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Steinmetz, Mayumi Takanashi. "Artistic and Religious Aspects of Nosatsu (Senjafuda)." Thesis, University of Oregon, 1985. http://hdl.handle.net/1794/22962.
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195 pagesNosatsu is both a graphic art object and a religious object. Until very recently, scholars have ignored nosatsu because of its associations with superstition and low-class, uneducated hobbyists. Recently, however, a new interest in nosatsu has revived because of its connections to ukiyo-e. Early in its history, nosatsu was regarded as a means of showing devotion toward the bodhisattva Kannon. However, during the Edo period, producing artistic nosatsu was emphasized more than religious devotion. There was a revival of interest in nosatsu during the Meiji and Taisho periods, and its current popularity suggests a national Japanese nostalgia toward traditional Japan. Using the religious, anthropological, and art historical perspectives, this theses will examine nosatsu and the practices associated with it, discuss reasons for the changes from period to period, and explore the heritage and the changing values of the Japanese common people.
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MacDonald, Kathleen Anne. "Sacred healing, health and death in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition." Thesis, McGill University, 2001. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=32927.
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The Tibetan Buddhist approach to healing, health and death is rooted in the sacred. Its teachings and techniques create a road map guiding the practitioner through the process of purification called sacred healing. It encompasses foundational Buddhist teachings, sacred Buddhist medicine, and the esoteric healing pathways found in tantra and yoga, which together constitute a detailed and technical guide to healing. The mind is central to all aspects of Tibetan Buddhism. The ability to focus the mind through meditation during life enables the practitioner to prepare for death by experiencing the subtle aspects of the body and mind through the chakras. Both Tibetan spiritual teachers and doctors practise healing and help practitioners learn to focus their minds in preparation for death. The moment of death presents the greatest opportunity for attaining sacred health, but healing can also occur after death. The objective of this thesis is to present the Tibetan Buddhist understanding of sacred healing in relation to life, death, the bardos and suicide through its texts, teachings and techniques.
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黃廣昌 and Kwong-cheong Wong. "On the virtues approach to Buddhist environmental ethics." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2008. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B4154738X.
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Shearer, Megan Marie. "Tibetan Buddhism and the environment: A case study of environmental sensitivity among Tibetan environmental professionals in Dharamsala, India." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2005. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/2904.
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The purpose of this study was to investigate environmental sensitivity among environmental professionals in a culture that is assumed to hold an ecocentric perspective. Nine Tibetan Buddhist environmental professionals were surveyed in this study. Based on an Environmental Sensitivity Profile Insytrument, an environmental sensitivity profile for a Tibetan Buddhist environmental professional was created from the participants demographic and interview data. The most frequently defined vaqriables were environmental destruction/development, education and role models.
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Panaïoti, Antoine. "The Bodhisattva and the Übermensch : suffering and compassion after the Death of God." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2011. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.609392.
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Ng, Suk-fun, and 伍淑芬. "Time and causality in Yogācāra Buddhism." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10722/206667.
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The research explores the interplay between causality and the notion of time in Yogācāra Buddhism. There has been a long debate over whether time is an objective reality with independent ontological status or, in contrast, a subjective experience that is dependent on mind. Until now, the two sides have failed to provide a clear and complete explanation of our temporal conception of things. A similar situation can be identified in the development of the notion of time in Indian philosophy. The concept of time (kāla) in the Indian tradition has evolved from cosmological speculations and the notion of divine power as developed in the Upanisads, where time is identified with Brahman (God), which is postulated as the ultimate ground of existence. On the other hand, in Buddhist philosophy our temporal conception of things is explained with our psychological experience. The limited investigation into the teachings of Yogācāra Buddhism has created a vacuum in our knowledge of the concept of time as understood by this particular Buddhist tradition. The thesis argues that concepts of time in Yogācāra are closely linked with its spiritual practice and its explanation for temporal experience as it occurs in the internal mind. It is the Vijñānavāda theory of causality that mediates between mind and spiritual practice. Here, time is defined as a nominal designation for an uninterrupted series of causal activities. When causality links with the flowing stream of time in the past, present and future, it creates the impression of a linear relation between the cause and the arising of the effect. In this thesis, primary sources in Sanskrit, Tibetan and Chinese are presented in order to show that there are doctrinal materials to support that it is around this central theme on which Yogācāra discussion on time hinger. The thesis demonstrates that the study of time in Yogācāra is divided into three strata: staring from the soteriological investigation by Maitreya and Asanga then developed into phenomenological inquiry in Vasubandhu’s idealistic position, and completed in the epistemological system of Dignāga and Dharmakīrti. This research is intended to fill a gap in the study of the Buddhist concept of time and to provide a possible resolution to the contemporary debate over the nature of temporal notions by examining it from the religious and philosophical perspectives found in Yogācāra Buddhism.published_or_final_version
Buddhist Studies
Doctoral
Doctor of Philosophy
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Keown, Damien. "Ethical perfection in Buddhist soteriology." Thesis, University of Oxford, 1986. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:ceb58e69-6448-4f67-98d3-9ef4d28d2123.
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The extent of the ethical component in the Buddha's teachings is often commented upon but has received disproportionately little attention from scholars. This thesis is intented to make a contribution in this area by (i): examining the substantive content of Buddhist ethical categories; (ii) locating ethics and the goal of ethical perfection in the context of the overall soteriological framework elaborated by the Buddha; (iii) offering a characterisation of the formal structure of Buddhist ethics according to the typology of philosophical ethical theory. The scope of the enquiry will include ethical data from both the Small and Large Vehicles. Previous research has concentrated almost exclusively on the Theravāda system and this has resulted in a truncated presentation of Buddhist ethics which has failed to reveal the underlying structure and its development through time. The present discussion therefore proceeds in a roughly chronological sequence in the selection of its data, considering first of all material from Theravādin sources (both Canonical and commentarial) and passing on to an investigation of the systematisation of ethical categories in the Abhidharma of the Small Vehicle as found in the scheme of the Sarvāstivāda preserved in the Abhidharmakośa. Subsequently, in Chapter 4, an account of Mahayana ethics is offered drawing mainly on the Śila-paṭala of the Bodhisattvabhūmi. The final two chapters (5 and 6) discuss two influential theories of ethics elaborated in the Western tradition which bear a prima facie resemblance to the theoretical structure of Buddhist ethics. Chapter 5 will deal with Utilitarianism and its resemblance to Buddhism, and Chapter 6 will be devoted to the Aristotelian ethical system. My conclusion will be that the Aristotelian model provides the closest analogue to Buddhism and a preliminary attempt will be made to pursue certain points of contact as an indication of the direction for future research. The overall argument, which is cumulative throughout the thesis, will be that ethical perfection in Buddhism is an integral and inalienable component in the perfection of human nature envisaged and attained by the Buddha. This, together with the intellectual perfection epitomised by the attainment of insightful knowledge (paññā). constitutes the Summum Bonum or complete good for man.
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Tilak, Shrinivas 1939. "Religion and aging in Indian tradition : a textual study." Thesis, McGill University, 1988. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=75680.
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The purpose of the present study is to recover from selected Hindu and Buddhist texts ideas and images of aging and illumine their historical, semantic and metaphysical dimensions. The results of this endeavor indicate that as cultural adaptive systems, both religion and gerontology share a common concern in seeking to provide aging with purpose and meaning. Further, the internal logic and semantics expressing this relationship in the texts examined are governed by the formal and literary modes of simile, metaphor and myth. The analysis of such age-sensitive concepts as jara (aging), asrama (stages of life), kala (time), parinama (change), karma (determinate actions), kama (desire), and vaja (rejuvenatory and revitalizing force) suggest that the bond between the traditional Indian values of life and gerontology is particularly close and mutual.
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Ghose, Lynken. "Emotion in Buddhism : a case study of Aśvaghoṣas Saundarananda." Thesis, McGill University, 1999. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=36592.
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The principal subject of this thesis is the place of emotion in Buddhist practice. Asvaghos&dotbelow;a's epic poem, the Saundarananda , has served as a case study. The bulk of the information in the preliminary chapters has been presented in order to provide a background to Asvaghos&dotbelow;a's thinking. In this regard, there are two principal streams of thinking that feed into Asvaghos&dotbelow;a's work: the aesthetic and the Buddhist. A great part of this thesis has been devoted to the process of translating the concept of emotion into a corresponding concept in Asvaghos&dotbelow;a's Saundarananda. However, my primary motivating interests here have been the role of emotion in meditative attitude, and the place of emotion in the mind of the enlightened sage.
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Tribe, Anthony Henry Fead. "The names of wisdom : a critical edition and annotated translation of chapters 1-5 of Vilasavajra's commentary on the Namasamgiti, with introduction and textual notes." Thesis, University of Oxford, 1994. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:29da9a3b-ab9a-4cb4-afea-dd3160be3d3f.
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The Nāmamantrārthāvalokinī ('An Explanation of the Meaning of the Namemantras') is an early, and major, commentary on the Nāmasaṃgīti ('The Chanting of Names'). Written by the eighth century Indian ācārya Vilāsavajra, it survives in the original Sanskrit and in Tibetan translation. The Nāmasamgīti enumerates the 'Names' of Mañjuśrī, the Mahayana figure embodying wisdom, and it exerted a strong influence on liturgy, ritual and meditation in the later phase of Buddhism in India (750-1200 CE). Vilāsavajra's commentary is written from a Yogācāra perspective and interprets the 'Names' within an elaborate ritual framework which consists in a maṇḍala that has Mañjuśrī as its central deity. The central part of the thesis comprises a critical edition and annotated translation of the Sanskrit text of the first five chapters of Vilāsavajra's commentary, approximately a quarter of the whole. The critical edition is based on eight Nepalese manuscripts for which a stemma codicum is established. Two blockprint editions of the Tibetan translation are consulted at cruces in the Sanskrit. Their readings, treated as those of any other witness, are incorporated into the apparatus as appropriate. The edition is followed by textual notes. Introductory material is divided into two parts. Matters relating to the Sanskrit and Tibetan materials are discussed in a section placed before the edition. These include a description of the manuscripts, discussion of the method of editing, establishment of the stemma codicum and an assessment of the Tibetan translation. An introduction to the contents precedes the translation and is primarily concerned with an outline of the ritual structure of the commentary, giving particular attention to chapters 1-5. Evidence concerning the life and date of Vilāsavajra is considered, suggesting he should be placed in the latter part of the eighth century. Assessing the work's significance for the study of Buddhism, 1 suggest that it is of historical importance in that it throws light on the process by which Tantric methods were being related to soteriology in this period; and that it contains material, especially in the sādhana of chapter 4, that contributes to an understanding of the development of Tantric forms of Buddhist meditation. The work is also the only known instance of a commentary of a Yogatantra type that survives in Sanskrit.
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Freyre, Roach Eduardo Francisco. "Buddhist and Wittgensteinian approaches toward language." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10722/206610.
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This Dissertation explores the Buddhist and the Wittgensteinian approaches towards language and shows their confluences. The Introductory Chapter exposes the State of Art of Buddhist-Wittgenstein comparative studies in the scope of East-West cross-cultural studies. Chapter Two presents the arguments against predicaments of self and the private language of sensations in Buddhism and Wittgenstein. The idea that the language is connected with mind activity and social conventions or agreements is also recurrent in Buddhism. From this premise it deduces that language does not only names things and intervenes in the reproduction of the self-identification and the assumption of ontological self. In Buddhism the assumption of grammar self leads to the assumption of ontological self (or grammar acquisition of self). Rejecting the ontologization of the grammar self, Buddhism and Wittgenstein argue against solipsism, nominalism and private language-sensations arguments. Chapter Three is devoted to the Buddhist and Wittgenstein approaches the inexpressibility of the Mystical. It compares how both philosophies analyse the free will, the suffering and happiness. Finally, Chapter Four compares the Buddha`s parable “leaving the raft behind” and the Wittgenstein aphorism “throw away the ladder”. It can be observed affinities between the Nāgārjuna possitionlessness (the relinquishing of all views), the Zen meditation, and the Wittgenstein’s idea of philosophy as elucidation and therapy. The last two sections explain the use of language in Mindfulness and Vajrayana yoga from the perspective of the Wittgensteinian theory of language-games.published_or_final_version
Buddhist Studies
Master
Master of Buddhist Studies
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Yuen, Suk-yee Helena. "Buddhist mediation: a transformative approachto conflict resolution." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2008. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B4501579X.
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Yeung, Wan-king Susanna, and 楊運瓊. "Ālayavijñāna : a comparative study from the perspective of quantum physics and other Buddhist doctrinal systems." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10722/208542.
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Knapp, Riamsara Kuyakanon. "Environmental modernity in Bhutan : entangled landscapes, Buddhist narratives and inhabiting the land." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2015. https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.709242.
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Lenk, Sonja. "By being human : an anthropological inquiry into the dimension and potential of consciousness in the context of spiritual practice." Thesis, University of St Andrews, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/960.
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The research explores the concept of human consciousness and its being experienced in a particular social context, focusing on consciousness’s ‘highest potential’ as described in both ancient Buddhist Philosophy and more recent spiritual teachings. The main attention is on the individual’s emotional and mental experience of ‘conventional’ and ‘ultimate’ reality as taught by these traditions and the possible transformation of consciousness they might initiate. Two years of fieldwork was carried out at the Barbara Brennan School of Healing, which is a spiritual educational institution, offering a four-year training to become a healer. The School emphasis is on the human individual and his or her inherent existential power to transform and transcend limitations or delusions, focusing on the process of self- transformation. Being human in the eyes of the School is seen as an endless potential for growth, creativity, the capacity to love, and about learning to become fully responsible for one’s own life and happiness. The thesis explores the effect that this particular understanding of human potential has in the quotidian existence of the trainee and her or his social relations. Methodologically the study is based in phenomenological anthropology. This approach here implies that life cannot be understood through the conceptual or systematic study of its outward forms. Therefore it places conscious experience at the centre of its investigation, rather than disengaged objectivity. By employing the first-person perspective and undertaking part of the training myself, I hope to do justice to the inherently subjective dimension of consciousness and to gain as deep an understanding as possible of the processes of its transformation. The thesis thus includes subjective personal experience as primary data, and understands being objective in the sense of being open and without bias to both internal and external experience, giving the ‘perennial wisdom’ of spiritual traditions the same status as approved scientific laws.
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Sasson, Vanessa Rebecca. "Compassion in The Tibetan Book of the Dead and the Tractate Mourning : a comparative study." Thesis, McGill University, 1998. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=21263.
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The Tibetan Book of the Dead and the Jewish Tractate Mourning are important texts about death in their respective traditions. The Tibetan Book of the Dead is a manual read by the living to the deceased as the deceased journeys through the many realms of the after-life. It is an abstract, philosophical text. The Tractate Mourning on the other hand, is a highly empirical and pragmatic text that guides the living through their loss. It is concerned only with the living left behind and offers no guidance to the deceased. Despite this profound difference however, this thesis has as its objective to show that both traditions, as evidenced through these texts, share an underlying emotion: compassion. Through the concern shown to the deceased as he or she stumbles through the often terrifying realms of the after-life in the Tibetan tradition, and through the precise and detailed instructions given to the living in the Jewish tradition as the mourners are guided through their grief, both texts exhibit profound compassion.
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Seton, Gregory Max. "Defining wisdom : Ratnākaraśānti's Sāratamā." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2015. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:9c168639-e2f8-4550-b515-e93a41c95045.
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This thesis examines Ratnakarasanti's (ca. 970-1045 C.E.) explication of Prajnaparamita in his doxographical works and his Saratama. Based on extant Sanskrit and Tibetan primary sources, it argues that Ratnakarasanti's main teacher was Dharmakirtisri (late 10th C.E.) and that Ratnakarasanti's Saratama sought to replace his teacher's Yogacara-Madhyamika framework with a causal explanation of Prajnaparamita through redefining the term Prajnaparamita as the path to awakening, rather than its goal. By unpacking that causal explanation in light of his broader system, the thesis demonstrates the way that Ratnakarasanti's own version of Nirakaravadin-Yogacara-Madhyamika refutes cognitive images (akara) as unreal ultimately, but claims they are still perceived by buddhas out of compassion. This conclusion debunks the long-standing theory that Ratnakarasanti was an Indian proponent of the controversial Tibetan gZhan-stong despite later gZhan-stong propon-ents' attempts to claim him as their own. There are two parts to the study. The first part introduces Ratnakarasanti's life, philosophy and doxography based upon evidence from a Tibetan colophon to his Madhyamika commentary and the Tibetan hagiography of his student Adhisa (a.k.a. Atisa) and upon a comparative analysis of his doxographical works that are prerequisites for reading his Saratama. The second part consists of an annotated translation of the Saratama's introductory section, contrasted with the prior standard interpretation by Haribhadra's (9th century C.E.). In the two appendices are included a Tibetan critical edition and a separate hybrid Sanskrit and Tibetan critical edition of the Saratama's first parivarta based on the extant 11th and 13th century incomplete MSS and on the Tibetan translations in the sDe dge, Peking and sNarthang editions. The hybrid edition also includes my provisional critical edition of the root text - i.e. the first parivarta of the Aryasta - sahasrikaprajnaparamitasutra - and my own translation of two small sample sections of the Saratama, which are extant only in Tibetan, back into Sanskrit.
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Skidmore, Monique. "The politics of space and form : cultural idioms of resistance and re-membering in Cambodia." Thesis, McGill University, 1995. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=22628.
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The subject of this paper is of cultures of terror, and more specifically of the possibility of resistance in a context of extreme fear. The focus is upon ways in which survivors of the Pol Pot regime devise strategies of embodied resistance, and rebuild notions such as identity and bodily integrity, within a Buddhist framework, to the dominant discourse of terror in contemporary Cambodian society.The paper problematizes the concept of "order" and questions its validity as a dominant paradigm in anthropology. Further, in searching for new ways of theorizing and writing about resistance and terror, it suggests that a more power conscious analysis of popular religion and ritual may prove enlightening.
A theoretical framework is derived from a review of anthropological studies of terror and political violence. Of particular interest is the concept of "spaces of resistance" and the notions of "spaces of violence" and "bodily resistance" which it invokes. From within this framework the Dhammayietra, or peace walk, is considered as an embodied symbol of resistance and empowerment. It is hypothesized that the Dhammayietra may provide a way in which, through the symbolic "washing away" of Khmer Rouge memories; through the creation of new collective memories; and through the reclaiming of a physical manifestation (Angkor Wat) of the Buddhist-centered world view, some Cambodians may be able, at least in part, to emerge from the sensorially numb space which they created in order to survive the bodily, intellectual, and emotional assault upon their persons, culture, and religions by the Khmer Rouge.
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Mak, Kiu-yan Wayne, and 麥喬恩. "Towards nirvanna: a Buddhist hospice." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1996. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31983546.
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Lee, Sujeong. "Conservation of religious buildings in use : comparative research into some philosophical, legal and management aspects of the conservation of English churches and Korean Buddhist temples." Thesis, University of York, 2007. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/11088/.
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Vasi, Shiva. "Conversion to Zen Buddhism." Monash University, School of Political and Social Inquiry, 2004. http://arrow.monash.edu.au/hdl/1959.1/9601.
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Harrysson, Axel. "Buddhism i Läroböcker : Presentation av buddhism i läroböcker för religionskunskap 1." Thesis, Umeå universitet, Institutionen för idé- och samhällsstudier, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-162054.
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Tidigare forskning tyder på att läroböcker framställer buddhism på ett otillräckligt vis som intebehandlar dess mångfacetterade uttryck. De behandlar inte heller om hur buddhism tar siguttryck i väst i jämförelse med asiatiska länder. Detta medför att religionen blir generaliseradoch exotifierad. I detta arbete ser vi hur framställningen av buddhism i läroböcker skrivna förreligionskunskap 1 och läroplanen Lgy11 ter sig. Undersökningen vilar på textanalys avläroböcker samt en kvalitativ forskningsprocess. Det visar sig att undersökningen ärsamstämmig med tidigare forskning då läroböckerna inte framställer buddhism tillräckligt ifråga om mångfald. Det visar sig också hur läroböckerna på egen hand inte når kraven somkursens syfte och centrala innehåll ställer samt hur endast en minoritet av läroböckernabeskriver västerländsk buddhism.
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Eddy, Glenys. "Western Buddhist Experience: The Journey From Encounter to Commitment in Two Forms of Western Buddhism." Arts, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/2227.
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Doctor of PhilosophyThis thesis explores the nature of the socialization and commitment process in the Western Buddhist context, by investigating the experiences of practitioners affiliated with two Buddhist Centres: the Theravadin Blue Mountains Insight Meditation Centre and the Gelugpa Tibetan Vajrayana Institute. Commitment by participants is based on the recognition that, through the application of the beliefs and practices of the new religion, self-transformation has occurred. It follows a process of religious experimentation in which the claims of a religious reality are experientially validated against inner understandings and convictions, which themselves become clearer as a result of experimental participation in religious activity. Functionally, the adopted worldview is seen to frame personal experience in a manner that renders it more meaningful. Meditative experience and its interpretation according to doctrine must be applicable to the improvement of the quality of lived experience. It must be relevant to current living, and ethically sustainable. Substantively, commitment is conditional upon accepting and succesfully employing: the three marks of samsaric existence, duhkha, anitya and anatman (Skt) as an interpretive framework for lived reality. In this the three groups of the Eight-fold Path, sila/ethics, samadhi/concentration, and prajna/wisdom provide a strategy for negotiating lived experience in the light of meditation techniques, specific to each Buddhist orientation, by which to apply doctrinal principles in one’s own transformation. Two theoretical approaches are found to have explanatory power for understanding the stages of intensifying interaction that lead to commitment in both Western Buddhist contexts. Lofland and Skonovd’s Experimental Motif models the method of entry into and exploration of a Buddhist Centre’s shared reality. Data from participant observation and interview demonstrates this approach to be facilitated by the organizational and teaching activities of the two Western Buddhist Centres, and to be taken by the participants who eventually become adherents. Individuals take an actively experimental attitude toward the new group’s activities, withholding judgment while testing the group’s doctrinal position, practices, and expected experiential outcomes against their own values and life experience. In an environment of minimal social pressure, transformation of belief is gradual over a period of from months to years. Deeper understanding of the nature of the commitment process is provided by viewing it in terms of religious resocialization, involving the reframing of one’s understanding of reality and sense-of-self within a new worldview. The transition from seekerhood to commitment occurs through a process of socialization, the stages of which are found to be engagement and apprehension, comprehension, and commitment. Apprehension is the understanding of core Buddhist notions. Comprehension occurs through learning how various aspects of the worldview form a coherent meaning-system, and through application of the Buddhist principles to the improvement of one’s own life circumstances. It necessitates understanding of the fundamental relationships between doctrine, practice, and experience. Commitment to the group’s outlook and objectives occurs when these are adopted as one’s orientation to reality, and as one’s strategy for negotiating a lived experience that is both efficacious and ethically sustainable. It is also maintained that sustained commitment is conditional upon continuing validation of that experience.
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Khanbaghi, Aptin A. "Early Zarathushtrianism and early Buddhism : a comparative study of religious innovation as an occasion for social reform." Thesis, McGill University, 1996. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=24087.
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This thesis presents a comparative study between two reforming movements emanating from the Aryan (Indo-Iranian) tradition: Early Zarathushtrianism and Early Buddhism. Although this thesis establishes the common origin of Zarathushtrianism and Buddhism, the principal purpose of this research is to demonstrate the social commitment of the two movements.Zarathyshtra and the Buddha are discerned in this discussion as reformers struggling against the religious institutions (worshipped gods and observed rites) and the social system of their time as the latter represented exclusively the aspirations of the dominating knightly or priestly classes.
This treatise is primarily interested in the social message conveyed by Zarathushtra's and the Buddha's "religious" discourses. It aims to establish their statements as one supporting the emancipation of the classes who secured the economic prosperity of their society.
Finally, as regards the outline of this thesis, the first two sections are preliminary chapters dedicated to separate studies of Zarathushtrianism and Buddhism. They pave the way for the comparative study between the two Aryan movements recorded in the last chapter.
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Woodhull, Jennifer Green. "The barzakh and the bardo: challenges to religious violence in Sufism and Vajrayana Buddhism." Doctoral thesis, Faculty of Humanities, 2019. https://hdl.handle.net/11427/31800.
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In the twenty-first century, religious violence has become endemic in our world. Scholars are divided on the true motivations for such violence, however. While some perceive inherent incitements to violence embedded in religion itself, others blame other factors—primarily, competition for resources, which then co-opts religious feeling in order to justify and escalate conflict. This dissertation proposes that more fruitful answers to the riddle of religious violence may lie in the relationship between collective identity and religious allegiance. Identity construction is liminal and, as such, experiential. Hence, this study applies the analytical lens of liminality to explore possible understandings of religious violence. Taking the position that liminal passages are natural and unavoidable aspects of lived experience, it argues that the fixation on doctrinal certainties and religious ideals common among perpetrators of religious violence functions largely to oppose the ambivalence and uncertainty characteristic of liminality. It further posits the hypothetical phenomena of reactive projection and autonomic liminality as reactions to liminal experience, leading to eruptions of violence. The Tibetan Buddhist bardo and Sufi barzakh constitute religiously sanctioned instances of liminality. Although these passages are conventionally perceived as postmortem locales, both systems include broader metaphysical understandings, making their transformative potential profoundly relevant to spiritual practice during this lifetime. I argue that a close reading of the bardo and the barzakh demonstrates the capacity of religious tradition to offer compelling alternatives to the fixation on the extreme views typically implicated in religious violence. I further propose that the nondualistic, inclusive worldview implicit in understandings of the bardo and barzakh may prove useful in promoting a practice of “reflective interiority”—not only in disrupting the rigid mindset of those moved to perpetrate religious violence, but also in shifting the moral fixity sometimes associated with the scholarship on religious violence.
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Compson, Jane Frances. "A critical analysis of John Hick's pluralistic hypothesis in the light of the Buddha's attitude towards othe teachings as demonstrated in the Pali Nikayas." Thesis, University of Bristol, 1998. http://hdl.handle.net/1983/f107c3be-b51b-4057-ac19-6be7bdc4870e.
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Bergman, Max. "Buddhas lära i skolbänken : En studie om hur buddhismen presenteras i religionsundervisningen samt hur den uppfattasav lärare och elever utifrån ett lärarperspektiv." Thesis, Linköpings universitet, Institutionen för kultur och kommunikation, 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-149591.
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Min hypotes i denna uppsats är att religionslärare på högstadiet i sin undervisning presenterar buddhismen som en positiv och odogmatisk tradition där religiösa aspekter tonats ned. Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka om denna hypotes håller eller om den måste revideras eller förkastas. Detta kommer att ske med hjälp av följande frågeställningar: Hur presenterar lärarna buddhismen i undervisningen? På vilka fakta och perspektiv lägger lärarna fokus? Hur bedömer lärarna att deras elever uppfattar buddhismen jämfört med andra religioner?
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Karmay, Samten Gyaltsen. "Origin and early development of the Tibetan religious traditions of the Great Perfection (Rdzogs Chen)." Thesis, SOAS, University of London, 1986. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.368854.
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rDzogs chen, the "Great Perfection", is a philosophical and meditational system of Tibetan Buddhism. It is the counterpart of the Ch'an in Chinese Buddhism and Zen in Japan. Western writers on Tibetan Buddhism have viewed it as a survival of the Ch'an which was once known in Tibet in the eighth century A.D., but declined after the breakup of the Tibetan empire in the mid-ninth century A.D. This view is mainly derived from the attitude of the Tibetan Buddhist orthodox schools who regarded rDzogs chen as a resurrection of Ch'an the practice of which according to the Tibetan historical tradition was officially banned after the famous Sino-Indian Buddhist controversy around 790 A.D. in Tibet. The other interesting aspect of rDzogs chen is that it is a teaching adhered to by the Buddhist school, the rNying ma pa as well as by the Bonpo (followers of the Bon religion in Tibet). Although studies in Tibetan Buddhism have advanced much in recent years, the origin and historical development of rDzogs chen has remained totally unknown. The present Study therefore focuses mainly on the origin of its theories such as "Primordial Purity" which it sees as the basis for spiritual development, and its historical and literary development. The sources for this study are mainly ninth century documents from Central Asia and texts belonging to the tenth and eleventh centuries from Tibet itself. They shed new light on the origins of rDzogs chen and its philosophical conceptions.
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Morgan, Suzanne Melissa. "Aspects of Mary Wollstonecraft's Religious Thought." The University of Waikato, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10289/2300.
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The works of Mary Wollstonecraft have been largely utilized in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries within the domain of feminist studies. They were influential throughout the 'feminist movement' of the 1960s and 1970s and Wollstonecraft is routinely given the title of 'mother' of feminism. One result of her works being classified as important feminist texts is the elision of the religious element in her works. Moreover, recent scholarship has drawn attention to the central importance of religion in eighteenth century British discourse. This thesis will primarily argue that Wollstonecraft was heavily influenced by religion, and that her writings were conceived in response to a profoundly theologico-political culture. This influence of religion has generally been overlooked by researchers and this thesis will aim to redress this absence. Four of Wollstonecraft's works - all produced within a 'similar' political climate and within a concise time period - are utilized to show that religion was a foundational element within Wollstonecraft's thought and arguments. This thesis shows that Wollstonecraft was not so much a 'feminist' thinker, but a unique intellectual determined to show that the inferior position of women went against 'God's will', teachings and the equality He had ascribed to both men and women during Creation.
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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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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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Nissan, Elizabeth. "The sacred city of Anuradhapura: aspects of Sinhalese Buddhism and nationhood." Thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science (University of London), 1985. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.558084.
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Lambkin, Magdalen. "Learning from religious others : the problems and prospects of interreligious hermeneutics." Thesis, University of Glasgow, 2014. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/5732/.
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In our interconnected, multi-religious world, how should religious people engage with religious others? What and how can theologians learn from religious others, from their traditions and their scriptures? Amongst those who engage in theological reasoning about these issues, two distinct approaches have been identified. The established discipline of theology of religions considers it necessary to examine the sources of one’s own tradition to come to some broad assessment about the value of religious diversity – usually identified through some version of the classic typology of inclusivism, exclusivism and pluralism (Alan Race). Others have criticised theology of religions, seeing it as prescriptive, biased towards pluralism, distorting of religious difference, and as making definitive judgments as to the presence of truth and possibility of salvation through other religions (e.g. Francis Clooney, George Lindbeck and Michael Barnes). These critics, working within the emerging field of interreligious hermeneutics, prefer direct engagement with other traditions in their particularities, learning from the religious other, yet often without reflecting on internal sources or arguing theologically for the possibility of finding truth in other religions. This thesis seeks to make a contribution to this discourse about method in the theological engagement to the religious other. It argues that the work of theology of religions is necessary to support theological learning from the religious other, particularly given that the scriptures of major religions (notably the New Testament, Qur’an and Pali Canon) are generally perceived to discourage this kind of activity. It also responds to criticisms, and works to make theology of religions more attuned to the insights of interreligious hermeneutics, so that it can be seen as capable of attending to the complexity and uncertainty that is inevitable in any realistic attempt to relate religious traditions to one another. Chapters 1 and 2 survey the development of theology of religions and of the alternative approaches found in the emerging field of interreligious hermeneutics. These are examined and as a result an adapted typology is presented which may be related fruitfully to interreligious hermeneutics. Chapters 3 and 4 explore interreligious hermeneutics further through two of its most prominent practices, scriptural reasoning and comparative theology, as carried out by some of its most notable practitioners. The extent to which these practices can be regarded as theologically ‘truth-seeking’ is analysed, and the usefulness of the adapted typology in reviewing the findings of these practices is assessed. Chapter 5 offers a detailed example of the kind of approach to the religious other present in a particular religious scripture, by focusing on the Buddha’s approach to the Brahmins as recorded in the Pali canon. This is done in order to demonstrate that the ‘plain sense’ of scriptures often does not support the approach to religious others advocated by scholars of interreligious hermeneutics. Finally, Chapter 6 outlines ‘soft pluralism’ as a particular approach within theology of religions which can support interreligious hermeneutics of the deepest, most adventurous ‘truth-seeking’ kind, without succumbing to the problems associated with pluralism in its classic (hard) form. This position can be supported by the work of a growing number of scholars (including Catherine Cornille, Rose Drew and Marianne Moyaert) who, far from seeking to eschew or downplay deep differences between traditions, believe that it is precisely at these points of tension or impasse, where traditions are offering insights that cannot be simply reconciled to one another, that we stand to learn the most from the religious other.
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Dao, The Duc. "Buddhist pilgrimage and religious resurgence in contemporary Vietnam /." Thesis, Connect to this title online; UW restricted, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/1773/6512.
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Green, Alexandra Raissa. "Buddhist narrative in Burmese murals." Thesis, SOAS, University of London, 2001. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.367563.
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Céline, Prisca. "Buddhism i skolan : En kvalitativ studie om högstadieungdomar med och utan buddhistisk bakgrund." Thesis, Umeå universitet, Institutionen för idé- och samhällsstudier, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-135690.
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Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur sexton gymnasieelever, varav sex elever har buddhistisk bakgrund, uppfattar undervisningen om buddhism på högstadiet. Stor vikt läggs på deras uppfattning på buddhism och vilket innehåll samt vilka metoder som har använts i undervisningen. Studien genomfördes med hjälp av gruppintervjuer och enskilda intervjuer. Elever med buddhistisk bakgrund upplever att de har lärt sig mer om buddhismens historia i religionsundervisningen men att det saknas fakta om högtider och traditioner. Elever utan buddhistisk bakgrund upplever att de har ingen kunskap om hur en lekman inom buddhism utövar sin tro och om det finns buddhistiska högtider. Utifrån elevernas upplevelser har deras lärare använt metoder såsom grupparbeten och genomgångar. Som viktigaste slutsats, kommer jag fram till en viss enformighet. Antagligen behövs det olika perspektiv beträffande läroböcker och filmer.The purpose of the study is to investigate sixteen upper secondary pupils, of which six have Buddhist background, perceive the teaching of Buddhism in high school. Great emphasis is placed on their perception of Buddhism and the content as well as the methods used in teaching of Buddhism. The study was conducted using group interviews and individual interviews. The upper secondary pupils with a Buddhist background feel that they have learned more about the history of Buddhism in religious education in Sweden, but there is a lack of facts about Buddhist holidays and traditions though. The upper secondary pupils without a Buddhist background feel they don’t have knowledge of how a layman in Buddhism practice their faith and if there are Buddhist ceremonies. Based on the pupils' experiences, their teachers have used methods such as group work and presentations. As an important conclusion, I come to some degree of uniformity. Probably different perspectives on textbooks and films are needed.
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Simpson, Emily Patricia. "RELIGIOUS TURMOIL: THE CONFLICT BETWEEN BUDDHISM AND CATHOLICISM IN JACK KEROUAC?S LIFE AND WRITING." NCSU, 2002. http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/theses/available/etd-12302002-120607/.
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Although Jack Kerouac has begun to be recognized as one of the great 20th century American writers, scholars have not yet fully explored the influence that his conflicting religious beliefs had on his work. Kerouac?s internal struggle to reconcile his Buddhist and Catholic thinking, and his ultimate attempt to embrace Catholicism, had a profound effect on his writing, giving it the religiously tumultuous charge that is essential to Kerouac?s distinctive writing style. This study addresses Kerouac?s religious life and its effect on his work by focusing primarily on three of his works: Visions of Gerard, The Dharma Bums, and Big Sur. Kerouac?s complex relationship between Buddhism and Catholicism and the effect this conflict had on his work has heretofore gone largely uninvestigated. However, it is essential to a complete understanding of his work. Exploring this element of his work sheds new light on Kerouac?s novels that illuminates his depth and solemnity as a writer. Kerouac?s religious quest was a cornerstone of his artistic development, and the three novels I have examined illustrate how Catholicism and Buddhism together informed that quest.
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Mills, Martin A. "Religious authority and pastoral care in Tibetan Buddhism : the ritual hierarchies of Lingshed Monastery, Ladakh." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 1997. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/21421.
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The thesis provides an ethnographic and anthropological account of Tibetan Buddhist ritual and monasticism in Lingshed village in Ladakh, North-West India. Two fundamental issues are addressed: firstly, the nature and form of religious and ritual care provided by the monks of Lingshed monastery to those villages in its vicinity which act as its patrons; secondly, the structure and ideology of Tibetan Buddhist notions and practices relating to ritual and religious authority, especially those of the Gelukpa Order of Tibetan Buddhism, of which Lingshed monastery is a part. Addressing the relationship between local understandings of the purposes and methods of Buddhism, the thesis presents a microscopic analysis of the relationship between ritual practice and indigenous notions concerning the person as ritual actor and the nature of divinity in Tantric Buddhism. It therefore includes an in-depth discussion of a series of ritual practices essential to Tibetan Buddhism in general, and to the monastery at Lingshed in particular, including rites to protector divinities and methods for cleansing ritual pollution. The work particularly highlights the practice of sangs-sol, that is offerings to local divinities, as performed by monastic personnel. As part of characterising the nature of religious authority in Tibetan Buddhism, the thesis discusses two dominant modes of religious and spiritual renunciation: clerical and tantric. The first of these two modes characterises the celibate monastic career of most members of the Gelukpa Order, whilst the second, tantric renunciation, refers to the employment of highly complex ritual techniques aimed at consubstantiating the practitioner with certain tantric deities. Since this latter method classically involves the use of sexual yoga, the thesis explores the manner in which such methods have been integrated into the strict celibate monasticism of the Gelukpa Order. The conclusion arising from this is that, the tension between tantric method and monasticism centres real ritual authority within the Gelukpa Order (and other forms of monastic Buddhism in Tibetan areas) onto a select group of 'incarnate lamas', who are therefore essential to the continued survival of the tradition.
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Maymind, Ilana. "Ethics in Exile: A Comparative Study of Shinran and Maimonides." The Ohio State University, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1312041287.
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Benfey, Matthias Wilhelm. "Religious cinema as virtual religious experience : a theory of religious cinema applied to Werner Herzog's Herz aus Glas." Thesis, McGill University, 1986. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=72087.
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The dissertation is an exercise in the application of the philosophical hermeneutics of Paul Ricoeur and the biblical hermeneutics of John Dominic Crossan to the aesthetics of religious cinema.The thesis defines religious cinema as virtual religious experience; therefrom a theory of religious cinema is derived. This derivation depends on a discussion of the essential elements of the cinematic experience and permits the expansion of the category of religious cinema beyond its traditional frontier. Throughout the dissertation, a dialogue is maintained with general cinema theory on the one hand and religious cinema criticism on the other. The purpose of this dialogue is to increase credibility (in the former case) and to demonstrate originality (in the latter case).
Finally, extrapolating from a specific dialogue between Crossan and Ricoeur, a critical method is developed, then applied to Werner Herzog's Herz aus Glas, a transcription of which is included as an appendix.
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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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Berglund, Elin. "Språkutveckling inom gymnasieskolan : En kvalitativ studie med utgångspunkt i momentet buddhism." Thesis, Högskolan i Gävle, Avdelningen för humaniora, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hig:diva-29222.
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Syftet med uppsatsen var att undersöka hur en lärare kan arbeta språkutvecklande inom religionsundervisningen, med fokus på undervisning i momentet buddhismen. Undersökningen grundar sig på fem stycken intervjuer med tre religionslärare samt två svensklärare. Resultatet visar att lärarna anpassar det språkutvecklande arbetet till varje elevgrupp. Lärarna kan inte förutsätta att alla elever har samma språkkunskaper. Resultatet visar att religionslärarna med hjälp av olika metoder arbetar språkutvecklande i religionsundervisningen. Resultatet visar också att religionslärarnas undervisning påverkas av Lev Vygotskijs tankar om utveckling, det vill säga teorin om den närmaste utvecklingszonen. Denna teori faller in under det sociokulturella perspektivet och det är denna teori som den här undersökningen förankrar sig i.
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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.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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Gümüşay, Ali Aslan. "God at work : an institutional perspective on the impact of religion on organizations." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2016. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:e6dc1016-0205-427a-8a54-6503cef2c371.
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The dissertation presents an institutional perspective on the role of values and meaning for organizations focusing on the institutional logic of religion. At its core are Chapter III, a conceptual paper, and Chapters IV and V, empirical papers based on an in-depth two-years long ethnographic case study on the founding process of the first Islamic Bank in Germany. They are framed by an introductory chapter and a conclusion that address the overarching research question of how diverse institutional demands are managed within and beyond the boundaries of organizations, as well as a general literature review chapter that embeds the papers within the wider institutional theory literature. Chapter III presents a conceptualization that integrates religion, specifically Islam, with entrepreneurship along three interconnected pillars: the entrepreneurial, socio-economic/ethical and religio-spiritual; and outlines how Islam shapes entrepreneurship at the micro-, meso- and macro-level. It suggests the institutional logics perspective to further analyze the impact of religion on organizations, which the subsequent papers build on. Chapter IV extends theory on organizational hybridity by outlining polyphony and polysemy as two mutually reinforcing organizational responses, that allow competing logics to coexist without structurally separating or blending them, and that produce elastic hybridity, showing how hybrid organizations can accommodate competing logics that are both central and incompatible. Chapter V shows how organizations collectively and dynamically co-generate and co-resolve institutional complexity through four combinatory mechanisms: pushing, pulling, clarifying and tolerating. These are subsequently integrated into a framework based on their desired versus required and actual versus perceptual nature. Overall, this dissertation contributes to a better understanding of how organizations manage diverse institutional demands including religion.
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Russek, Lisa Marie. "Social workers' responses to religious clients." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 1995. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/1042.
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Brinsfield, Gregory S., and Christopher B. Ashby. "Convergence and religious terrorism in America." Thesis, Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/10945/1464.
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Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.Religious terrorism, as most recently highlighted by the horrendous 9/11 attacks, is not a new phenomenon. It is not restricted to any one particular religion or belief system, nor is it reserved as a weapon against foreign lands. Domestic religious terrorism is just as prevalent throughout history and is brought about by certain converging factors at particularly susceptible times within the society, such as economic difficulties, new or modified technologies, and social uncertainties. Under these conditions, a charismatic leader with an appealing ideology and access to sufficient resources may become a very powerful threat to society, pitting the secular against the divine. This type of convergence may result in altogether new religious movements, or the unexpected growth of fringe groups that, until they act, are not even identified. Examining the historical convergences of the Reformation, First and Second Great Awakenings, and the trends of modern domestic society, we find that the threads which hold these movements together remain consistent throughout history. Enabled by the rapid growth of technology, these groups have unprecedented potential power. A group that decides to become offensive or use weapons of mass destruction, such as Japan's Aum Shinrikyo, may pose an unacceptable risk to our country.
Major, United States Air Force
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Ismail, Badroen. "Potential use of Islamic finance among Muslims in Port Elizabeth." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/17526.
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The resurgence of Islam across the globe combined with the resilience that Islamic financial assets have shown against the onslaught of the current financial crisis, make Islamic finance an attractive alternative financial system. Over the past decade, the Islamic finance sector have shown double digit growth rates beyond the traditional areas of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) regions of Asia as well as other parts of the Middle-East and North Africa (MENA) regions. Research suggests that the future of Islamic finance in Africa depends on business opportunities in South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria and Senegal. The South African government, in conjunction with the national finance authorities, have made their intention clear to position the country as the Islamic finance hub for the rest of the African continent. Despite various marketing campaigns over the past decade to convince the public that Islamic banking and finance is for everyone, non-Muslims generally view Islamic banking as being for Muslims alone. Scepticism towards Islamic finance has resulted in a mere 15 per cent of the estimated 1.5 million South African Muslims currently making use of the sector’s banking and retail instruments. This lack of interest is impacting negatively on the country’s aspirations to establish itself as the gateway of Islamic finance to the rest of Africa. Generally, people’s attitudes toward utilising Islamic finance are regarded as a key obstacle to the development of the Islamic banking and finance system in Muslim minority countries. A Kuwait Finance House research report (2012) highlighted a lack of awareness and knowledge of Islamic finance products and services as key factors stifling the growth of the Islamic finance sector in South Africa. In this context, it was deemed necessary to analyse how knowledge, awareness, expectations, beliefs, perceptions and ancillary external factors impact on potential users’ attitude and decision to adopt or reject Islamic finance.By means of adapting Fishbein’s (2000; 2008) Integrative Model of Behavioural Prediction, a universally-acceptable behavioural-change model, this research explains in a holistic manner how cognitive, affective and environmental measures impact on a Port Elizabethan Muslim’s attitude and eventual decision to accept (or reject) Islamic finance. This study has found that knowledge was the most important variable influencing attitude and intention to use (or reject) Islamic finance. Consequently, this thesis proposed that Islamic institutions should focus their efforts on promoting knowledge and awareness of their products among the South African Muslim and non- Muslim population. As the global Shari’ah finance industry continues its positive growth trajectory, it is imperative that Islamic finance stakeholders in South Africa ensure that they exploit the benefits derived from online learning platforms and assist, by means of cross-border collaborations, more students to have greater access to Islamic finance courses. Furthermore, universities and training institutions are encouraged to offer courses and qualifications in Islamic finance to close the talent gap that currently exist in this particular field of study.
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Stevens, Rachael. "Red Tara : lineages of literature and practice." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2010. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:27381b38-c580-4d0b-b7d5-f87abcc50afd.
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Tārā is arguably the most popular goddess of the Tibetan Buddhist pantheon. She is well known in her Green, White, and Twenty-one forms. However, the numerous red aspects of the divinity have long been overlooked in both popular and academic literature on the goddess. This thesis aims to redress this balance. This thesis presents the various manifestations of Red Tārā in the form of a survey of the literary and practice lineages of this goddess throughout Tibetan Buddhist history. The intention of the thesis is to examine individual forms of Red Tārā, excluding Kurukullā (who has received previous scholarly attention), in order to prove the hypothesis that not all Red Tārās are Kurukullā. The research has identified a preliminary historical order of Red Tārā lineages from the eleventh century works on Pītheśvarī and the Sa-skya-pa Red Tārās, through to the nineteenth and twentieth century forms of the goddess authored by the dGe-lugs-pas and A-paṃ gter-ston in the A-mdo region of Tibet. The red forms of Tārā are more 'worldly' than her Green or White incarnations, and the soteriological component of her worship is not always clear. Accordingly this allows a glimpse into the subjugating/ magnetising ritual process. The thesis comprises three sections. Section One provides a general introduction to Tārā and Kurukullā, followed by a survey of the literature pertaining to Red Tārā identified in the course of this research. Section Two takes four lineages of Red Tārā literature as its focus. Each chapter refers to an individual lineage: Pītheśvarī, Sa-skya-pa, the Twenty-one Tārās, and A-paṃ gter-ton's gter-ma cycle. Section Three deals with modern-day practice of the goddess in the Chagdud Gonpa Foundation and the Flaming Jewel Sangha. The thesis relies on translation of primary sources from the Tibetan language, participant observation, and New Religious Studies methodology, and covers a wide range of areas including subjugation rituals, iconography, body-maṇḍala rituals, the adoption of Buddhism in the West, and New Religious Movements. It adds to current knowledge in a variety of fields including ritual, goddess studies, the Tibetan pantheon and its iconography, and Buddhism in the West.
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Johansson, Caroline. "Den tvetydiga andligheten : En tematisk studie om otydligheten i begrepp som används i undervisningen om hinduism och buddhism." Thesis, Umeå universitet, Institutionen för idé- och samhällsstudier, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-144725.
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The study aims to investigate which kind of concept teachers at secondary level use in their education about the two religions, Buddhism and Hinduism. The study also aims to investigate if there is an ambiguity in the different concept and to see where teachers gather their information about the different concept. The study is inductive where written interviews have been used when collecting data. The results show that teachers use their textbooks available at their school to gather material. The results also show that there is a certain ambiguity in what kind of words that can be classified as concept. Words for buildings et cetera have been used by teachers as concept. The study also show that textbooks are different in their opinions about meaning of different concept and that concept used by teachers are not described in the mentioned textbooks.
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Connelly, Louise. "Aspects of the self : an analysis of self reflection, self presentation and the experiential self within selected Buddhist blogs." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/6279.
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At the heart of this dissertation is an examination of self reflection, self presentation and the experiential self within three Buddhist blogs: The Buddhist Blog, The American Buddhist and ThinkBuddha.org. Based upon this original research, my thesis contributes to ongoing discussions relating to the self online and to the emerging field of media, religion and culture. A number of other scholars have already investigated how the internet has provided a new platform in which to engage with online religious communities, participate in rituals and develop religious identity. Up to this point, however, the place of Buddhism online has been largely overlooked or limited to purely descriptive analysis. As I argue in chapter one, this thesis provides a more developed examination of Buddhism on the internet. In chapters two and three, I demonstrate how my analysis and definition of three aspects of the self, namely self reflection, self presentation and the experiential self, within selected Buddhist blogs (online diaries) provides an innovative contribution to the developing area of study related to new media and religion. In chapter four, I consider my four central research questions and the interdisciplinary approach used which draws from the fields of anthropology, visual cultural studies, media studies, as well as Buddhist studies. In chapter five I present the Buddhist interpretative framework used for the analysis of the experiential self. This focuses on the conceptual issues of the self in early Buddhism as well as the Buddhist Theravada Abhidhamma framework for the analysis of the self (anatta), the components of the self (khandhas) and the senses and sense spheres (ayatanas and dhatus). Through the three ethnographic case studies (chapters six, seven and eight) I demonstrate how the genre of life writing (blogs) is used as a medium for self reflection, self presentation and the experiential self, thus emphasising the experiential aspect of human existence online. In the conclusion (chapter nine), I consider the continuities and discontinuities between the three blogs, and in doing so I illustrate how the detailed examination of Buddhist blogs provides an insight into different aspects of popular culture, of Buddhism on the internet and how new media is being used in the twenty first century.