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Tinti, Paola. "Between two civilisations : history and self representation of Bangladeshi Buddhism." Thesis, University of Oxford, 1998. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:fe2861b7-4ec2-4830-810d-a6f60a3e4246.
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Buddhism is believed to have all but died out in India following the thirteenth century Muslim invasion. However, in Bengal groups of non-Bengali people have continued to practice Therāvada Buddhism, which they are said to have imported from nearby Burma, or which they were converted to from other forms of Buddhism after migrating to Bengal. Their practices were "reformed" in 1856 by Burmese monks. An analysis of the historical material reveals a tendency by non-Buddhist Bengalis to downplay any relationship between the Buddhist traditions of Burma and Bangladesh, and to represent Buddhism as a phenomenon of the past. This reinterpretation of historical data is part of the formation process of a Bangladeshi national identity. That this process is in progress is confirmed by the existence in Bangladesh of a centralised and standardised educational system, having among its aims the integration of the national population. Religious education, in Bangladesh as elsewhere, plays within this system an important role in national integration. On the other hand, certain institutions of Bangladeshi Buddhism, such as temporary ordination, and features like the importance attributed to the Mahāmuni temple (which houses a replica of a very sacred Buddha image from Burma) confirm the historical connection between the Bangladeshi and the Southeast Asian Buddhist traditions. Any remaining doubts about the nature of Bangladeshi Buddhism are dispelled by the reading of a devotional song belonging to the genre known as Bauddha pālā kīrtana. The kīrtana, a ballad originating within the Hindu devotional movements, is very popular among all Bengalis, with no distinction of faith. The subject of this text, deriving from an apocryphal birth-story of the Buddha of Southeast Asian origin, reveals once again a link between the Buddhist traditions of Southeast Asia and Bangladesh, its Indian style just indicating regional taste.
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Miller, Willa Blythe. "Secrets of the Vajra Body| Dngos po'i gnas lugs and the Apotheosis of the Body in the work of Rgyal ba Yang dgon pa." Thesis, Harvard University, 2013. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3567003.
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<p> This dissertation looks at an attempt in Buddhist history to theorize the role and status of the body as the prime focus of soteriological discourse. It studies a text titled <i>Explanation of the Hidden Vajra Body</i> (<i>Rdo rje lus kyi sbas bshad</i>), composed by Yang dgon pa Rgyal mtshan dpal (1213-1258). This work, drawing on a wide range of canonical tantric Buddhist scriptures and Indic and Tibetan commentaries, lays out in detail a Buddhist theory of embodiment that brings together the worldly realities of the body with their enlightened transformation. This dissertation analyzes the ways Yang dgon pa theorizes the body as the essential ground of the salvific path, and endeavors to provide a thematic guide to his rich and complex discussion of what the body is and does, from a tantric perspective. The thesis parses a key term, <i>dngos po'i gnas lugs</i>, that Yang dgon pa uses as an organizing principle in <i>Explanation of the Hidden.</i> If taken literally, the term means something like "the nature of things" or "the nature of material substance," but Yang dgon pa deployed the term specifically to refer to the nature of the human psychophysical organism, in its ordinary state. By way of this term, Yang dgon pa argues that the body itself makes enlightenment possible. In the course of this thesis, I consider the prior history of this category as it was gradually developed by a series of Bka' brgyud writers until it reached Yang dgon pa. Then, in light of this category, I explore Yang dgon pa's own vision of embodiment. This vision, I argue, reflects an attempt to refocus soteriological attention on the power of the body, over and above the mind, as the salient basis for non-dual knowing. Finally, I reflect upon the lasting contributions of Yang dgon pa's conception of the body to the ongoing exploration of such topics in the history of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist soteriology, as well as upon why some of the more radical elements of his thinking seem to have been eliminated in subsequent generations of his lineage.</p>
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Curley, Melissa. "'Know that we are not good persons': Pure Land Buddhism and the ethics of exile." Thesis, McGill University, 2009. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=66726.
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This dissertation examines the notion of the Pure Land as an immanent utopia in both classical Buddhist sources and modern Japanese thought. The first half of the dissertation presents the argument that the idea of a Pure Land existing in this world was in wide circulation before the modern period, and that the orthodoxy of a strictly-transcendent Pure Land is a modern invention. The second half of the dissertation explores how modern thinkers respond to this orthodoxy by once again positing an immanent Pure Land. It focuses particularly on how notions introduced by the modern Buddhist thinkers Kiyozawa Manshi and Soga Ryōjin are taken up and interpreted by the Kyoto School philosophers Miki Kiyoshi and Tanabe Hajime. It concludes that the ethical and political significance of the modern Pure Land lies in its identification of the utopian space of the Pure Land with the space of exile or homelessness.<br>La présente thèse examine la notion de terre pure vue en tant qu'utopie dans le bouddhisme classique ainsi que dans la pensée japonaise moderne. La première partie défend la thèse selon laquelle l'idée d'une terre pure existant dans ce monde était commune avant la période moderne, et que la notion selon laquelle seule une terre pure conçue comme étant strictement transcendante est orthodoxe est une invention moderne. La seconde partie de la thèse décrit la façon dont les penseurs modernes répondent à cette nouvelle orthodoxie en avançant de nouveau une terre pure immanente, et se penche en particulier sur la façon dont des notions introduites par les penseurs bouddhistes modernes Kiyozawa Manshi et Soga Ryōjin sont reprises et interprétées par les philosophes de l'école de Kyoto Miki Kiyoshi et Tanabe Hajime. La thèse conclut que l'importance éthique et politique de la terre pure moderne repose sur le fait qu'elle identifie l'espace utopique de la terre pure avec l'espace d'exil ou d'absence de demeure.
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Bushelle, Ethan David. "The Joy of the Dharma: Esoteric Buddhism and the Early Medieval Transformation of Japanese Literature." Thesis, Harvard University, 2015. http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:17467509.
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This dissertation explores the nexus between Buddhism and literature in Japan’s early medieval period. Specifically, it elucidates the process by which forms of court literature such as Chinese-language verse (kanshi), Japanese poetry (waka), and romance tales (monogatari) were incorporated into Buddhist rites and liturgies from the tenth through twelfth centuries and attempts to show how this process supported and was supported by Esoteric Buddhist discourse. I call special attention to a discourse on ritual performance that understands the chanting of a mantra, hymn, or poem as an act of giving the joy of the Dharma (hōraku) to the kami and buddhas. By attending to this discourse and the rituals through which it was articulated, this dissertation sheds light on the doctrinal reasons why and the practical paths by which even literary genres that were considered to be “worldly” such as nature poetry, love poetry, and romance tales were reconceived as vehicles for offering the joy of the Buddha’s teachings.
The three body chapters examine a variety of rites and liturgies intended for a lay audience—often called “Dharma assemblies” (hōe) in Japanese-language scholarship—and endeavor to demonstrate how they contributed to key transformations in Japanese literature. Chapter 1 investigates the liturgy of the lecture assembly (kō-e) at Shinto shrines and elucidates how it shaped the formation of a key genre of medieval Japanese poetry called “Dharma joy” waka (hōraku waka). Chapter 2 analyzes repentance rites dedicated to Fugen (Sk. Samantabhadra) bodhisattva and considers their impact on the invention of Buddhist love poetry. Finally, Chapter 3 looks at sutra-offering ceremonies and clarifies their role in the consecration of the exemplary Heian-period romance tale, The Tale of Genji, and the imagination of its author, Murasaki Shikibu.
In addition to situating a particular transformation of court literature in its ritual context, each chapter also locates a given example of ritual in its discursive locus. I show that at the center of this locus lies a system of Esoteric Buddhist doctrine and ritual concerned with demonstrating the identity of the esoteric teachings (mikkyō) with those of the Lotus Sūtra. Terming this system “Lotus-Esoteric discourse,” I show how it provided the epistemic framework for the practice of using a mantra, hymn, or poem as a medium for giving the joy of the Dharma to others, rather than receiving it for oneself (jiju hōraku), as was stressed in Japanese Esoteric Buddhism of the late ancient period.
In short, through its attention to Lotus-Esoteric discourse on Dharma joy, this study offers a corrective to an over-emphasis on the liturgical formula of “wild words and fanciful phrases” (kyōgen kigo), which has been the focus of many previous studies on the relationship between Buddhism and medieval Japanese literature, and clarifies the concrete discursive strategies and ritual practices by which Buddhism in early medieval Japan consecrated new liturgical uses for three representative genres of court literature—kanshi verse, waka poetry, and monogatari tales. In this way, it endeavors to show how Buddhist discourse on Dharma joy—in both its doctrinal and ritual dimensions—may constitute a new paradigm for understanding the early medieval transformation of Japanese literature.<br>East Asian Languages and Civilizations
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Nichols, Michael David. "MALLEABLE MâRA: THE TRANSFORMATIONS OF A BUDDHIST SYMBOL OF EVIL." Miami University / OhioLINK, 2004. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1086204203.
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Gillberg, Christina. "Buddhismens krigare : Om buddhism, politik och våld." Thesis, Stockholm University, Department of Ethnology, Comparative Religion and Gender Studies, 2006. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-1141.
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Fitzgerald, Katherine Elizabeth. "No Pure Lands: The Contemporary Buddhism of Tibetan Lay Women." The Ohio State University, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1586599037356041.
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Gustavsson, Annie. "Om den ogifta och självständiga kvinnans respektabla ställning : En genusanalys av framställningen av buddhism och islam på webbsidan SO-rummet." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Religionshistoria, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-323437.
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Nowadays there is a common understanding in the Western countries regarding how equal the genders are in the traditional Christian societies, while other countries are believed to be characterized by a patriarchal structure. This self-image has probably led to a kind of blindness concerning the problems in the vicinity and instead of emphasizing unequal trends in the West, criticize other cultures and religions for being misogynist. The aim of this study is to analyse how the internet page www.so-rummet.se describes Islam and Buddhism through a gender perspective. SO-rummet is a webpage created by the teacher Robert de Vries and aims to complete the learning material that is used in the Swedish schools. The site focuses on history, religion, geography and civics. The purpose of this essay is to investigate how the normative religious believer is described and if both men and women are included in the texts about Islam and Buddhism. This essay will be based on content analysis by assuming which words that are being used and how the genders are being described. This will help concluding who’s considered to be the norm in the text at SO-rummet.
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Leatt, Ann-Marie Joy. "Intrinsic patterns in the history of religious change from early Hindu traditions to contemporary Mahayana Buddhism : an application of Cumpsty's theory of religion." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 1995. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/14404.
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Bibliography: leaves 124-133.<br>This thesis, Intrinsic Patterns in the History of Religious Change from early Hindu Traditions to contemporary Mahayana Buddhism: an Application of Cumpsty's Theory of Religion, is an application of a comprehensive theory of religion to a broad sweep of religious history and diversity. It follows development from the Indian sub-continent to Japan, and to the West. It covers the period from about 500BCE to the present. As such, it assumes in the reader some background in theory of religion, and John Cumpsty's theory in particular, as well as some knowledge of the history and traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism. The first chapter deals with conceptual issues through a characterisation of early Hinduism, a description Cumpsty's three ideal-types, and a discussion of the relationship between moksa and dharma. Chapter two provides historical grounding to the thesis by providing empirical evidence for the arguments made in chapter one about the "bridging-out" to the Withdrawal paradigm. It studies four orthodox responses to the paradigm, that is, the brahmanical synthesis, Saivism, the Gita, and Sankara. The third chapter offers an analysis of early Buddhism, the development of Theravada and its academic characterisation, as an example of "allocation" as a bridging and change mechanism. Chapter four offers an analysis ·of the Mahayana in China and Japan. It gives reasons for its missionary success, and provides three examples of bridging symbols common to all Mahayana - the Trikaya, skillful means, and the Bodhisattva ideal. The fifth chapter discusses developments in the Mahayana. Three modes of creating correspondence between Samsara and Nirvana are described: Madhyamika, Ch'an (Zen), and Yogacara. It also deals with developments in the Pure Land and the move into the Secular World Affirming paradigm. The final chapter deals with the modem period and draws together the argument of the thesis. "Socially engaged Buddhism" as a modem phenomenon in Therevada is described, and Mahayana is examined for similar moves, and an explanation is given. The chapter then goes on to describe religious transference back to the West, and explains their success. The thesis concludes with an assessment of the fruitfulness of the application of Cumpsty's theory of religion. In terms of methodology the thesis is an application of a theory of religion to a broad sweep of religious history in the Indian sub-continent and eastwards, as well as the West. The thesis highlights situations of change in both worldview and practice, and subjects them to analysis in terms of the theory. The result is an extension of that part of the theory that is most involved in the analysis of the religious traditions concerned. In order to do this a wide range of phenomenological and sociological material has been used.
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Terasawa, Kunihiko. "Modern Japanese Buddhism in the Context of Interreligious Dialogue, Nationalism and World War II." Diss., Temple University Libraries, 2012. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/200626.
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Religion<br>Ph.D.<br>This dissertation studies the critical and historical examination of modern Japanese Buddhism in terms of its collaboration with and resistance to ultranationalism and militarism before and during World War II. It also examines how Buddhism came to Japan and transformed itself according to the historical, social and political contexts throughout history. Also it shows how and why Japanese Buddhism has transformed the Gautama Buddha's teachings, the Dhamma and the notion of community, Sangha to its own in terms in relationship to the state. In order to examine the Japan's modern-nation-state's invention of installing a national consciousness and identity in the people through the means of State Shinto and the emperor, kokutai ideology after the Meiji Restoration in 1868, I apply the methodologies of social critical theories of James Scott, Benedict Anderson, Michel Foucault and Pierre Bourdieu. After the Tokugawa shogunate's long patronage of Buddhism (1602-1868), the dissertation examines how modern Japanese Buddhism was challenged by the Meiji state, and transformed itself to meet the need of the modern-nation-state centered on State Shinto and kokutai ideology. Moreover, it exposes how Japanese Buddhism struggled to meet the modernity itself such as individuality and socialization. Furthermore, in the 1930-40's, in the context of rise of ultranationalism and militarism in the name of "overcoming modernity," this dissertation explores how the Japanese Buddhist sects such as True Pure Land, Nichiren, Zen, and the Kyoto School collaborated with and resisted to them. Despite the main Japanese Buddhism's active participation in the war, there were few Japanese Buddhists' resistances. The dissertation examines why and how they could not effectively resist but failed. Moreover, the dissertation shows that there were several opportunities that Japanese Buddhism might have stopped the state's control of religions--the rise of ultranationalism and war ideology in the cases of Uchimura Kanzô's lese majeste in the 1890's, the state's failures of ratification on the Religious Organization Law twice in the 1920's, and Seno'o Girô's anti-fascist movements in the 1930's--the Buddhists had had critical minds and organizational wills alongside with the interreligious cooperation with Christianity and new religions. Thus, this dissertation critically examines Japanese Buddhism in three terms; the social critical ethics, the interreligious dialogue, and the trans-national dialogue. It shows why and how Japanese Buddhism lost the Buddha's critical mind, social ethics, the democratic origin of Sangha, as well as the trans-national dialogue with Korean, Chinese and South Asian Buddhists and eventually justified the Japanese imperial aggression against Asia. I hope that my dissertation will help the Japanese Buddhists undertake a self-critical examination of their involvement in World War II, and would set up a good example of self-criticism of religion and nationalism. It could certainly help the current Islamic people's struggles for democracy, nationalism and holy war. Also in case of China's nationalistic expansionism which resembles the Japan of 1930-40's, in the name of nationalism and social harmony, religious freedom was limited to the inner private realm, but its public role in checking nationalism was suppressed. Tibetan Buddhism, Falun Gong and house Christian churches cried out for their freedom. Therefore the self-critical examination of the rise and fall of the Japanese empire in terms of religion, religious freedom and ultranationalism might help Chinese religions and intellectuals as well as other cases involving religion, nationalism and war.<br>Temple University--Theses
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Ron, Roy. "Powerful warriors and influential clergy : interaction and conflict between the Kamakura bakufu and religious institutions." Thesis, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/10125/3071.
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The dramatic years of the Genpei War (1180-1185) ended with a fundamental restructuring of Japanese polity. Replacing the established system of a single ruling elite with a dual structure of court and bakufu had far-reaching effects on Japanese society, economy, and religion. Eastern Japan, which once was considered the land of barbarians, became the home of a new warrior elite, and the headquarters of their military government in Kamakura. This geographical separation from the court contributed to the political independence of the bakufu, in turn allowing warriors to distinguish themselves as a unique social elite. As such, warriors turned to develop not only a new social identity, but also a vibrant local economy, comparable only to that of Kyoto. While Japanese society was transforming itself in unprecedented scope, Buddhism and Buddhist institutions were experiencing a revival in popularity among their elite patrons. Concern over the age of mappo which the Genpei War brought to the fore, had both courtiers and warriors seeking religious guidance. The result was not only re-popularization of already established doctrines, but also a new emphasis on Amidism, and the promotion of new doctrines by reformer monks. This time, however, clergy and religious institutions benefitted not only from the traditional patrons at court. Kamakura warriors, who were genuinely concerned with their present and future existences, who realized the practical benefits of religious patronage, or who imitate court practices, proved to be generous patrons. This dissertation seeks to examine the role of religion, religious institutions, and clergy in the development of Kamakura's warrior society. The basic assumption is that when profound changes were occurring in Japanese society and religion, they inevitably were interrelated in some ways. Indeed, between the initial stages of the Genpei War until his death, Minamoto Yoritomo promoted the construction of large religious institutions to support both his political and religious needs, an approach that became an integral part of bakufu policy. Then, when warriors in general realized the many ways they could benefit from religious patronage, they engaged in construction of their own clan temples, while supporting those under bakufu patronage.<br>Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2003.<br>Includes bibliographical references (leaves 313-342).<br>Mode of access: World Wide Web.<br>Also available by subscription via World Wide Web<br>xi, 342 leaves, bound ill., maps 29 cm
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Karna, Bishal Karna. "Skillful Ways: Sōtō Zen Buddhism in the American Midwest." The Ohio State University, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1531270511483504.
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Farrelly, Paul James. "Spiritual Revolutions: A History of New Age Religion in Taiwan." Phd thesis, Canberra, ACT : The Australian National University, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/136199.
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My thesis is a cultural history of New Age religion in Taiwan. I focus on C.C. Wang (1941-) and Terry Hu (1953-), the two earliest and most prolific sinophone proponents of a ‘Xinshidai [New Age]’. I consider their lives (as New Agers) and written works (as New Age figures), concentrating on the period to 2000. In this thesis I explore how Wang and Hu introduced New Age religion to Taiwan through analysis of their publicly available writings and translations. In chronologically examining their life experiences and the various ideologies that they gradually wove into their work, I demonstrate the agency of these two women as New Age innovators and show how they represented their own lives as evidence of the transformational efficacy of New Age religion for modern Taiwanese women. Raised in a family who escaped from China and then converted to Catholicism, Wang’s most important contributions are her translations of Jane Roberts’s Seth books (beginning in 1982). These continue to be popular with readers and have inspired a new generation of teachers and students. She also translated internationally popular texts such as Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet (1970) and Neale Donald Walsch’s Conversations with God (1998). Viewing this work alongside her efforts in beginning the Fine Press’ New Age Series (1989-) and establishing the Chinese New Age Society (1992), her publisher described her as “the mother of the New Age in Taiwan” (2012). Wang began developing expertise on American culture when raising a family there in the mid 1960s and again for much of the 1970s. She used these domestic experiences as the basis of her burgeoning literary career. An important part of Wang’s oeuvre are the monthly columns she published pseudonymously in The Woman and China Ladies between 1969 and 1981. In these columns Wang not only established herself as a trans-Pacific expert of everyday life techniques (especially regarding relationships and parenting), she also articulated the psychological unease that she would later seek to remedy through spiritual exploration and, ultimately, in translating New Age books. Her early work is notable for both illustrating a particular type of modernity available to young urban females and for establishing the nurturing and inquisitive spirituality she would later disseminate widely. Already interested in the type of ideas discussed in the New Age, it was only after a life-altering encounter with a Seth book in a California library in 1976 that Wang began exploring the New Age more deeply. She eventually discovered Shirley MacLaine’s Out on a Limb (and later wrote the preface to the 1986 Mandarin translation), which she described as inspiring and “a book of enlightenment.” Hu was born to a politician father who also escaped from China. She learnt English as a child and developed a fascination with American culture. After a short stint in New York’s bohemian Greenwich Village in the early 1970s, she soon became a film star in Taiwan. She featured in several dozen movies and was briefly married to the author Li Ao (b.1935). She retired from acting in 1988 and devoted her energy to translating New Age texts, especially the work of Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895-1986) who she depicted as a “New Age Buddhist.” Throughout her careers as an actor and author Hu appeared as an archetype of the global, modern and, ultimately, spiritually sophisticated woman. Hu’s individual identity was strongly grounded in the social context of Taiwan’s elite, and she increasingly blended martial law-era Chineseness and her celebrity status with American post-hippie spiritual trends. Her multifaceted and evolving identity augments dominant identity and gender discourses in Taiwan and binds her into the New Age’s transnational web of religious innovation and personal transformation.
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Hirshberg, Daniel. "Delivering the Lotus-Born: Historiography in the Tibetan Renaissance." Thesis, Harvard University, 2012. http://dissertations.umi.com/gsas.harvard:10258.
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Traditionally recognized as the first of the great Buddhist treasure revealers, Nyang-rel Nyima Özer (1124-1192) historiographically reconstructed the Imperium into a golden age of Tibetan Buddhism. An analysis of his two early biographies demonstrates that he was among the first to recall an unbroken series of preincarnations in real historical time, which was a crucial link that led to the ascension of concatenated reincarnates like the Karmapas and Dalai Lamas. For Nyang-rel, his past life as emperor Tri Song-détsen (d. 800) provided the teleological karmic basis for his life as a finder of the old texts and relics deemed "treasure." According to his biographies and the two narratives that are attributed to him, Nyang-rel’s treasures were uniformly material objects extracted via quite mundane methods, though the discovery of old manuscripts seems to have been only an initial step in a process of compilation, redaction and composition that resulted in their reintroduction. Allegedly among these treasures was the first complete biography of the eighth-century Tantrika, Padmasambhava, which later became renowned as The Copper Palace. Much of this narrative was incorporated into the history of Buddhism entitled Flower Nectar: The Essence of Honey that is also attributed to Nyang-rel. Based on a comparative analysis of available recensions, however, I propose three hypotheses as equally viable alternatives to what has been asserted concerning the composition of these two texts. First, Nyang-rel did not consider his biography of Padmasambhava to be a treasure, but the tradition later manufactured a recovery narrative and accompanying title that promoted it as such. Second, Nyang-rel did not compile the Flower Nectar history. Third, based on oral, textual and mnemonic fragments, Nyang-rel produced a narrative of Tri Song-détsen and Padmasambhava that others developed into The Copper Palace and Flower Nectar. In sum, Nyang-rel was a progenitor of some of the most definitive aspects of Tibetan Buddhism, yet these very innovations ensured that he would be eclipsed by later adepts who, in adopting his claims and methods, revealed new iterations of his scriptures and narratives. He thus remains one of the most influential yet unsung figures of the Tibetan renaissance.
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Wyant, Patrick Henry. "NOT FALLING, NOT OBSCURING: DOGEN AND THE TWO TRUTHS OF THE FOX KOAN." Master's thesis, Temple University Libraries, 2013. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/214766.
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Religion<br>M.A.<br>Within recent Japanese Buddhist scholarship there is a debate over the interpretation of Karmic causality evidenced in the 75 and 12 fascicle editions of Dogen's Shobogenzo, one salient example being that found in the daishugyo and shinjin inga fascicles on the fox koan from the mumonkon. At issue is whether a Buddhist of great cultivation transcends karmic causality, with the earlier daishugyo promoting a balanced perspective of both "not falling into" and "not obscuring" causality, while shinjin inga instead strongly favors the latter over the former. Traditionalists interpret the apparent reversal in shinjin inga as an introductory simplification to aid novices, while some Critical Buddhists see Dogen as instead returning to the orthodox truth of universal causality. I argue that Dogen philosophically favored the view found in daishugyo, but moved away from it in his later teachings due to misinterpretations made by both senior and novice monks alike.<br>Temple University--Theses
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Gäfvert, Liss Telly. "Jaget en Kategoriserande Konstruktion : En grundundersökning rörande dhammas och jaget inom den tidiga Buddhismen utifrån ett subjektivt fenomenologist synsätt." Thesis, Linköping University, Department of Culture and Communication, 2007. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-10346.
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<p>Av ditt intryck, du inget vet, först när upplevelsen ter sig avsaktande, kan vi ställa frågan: vad är jag? Inget-ting min vän. Det beroendeuppkommandet av varat medför dess instabilitet, det finns ingen essens bara form. Alltet är en struktur, en universell struktur av dhammas. Ditt intryck och ditt frånvarande jag är opersonliga fenomen av garanterad upphörelse.</p><br><p>Off your impression, you know nothing, first when the experience feels like it’s slowing down, we can ask the question: what am I? Not-thing my friend. Our existents curse; of being under the dependent origination is what brings it’s instability; there is no essence, only form. The whole is a structure, a universal structure of dhammas. Your impressions and your absent self, is impersonal phenomena of guaranteed cessation.</p>
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Weddikkara, Lalani. "The role of Buddhism in the changing life of rural women in Sri Lanka since independence." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2002. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/746.
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This research focuses on the role of Buddhism in the changing lives of rural women in Sri Lanka since Independence from the British in 1948 up to the present time. In this thesis I pose two questions: firstly, how important is Buddhism in the everyday lives of rural women and secondly, what impact has changes in Buddhism since Independence had upon laywomen and renunciants. I have chosen the rural village Athale, in the dry zone of southeast Sri Lanka as my area of investigation. The history of the village dates back to the times of the great hero King Dutugemunu (I61-137BCE) and it is part of a complex of villages that form a socioeconomic unit. This research investigates the lives of the rural women who belong to this village and whose religious background is Sinhalese Theravada Buddhism, a way of life embedded in their culture. The thesis examines cultural, political, educational and religious changes since Independence, especially changes in Buddhism. The socioeconomic problems of contemporary Sri Lanka resulted in the changes adapted to the spirit religion. The meditative tradition of Buddhism still flourishes under lay as well as the renunciants, in Sri Lanka. Fieldwork in Sri Lanka took place in December 1997- February 1998 and in July 2000- September 2000. The Non Government Organisations have been active in the village since 1988. The data collection method used for this research was qualitative: personal interviews, participant observation, direct observation, informal conversations and surveys were used to gather personal and demographic details and how women practise Buddhism. The findings indicate that women have incorporated different methods of practising Buddhism to suit their needs at a particular time of their lives.
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Eklund, Anna. "Den teoretiska Buddhismen : en läromedelsanalys." Thesis, University of Gävle, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, 2008. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hig:diva-442.
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<p>I min uppsats har jag försökt visa två sidor av buddhismen; den teoretiska och den praktiska. Jag började med att skissera fram den allmängiltiga bilden av Buddha som av många, inklusive mig själv, ses som buddhismens förgrundsgestalt. Sedan analyserade jag den litteratur från gymnasiet som används i det praktiska arbetet i religionskunskap och drog snäva linjer som hela tiden utgick ifrån mina grundfrågor; hur förmedlas bilden av den historiska Buddha och hur tar man upp kvinnan i religionen. Jag kom fram till att buddhismen i böckerna ägnas väldigt lite utrymme, oftast inte mer än 30 sidor – och att bilden av Siddharta och dennes väg till upplysning många gånger var förenklad (exempelvis i Börje Rings Religion och sammanhang.) Bilden av kvinnan förmedlades även den sparsamt, och de gånger den gick att finna kändes den stressig och kompakt, exempelvis i Religion A av Elm & Thulin där nunnor i förbigående nämns ett fåtal gånger, och detta i samma andemening som munkarna. Att det finns en distinktion och skillnad mellan de bägge könens utövande av religionen framkommer således inte.</p><p>Jag ämnade även ge en inblick i hur man undervisar om buddhismen i gymnasieskolor och genomförde undersökningen i formen av en enkät, även om enkäten till typen inte följde standardnormen. Svaren visade dels att min grundläggande tes; buddhismen ges lite utrymme i skolan, stämde, i kontrast till att elevernas intresse kring religionen är stort. Någon lärare påpekade att religionens framtoning känns fredfull, en annan nämnde att dess inslag av ateism, eller gudlös tro passade många elever.</p><p>Slutligen vore en logisk fortsättning på uppsatsens tema personliga intervjuer med lärare och elever, och kanske alltmer omfattande litteraturstudier. Huruvida detta skulle förändra resultatet återstår att se; tre på måfå valda böcker (som alla används i religionsundervisningen), och 30: talet slumpmässigt valda lärare där majoriteten (av de som svarade) ansåg att buddhism ges för lite utrymme är inga fakta man kan ignorera eller bortse ifrån. Intresset finns där, både bland elever och lärare, och vår västerländska kultur anammar snabbt och heroiskt all österländsk kultur och religion vi kommer åt. Buddhism och andra österländska religioner tror jag kan vara ett nyttigt inslag i religionsdebatten som annars endast verkar handla om de abrahamitiska religionerna och islam.</p>
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Hughes, Stuart. "Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection and Mindfulness in Buddhism : A comparison between the teachings and practices of Brother Lawrence and Ajahn Sumedho." Thesis, Högskolan i Gävle, Avdelningen för kultur-, religions- och utbildningsvetenskap, 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hig:diva-12138.
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This work will explore some of the possible relationships between the teachings and spiritual practices of two religious teachers – Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection and Ajahn Sumedho. Brother Lawrence was a Discalced Carmelite brother that lived in France during the 17th century. Ajahn Sumedho is a monk within the Thai Forest Tradition of Theravadan Buddhism, who currently lives in Hertfordshire, UK. This exploration will include even a description of their respective religious heritage, together with a short discussion of the value or shortcomings of the comparative method of research.
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Ozkan, Cuma. "A comparative analysis| Buddhist Madhyamaka and Daoist Chongxuan (Twofold Mystery) in the early Tang (618-720)." Thesis, The University of Iowa, 2013. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=1540391.
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<p> The interactions between Chinese religions has occupied an enormous amount of scholarly attention in many fields because there have been direct and indirect consequences resulting from the interactions among Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism. These religious traditions have obviously influenced each other in many respects such as rituals, doctrines, textual materials, philosophy and so on. Accordingly, I will, in this paper, critically analyze the implications of the interactions between Buddhism and Daoism by examining Twofold Mystery. Since Twofold Mystery is heavily dependent on Madhyamaka Buddhist concepts, this study will, on the one hand, examine the influence of Madhyamaka Buddhism on the development of Twofold Mystery. On the other hand, it will critically survey how Twofold Mystery remained faithful to the Daoist worldview.</p>
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Nilsson, Erik. "Forces of change : A theoretical analysis of syncretism between Theravada Buddhism and animistic indigenous beliefs in Thailand." Thesis, Högskolan i Gävle, Avdelningen för kultur-, religions- och utbildningsvetenskap, 2010. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hig:diva-8073.
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Urak Lawoi is the name of one of the sea nomadic tribes which lives along the shores of Myanmar, Thailand and Malaysia. They are spread on many of the islands in the Andaman Sea archipelago and Ko Lanta is the main settlement. Urak Lawoi is regarded as the indigenous people of the island and they live there as a minority together with Muslims and Thai-Chinese. The traditional religion and culture of Urak Lawoi is built upon the animistic belief of their ancestors. In the last 20 years Ko Lanta has experienced a tremendous process of change caused by increasing tourism. The conditions of the Urak Lawoi and their way of life have dramatically changed. The fact that this process brings consequences for the traditional culture and religion is obvious, but in what direction is it developing? To be able to interpret and expound the material from my field studies among Urak Lawoi on Ko Lanta in October-December 2009, I have done a literature search to investigate the animistic traditions and the syncretistic nature of belief in Thailand. I have also tried to find theories about the process of religious change and the forces working behind them. In this essay I am trying to do a theoretical analysis of the field study material using theories and parallel examples I have found in the literature.
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Gentry, James Duncan. "Substance and Sense| Objects of Power in the Life, Writings, and Legacy of the Tibetan Ritual Master Sog bzlog pa Blo gros rgyal mtshan." Thesis, Harvard University, 2014. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3626633.
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<p> This thesis is a reflection upon objects of power and their roles in the lives of people through the lens of a single case example: power objects as they appear throughout the narrative, philosophical, and ritual writings of the Tibetan Buddhist ritual specialist Sog bzlog pa Blo gros rgyal mtshan (1552-1624) and his milieu. This study explores their discourse on power objects specifically for what it reveals about how human interactions with certain kinds of objects encourage the flow of power and charisma between them, and what the implications of these person-object transitions were for issues of identity, agency, and authority on the personal, institutional, and state registers in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Tibet. </p><p> My investigation of Sog bzlog pa's discourse on power objects shows how the genres of narrative, philosophy, and liturgy are related around such objects, each presenting them from a slightly different perspective. I illustrate how narratives depict power objects as central to the identity of Sog bzlog pa and his circle, mediating relations that are in turn social, political, religious, aesthetic, and economic in tone, and contributing to the authority of the persons involved. This flow of power between persons and objects, I demonstrate further, is connected to tensions over the sources of transformational power as rooted in either objects, or in the people instrumental in their ritual treatment or use. I show how this tension between objective and subjective power plays out in Sog bzlog pa's philosophical speculations about power objects and in his rituals featuring them. I also trace the persistence of this discourse after Sog bzlog pa's death in the seventeenth-century state-building activities of Tibet and Sikkim, and in the present day identity of Sikkim's Buddhist population. Power objects emerge as hybrid subject-object mediators, which variously embody, channel, and direct the flow of power and authority between persons, objects, communities, institutions, and the state, as they flow across boundaries and bind these in their tracks. Finally, I illustrate how this discourse of power objects both complicates and extends contemporary theoretical reflections on the relationships between objects, actions, persons, and meanings. </p>
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Surendran, Gitanjali. ""The Indian Discovery of Buddhism": Buddhist Revival in India, c. 1890-1956." Thesis, Harvard University, 2013. http://dissertations.umi.com/gsas.harvard:11168.
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This dissertation examines attempts at the revival of Buddhism in India from the late nineteenth century to the middle of the twentieth century. Typically, Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar's conversion to Buddhism in 1956 is seen as the start of the neo-Buddhist movement in India. I see this important post-colonial moment as an endpoint in a larger trajectory of efforts at reviving Buddhism in India. The term "revival" itself arose as a result of a particular understanding of Indian history as having had a Buddhist phase in the distant past. Buddhism is also seen in the historiography as a British colonial discovery (or "recovery") for their Indian subjects viz. a range of archaeological and philological endeavors starting in the early decades of the nineteenth century. I argue that there was a quite prolific Indian discourse on Buddhism starting from the late nineteenth century that segued into secret histories of cosmopolitanism, modernity, nationalism and caste radicalism in India. In this context I examine a constellation of figures including the Sri Lankan Buddhist ideologue and activist Anagarika Dharmapala, Buddhist studies scholars like Beni Madhab Barua, the Hindi writer, socialist, and sometime Buddhist monk Rahula Sankrityayana, the first Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru and Ambedkar himself among others, to explicate how Buddhism was constructed and deployed in the service of these ideologies and pervaded both liberal and radical Indian thought formations. In the process, Buddhism came to be characterized as both a universal and national religion, as the first modern faith system long before the actual advent of the modern age, as a system of ethics that espoused liberal values, an ethos of gender and caste equality, and independent and rational thinking, as a veritable civil religion for a new nation, and as a liberation theology for Dalits in India and indeed for the entire nation. My dissertation is about the people, networks, ideas and things that made this possible.<br>History
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Terrana, Alec M. "(De)psychologizing Shangri-La: Recognizing and Reconsidering C.G. Jung's Role in the Construction of Tibetan Buddhism in the Western Imagination." Scholarship @ Claremont, 2014. http://scholarship.claremont.edu/pomona_theses/117.
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Popular literature on Tibetan Buddhism often overemphasizes the psychological dimension of the religion's beliefs and practices. This misrepresentative portrayal is largely traceable to the writings of the psychoanalyst C.G. Jung. By employing distinctly psychological terminology and interpretive strategies in his analyses of the Tibetan Book of the Dead and mandala symbolism, Jung helped to establish precedents that were adopted in subsequent analyses of the religion. Imposing a psychological lens on Tibetan Buddhism obscures other essential elements of the tradition, such as cosmology, physiology, and ritualism, thereby silencing the voices of Tibetans in analyses of their own practices. Jung's imposition of his own voice in place of that of Tibetans has commonly been criticized as an act of intellectually imperializing Orientalism that furthers Jung's personal aims of solidifying his system of analytical psychology. This thesis supports and demonstrates the validity of that critique through close analyses of Jung's commentaries on Tibetan Buddhism.
However, Jung’s psychoanalytic perspective and qualifying comments found elsewhere in his corpus ultimately contextualize his commentaries and reveal that his writings on Tibetan Buddhism should not be treated as shedding light on the religion. Rather, they offer an additional lens for understanding analytical psychology. Furthermore, Jung's perspective as a psychoanalyst demonstrates the inherent instability of Orientalist epistemology that attempts to make sense of Eastern cultures on Western terms. Derridean deconstruction of Jung's commentaries reveals that the laws of psychoanalysis subvert those of Orientalism, thus allowing us to undermine the Orientalist episteme in which Jung writes and creates the possibility for appropriating foreign cultural content differently
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d'Elena, Grisel. "The Gender Problem of Buddhist Nationalism in Myanmar: The 969 Movement and Theravada Nuns." FIU Digital Commons, 2016. http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/2463.
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This thesis uses transnational and Black feminist frameworks to analyze Buddhist nationalist discourses of gender and violence against religious and ethnic minorities in Myanmar. Burmese Buddhist nationalists’ marginalization of the Muslim Rohingya ethnic minority is inextricably linked to their attempts to control Buddhist women. Research includes interviews with U Ashin Wirathu, the leader of the monastic-led nationalist group, the 969 Movement, and with other monks of the organization, as well as with non-nationalist monks, nuns and laywomen. I also analyze Theravada textual discourse as read by my subjects in light of the history of Myanmar to understand the ways the local Theravada tradition has marginalized women and non-Buddhists. By connecting the lack of bhikkhuni ordination and laws hindering Buddhist women from marrying non-Buddhist men with the portrayal of the Rohingya as a threat to the nation, I show how Buddhist nationalists attempt to consolidate power and forestall the democratization process.
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Choi, Hyejeong. "Mireuksa, A Baekje Period Temple of the Future Buddha Maitreya." The Ohio State University, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1431044236.
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Hall, Amelia J. E. "Revelations of a modern mystic : the life and legacy of Kun Bzang Bde Chen Gling Pa 1928-2006." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2012. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:87c510cd-7fec-4366-b9d3-27561eb8317d.
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This study traces the development of Tibetan 'treasure' texts and practices in contemporary times via the life-story and scriptural revelations of the Tibetan 'treasure revealer' (gter ston) Kun bzang bde chen gling pa (1928-2006). It examines how his revelations (gter ma) rooted in the historic spirituality of Tibet, continue and adapt into the twenty first century. The study is important in order to understand the ways this Asian religious concept develops and coalesces in North America. With the dramatic advances in communication through digital technology, it examines how gter ma texts and practices reach a modern audience. Also discussed are the implications of centuries old debates surrounding Buddhist lineage, transmission and ‘authenticity’ as well as concepts such as liberty, equality and authority. All of which are culture-specific constructions that differ radically when seen from a variety of perspectives. The main conclusion drawn from this research is that as a Western Vajrayāna ‘tradition’ emerges and intersects with older Tibetan forms, both must attempt to find a middle path between their differing applications and interpretations if they are to avoid drifting into an arena of extensive commercialisation, dilution and distortion.
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Shonk, Gregory J. "Vision and Presence: Seeing the Buddha in the Early Buddhist and Pure Land Traditions." The Ohio State University, 2012. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1338148835.
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Rudolf, Trapp. "Religionspolitik in der Äußeren Mongolei (1920-1938)." Doctoral thesis, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.18452/18979.
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Thema der vorliegenden Arbeit ist die Politik, die in der Äußeren Mongolei n Hinblick auf die Lamas und Klöster verfolgt wurde (1920-1939). Das Thema wird auf allen Ebenen untersucht.
Es wird untersucht, welchen Einfluss die Bolschewiki/die Sowjets auf die Religionspolitik nahmen, welche Programme und Strategien die mongolische Führung entwarf, welche Maßnahmen ergriffen wurden, wie diese Maßnahmen von Partei und Staat umgesetzt wurden, schließlich wird untersucht, wie die Lamas, die gläubige Bevölkerung auf diese Politik reagierte. Das Thema wird in all seinen verschiedenen Aspekten dargestellt: zu Religionspolitik gehören also die religionspolitischen Programme, die entsprechende Gesetzgebung, die in Hinblick auf die Lamas und Klöster verfolgte Steuerpolitik und Anderes.
Der Faktor, der die Religionspolitik sicherlich wesentlich prägte, was der Einfluss der Bolschewiki. In der Arbeit wird dargestellt, dass die Religionspolitik aber keineswegs die bloße Umsetzung eines von Beginn an vorhandenen Programms war, das letztlich auf einer antireligiösen Ideologie basierte. Vielmehr zeigt sich, dass in Hinblick auf die Religionspolitik verschiedene Phasen zu unterscheiden sind, in denen jeweils eine recht unterschiedliche Politik verfolgt wurden. So waren die ersten Jahre von einer Politik der Kompromisse geprägt, die Lamas wurden als Teil einer „Einheitsfront“ angesprochen. In der Mitte der 1920er verfolgten mongolische Funktionäre dann ein Programm zur Reform des Buddhismus. Darauf folgte in den Jahren 1929 bis 1932 ein offen proklamierter Kampf gegen die „gelben Feudalen“, also gegen die (hochrangigen) Lamas.
Was dann schließlich in den Jahren 1937 bis 1939 erfolgte war die sogenannte Lösung der Lama- und Klösterfrage: binnen anderthalb Jahren wurden mehr als 15 000 Lamas verhaftet und hingerichtet, alle Klöster wurden geschlossen. Die Folge dieser Religionspolitik war die Beseitigung des mongolischen Buddhismus in seiner tradierten Form.<br>Theme of this book is the policy in regard to the lamas and monasteries in Outer Mongolia (1920-1939), the so called lama question. The policy on religion will be analyzed on all level.
This includes the following questions: What was the general attitude of the Bolsheviks/the soviet towards Outer Mongolia, what policy pursued the Bolsheviks/the Soviets in regard to Outer Mongolia and how did they influenced the policy on religion? What did the Mongolian leadership say and do in regard to the lamas? Which measure were taken? How did the local party cadres and the administration executed these measure? Finally, how did the common people, the lama react towards this policy? The policy on religion comprises different aspects which all will be analyzed, e.g. legislation, taxation of the lamas and monasteries, antireligious organizations.
The main force in regard to this policy in Outer Mongolia were the Bolsheviks, the Soviet Union.
The main argument developed in this thesis is that this was not a clear cut process determined by an all ready platform which in itself was determined by an underlying antireligious ideology. There were quite some changes in regard to the attitude towards Buddhism. In the first years after the so called People's Revolution the Bolsheviks and the governing Mongolian People's Party proposed the strategy of the united front. In the mid 1920s influential Mongolian leaders proposed a reform of Buddhism. This reform was followed by a fierce attack on the yellow feudal (a term applied to the lamas) in the years 1929 -1932. Finally, in the years 1937-1939 more than 15 000 lamas were arrested and executed, all monasteries were closed: this so called solution of the question of the lamas and monasteries destroyed the Buddhist institutions in Outer Mongolia.
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Maafi, Marcus. "Vad får eleverna lära sig om Hinduism och Buddhism? – En innehållsanalys av trosuppfattningarna hinduism och buddhism inom kursböckerna "En människa, tusen världar " och "Religionskunskap 1: om mening, värde och tro "." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Religionshistoria, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-411293.
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This paper will came up with a content analysis of two course textbooks used in swedish high school. The question that will be used is as follows: "How are the selected key concepts in religions Hinduism and Buddhism explained in the course Religious Studies Specialization coursebooks " En människa, tusen världar "and" Religionskunskap 1: om mening, värde och tro". The key concepts in Hinduism are: trimurti, atman, samsara, karma, moksha, the varnasystem, dharma, important books, branches and the Indo-Aryans. In Buddhism there are: Buddha, the four noble truths, the noble eightfold path, karma, nirvana, directions, the three jewels, the three baskets, the bodhisattva and the temple life. " It should be said that "En människa, tusen världar" are written by Robert Tuveson and " Religionskunskap 1: om mening, värde och tro " are written by Olof Franck. The method I will use is content analysis. The conclusions reached by this bachelor's thesis are that Hinduism and buddhism chapter in the work "En människa, tusen världar" tells in more detail when it comes to the key concepts than Tuveson's chapters on Hinduism and Buddhism.
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Monson, Jason McLeod. "Hunger is the worst disease : conceptions of poverty and poverty relief in Buddhist social ethics." Thesis, University of Glasgow, 2013. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/4643/.
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The present work addresses the notions of poverty and poverty relief in Buddhist social and economic ethics, comparing them to current approaches to conceptualizing poverty used in the development community. Given the Buddhist preoccupation with ceasing suffering and removing its causes, and the key Buddhist principle of Right Livelihood that is found in the Ennobling Eightfold Path to enlightenment taught by the Buddha, economic ethics appear to be central to the Buddhist path and a concern for the suffering caused by extreme poverty therefore ought to be a key point of concern in Buddhist ethics. Buddhist ethics has developed into a field of study all its own over the last few decades, addressing issues in applied ethics from bioethics to human rights and environmental concerns, but little has been written by virtually any standard on the important topic of poverty relief. The present work makes a step toward filling that gap by examining relevant passages in the Pāli Canon as well as popular and influential Mahāyāna sūtras to demonstrate that a concern for deprivation or non-voluntary impoverishment is evident in key Buddhist doctrines and teachings from the earliest recorded history of the Buddhist tradition. The thesis further discusses the duties to relieve poverty outlined in Buddhist social ethics as well as the development of Buddhist economics and its critique of dominant mainstream economics. It also offers a comparison of Buddhist conceptions of poverty with contemporary notions of poverty, such as the capabilities approach to poverty developed by Amartya Sen and currently in use by the UNDP. In both of these cases poverty is portrayed in a comprehensive and multi-dimmensional manner which views income as only one aspect of poverty. Additionally, this dissertation examines the contemporary Socially Engaged Buddhist movement and identifies historical and contemporary examples of Buddhist poverty relief efforts.
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McMahan, Kathleen Ann. ""Creolization" in American religious history: The metaphysical nature of Henry Steel Olcott's Buddhism." Connect to online resource, 2008. http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:1460868.
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Hagerty, Darbee Nicole. "A Feminist Perspective on the Lack of Full Ordination for Burmese Buddhist Nuns." FIU Digital Commons, 2016. http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/2435.
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This thesis examines the position of Buddhist nuns (thila-shins) in contemporary Burmese society. The Sangha, a branch of the Burmese state, has disallowed them from seeking full ordination as bhikkhunis. Based on interviews and observations conducted in Myanmar in June-July 2015, the thesis examines the current socioeconomic status of thila-shins using a transnational feminist framework. It argues that Burmese Buddhist nuns are not simply passive victims of a patriarchal structure, but agents and actors within their own spaces who have their own agendas. The central questions are: How do thila-shins understand their social, economic, and religious position? How does ordination status affect thila-shins? Is barring thila-shins from seeking full ordination ethical according to Buddhist texts? Special emphasis is given to a rereading of traditional Buddhist doctrine on the issue of reviving full ordination for Buddhist nuns in light of concerns regarding agency present in Third World feminist movements.
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Wallentin, Jan. "Nirvana via App-store : Hur Sam Harris ompaketerat dzogchen-buddhism till sekulär mindfulness." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Religionshistoria, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-451817.
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This thesis aims to study how Sam Harris has reinterpreted the meaning of some central buddhist concepts to fit within the contemporary discourse of secular mindfulness. To do this, the discourse analytical method of Laclau and Mouffe has been used. The studied material is As it is volume 1 and 2 by the dzogchen-lama Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, and the book and app Waking Up by Sam Harris. The study analyses and compares the use of three concepts, three nodal points, in the discourses of traditional dzogchen and contemporary secular mindfulness: ”buddhism”, ”teacher” and ”enlightenment”. A general comparison is also made between the different world views that appear in As it is and Waking Up, respectively. The major findings of the study are: In the dzogchen-discourse of Tulku Urgyen ”buddhism” is seen as a religious creed, with a multifaceted cosmology in which the Buddha is considered to have divine powers. In the secular mindfulness discourse of Sam Harris ”buddhism” is described as a testable proto- science, in which the Buddha is equated with a skilled psychologist. In the dzogchen-discourse of Tulku Urgyen a “teacher” gets his authority by referring to a line of teachers going back to the Buddha. The teacher is considered to have supernatural powers and the student is expected to show devotion. In the secular mindfulness discourse of Sam Harris a ”teacher” only needs to have practical expertise, and the student is supposed to question and test the teacher's statements. Briefly, this can be described as a change from a religious guru to a secular coach. In the dzogchen-discourse the concept of enlightenment is associated with salvation and described as the only way to escape new painful reincarnations. Enlightenment is also linked to compassion and considered an altruistic project. In the secular mindfulness discourse of Sam Harris the quest for enlightenment is described as an individualistic health project, aimed at increasing mental well-being, personal development and happiness. Keywords: Sam Harris, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, dzogchen, buddhism, secular mindfulness, enlightenment, discourse analysis.
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Lai, Lei Kuan. "Praying for the republic: Buddhist education, student monks, and citizenship in modern China (1911-1949)." Thesis, McGill University, 2014. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=121131.
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This dissertation is a study of the emergence and impact of modern educational institutions in Chinese Buddhism. My aim is twofold: 1) to produce a history of modern monastic education in China; and 2) to investigate the intended outcomes of this new system of education as shown in the student-monks it produced. Focusing on identity formation, I examine the production of a collective identity – the student-monk – within and outside of the Buddhist academies (foxueyuan). Student-monks were those who identified with the imagined community formed around modern Buddhist academies and, more importantly, Buddhist periodicals that were widely circulated during the Republican period. I argue that this collective identity was indispensable to the young monks' creation of a distinctly Buddhist citizenship, which allowed them to engage and negotiate with the nation-state in a series of encounters. In other words, student-monks were both the products of a reformulated Buddhism-state relation and agents for that very transformation in twentieth-century China. I maintain that the emergence of student-monks as both an actual and imagined community is crucial to our understanding of the development of modern Chinese Buddhism.<br>Cette thèse est une étude de l'émergence et de l'impact des institutions d'éducation moderne sur le Bouddhisme chinois. L'objectif de mon projet est en deux temps: 1) produire une histoire de l'éducation monastique moderne en Chine; et 2) étudier les résultats escomptés de ce nouveau système d'éducation tels que visibles chez les étudiants moines sortants. En me concentrant sur l'identité en formation, j'examine la production d'une identité collective, soit l'étudiant moine, au sein et hors des académies bouddhistes (foxueyuan). Les étudiants moines étaient ceux qui s'identifiaient avec la communauté imaginée qui se formait autour des académies bouddhistes modernes, et surtout, les périodiques bouddhistes qui étaient largement distribués lors de la période républicaine. Je soutiens que cette identité collective était cruciale à la création d'une citoyenneté distinctivement bouddhiste chez les jeunes moines, ce qui leur a permis de s'engager et de négocier avec l'État-nation lors d'une série de rencontres. En d'autres termes, les étudiants moines étaient à la fois les produits d'une relation Bouddhisme-État reformulée ainsi que les agents de cette même transformation dans la Chine du vingtième siècle. Je maintiens que l'émergence de ces étudiants moines en tant que communauté et véritable et imaginée est cruciale à notre compréhension du développement du Bouddhisme chinois moderne.
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Tilhon, Fredrik. "Dr Ambedkar's Legacy : Indian Buddhism in Contemporary Varanasi." Thesis, Karlstads universitet, Avdelningen för humaniora och genusvetenskap, 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kau:diva-9308.
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During the 1950’s the Dalit leader Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar managed to revive Buddhism in India as a protest against, what he considered to be, injustices towards low-caste people that were said to be caused by Hinduism. This study was done to investigate the presence of Ambedkar Buddhism in the holy city of Hinduism Varanasi. By interviewing people and field studies it was possible to see how Ambedkar Buddhism has been transferred to contemporary Varanasi, how the religion is being practices and whether it is a religious or political movement. The results that were found were that Ambedkar Buddhism has existed ever since 1956 when Ambedkar held mass conversions in Maharashtra and that the religion has been kept and transferred within families to today’s generations of Varanasi and also partially because of academics associated with Banaras Hindu University who have move to the city for work and studies. Ambedkar Buddhists practice their religion like most Buddhists with the exception of not having a tradition of monasticism. The movement is both religious and political as it was started as a protest against Hinduism, which is also both religious and political according to Ambedkar. The movement has prospered because it seems that Buddhism is a beneficial way for Dalits to gain power and success.
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Astier, Alexandre. "Recherches sur l’iconographie de Kubera." Thesis, Paris 4, 2014. http://www.theses.fr/2014PA040064.
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Cette thèse a pour objet l’étude des images du dieu Kubera (nommé aussi Vaiśravaṇa ou Jambhala) dans le monde indien, de leur apparition (vers 150 avant notre ère) jusqu’au XIIe siècle. Dans l’hindouisme, Kubera a comme fonctions principales d’être le maître des yakṣa, le dieu de la richesse et le gardien (lokapāla) du nord. Kubera a été également intégré parmi les divinités mineures du bouddhisme et du jaïnisme. Cette thèse s’attache à présenter les caractéristiques de la personnalité de Kubera dans la littérature, puis à étudier chronologiquement l’évolution de son iconographie. Cette thèse cherche à démontrer que la personnalité de Kubera est plus riche et plus complexe que ce qui est généralement admis et que ses images sont en fait plus variées que ce que l’on pourrait penser. En plus de ses fonctions classiques, Kubera est ainsi fortement associé en milieu hindou à la fonction royale. Il est aussi fréquemment représenté avec Gaṇeśa et la déesse Lakṣmī. Ses « trésors » (nidhi) personnifiés (la Conque et le Lotus) ornent de nombreux sanctuaires. Son image est particulièrement complexe dans l’art du Gandhāra (entre le milieu du Ier siècle et le IIIe siècle de notre ère) où son iconographie résulte d’une fusion de ses fonctions traditionnelles avec la personne de Pāñcika, son général en chef et l’époux de Hāritī, ainsi qu’avec le dieu Pharro d’origine iranienne et avec l’Hermès/Mercure gréco-romain. Kubera peut également dans l’art bouddhique apparaître comme un gardien du Buddha et de son enseignement, tandis que dans le jaïnisme, il est à l’origine de l’image de la plupart des gardiens chargés de la protection personnelle des vingt-quatre Jina<br>This thesis is a study of the images of god Kubera (also called Vaiśravaṇa or Jambhala) in South Asia, from their origin (c. 150 B.C.) to the 12th century. In Hinduism, Kubera is mainly the Lord of the yakṣa, the Lord of Riches and the guardian (lokapāla) of the north. Kubera has also been included with the minor divinities of Buddhism and Jainism. The aim of this work is to present the features of Kubera’s character that can be found in literature and to study the chronological evolution of his iconography. This thesis seeks to prove that Kubera’s personality is more complex and richer than generally admitted, and that his images are more varied than one might think. In addition to his traditional roles, Kubera in Hinduism is strongly linked to sovereignty. He is often represented in association with Gaṇeśa and goddess Lakṣmī. His personified “treasures” (nidhi), the Conch-Shell and the Lotus, decorate numerous temples. Kubera’s image is particularly complex in Gandharan art (1st to 3rd centuries A.D.) where his iconography is the result of the fusion of his traditional functions with Pāñcika (Kubera’s general in chief and Hāritī’s husband), Iranian god Pharro and Greco-Roman god Hermes/Mercury. In Buddhist art, Kubera can be a protector of the Buddha and His Law, whereas in Jainism, he has given rise to most images of the guardians in charge of protecting the twenty-four Jinas
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Ducher, Cécile. "A Lineage in Time : The Vicissitudes of the rNgog pa bka’ brgyud from the 11th through 19th centuries." Thesis, Paris Sciences et Lettres (ComUE), 2017. http://www.theses.fr/2017PSLEP052/document.
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Le lignage rNgog était un lignage religieux héréditaire qui s’est épanoui au Tibet entre le XIe et le XVe siècle et a participé à l’efflorescence de plusieurs transmissions tantriques toujours vivantes dans le bouddhisme tibétain contemporain. Cette thèse est l’histoire du lignage religieux rNgog pa bKa’ brgyud qui puise ses sources dans le Xe siècle indien, s’est acculturé au Tibet grâce aux efforts du traducteur Mar pa Chos kyi blo gros (1000 ?-1081 ?) et a traversé le second millénaire. C’est aussi l’histoire du lignage familial rNgog, depuis ses origines mythiques jusqu’à sa plénitude au XIIe siècle et son extinction silencieuse dans le tumulte des transformations politiques du XVIIe siècle tibétain. Cette étude s’appuie sur deux récits composés au sein du lignage rNgog et qui se trouvent au carrefour de l’hagiographie, de la généalogie et des recueils d’enseignements reçus. Elle est encadrée par deux volumineuses collections d’exégèses et de rituels tantriques. La première, le Trésor des Mantras bKa’ brgyud, a été compilée au XIXe siècle dans le but de sauvegarder et de faciliter la transmission des traditions Mar rngog. La seconde, le Compilation des Cycles rNgog, a été publié il y a une dizaine d’années mais contient des matériaux anciens composés par les rNgog et leurs disciples. L’ambition de cette étude est de comprendre l’histoire de ces textes et, plus largement, celle des rNgog et leur position dans le champ religieux du Tibet Central jusqu’au XVIIe siècle. Dans cette optique, plusieurs approches, dont la critique des sources et l’analyse textuelle et socio-historique, sont adoptées<br>The rNgog lineage was a religious hereditary lineage that flourished in Tibet from the 11th to the 15th century and participated in the efflorescence of several tantric transmissions that remain alive in contemporary Tibetan Buddhism. This dissertation is the history of the rNgog pa bka’ brgyud religious lineage that takes root in 10th-century India, was acculturated in Tibet through the efforts of the translator Mar pa Chos kyi blo gros (1000?-1081?) and spans the second millennium. It is also the history of the rNgog hereditary lineage, from its mythic origins, to its blossoming in the 12th century and its silent dispersion in the political transformations of 17th-century Central Tibet. Its core is a pair of twenty-five-folio narratives composed within the rNgog lineage that are at the crossroads of hagiography, genealogy and records of teachings received. Its framework are two large collections of tantric exegesis and rituals. The first, the Treasury of bKa’ brgyud Mantras, was compiled in the 19th century in order to safeguard the Mar rngog traditions and facilitate their transmission. The second one, the Compilation of rNgog Cycles, was published ten years ago but contains ancient material composed by the rNgog and their disciples. The aim of this study is to understand the history of these texts and, more broadly, the history of the rNgog and their position in the religious field of Central Tibet until the 17th century. For this, several approaches are adopted, including source criticism, textual and socio-historical analysis
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Segerdahl, Margareta. "Representation av hinduism och buddhism : En innehållsanalys av två läromedel." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Teologiska institutionen, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-431765.
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One of the criteriums for the course Religionskunskap 1 in upper secondary school is that the religious education should highlight how world religions express themselves for individuals and groups in the present, in Sweden and abroad. This study aimed to examine how two teaching textbooks that are used in religious education achieve this criterium. The representation and portraying of Hinduism and Buddhism in the textbooks has been analyzed in relation to the previously mentioned criteria. The theoretic framework for the study has been Robert Jackson and his interpretive approach. The study shows that the two textbooks are not enough to fulfill the criteria. Therefor teachers need to look beyond the textbooks to fulfill this specific criterium and use diverse and different teaching tools.
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Liu, Cuilan. "Song, Dance, and Instrumental Music in Buddhist Canon Law." Thesis, Harvard University, 2013. http://dissertations.umi.com/gsas.harvard:11232.
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Maintaining a balanced approach to music is a shared challenge in all religions. Depending on the context in which music is used in religious activities, it is either praised as a powerful medium to please the divine or condemned as a sensual allurement that hinders spiritual advancement. This study discusses the treatment of vocal and instrumental music as well as the allied category of dance in Buddhism. Specifically, it analyzes the regulations of different forms of musical activities in Buddhist canon law and their subsequent interpretation in Tibet and China.
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Ingram, Evan. "Rebuilding Nara’s Tōdaiji on the Foundations of the Chinese Pure Land: A Campaign for Buddhist Social Development." Thesis, Harvard University, 2016. http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:33493371.
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This dissertation considers how Chinese models of Buddhist social organization and Pure Land thought undergirded the Japanese monk Chōgen’s campaign to restore the Great Buddha of Tōdaiji, destroyed in the Gempei civil war at the end of the 12th century. While Chōgen’s activities as chief solicitor of the campaign partially owed to his network of social connections earned through a selective Buddhist education, Chōgen’s three pilgrimages to China were crucial for providing much of the knowledge, methods, and technologies that made possible the largest religious and civil engineering project attempted in Japan to that time.
Though nominally a Buddhist monk, Chōgen embodied the ideal of a polymath. In order to recreate Japan’s foremost Buddhist symbol, he was compelled to assume a wide range of responsibilities: fundraising among aristocrats and warriors; forming a network of lieutenants, donors, and common devotees; managing temple estates that provided revenues; developing transportation infrastructure to carry materials and supplies; casting the Great Buddha statue; overseeing religious rites; and finally, rebuilding Tōdaiji’s halls. These diverse activities required creative forms of religio-social networking and technologies not extant in Japan.
During his travels to the Chinese port city of Ningbo, as well as the religious mountains of Tiantaishan and Ayuwangshan, Chōgen learned of Pure Land halls built by lay confraternities, and adopted them as models for the later sanctuaries he constructed around Japan for proselytization and fundraising purposes. He also borrowed organizational principles from Chinese Pure Land societies from the urban centers of Ningbo and Hangzhou in order to create a massive Pure Land network in his homeland that embraced former militants from the civil war, the imperial family, monastics from a wide range of institutions, and even the common populace – all of whom contributed to the Tōdaiji rebuilding effort.
Ultimately, the fields of religion and technology that Chōgen imported from China not only enabled the reconstruction of Japan’s most important Buddhist temple, but also brought Japan into the fold of an emerging East China Sea religious macroculture of the late 12th and early 13th centuries that expanded with the activities of traders and later Japanese pilgrims who would emulate Chōgen’s voyages.<br>East Asian Languages and Civilizations
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Guo, Hong Yue. "Rebirth and karmic retribution in fifth-century China a study of the teachings of the Buddhist monk Lu Shan Huiyuan /." [Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2007. http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:3301313.
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Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of East Asian Languages and Cultures, Chinese, 2007.<br>Title from dissertation home page (viewed Sept. 26, 2008). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 69-02, Section: A, page: 0615. Adviser: Bokenkamp R. Stephen.
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Mai, Cuong T. "Visualization apocrypha and the making of Buddhist deity cults in early medieval China with special reference to the cults of Amitabha, Maitreya, and Samantabhadra /." [Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2009. http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:3380107.
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Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Religious Studies, 2009.<br>Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Jul 14, 2010). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 70-12, Section: A, page: 4722. Adviser: John R. McRae.
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Huang, Chun Yuan. "A Record of a Tibetan Medieval Debate: History, Language, and Efficacy of Tibetan Buddhist Debate." Thesis, Harvard University, 2014. http://dissertations.umi.com/gsas.harvard:11432.
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This dissertation is intended to serve as a thorough examination of a particular debate between Lho pa Thugs rje dpal and Rong ston Shakya rgyal mtshan (1367-1449). According to the colophon of this medieval Tibetan debate record, which also appears to be the only currently surviving medieval Tibetan debate record in Tibetan literature, this debate took place in Sa skya and was recorded by both debaters' disciples without bias. The date of this debate was sometime between 1388 and 1393 during Rong ston's first visit to the Gtsang area.
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Schenkel, Klara Maria. "O Buddha e o extremo oriental das Américas: um estudo etnográfico das práticas budistas no estado da Paraíba." Universidade Federal da Paraíba, 2013. http://tede.biblioteca.ufpb.br:8080/handle/tede/4206.
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Previous issue date: 2013-07-30<br>Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES<br>This paper is a research proposal of recent insertion of Buddhism
(eminently Eastern belief) in northeastern Brazil, specifically in the state of
Paraíba (region of predominant Christian tradition). At first, we discuss the
means that enable this insertion, as well as the people involved in the process
of diffusion of a exotic" religion in the historical and cultural context of Paraiba.
Secondly, the focus of this research is the process of translation (or "reframing")
of the Buddhist ideals made by the belief system of its original paraibanos
practitioners. Our hypothesis is that some of the Buddhist philosophical
assumptions can be "read" in the light of Franciscan Christianity. If the
discourses are essentially heterogeneous and polyphonic, then Buddhist
doctrine when expanded in to the world, inevitably suffered interventions,
additions and revisions. Therefore, our objective is to understand, beyond the
manners, the process through which, from certain historical conditions, various
discursive formations operate in the production of a "new" religious discourse in
our region.<br>Este trabalho é uma proposta de investigação da inserção recente do budismo (crença eminentemente oriental) no nordeste brasileiro, especificamente no estado da Paraíba (região de tradição cristã predominante). Num primeiro momento, abordamos quais são os meios que viabilizam esta inserção, bem como quais são os atores envolvidos nesse processo de difusão de uma religião exótica no contexto histórico e cultural paraibano. Num segundo momento, o foco dessa investigação é o processo de tradução (ou ressignificação ) do ideário budista efetuado pelo sistema de crenças original de seus praticantes paraibanos. Se os discursos são essencialmente heterogêneos e polifônicos, também a doutrina budista, ao expandir-se pelo mundo, inevitavelmente sofreu intervenções, acréscimos e revisões de matrizes discursivas outras . O objetivo último do trabalho é compreendermos, além dos meios, o processo através do qual, a partir de determinadas condições históricas, formações discursivas diversas operam na produção de um novo discurso religioso em nossa região.
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Bloom, Phillip Emmanual. "Descent of the Deities: The Water-Land Retreat and the Transformation of the Visual Culture of Song-Dynasty (960-1279) Buddhism." Thesis, Harvard University, 2013. http://dissertations.umi.com/gsas.harvard:10948.
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This dissertation identifies a paradox at the heart of the visual culture of Song-dynasty (960-1279) Buddhism. On the one hand, as the celestial pantheon expanded, it was conceptualized in ever more bureaucratic ways, mirroring the growth of the terrestrial government itself. On the other hand, the boundary separating that supramundane realm from the human world became decidedly more permeable; ghosts and deities became an omnipresent part of daily life. How to treat these two contradictory phenomena--one pointing to rational orderliness, the other pointing to unpredictable unruliness--posed a distinct problem for Song visual artists, spurring the development of new strategies of pictorial representation and forcing reflection upon the nature of representation itself. Chinese Buddhist art was never to be the same again. I argue that the key to understanding these new forms of art lies in the Water-Land Retreat (Shuilu zhai), a massive, icon-filled ritual of decidedly cosmic pretensions. The patterns of practice and strategies of visual representation associated with this ritual constitute a system that radically broke with earlier Chinese tradition. Practitioners of the liturgy created an open ritual syntax that allowed it to take on myriad forms in accordance with its sponsors’ needs, while also allowing it to absorb deities and practices from non-Buddhist traditions. This dissertation examines these phenomena in three parts. Part 1 excavates the social place, methods of practice, and visual profile of the Water-Land Retreat in and around the Song. Relying extensively on paintings from the Jiangnan region, cliff carvings from Sichuan, and numerous liturgical manuscripts, I argue that image and practice are inextricably bound in this ritual. Part 2 focuses on the motif of the cloud in Water-Land-related images and texts. Through an examination of images of cloud-borne descending deities, I contend that this nebulous motif became the locus for reflection on the mediational nature of representation. Finally, Part 3 addresses the bureaucratization of ritual practice and pictorial production in Song Buddhism. I argue that practitioners of the Water-Land Retreat simultaneously embraced and transcended a bureaucratic idiom drawn from Daoism and contemporary government to create a new Buddhist vision of the cosmos.<br>History of Art and Architecture
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Suchan, Thomas. "The eternally flourishing stronghold: an iconographic study of the Buddhist sculpture of the Fowan and related sites at Beishan, Dazu Ca. 892-1155." The Ohio State University, 2003. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1054225952.
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Kontio, Unna. "Environmental motives in the Buddhist ecology : A study of Thich Nhat Hanh’s ecology, engaged practice and environmental activism." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Religionshistoria, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-411591.
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Thich Nhat Hanh is one of the key actors in the contemporary engaged Buddhist practice. With his understanding of the traditional Buddhist doctrine, tradition and practice he constructs a view of ecology that he thinks encourage both the individual and the collective to environmentalist action. His cosmology is based on an understanding the reality as a non-dual, interconnected, interdependent and impermanent and sees all beings and the nature equal in their nature. He also bases his ethical and moral views on this cosmology and is an advocate for traditional Buddhist ethical and moral principles such as non-violence and non-judgementalism. The traditional doctrine of the 4 noble truths and the dependent co-arising is the base for his thought of why we should practice mindfulness with the goal of raising awareness of the true nature of reality and the environmental issues. According to him it is possible to stop the global warming with the use of mindfulness and action that are based on on the traditional Buddhist perception of cosmology and moral and ethical principles.
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Brown, Kerry Lucinda. "Dīpaṅkara Buddha and the Patan Samyak Mahādāna in Nepal: Performing the Sacred in Newar Buddhist Art". VCU Scholars Compass, 2014. http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/3635.
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Every four years, in the middle of a cold winter night, devotees bearing images of 126 Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and other important deities assemble in the Nepalese city of Patan for an elaborate gift giving festival known as Samyak Mahādāna (“The Perfect Great Gift”). Celebrated by Nepal’s Newar Buddhist community, Samyak honors one of the Buddhas of the historical past called Dīpaṅkara. Dīpaṅkara’s importance in Buddhism is rooted in ancient textual and visual narratives that promote the cultivation of generosity through religious acts of giving (Skt. dāna). During Samyak, large images of Dīpaṅkara Buddha ceremoniously walk in procession to the event site, aided by a man who climbs inside the wooden body to assume the legs of the Buddha. Once arranged at the event, Dīpaṅkara is honored with an array of offerings until dusk the following day.
This dissertation investigates how Newar Buddhists utilize art and ritual at Samyak to reenact and reinforce ancient Buddhist narratives in their contemporary lives. The study combines art historical methods of iconographic analysis with a contextual study of the ritual components of the Samyak Mahādāna to analyze the ways religious spectacle embeds core Buddhist values within in the multilayered components of art, ritual, and communal performance. Principally, Samyak reaffirms the foundational Buddhist belief in the cultivation of generosity (Skt. dāna pāramitā) through meritorious acts of giving (Skt. dāna). However, the synergy of image and ritual performance at Samyak provides a critical framework to examine the artistic, religious, and ritual continuities of past and present in the Newar Buddhist community of the Kathmandu Valley. An analysis of the underlying meta-narrative and conceptualization of Samyak suggests the construction of a dynamic visual narrative associated with sacred space, ritual cosmology, and religious authority. Moreover, this dissertation demonstrates the role of Samyak Mahādāna in constructing Buddhist identity in Nepal, as the festival provides an opportunity to examine how Newar Buddhists utilize art, ritual, and performance to reaffirm their ancient Buddhist heritage.
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Björkelid, Joakim. "Buddhismens Beskyddare : Burmesisk nationalism, antimuslimska munkar och deras amerikanska sympatisörer." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Teologiska institutionen, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-323869.
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The violent uprisings in Myanmar between 2012-2014 sparked a big interest in the media around the world. The uprisings which resulted in many casualties and the destruction of muslim owned shops and mosques left around 140.000 IDPs. In an interview with Time Magazine’s Hannah Beech, the leader of the group claimed to be responsible for instigating the violence, Ashin Wirathu likened muslims to animals and encouraged burmese buddhists to shun muslims. Since the article was released an independent american organization which sympathizes with Wirathu and his ‘golden burmese’ 969 movement created a web page dedicated to portray a nuanced image of the movement and to clear up what they have claimed to be a number of false reports propagated by western media. This essay investigates the american support movement by analysing their english web page through the method of content analysis and by applying a propaganda theoretical framework to the final discussion. The aim of the essay is to identify what kind of image of Buddhism and Ashin Wirathus 969 movement the support group wants to portray and to explain this in the context of Myanmars colonial and postcolonial history.