buch analysiert erstmals dieses Wirkungsfeld der Mönche anhand einer biographischen Sammlung von 208 Mönchsbiographien aus dem 15. Jahrhundert, der Biographien wundertätiger Mönche (Shenseng zhuan 神僧傳). Auf der Basis von 22 in wörtlicher Übersetzung vorgelegten Mönchsbiographien wurden die darin enthaltenen Erzählun-gen einer eingehenden Analyse unterzogen. So entstand ein facettenreiches Bild der mönchischen Wahrsagungspraxis über mehrere Jahrhunderte, einer Praxis, die--besonders im politischen Kontext--Aufschluss über ein höchst relevantes Beraterwissen dieser Mönche erteilt, welches die ver-schiedensten mantischen Disziplinen, von der Omen-und Traumkunde über Physiognomik und Astrologie, kunstvoll miteinander in Verbindung brachte.

Here I try to show, following the Buddha's instructions for study, how the 5 Hindrances match with the 10 Fetters, the 3 Trainings, the 4 Jhāna (which, the Buddha has said in the EBTs IS the Way/Path) and so the Four Stages of Progress on the Path, SE - Stream Enterer, OR - Once Returner, NR - Non-Returner and AO - Accomplished One.

The transmission of Buddhism to China from Central Asia was launched through the Silk Road during the Later Han Dynasty in the 1st century C.E. I will discuss why the Han Chinese could accept Buddhism when they already had advanced religions such as Confucianism and Taoism. The earliest form of Chinese Buddhism was introduced to China; namely, Sarvāstivāda Abhidharma and early Mahāyāna literatures through distinguished rulers, scholars and pilgrimages from India and Central Asia. Kumārajīva (343–413) is one of the foreigner masters from Central Asia and through the remarkable development of Buddhism in Medieval Chinese Buddhism in the 5th century C.E. The Chinese started to understand Indian thought more accurately through the prolific translations of Kumārajīva. Through this, Taoist and Confucian notions were removed from Buddhist texts.

It is strongly believed that Kumārajīva made a remarkable contribution for Sarvāstivāda and Mahāyāna doctrines as well. Buddhist Scholars have considered that Kumārajīva played an important role for Mahāyāna as well as being a strong opponent of Hīnayāna. However, this assumption is quite controversial. Therefore, I will discuss the background of Chinese Buddhism prior to Kumārajīva’s arrival in Chang-an (Xian) during the Later Qin dynasty, his biography, prolific translation works; his works for the foundation of Mādhyamika in Medieval Chinese Buddhism.

In this paper, I will also put forward the argument that Kumārajīva was an advocator of Mahāyāna, especially for showing the new religious path to Mahāyāna Buddhism in China and being the founder of the Chinese Mādhyamika School (San-lun i.e. three treatises). I will consider the influence of Sarvāstivādin thought on Kumārajīva’s thought and especially, meditation texts included in the Āgamas of the Sarvāstivādin tradition. Therefore, I will argue that Kumārajīva’s remarkable contribution was for both Mahāyāna and Hīnayāna in Medieval Chinese Buddhism, discuss his Sarvāstivādin collaborators in translation works and his contribution to Sarvāstivāda Abhidharma and Vinaya.

In conclusion, I will show evidence that Kumārajīva usually was a supporter of Mahāyāna but also contributed to Hīnayāna Buddhism in Medieval Chinese Buddhism throughout his life and works.

Keywords: Kumārajīva, Transmission, Silk Road, Confucianism &Taoism, Hīnayāna, Sarvāstivāda, Mahāyāna, Medieval Chinese Buddhism and Chinese Mādhyamika.

Abstract: In this chapter, I discuss the political campaign for the Sinicization of religion in terms of three narratives: state narratives, elite narratives, and monastics’ narratives. I will base my arguments on field data collected in Shanghai between 2014 and 2018.  There are two key findings in this research: First, the political campaign is an example of modern “traditionalism” – a use of a simplified, static version of tradition by the Chinese state to sustain the legitimacy of its political control. This traditionalism presents the Chinese tradition as the core value of nationalist identity, which is used to confront domestic ethnic conflicts and to prevail in global competition. The second finding is that the narratives of Sinicization have been internalized among Buddhist leaders, even as Buddhist communities try to creatively face the challenges of adapting traditions to modern society.

It has been claimed that Indian Buddhism, as opposed to East Asian Chan/Zen traditions, was somehow against humour. In this paper I contend that humour is discernible in canonical Indian Buddhist texts, particularly in Indian Buddhist monastic law codes (Vinaya). I will attempt to establish that what we find in these texts sometimes is not only humorous but that it is intentionally so. I approach this topic by comparing different versions of the same narratives preserved in Indian Buddhist monastic law codes.

This article is a case study of a lay Buddhist community that employs a business model called “living hall” (Shenghuo guan 生活馆) to facilitate the practice of Tibetan Buddhism among its members. The living hall model is explored in the context of the politics of religion in the People’s Republic of China (prc) and the dynamics of Tibetan Buddhism among Han Chinese in the past decades. The author investigates the model’s origin, its implementation in a contemporary Buddhist community, and its interaction with the discourse on Buddhism in the prc. The article joins a recent academic endeavor to illuminate the different modalities in which lay practitioners carry out Buddhist practice outside the sphere of institutionalized Buddhism. The article sheds light on the delicate dynamics between religion and state control in the prc and the role of entrepreneurs and materiality within lay Tibetan Buddhism.