Background: Buddhist and Jain artworks are rich manifestations of spiritual and cultural meaning. Buddhist art includes portrayals of Gautama Buddha, Bodhisattvas, narrative scenes, mandalas, and Buddhist-related things such as stupas and temple architecture. Buddhist art originated in the northern Indian subcontinent and changed as Buddhism expanded throughout diverse regions, influencing and being inspired by local creative traditions. Objective: The objective of this paper is to explore both Buddhist and Jain artworks that have a lengthy history of creation and evolution, reaching back to the Maurya and Kushan eras highlighting the art forms that contain spiritual significance, serving as visual representations of Buddhist and Jain theories and beliefs. Methodology: Library-based historical and textual analysis approach as well as has been applied to carryout this research and visual analysis of the art work and architectural features have been used for data collection to study the evolution and significance of Buddhist and Jain artworks. Result: Buddhist art have been found evolved from early Buddha's sculptures to include Bodhisattvas reflecting Buddha's biography, His teachings and the Buddhist philosophy where as Jain art has been found marked by simplicity, serenity and beaty depicting Tirthankaras like Mahavira and Parshvanatha, reflecting Jain philosophy. Both art forms visually represent their respective beliefs and teachings and philosophy. Conclusion: Buddhist art and Jain art have a long history reaching back to Mouryan and Kusan dynasty. Buddhist art began with devotional sculptures of Buddha and events from his life, but gradually expanded to include depictions of Bodhisattvas and other figures as prominent subjects. Jain art, on the other hand, is distinguished by its simplicity, elegance, and emphasis on symmetry and proportion, reflecting Jain philosophy and values.
Background: The Vinaya Pitaka, a comprehensive Buddhist scripture, contains a rich repository of ethical and moral guidelines. Objective: This research paper explores the descriptions of criminal and other offences within the Vinaya Pitaka and the associated penalties. This paper explores the significance of discipline and ethical conduct in the Vinaya Pitaka, analyzing the categorization of offences, the purpose of punishments, and the emphasis on rehabilitation. The study also aims to shed light on the socio-ethical aspects of the Vinaya Pitaka and its potential relevance in contemporary ethical discourse. Methodology: Library based textual analysis of the Vinaya Pitaka, focusing on the division of offences and their respective punishments within the Buddhist monastic context has been applied to carryout this research. Result: Through the detailed study, it has been found that the detailed account of offences and punishments provides valuable insights into the Saṅgha's emphasis on maintaining order, harmony, and adherence to the Buddha's teachings. Through a systematic analysis of the text, this paper provides insights into the understanding of criminal behaviour and sanctions within the Buddhist monastic context. The Pātimokkha, a crucial text within the Vinaya Pitaka, outlines the code of conduct for Buddhist monks and nuns. Its detailed system of offences and punishments reflects a unique approach to monastic discipline, emphasizing rehabilitation and restoring harmony within the monastic community. Conclusion: This paper examines the purpose of punishments in the Pātimokkha, highlighting its restorative nature and its alignment with Buddhist principles of compassion and non-violence.
Dongba painting is an ancient art form created by the ancestors of the Naxi people. As a masterpiece of Dongba scroll painting, <i>The Road to Heaven</i>, exemplifies the simplicity and beauty of the primitive Dongba religion and stands as a unique treasure within Naxi painting, possessing significant value for both art and religious research. <i>The Road to Heaven</i> serves as an essential religious ritual artifact in the Dongba religion of the Naxi people. Utilizing the format of a long scroll painting, it depicts the Naxi people’s reflections on the origins of life; the relationships between humans, nature, and society; and the exploration of life’s ultimate destiny, thereby presenting a distinctive worldview. This article constructs a theoretical analysis framework based on an iconographic study of <i>The Road to Heaven</i>, exploring the unique artistic representation, aesthetic spirit, worldview, and religious origins of the Naxi people to gain a deeper understanding of the construction of their spiritual homeland. At the level of pre-iconographic description, this article primarily analyzes the subject matter and contents of <i>The Road to Heaven</i>, the materials employed in the painting, and its artistic features. The iconographic analysis examines the thematic elements of <i>The Road to Heaven</i>; the virtual world structure of the Dongba religion’s imagined realms of gods, humans, and spirits; and its simple, natural, vivid, and imaginative aesthetic style. At the level of iconological interpretation, in this article, the characteristics of the religious beliefs shown in <i>The Road to Heaven</i> and the main factors influencing its aesthetic spirit are analyzed. We reveal that although the Dongba religion intersects and integrates with Tibetan Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhism, Daoism, and other ideologies and cultures, ancestor worship remains a dominant force guiding Naxi behavior. The unique natural environment, historical migrations, and multicultural exchanges of the Naxi people are the primary factors shaping their aesthetic spirit. By systematically analyzing <i>The Road to Heaven</i> from the perspective of iconology, this study provides evidence of its profound connections with Naxi social history, offering a more comprehensive view of the Naxi people’s aesthetic spirit and cultural connotations while presenting new approaches for researching <i>The Road to Heaven</i>.
In this paper, the Buddhist view on language and its implications for perception and cognition will be analyzed. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate that archaic Buddhism, as documented in the suttas of the Pāli Canon, already presents a well-articulated theory of knowledge, and that Buddhist considerations on the problem of language are comparable to Saussure’s early linguistic theories, as well as to fundamental issues in the philosophy of perception and theories of cognition. This comparison with Buddhist thought seeks to provide a technical approach to the problem of consciousness in order to structure a systematic dialogue between the philosophy of mind and language, cognitive sciences, and linguistics, offering an original perspective on these topics through Buddhist thought.
Ferdy Anthonius, Mettadewi Wong, Aryusmar Aryusmar
et al.
The research aims to explore the Buddha's journeys, the concept of Buddhist adventure-based digital games, and students' perception of Buddhist adventure-based digital games to enhance English language skills. The research employs descriptive research with a quantitative method. Questionnaires were distributed to 98 non-English students majoring in Buddhism who have experienced English language learning using Buddhist adventure-based digital games at Nalanda Institute in Jakarta after the lecturer integrated the game as a teaching tool, with the research conducted from March to July 2024. The findings indicate that 1) 95.90% of students have a good knowledge of the concept of digital games for learning English; 2) 100% of students have a good understanding of the Buddha Adventure; 3) 99.00% of students enjoyed learning English using digital games; 4) 95.90% of students are interested in incorporating these games into their English studies; 5) 96.90% of students have a good comprehension of learning English through Buddhist adventure-based digital games as a learning medium; 6) 98.00% of students support the effectiveness of this game to enhance their language skills, including listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Therefore, this study concludes that the perceptions of non-English students majoring in Buddhism towards Buddhist adventure-based digital games as a medium for learning English are highly significant. The results of this research imply that Nalanda Institute should integrate these findings into its learning policies.
The publication of the <i>Puhui Canon</i> began in 1943, was interrupted in 1955, and was ultimately completed in 1998, spanning three significant historical periods: the Chinese War of Resistance Against Japan, the Chinese Civil War (1945–1949), and the early years of the People’s Republic of China. Its production was shaped by nationalism, Asian Buddhist interactions, warfare, and diplomacy. As the first Chinese Buddhist canon to incorporate Pāli texts, it reflects the legacy of Sino-Sri Lankan Buddhist exchanges since the late Qing dynasty. The <i>Puhui Canon</i> exemplifies a Pan-Asian vision, seeking to bridge Northern (Mahāyāna) and Southern (Theravāda) Buddhist traditions across Asia.
This study unpacks the Buddhist assimilation of Namsan (South Mountain) in Kyŏngju through the creation and aggregation of Buddhist sculptures and structures on its slopes during the seventh to tenth centuries. Though steeped in native lore regarding nature deities and efficacious rocks, auspicious geological features such as Namsan were recast as part of a Buddhist landscape filled with manifestations of the Buddha and his attendants. These images served to demarcate claims of Buddhism’s place in the peninsula and were situated within sites that were previously marked and claimed by indigenous systems of belief. Employing an approach that draws parallels with David Harvey’s concept of urban environments as palimpsests, this paper reveals that Namsan was a multifaceted site, with military fortifications, temples, and rock-carved sculptures augmenting its spiritual and political significance. The repeated installation of Buddhist imagery ‘recovered’ the mountain, subsuming indigenous beliefs under Buddhist practices. This research finds that Namsan’s landscape was purposefully layered, reflecting the dialectical relationship between various communities and their religious and social practices over time. Analyzing Namsan as a palimpsest underscores the strategic appropriation of the mountain’s materiality and sacrality to establish a Buddhist territory deeply intertwined with the Silla elite’s politics and ideologies.
This article delves into the perception of monastics from Larung Gar Buddhist Academy of Western China concerning the intertwining relationship between Buddhism and science, along with the impact of this perception on their worldview and life trajectory. Many monastics at Larung Gar Buddhist Academy initially held a high regard for science, dismissing Buddhism as superstition. However, upon gaining a comprehensive understanding of Buddhism through various opportunities, they came to believe that certain tenets of Buddhism are compatible with science, even suggesting that Buddhism could address some of the methodological and epistemological limitations of science and offer solutions to some issues that science is unable to resolve. This ultimately led them to embrace Buddhism and renounce worldly life. This study employs a case study to investigate the understanding of the relationship between Buddhism and science amongst the general public in contemporary China, an area underexplored by previous scholarship that predominantly concentrated on the philosophical scrutiny of the apologetic discourses towards the reconciliation between Buddhism and science of influential Buddhist ascetics and lay practitioners. Also, this study endeavors to demonstrate that despite the ongoing secularization of contemporary Chinese Buddhism in the “public sphere”, within the “private sphere” of Chinese Buddhism, there remain individuals who are pursuing the religious, sacred, and transcendental dimensions of Buddhism.
Hüdanur Akkuzu, Ayşe Beyza İnce Çolak, Gülşen Karaman
et al.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) was developed by Linehan for clients with borderline personality disorder. It is based on behaviorist approach, Zen Buddhism, and dialectical philosophy. There are four components: individual session, group skills training, telephone coaching, and consultation team. DBT group skill training consists of four modules in total, including mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, stress tolerance, and emotion regulation skills. Many studies have been conducted on the effectiveness of DBT and DBT group skills training. In this study, the effectiveness of 8-week DBT group skill training in university students on depression, anxiety, and stress levels during the pandemic was investigated. In addition, the improvements in emotion regulation, mindfulness, and interpersonal effectiveness skills were observed. A total of 17 women, who were undergraduate students between the ages of 18-24, participated in the study. An online self-evaluation form was sent to the participants and feedback was given to the applicants by phone call. Sociodemographic Information Form, the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire-Short Form, Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale-Brief Form, Interpersonal Competence Questionnaire-Short Form, and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale were sent online to the selected participants before participating in the group skill training, after the 4th session, and at the end of the 8th week. According to the results, DBT group skill training was found to be helpful in reducing depression, anxiety, and stress levels. In addition, an increase was observed in emotion regulation and interpersonal competence skills.
This research consists of three main objectives: 1) To analyze the contexts, causes, and impacts of the anti-Buddhist violence in Ramu 2012, Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, 2) To synthesize the Buddhist Peaceful Means for inter-religious reconciliation between Buddhist and Muslim communities in Ramu, Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, 3) To present the pattern of the inter-religious reconciliation by Buddhist peaceful means in anti-Buddhist violence area in Ramu, Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. The methodology of this research applied a qualitative approach comprising documentary-based and in-depth interviews method. The research has been conducted over the 18th month through primary and secondary data collection and fourteen in-depth interviews with the main actors from this field and synthesized data to present the interreligious reconciliation pattern in Ramu, Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. Buddhism was one of the early religions in Bengal of Bangladesh, and the cause of anti-Buddhist violence were interest-based conflicts and cultural identity-based violence related to internal and external factors. The impacts of violence were social and communal harmony destroyed, misunderstanding and anger, and trust and social cohesion distanced and de-escalated Buddhist-Muslim relations in Ramu, Cox’s Bangladesh. Further, this research explained the concept of peace and inter-religious reconciliation from a Buddhistic point of view. It deliberated on the relevant teachings of Buddha for conflict resolutions and the inter-religious reconciliation pattern. The sum of the accumulated idea of this research is that reconciliation is a symbol and a path to peace and friendship in the communities and build trust and live as relatives in a good neighborhood through reconciliation, conflict resolution processes, social engagement activities, and practical actions. Buddhist Peaceful means four sublime minds, Eight Noble paths, Karma, interfaith dialogue, Negotiations, compromise, inquiry and forgiveness, and tolerance applied for the inter-religious reconciliation pattern in the Buddhist and Muslim communities in Ramu, Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.
Introduction. Religious vocabulary is a means to express a special view of the world, a special value system. Goals. The work aims to identify some specific patterns in the functioning of religionyms in seventeenth-eighteenth century Kalmyk official letters and their Russian translations. Materials and methods. The article examines a total of seventy nine letters by the Kalmyk Khan Ayuka for the years 1685 to 1715 — and their parallel Russian translations. The original texts are housed by the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts and the National Archive of Kalmykia. Results. The analysis of religious vocabulary reveals certain differences in linguistic worldviews articulated by representatives of different religions. The texts contain religionyms associated with Buddhism (in Kalmyk letters), Orthodox Christianity (in Russian translations), and Islam (single mentions in Kalmyk letters and their Russian translations). In most cases, religionyms act as an important tool of diplomatic etiquette. Our comparison of the original texts and their translations made it possible to identify some semantic extensions pertaining to Kalmyk religion-related toponyms — names of places of pilgrimage, while there are almost no traces of Buddhist terms in Russian translations, which may be explained by differing religious ideas and concepts.
History (General), Oriental languages and literatures
Introduction to the JGB Special Focus section, "Flows and Counterflows of Buddhism ‘South of the West’: Australia, New Zealand, and Hawaiʻi." In this special issue, we endeavour to explore horizontal flows and counter flows of Buddhism on ‘paths less travelled’ across the Pacific sea of islands, and ‘South of the West’ (Gibson 1992) rather than the usual ‘from Asia to Europe and the Americas’ story. As such, this special issue fits within the more recent scholarship on the globalisation of Buddhism that seeks to point to a more complex picture of historical and contemporary flows of Buddhist ideas, practices, objects and peoples across the globe.
Morita therapy is an oriental therapy and has achieved success in the treatment of many diseases. Although it is of Eastern origin and reflects the characteristics of the East in therapy, it has also been widely used in Western culture. Morita therapy, which has similar features with some concepts in our culture, is a practice-oriented therapy. This study aims to describe Morita therapy, which has similar connotations in our culture, with its philosophy, application areas and cultural similarities. This research, which is a qualitative study, is a descriptive study. Primary and secondary sources were used in the research. According to the results of the study, Morita therapy carries the traces of Zen Buddhism and Japanese culture. The philosophy of Morita therapy is based on the principles of Zen Buddhism and practices of Zen Buddhism are seen in its practices. Compared to other theories, Morita therapy has been found to have similar characteristics with Positive psychology and Acceptance and commitment therapy, although it is different than Rational Emotional Behavioral Therapy and Psychoanalysis. Although Morita therapy is similar to other theories, it is an important and distinctive feature of it which focuses on action rather than talking. In addition, it has been concluded that Morita therapy application methods and principles have similar connotations with concepts such as retreat/ reclusion, and seclusion in our culture.
Nahathai Wongpakaran, Phurich Pooriwarangkakul, Nadnipa Suwannachot
et al.
<h4>Purpose</h4> Evidence has shown that the Five precepts significantly affect the relationship between attachment and resilience; however, little is known whether observing the Five Precepts would help reduce depressive symptoms among those who experience risks. The aim of this study was to examine the moderating role of the Five Precepts in the mediation model relationship among neuroticism, perceived stress, and depression. <h4>Patients and methods</h4> The study employed a cross-sectional survey design and data were collected from the end of 2019 to September 2022 in Thailand. In all, 644 general participants completed questionnaires on the Neuroticism Inventory (NI), the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Depression Subscale, and the Five-Precept Subscale of the Inner Strength-based Inventory (SBI-PP). Mediation and moderation analyses with 5000 bootstrapping methods were used. <h4>Results</h4> Among all, 74.2% were female, and the mean age totalled 28.28 years (SD = 10.6). SBI-PP was shown to have a moderation effect on the relationship between NI, PSS and depressive symptoms. The moderating effect between SBI-PP and PSS was significant, whereas SBI-PP and NI was not. The index of moderated mediation from the Five Precepts was significant (b = -0.019 (95%CI -0.029, -0.009)). The moderated mediation model increased the percent variance explaining depressive symptoms to 47.6%, compared with 32.6% from the mediation model alone. <h4>Conclusion</h4> Observing the Five Precepts offers evidence that it buffers the effect of perceived stress on depression. People with high levels of observing the Five Precepts are less likely to develop depressive symptoms. Implications as well as possible future research are discussed.
This paper contributes to the study of Tibetan oracles by analyzing a distinctive case of a contemporary Tibetan oracle living in exile in India. The oracular practice and personal history of Lhamo, or ‘Goddess,’ present several unusual features compared to other ethnographic accounts of Tibetan oracles. The ritual of possession is performed behind closed doors hidden from clients, and the medium typically engages in oracular ingestion multiple times during every trance. Her trance sessions also appear orderly and lack an intermediary figure who decodes the oracle’s enigmatic statements. What do these features of her oracular activities illustrate? How do they feature in her life story and relationships to other religious specialists in the area and the surrounding community? This paper outlines my ethnography of Lhamo’s practice and situates it in the context of Tibetan oracles, arguing that Lhamo’s oracular possession, which is a practice of a village oracle often regarded as involving mainly mundane and pragmatic ends, is conspicuously integrated with the soteriological, supramundane orientation of Buddhism.
Can we learn about the art of living from sociology? Sociology teaches us that we are the part of a broader group called society. We are taught that society should be first described in order to be understood and/or explained, and that the cognitive function is the most important part in understanding the role sociology should play in a democratic and modern society. Is this understanding (cognition) enough? What more can we get to better our quality of life and live a wholesome life from studying sociology or society using a sociological perspective? Is sociology a tool for the art of living or is it just a play of the “sophisticated”? In this paper, we analyze the sociology from the philosophy of Zen Buddhism to show the connection between the work of mind and the sociological concepts that are used to analyze “society.” Moreover, we analyze the approaches of George H. Mead, Robert Merton, and especially and separately Anthony Giddens that created, very important for our considerations, the concept of “ontological security.” We also reconstruct the structural conditions of the art of living and happiness, analyzing the concept of greedy institutions by Lewis Coser. We analytically connect the structural conditions of work in contemporary greedy institutions (working on projects) with the loss of ontological security. We analyze the displacement of the meaning of work, career, autonomy, time structure, identity, privacy and happiness, and finally the sociology. We try to use a Buddhist inspiration to analyze issues of suffering and, associated with it, so called ontological insecurity and the welfare of the individual and/or society.
Ethnology. Social and cultural anthropology, Sociology (General)
The article deals with the academic activity of Evgeniy Leonidovich Besprozvannykh, his main works and academic interests. His contribution to the research of Priamurye as a point of clash of interests of China and Russia in the 19th century is revealed. The author highlights in detail the periods of his life connected with work at Volgograd State University. During this period he studies the problems of relationship of Tibet and China in the 17th – 18th centuries, the focus being at the activity of political leaders of Tibet and their role in life of the country. The article describes his contribution to revealing the problems of relationship of Tibet, neighbour countries and English East Indian company. The special attention is paid to the features of social and religious structure of the Tibetan state, policy of the English East Indian company in this region. The author also analyzes E. L. Besprozvannykh’s academic activity connected with the research of history of Kalmykia in the 17th –18th centuries. The problematic issues connected with migration of the Volga Kalmyks to China in the 18th century are also highlighted. The facts and data on his private life help to understand his development as an academician, research supervisor and teacher.
History of Russia. Soviet Union. Former Soviet Republics, International relations