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Buddhism And Democracy
The relationship between Buddhism and democracy has a long history with some scholars claiming the very foundations of Buddhist society were democratic. Though some historic Buddhist societies have been categorized as feudalistic, the relationship between peasants and land owners was often voluntary. Free-thinking Buddhist societies supported autonomy; peasants had mobility and could own land themselves. Currently countries claiming democracy with Buddhist state religions are Bhutan, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka. Modern views The father of the Constitution of India and a pioneer of India's democracy, B. R. Ambedkar believed Buddhism to be a Democratic religion which led to his conversion and founding of the Navayana school of Buddhism. In an All-India Radio broadcast speech on 3 October 1954 Ambedkar declared: Ambedkar also reminds of the existence of Democratic practices in Buddhist brotherhood. 14th Dalai Lama believes that both Buddhism and Democracy share a common ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bhikku
A ''bhikkhu'' (, ) is an ordained male in Buddhist monasticism. Male, and female monastics (''bhikkhunī''), are members of the Sangha (Buddhist community). The lives of all Buddhist monastics are governed by a set of rules called the prātimokṣa or pātimokkha. Their lifestyles are shaped to support their spiritual practice: to live a simple and meditative life and attain nirvana. A person under the age of 20 cannot be ordained as a bhikkhu or bhikkhuni but can be ordained as a śrāmaṇera or śrāmaṇērī. Definition ''Bhikkhu'' literally means "beggar" or "one who lives by alms". The historical Buddha, Prince Siddhartha, having abandoned a life of pleasure and status, lived as an alms mendicant as part of his śramaṇa lifestyle. Those of his more serious students who renounced their lives as householders and came to study full-time under his supervision also adopted this lifestyle. These full-time student members of the sangha became the community of ordained mon ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Republic
A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representative assembly, representatives—in contrast to a monarchy. Although a republic is most often a single sovereign state, subnational state entities that have governments that are republican in nature may be referred to as republics. Representation in a republic may or may not be freely elected by the general citizenry. In many historical republics, representation has been based on personal status and the role of elections has been limited. This remains true today; among the List of countries by system of government, 159 states that use ''republic'' in their official names , and other states formally constituted as republics, are states that narrowly constrain both the right of representation and the process of election. The term developed i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pre-sectarian Buddhism
Pre-sectarian Buddhism, also called early Buddhism, the earliest Buddhism, original Buddhism, and primitive Buddhism, is Buddhism as theorized to have existed before the various Early Buddhist schools developed, around 250 BCE (followed by later subsects of Buddhism). The contents and teachings of this pre-sectarian Buddhism must be deduced or re-constructed from the earliest Buddhist texts, which by themselves are already sectarian. The whole subject remains intensely debated by scholars, not all of whom believe a meaningful reconstruction is possible. "Early Buddhism" may also be used for considerably later periods. Name Various terms are being used to refer to the earliest period of Buddhism: * "Pre-sectarian Buddhism" * "Early Buddhism", * "The earliest Buddhism", * "Original Buddhism", * "The Buddhism of the Buddha himself." * Precanonical Buddhism * Primitive Buddhism Some Japanese scholars refer to the subsequent period of the early Buddhist schools as ''sectarian ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Egon Flaig
Egon Flaig in 2012 Egon Flaig (born 16 May 1949 in Gronau, Baden-Württemberg) is a German ancient historian and public intellectual, currently Emeritus Professor of Ancient History at the University of Rostock. Flaig's research has ranged from ancient Greek and Roman history to world-historical treatments of topics such as slavery and democracy. He has also been an active commentator on issues such as democracy, national identity, and religion, especially as pertaining to his home country. Education, career, and influences From 1970 to 1976, Flaig studied history and romance languages and cultures in Stuttgart, Berlin, and Paris. He gained a doctorate in 1984, with a thesis on Jacob Burckhardt's Hellenism. After stints teaching in Freiburg, Göttingen, and Paris, Flaig became Professor of Ancient History at the University of Greifswald in 1998, moving to Rostock in 2008 and retiring in 2014. In contrast to the empirical focus of the mainstream of German ''Altertumswissenschaft ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kurt Kankan Spellmeyer
Kurt Spellmeyer is a Zen teacher and professor in the English Department at Rutgers University. Zen lineage Kurt Spellmeyer, Kankan Roshi, trained with Takabayashi Genki and Kangan Glenn Webb, founders of the Seattle Zen Center. In 1985, Spellmeyer completed his training under Webb Roshi and was authorized to teach. He received the dharma name ''Kankan'' (Ch. Guan Han, “Sees the Cold”), at a private ceremony with Webb in 1991. Kankan Roshi has practiced Zen meditation for 40 years. He has directed the Cold Mountain Sangha since 1994. The Cold Mountain (Kanzan) lineage of ''Rinzai Zen'' can be traced back to the Han Shan Temple in Suzhou Suzhou is a major prefecture-level city in southern Jiangsu province, China. As part of the Yangtze Delta megalopolis, it is a major economic center and focal point of trade and commerce. Founded in 514 BC, Suzhou rapidly grew in size by the ..., China. Teaching From 1985 until 2021, Spellmeyer served as Director of the Rutgers ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Buddhist Publication Society
The Buddhist Publication Society (BPS) is a publishing house with charitable status, whose objective is to disseminate the teachings of Gautama Buddha. It was founded in Kandy, Sri Lanka, in 1958 by two Sri Lankan lay Buddhists, A.S. Karunaratna and Richard Abeyasekera, and a European-born Buddhist monk, Nyanaponika Thera. Originally conceived as a limited effort to publish small, affordable books on fundamental Buddhist topics, the Society expanded in scope in response to the reception of their early publishing efforts. The Buddhist Publication Society's publications reflect the perspective of the Theravada denomination of Buddhism, drawing heavily from the Pāli Canon for source material. The BPS supplies Buddhist literature to over 3,000 subscriber members in 80 countries. Its titles have been translated into many languages, including German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Czech, Hindi, and Chinese. Publications The Buddhist Publication Society publishes a variety o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lion's Roar (magazine)
''Lion's Roar'' (previously ''Shambhala Sun'') is an independent, bimonthly magazine (in print and online) that offers a nonsectarian view of "Buddhism, Culture, Meditation, and Life". Presented are teachings from the Buddhist and other contemplative traditions, with an emphasis on applying the principles of mindfulness and awareness practices to everyday life. History and profile Launched by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche as an internal publication of the Shambhala community, the Sun has evolved from a community newspaper, the Vajradhatu Sun founded in 1978, to a small young magazine, to the largest-circulation Buddhist magazine in the English language. Established in 1995, the magazine is now a publication of the independent, nonprofit Lion's Roar Foundation. In 2002, the ''Sun'' launched another periodical, '' Buddhadharma: Practitioner's Quarterly'' focused strongly on Buddhist practice. ''Buddhadharma'' is currently published by the Lion's Roar Foundation. In 2003, the ''Sh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Kaczynski
David Richard Kaczynski (born October 3, 1949) is an American charity worker. He is the younger brother of the domestic terrorist and mathematician Ted Kaczynski, also known as the Unabomber. His memoir, ''Every Last Tie: The Story of the Unabomber and His Family'', details both his relationships with his brother and their parents, and his and his wife Linda's decision to report their suspicions of Ted to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which ultimately led to his arrest in 1996. The decision prompted Ted to cease all communication with his family, including rejecting all of David's attempted correspondence until Ted's suicide in prison in 2023. Biography Early life David Kaczynski is a graduate of Columbia University, class of 1970. Between December 1966 and May 1967, he wrote ten articles for the ''Columbia Daily Spectator'' and was promoted to the associate news board in March 1967. Kaczynski worked as a schoolteacher in Lisbon, Iowa, in the mid-1970s. Like his ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
14th Shamar Rinpoche
Mipham Chokyi Lodro (27 October 1952 – 11 June 2014), also known as Kunzig Shamar Rinpoche, was the fourteenth Shamarpa of the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. The Shamarpa is the second-most important teacher of the Karma Kagyu school, after the Karmapa. The Karmapas are sometimes referred to as the Black Hat Lamas, referring to their distinctive, black crown. Karma Pakshi, the second Karmapa, prophesied that "future Karmapas shall manifest in two ''nirmāṇakāya'' forms." Later, the third Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje, presented to his principal student, Khedrup Drakpa Senge, a ruby-red crown (Tibetan: ཞྭ་དམར། Wylie: ''zhwa dmar'', pronounced /shamar/, "red hat") that was—apart from its color—an exact replica of his own crown; the Karmapa explained that the red crown symbolised their identical nature, and so the lineage of the Shamarpas began. The fourteenth Shamarpa was recognised by the sixteenth Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje. Early life In 1956, S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
14th Dalai Lama
The 14th Dalai Lama (born 6 July 1935; full spiritual name: Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso, shortened as Tenzin Gyatso; ) is the incumbent Dalai Lama, the highest spiritual leader and head of Tibetan Buddhism. He served as the resident spiritual and temporal leader of Tibet before 1959 and subsequently led the Tibetan government in exile represented by the Central Tibetan Administration in Dharamsala, India. A belief central to the Tibetan Buddhist tradition as well as the institution of the Dalai Lama is that he is a living Bodhisattva, specifically an emanation of Avalokiteśvara (in Sanskrit) or Chenrezig (in Tibetan), the Bodhisattva of Compassion. The Mongolic languages, Mongolic word ''dalai'' means ''ocean.'' He is also known to Tibetans as Gyalwa Rinpoche ("The Precious Jewel-like Buddha-Master"), ''Kundun'' ("The Presence"), and ''Yizhin Norbu'' ("The Wish-Fulfilling Gem"). His devotees, as well as much of the Western world, often call him ''His Ho ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
