At a newly prospected site on the south-western shore of the Issyk-Kul Lake in the Ala-Bel mountainous region, three Tibetan inscriptions done as graffiti of small dimensions were discovered. Furthermore, these inscriptions were associated with petroglyphs from the same period. In this paper, we present the first results of the prospection of Ala-Bel, the three new Buddhist inscriptions and the petroglyphs associated with them. These inscriptions are the ritual prayer formula “om mani padme hum” in a Tibetan alphabet and can be dated to the Oirat-Jungarian period. Furthermore, we interpret these inscriptions in the regional context of Oirat-Jungarian inscriptions in Kyrgyzstan.
Miracle tales are almost the sole source for the investigation of the emergence and spread of the relic cult in the early phase of Chinese Buddhism. The earliest excavated relic casket dates back to 453 CE, over four centuries after Buddhism was introduced to China. Through a critical textual analysis of <i>Ji Shenzhou Sanbao Gantonglu</i>, it is evident that the initial form of relic veneration was based on miraculous responses. Legends about imperial relic worship before the 3rd century are all later fabrications. Two archeological finds—the alleged relic murals in a Han tomb at Horinger, Inner Mongolia, and the stūpa-shaped bronze vessel in Gongyi, Henan—are not directly related to relic veneration. Based on the available evidence, it is tentatively concluded that relic worship first emerged around the 3rd century in the vicinity of Luoyang, the capital of the Western Jin, and later spread to the south of the Yangtze River after the Yongjia chaos. The early worshippers included both monks and lay Buddhists, such as merchants and lower-ranking officials. Royal interest in relics did not arise until the 5th century. The rise of relic veneration in China occured two or three centuries later than that in Gandhāra, from which Chinese Buddhism was significantly influenced. Compared to the cult of images or scriptures, relic veneration also emerged relatively late in China. The reluctance to adopt relics as worship objects can be partly explained by (the mahāyāna) Buddhist doctrines and the Chinese cultural mentality.
“Illness itself is emptiness”, says Vīmalakīrti, in a statement that appears to reflect on the nature of sickness and disease. However, Vimalakīrti’s approach of non-duality may not satisfy the rising interest in Buddhist medicine, for which philosophical ideas of emptiness seem too far removed from practical interventions with real people’s pain. Nevertheless, there may be more in Vimalakīrti’s ideas than mere sophistry, and the vision he expresses can connect to realistic practices of healing. In this article, I pursue one potent formulaic passage that appears in a number of early discourses preserved in Pāli (but not in Chinese), in order to examine some of the earlier antecedents of the idea that illness is a mental construction, and that the mind can contribute to recovery. The early discourses provide a more sober definition of the position expressed by Vimalakīrti, by showing how a variety of practitioners let go of their illness, through a change in attitude that was informed by Buddhist insight. With this these texts highlight an understanding regarding the powers of the mind over matter, which traces physical events to their mental apprehension. Not only monks, but also householders, can heal through letting go of the the inner causes that contribute to the disease. While such an understanding need not be generalized as a comprehensive statement on Buddhist medicine, it helps us understand the views and cogency of Buddhist doctrine in this context.
In this research, a narrative bibliographic review has been carried out, developing the variables Spirituality and Human Flourishing, allowing us to establish that connectivity with oneself has positive results in people's daily lives. Spirituality has been defined as a complex construct that encompasses different dimensions related to aspects such as connectivity, universality and fulfillment in prayer, which reflect different elements of spiritual transcendence and are linked to the experience of subjective and psychological well-being. Human well-being implies optimal conditions in the axes of Flourishing, which is the second variable chosen. Human Flourishing is progressive improvement, the highest individual goal, which has as its fundamental axis the capabilities and needs of the human being, cultivating moral and intellectual virtues. With this research, it was determined that through the transcendental dimension of each person, positive connotations can be generated in mental and, therefore, physical health.
Situated in the mountainous and gorge-ridden region at the junction of the Tibet Autonomous Region, Sichuan Province, and Yunnan Province, the Tibetan–Yi Corridor is home to the Kham Tibetan area, one of China’s three traditional Tibetan areas. Tibetan Buddhism and the establishment of its temples in this region have evolved and propagated from nothing to a diverse landscape since the 8th century. Existing studies, however, have paid little attention to the intricate interplay between the formation of this sacred religious landscape and the specific geographic and sociocultural contexts in which it is situated. By taking temple architecture as a research vehicle, this study begins by extracting spatial data from historical GIS network data resources and 276 local gazetteers of 45 counties in the Tibetan–Yi Corridor. Secondly, it digitalizes and quantifies the geographic information, construction dates, sectarian affiliations, and sizes of 1479 Tibetan Buddhist temples in the region, establishing a database covering four historical periods. Finally, it employs GIS technology to visualize the spatial distribution of these temples, revealing their spatial and temporal patterns and evolution. From a religious geographical perspective, this study reconstructs the historical trajectories and diffusion patterns of the Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya, Gelug, Jonang, and Bon sects in the Tibetan–Yi Corridor, revealing the complex interplay, succession, and ebb and flow of these sects over time. The research results show that the historical spread and development of Tibetan Buddhism in the Tibetan–Yi Corridor were influenced by a complex interplay of geographical, social, political, and economic factors, including the unique topography of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau and Hengduan Mountains, the complex interplay of agriculture and pastoralism, the historical influence of dynastic changes and central government policies on border regions, and ancient pilgrimage and trade routes. At the same time, as a multi-ethnic region inhabited by over 20 minorities, including Tibetans, Yi, Qiang, Naxi, and Nu, the Tibetan–Yi Corridor has a cultural identity dominated by religion, which has become an important factor in maintaining multi-ethnic symbiosis throughout its history, highlighting the unique historical status and role of the Tibetan–Yi Corridor in the entire Tibetan Buddhist cultural circle.
The purpose of this article is to understand the reason for the popularity of books by the writer Victor Pelevin (b. 1962) in Lithuania. Pelevin’s internationally popular novel, Chapaev and Void (aka The clay machine-gun; Buddha’s little finger) (Russian, 1996; Lithuanian 1998, 2007; English, 2000) focusing on Buddhist issues, was published in Lithuanian twice; both editions were sold out. In this article, it will be compared with the novel Gone with the dreams (2000, 2007) by one of the most popular authors of contemporary Lithuanian literature, Jurga Ivanauskaitė (1961–2007). Both Pelevin and Ivanauskaitė are authors of the same generation who have experienced a similar atmosphere of the late Soviet period and reflected on the sensibilities of their generation in the contemporary world after the collapse of the Soviet Union; they both studied Tibetan Buddhism. The two novels chosen for comparative analysis are marked by the similarly emphasised Buddhist philosophical idea of void. The article reviews the development of the Oriental discourse in contemporary Lithuanian culture and literature before Jurga Ivanauskaitė started writing. The goal of this short analysis of novels by Ivanauskaitė and Pelevin is, first, to underscore the shared and relevant contents of this discourse. Secondly, it is to support the hypothesis that the Lithuanian orientalist discourse, next to other advantages of Pelevin’s work that are beyond the scope of this article, has become particularly relevant to Lithuanian readers precisely because of the most important Buddhist idea formulated especially attractively in the novel.
History of Russia. Soviet Union. Former Soviet Republics, Literature (General)
The international MenteClara Foundation and the Health Psychology Chair of the Faculty of Psychology and Social Sciences of the University of Flores, Argentina, once again call for the participation of students who are studying the subject to produce bibliographic review articles that contemplate in its development the nuclear theoretical constructs of concern for Positive Psychology: subjective well-being, active aging, social support, spirituality, optimism, flow, emotional intelligence, flourishing, happiness, motivation, resilience, self-esteem, autonomy, purpose in life, well-being, coping, prevention and health promotion strategies.
To address the lacuna of how informal institutions like Buddhism impact social entrepreneurship in different regions within a nation, this research draws on the social entrepreneurship literature and the regional Buddhist research to propose a mediating framework where the percentage of Buddhist entrepreneurs in a region is positively associated both with the level of prosocial behaviors such as charity, due to the values of Buddhism, and with the probability of establishing businesses in a less-developed region. It further proposes that charitable behaviors mediate the relationship between the percentage of Buddhist entrepreneurs in a region and establishing businesses in less-developed regions. This mediating effect is attributed to the mechanism that charitable behaviors absorb the limited resources of entrepreneurs, reducing their resources for establishing businesses in less-developed regions. We test these hypotheses on nationwide surveys of founders of private enterprises and find support for this mediating view. Broad implications for theoretical and empirical research are discussed. This study distinguishes between the different influences of Buddhist entrepreneurs in a region both on charitable behaviors and on the establishment of businesses in less-developed regions. Using nationwide surveys of founders of private enterprises in the Chinese context, multilevel analyses support a mediating view and have several implications. This research proposes that Buddhist values like the Four Immeasurables underline the positive effect of Buddhist entrepreneurs in a region on charitable behaviors, and that Buddhism can bring the essence of entrepreneurship, such as social capital, political connections, and legitimacy, to entrepreneurs and stimulate them, through an isomorphic effect, to engage in establishing businesses in less-developed regions. Furthermore, we highlight that the influence of Buddhist entrepreneurs in a region on establishing businesses in less-developed regions is weakened when they commit limited resources to prosocial behaviors like charity. In relation to policy, our study shows that Buddhist values and practices deeply influence social entrepreneurship, and it highlights the social function of Buddhist entrepreneurs in a transitional economy such as that of China.
Tibet’te asırlardır yerleşik iki dinî gelenek vardır. Bunlardan en yaygını Tibet Budizmi (Lamaizm) adıyla günümüze ulaşan Budizm’dir. Diğeri ise Tibet’te yerleşik olan, en genel anlamıyla Budizm öncesi hâkim dinî yapıyı ve Budizm’in bölgede üstünlük kurmasından sonra Budist olmayan inanç ve uygulamaları ifade eden ve Bön adıyla bilinen dinî gelenektir. Tibet’in yerli inancı olduğunu iddia eden Bön, Budizm öncesi zamanlarda ortaya çıktığını, farklı ve özgün bir inanç olduğunu savunmaktadır. Uzun zamandır bölgede Budizm ile mücadele ederek hayatta kalmaya çalışan Bön inancı, az sayıda da olsa taraftarlarıyla (Bönpo) günümüze ulaşabilmiştir. 1950’li yıllarda Tibet’in Çin hâkimiyetine geçmesiyle bölgeden Tibet Budistleriyle göç eden Bön taraftarlarının bir kısmı, sığındıkları Hindistan ve Nepal’de kurdukları yaşam yerlerinde hayatlarını sürdürmektedirler. Bu çalışmayla, Tibet’in yerli dini olarak bilinen ve yüzyıllardır Tibet coğrafyasında hayatta kalmaya çalışan Bön inancına bir giriş yapmak amaçlanmıştır. Makalede, Bön dininin tanımlanmasıyla ilgili tartışmalar, kurucusu, temel inanç esasları, ritüelleri ve günümüzdeki durumu ele alınacaktır.
The Eight Views of Xiaoxiang is a concept that appeared in China during the Song period (960-1279). Its creation and spread is associated with the names of famous cultural figures, such as Song Di (1015?-1080?), Shen Gua (1031-1095), Su Shi (1037-1101). In Japan The Eight Views of Xiaoxiang were introduced as a theme of Chan Buddhism art. Japanese authors, primarily the monks of the Zen school, began to create images and write poems on the theme of The Eight Views of Xiaoxiang, first of all they were poems in Chinese, but waka (Japanese songs), written in the form of five-line verses, also appeared. Over time, the concept of the eight views was adapted on Japanese soil. The province of Omi - Lake Biwa - is the first region to which it was spread. During Tokugawa era the theme of the Eight Views of Omi became popular, it was embodied primarily in the visual arts, most often the Eight Views of Omi are presented in color prints. Many prints contain the same cycle of poems. The same poems were presented in the "Collection of poems about famous places in Japan", published in 1680. In this book, like in a number of others, was discussed the question of the authorship of the poems of this cycle. Today the sustained version is that the author is Konoe Nobutada (1565-1614). Parodies were popular in the Tokugawa era. Parodies on the theme of the Eight Views of Omi exist in the visual arts and in poetry as well. Three poetic cycles are presented in the article: the first waka cycle on the theme of The Eight Views of Xiaoxiang by Reizei Tamesuke (1263-1328); “classical” cycle on the theme of The Eight Views of Omi by Konoe Nobutada; and a comic poetic cycle on the theme of The Eight Views of Omi by Ota Nanpo (1749-1823).
This chapter examines compassion in three leading traditions of Buddhism. In early and Theravada Buddhism, compassion is a power for deep mental purification, protection and healing that supports inner freedom. In Mahayana Buddhism, compassion becomes the primary means to empower and communicate a non-conceptual wisdom in which self and others are sensed as undivided. In Vajrayana Buddhism, unconditional compassion radiates forth all-inclusively as a spontaneous expression of the mind’s deepest unconditioned nature. Within this discussion, John will give examples of techniques from these traditions for cultivating compassion.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Ecologization of Buddhism makes sense in both a mod-ern and posthuman perspective. Initiatives and institutions based on socially engaged Buddhism with sustainability, biodiversity and ecology as ideals have spread in recent decades in both East and West. There are arguments from both classical Pali Buddhist literature and East Asian Mahayana philosophy to justify Buddhist nature symbiosis from both ontological, ethical, and soteriological perspectives. Critical analysis can easily deconstruct such ideals as anachronistically constructed, primarily based on modern naturalism, reform Buddhism and con-temporary philosophy of nature. Such an ‘invented Buddhism’ is, however, genuinely authentic, and it is argued that an ecological perspective on both historical and contemporary Buddhism can legitimize other possibilities of interpretation, including the view of an ontological continuum with room for also animistic and posthuman 'nature religion', in which a dog on several levels can be said to possess Buddha nature.
DANSK RESUMÉ: Økologisering af buddhismen giver mening i både et moderne og posthumant perspektiv. Initiativer og institutioner baseret på socialt engageret buddhisme med bæredygtighed, biodiversitet og økologi som idealer har de sidste årtier bredt sig i både Øst og Vest. Der er argumenter fra både klassisk pali-buddhistisk litteratur og østasiatisk mahayana-filosofi til at godtgøre buddhistisk natur-symbiose ud fra både ontologisk, etisk og soteriologisk perspektiv. Kritisk analyse kan sagtens dekonstruere sådanne som anakronistisk konstruerede idealer, primært med afsæt i moderne naturalisme, reformbuddhisme og nutidig naturfilosofi. En sådan ’opfundet buddhisme’ er dog helt autentisk, og der argumenteres for, at netop et økologisk perspektiv på både historisk og nutidig buddhisme kan legitimere andre fortolkningsmuligheder, herunder anskuelsen af et ontologisk kontinuum med plads til også animistisk og posthuman ‘natur-religion’, i hvilken en hund på flere planer kan siges at besidde buddha-natur.
This essay explores conflicting attitudes toward the body in Buddhist literature, with a focus on the tantric Buddhist traditions of yoga and meditation, which advanced the notion that the body was an innately pure site for realization while nonetheless still encumbered with earlier notions of the body as an impure obstacle to be overcome. Looking closely at a short meditation text attributed to the female Indian saints Mekhalā and Kanakhalā, the author argues that the body plays a central role in the creative re-envisioning of the self that characterizes tantric Buddhist practice.
This paper takes Borobudur as a showcase in the promotion of an artifact with poor knowledge management. It indeed, one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 1991, but it has been presented merely as a physical appearance. What makes it interesting is its grandeur as the largest Buddhist temple in the world during the glory of the Sailendra Kingdom in Java for five centuries, instead of the landmark of science and technological advance which should have advanced Indonesia’s achievement by now. The commodification has led Indonesia to turn Borobudur as a magnet for foreign tourists. There are numerous Buddhist sites in Indonesia which are part of the tourist destinations to trace Buddhist civilization in Indonesia, such as Buddhist temple in Jambi (Sumatra), Sleeping Buddha Statue in Mojokerto (East Java), and other Buddhist temples in Java and Bali. Yet, Borobudur has not been presented as the trail of Buddhist Civilization given the absence of knowledge conservation, let alone knowledge reproduction. Borobudur signifies the fact that Buddhism is the earliest religion that heavily influenced the incoming dominant religion later on. Much of its intangible aspect of the heritage has lost and forgotten given the poor knowledge management in the country. Ministry of Education needs to recover and reinvent the lost knowledge to make the commodification go along with meaning-making.
Luis Carlos Jaume, Marcelo Agustín Roca, Susana Celeste Azzollini
Different theoretical approaches throughout history have tried to explain why societies establish ideologies that think intergroup relationships as unequal and hierarchical, and why it is accepted by individuals. Among the perspectives that deepened these philosophies of inequality are: functionalism and Marxism. Both visions are incomplete and focus on top-down models (thinking about the dynamics of society from top to bottom). At the same time different psychological theories, such as the theory of social identity, ideological cultural theory, the theory of system justification and the theory of realistic conflict, began to investigate the psychological factor in adherence to an ideology, turning the focus to bottom-up models. In recent years, the theory of social dominance, incorporates contributions from the aforementioned the aforementioned theories, and postulates that there is a desire of individuals to establish and maintain social hierarchies, through the subordination of certain groups to others. Although this phenomenon has been studied in different countries empirically, there is no evidence of works in Spanish that have carried out a comprehensive theoretical review. That is why the objective of this work will be to carry out a theoretical review on the SDT.