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Filial Piety In Buddhism
Filial piety has been an important aspect of Buddhist ethics since early Buddhism, and was essential in the apologetics and texts of Chinese Buddhism. In the Early Buddhist Texts such as the Nikāyas and Āgamas, filial piety is prescribed and practiced in three ways: to repay the gratitude toward one's parents; as a good karma or merit; and as a way to contribute to and sustain the social order. In Buddhist scriptures, narratives are given of the Buddha and his disciples practicing filial piety toward their parents, based on the qualities of gratitude and reciprocity. Initially, scholars of Buddhism like Kenneth Ch'en saw Buddhist teachings on filial piety as a distinct feature of Chinese Buddhism. Later scholarship, led by people such as John Strong and Gregory Schopen, has come to believe that filial piety was part of Buddhist doctrine since early times. Strong and Schopen have provided epigraphical and textual evidence to show that early Buddhist laypeople, monks and nuns ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dazu 2007 797
The Dazu Rock Carvings () are a series of Chinese religious sculptures and carvings and UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Dazu District, Chongqing, China. The carvings date back as far as the 7th century AD, depicting and influenced by Buddhist, Confucian and Taoist beliefs. Some are in rock-cut cave shrines, in the usual Chinese Buddhist style, but many others are rock reliefs carved into the open rock faces. Listed as a World Heritage Site in 1999, the Dazu Rock Carvings are made up of 75 protected sites containing some 50,000 statues, with over 100,000 Chinese characters forming inscriptions and epigraphs. The sites are located in Chongqing Municipality within the steep hillsides throughout Dazu District, located about 165 kilometers west of the urban area of Chongqing. The highlights of the rock grotto are found on Mount Baoding and Mount Beishan. Description The Dazu Rock Carvings comprise 5 locations in Dazu District, Chongqing Municipality: Beishan, Baodingshan, Nanshan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mouzi Lihuolun
The ''Mouzi Lihuolun'' () is a classic Chinese Buddhist text. It comprises a purportedly autobiographical preface by Master Mou, a late 2nd-century Confucian scholar-official who converted to Buddhism, and an imaginary dialogue of questions and answers about Buddhist practices. Title The ''Mouzi lihuolun'' is known under several names, including the abbreviated title ''Mouzi''. ''Mouzi'' compounds the uncommon Chinese surname Mou 牟 "seek; obtain" with the suffix ''-zi'' 子 "Master" (compare Laozi). The Japanese title ''Bōshi riwakuron'' 牟氏理惑論 (Chinese ''Moushi lihuolun'') replaces ''shi'' (''zi'') "Master" with ''shi'' (''shi'') 氏 "Mister; a certain person." ''Lihuolun'' combines ''li'' 理 "manage; put in order; acknowledge"; ''huo'' 惑 "confusion; delusion; doubt; suspicion"; and ''lun'' 論 "discourse; opinion; dissertation; essay." According to Yu Jiaxi 余嘉錫, the original title ''Mouzi jihuolun'' 牟子治惑論 – with ''zhi'' 治 "rule; researc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Buddhist Views On Sin
There are a few differing Buddhist views on sin. American Zen author Brad Warner states that in Buddhism there is no concept of sin at all. The Buddha Dharma Education Association also expressly states "The idea of sin or original sin has no place in Buddhism." Zen student and author Barbara O'Brien has said that "Buddhism has no concept of sin." Walpola Rahula also disagreed with the notion of sin, saying "In fact there is no 'sin' in Buddhism, as sin is understood in some religions." ethnology, Ethnologist Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf explained, Chögyam Trungpa specifically disagreed with the notion of "original sin" saying Anantarika-karma Anantarika-karma in Theravada Buddhism is a heinous crime, which through karma, karmic process brings immediate disaster. In Mahayana Buddhism these five crimes are referred to as pañcānantarya (Pāli), and are mentioned in ''The Sutra Preached by the Buddha on the Total Extinction of the Dharma''. They are considered so heinous tha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Karuṇā
() is generally translated as compassion or mercy and sometimes as self-compassion or spiritual longing. It is a significant spiritual concept in the Indic religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism. Hinduism In Hinduism, is one of the fundamental virtues and qualities that a spiritual aspirant is encouraged to cultivate. Many Hindu deities are depicted as embodiments of compassion. Karuṇā is often linked with other virtues such as "Maitri" (loving-kindness) and "Ahimsa" (non-violence). Together, these virtues form the foundation of a righteous and spiritually fulfilling life. The word comes from the Sanskrit kara, meaning “to do” or “to make,” indicating an action-based form of compassion, rather than the pity or sadness associated with the English word. In Hindu mythology, the concept of "Karuṇā" or compassionate action is deeply embedded and is often illustrated through stories, characters, and teachings. Each avatar's story of Hindu pantheon is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sentient Being (Buddhism)
In Buddhism, sentient beings or living beings are beings with consciousness, sentience, or in some contexts life itself.Getz, Daniel A. (2004). "Sentient beings"; cited in Buswell, Robert E. (2004). ''Encyclopedia of Buddhism''. Volume 2. New York, US: Macmillan Reference USA. (Volume 2): pp.760 Overview Getz (2004: p. 760) provides a generalist Western Buddhist encyclopedic definition: ''Sentient beings'' is a term used to designate the totality of living, conscious beings that constitute the object and audience of Buddhist teaching. Translating various Sanskrit terms (''jantu, bahu jana, jagat, sattva''), ''sentient beings'' conventionally refers to the mass of living things subject to illusion, suffering, and rebirth (saṃsāra). Less frequently, ''sentient beings'' as a class broadly encompasses all beings possessing consciousness, including Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Sentient beings are composed of the five aggregates (skandhas): matter, sensation, perception, mental format ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ghost Festival
The Ghost Festival or Hungry Ghost Festival, also known as the Zhongyuan Festival in Taoism and the Yulanpen Festival in Buddhism, is a traditional festival held in certain East Asia, East and Southeast Asian countries. According to the Lunar calendar (a lunisolar calendar), the Ghost Festival is on the 15th night of the seventh month (14th in parts of southern China).Chow 2015 In Chinese culture, the fifteenth day of the seventh month in the lunar calendar is called Ghost Day or (especially in Taiwan) Pudu ( zh, c=普渡, poj=Phó͘-tō͘, s=, t=, p=Pǔdù) and the seventh month is generally regarded as the Ghost Month, in which ghosts and spirits, including those of deceased ancestors, come out from the Underworld, lower realm (''diyu'' or ''preta''). Distinct from both the Qingming Festival (or Tomb Sweeping Day, in spring) and Double Ninth Festival (in autumn) in which living descendants pay homage to their deceased ancestors, during Ghost Festival, the deceased are believ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mulian Saves His Mother
''Mulian Rescues His Mother'' or ''Mulian Saves His Mother From Hell'' is a popular Chinese Buddhist tale first attested in a Dunhuang manuscript dating to the early 9th century CE. It is an elaboration of the canonical Yulanpen Sutra which was translated from Indic sources by Dharmarakṣa sometime between 265 and 311 CE. Maudgalyayana (Pali: '), whose abbreviated Chinese transliteration is Mulian, seeks the help of the Buddha to rescue his mother, who has been reborn in the preta world (in canonical sutra) or in the Avici Hell (in elaborated tale), the karmic retribution for her transgressions. Mulian cannot rescue her by his individual effort, however, but is instructed by the Buddha to offer food and gifts to monks and monasteries on the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month, which established the Ghost Festival ( zh, t = 鬼節, p = guǐjié). While Mulian's devotion to his mother reassured East Asians that Buddhism did not undermine the Confucian value of filial piet ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ullambana Sutra
The Yulanpen Sutra, also known as the Ullambana Sutra (), is a Mahayana sutra concerning filial piety. It was translated from an Indic language (see History) and is found in Taisho 685 and Taisho 686 in Volume 16, the third volume of the Collected Sutra Section. Taisho 685 was translated by Dharmarakṣa from 265-311 CE and is entitled: 'The Buddha Speaks the Yulanpen Sutra'. Taisho 686 was translated by an unknown or lost translator during the Eastern Jin Dynasty and is entitled: 'The Buddha Speaks the Sutra of Offering Bowls to Repay Kindness'. According to Karashima, Taisho 686 is basically a more idiomatic adaptation of Taisho 685. It records the events which followed after one of the disciples of Shakyamuni Buddha, Maudgalyayana, achieves Abhijñā and uses his newfound powers to search for his deceased parents. In the end, Maudgalyayana finds his mother in the preta (hungry ghost) world and with the assistance of the Buddha, is able to save her. The East Asian ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Syama Jataka
The Syama Jataka, Sama Jataka, Sovannasam Cheadok or Suwannasam Chadok is the third of the Jataka tales in the collection of Ten Jataka or Mahanipata Jataka, which tell of the last ten lives of the Buddha prior to the life in which he achieves enlightenment. Asiatic Mythology: A Detailed Description and Explanation of the Mythologies by J. Hackip.91/ref> The Syama Jataka tells the story of a Bodhisatva who descends to earth to be born as the child of two pious hermits. As a young man, Sovannasam becomes a hermit as well, and then dedicates himself to the care of his parents who have been blinded. Followers of Buddhism believe that the Buddha told the story in a sermon at Wat Chetapun to explain the virtues of Sovannasam's conduct to a monk who was uncertain whether it was appropriate for a monk to take care of his parents. Story Syama, the Buddha in a former life, was the only son of a blind hermit and his wife, who are entirely dependent on him for support. He attends to their ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Huiyuan (Buddhist)
Lushan Huiyuan (; 334–416 AD), meaning "Huiyuan of Mount Lu", was a Chinese Buddhist teacher who founded Donglin Temple at the foot of Mount Lu in Jiujiang province and wrote the text ''On Why Monks Do Not Bow Down Before Kings'' in 404 AD. He was born in Shanxi province but moved to Jiujiang, where he died in 416. Although he was born in the north, he moved south to live within the bounds of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Huiyuan was posthumously named First Patriarch of the Pure Land School of Buddhism, and founder of the White Lotus Society, an early Buddhist community devoted to Amitabha Buddha. His disciples included Huiguan (), Sengji (), and Faan (). Life Huiyuan began studying the '' Zhuangzi'', ''Laozi'', and the teachings of Confucius at a young age. However, at the age of 21 he was converted to Buddhism in Hebei Province by the monk Dao An, a Chinese disciple of a Kuchan missionary. Hearing the sermons of Dao An convinced Huiyuan to "leave the family" and embark ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kowtow
A kowtow () is the act of deep respect shown by prostration, that is, kneeling and bowing so low as to have one's head touching the ground. In East Asian cultural sphere, Sinospheric culture, the kowtow is the highest sign of reverence. It was widely used to show reverence for one's elders, superiors, and especially the Emperor of China, as well as for religious and cultural objects of worship. Terminology The word Kowtow is derived from / ( zh, first=j, j=kau3 tau4, p=kòutóu). An alternative Chinese term is / ( zh, p=kētóu, j=hap6 tau4); however, the meaning is somewhat altered: has the general meaning of ''knock'', whereas has the general meaning of "touch upon (a surface)", / meaning head. The date of this custom's origin is probably sometime during the Spring and Autumn period or the Warring States period of China's history (771–221 BC), because it was a custom by the time of the Qin dynasty (221–206 BC). Traditional usage In Imperial era of Chinese history, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Transfer Of Merit
Transfer of merit (, or ''pattānumodanā'') is a standard part of Buddhist spiritual discipline where the practitioner's merit, resulting from good deeds, is transferred to deceased relatives, to deities, or to all sentient beings. Such transfer is done mentally, and it is believed that the recipient can often receive this merit, if they rejoice in the meritorious acts of the person transferring. In Buddhism, merit transfer is seen as a better alternative than mourning. Scholars have discussed how the doctrine of transfer of merit can be reconciled with the individual nature of karma in Buddhism. Some scholars believe that the idea originates with early Buddhism, whereas others suspect a later origin. In Buddhism, such worship was given an ethical emphasis. The doctrine may also have been influenced by pre-Buddhist ideas of transference of powers. In Mahāyāna Buddhism, transfer of merit became an essential aspect of the ideal of the ''bodhisattva'', the Buddha-to-be, wh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
