S. Mark Heim
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- September 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780823281244
- eISBN:
- 9780823285990
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Fordham University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5422/fordham/9780823281244.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
This book is the first systematic discussion of the bodhisattva path in Māhayāna Buddhism from the perspective of Christian comparative theology. With the increasing interest and participation of ...
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This book is the first systematic discussion of the bodhisattva path in Māhayāna Buddhism from the perspective of Christian comparative theology. With the increasing interest and participation of Christians in Buddhist practice, many are seeking a deeper exploration of this topic, and of the way the two traditions and their teachings might interface. Crucified Wisdom provides important scholarly background material for this discussion, as well as a constructive proposal for Christian engagement. The text combines a rich exposition of the bodhisattva path with detailed reflection on it in connection with specific Christian convictions. The description of bodhisattva teachings centers on Śāntideva’s classic work the Bodicaryāvatāra and its interpretation by Tibetan commentators. The book argues that Christian theology can take direct instruction from Buddhism in three respects: developing an understanding of a “no-self” dimension in all creatures, recognizing an unvarying nondual dimension of divine immanence in the world, and appreciating that both of these are constituent dimensions in Christ’s incarnation and human redemption. The writer argues that Christians rightly remain committed to the value of novelty in history, the enduring significance of human persons, and the Trinitarian reality of God. A notable feature of the book is its exploration of the tensions around the crucifixion of Jesus in Buddhist-Christian interpretation. This work will be of particular value for those interested in “dual belonging” in connection to these traditions.Less
This book is the first systematic discussion of the bodhisattva path in Māhayāna Buddhism from the perspective of Christian comparative theology. With the increasing interest and participation of Christians in Buddhist practice, many are seeking a deeper exploration of this topic, and of the way the two traditions and their teachings might interface. Crucified Wisdom provides important scholarly background material for this discussion, as well as a constructive proposal for Christian engagement. The text combines a rich exposition of the bodhisattva path with detailed reflection on it in connection with specific Christian convictions. The description of bodhisattva teachings centers on Śāntideva’s classic work the Bodicaryāvatāra and its interpretation by Tibetan commentators. The book argues that Christian theology can take direct instruction from Buddhism in three respects: developing an understanding of a “no-self” dimension in all creatures, recognizing an unvarying nondual dimension of divine immanence in the world, and appreciating that both of these are constituent dimensions in Christ’s incarnation and human redemption. The writer argues that Christians rightly remain committed to the value of novelty in history, the enduring significance of human persons, and the Trinitarian reality of God. A notable feature of the book is its exploration of the tensions around the crucifixion of Jesus in Buddhist-Christian interpretation. This work will be of particular value for those interested in “dual belonging” in connection to these traditions.
William Edelglass
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780190495794
- eISBN:
- 9780190495831
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190495794.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
The widespread discourse of happiness and meditation is part of a “happiness turn” in contemporary Western Buddhism, in which meditation is presented as a path to happiness. This turn is justified, ...
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The widespread discourse of happiness and meditation is part of a “happiness turn” in contemporary Western Buddhism, in which meditation is presented as a path to happiness. This turn is justified, in part, by empirical research on happiness, which appears to be a straightforward scientific inquiry into the causes and conditions of happiness. The two most widespread methods for measuring happiness, life satisfaction questionnaires and random experience sampling, are each committed to a particular theory of happiness: implicit in the random experience sampling method is a hedonic conception of happiness as positive affect or pleasure. In contrast, Śāntideva suggests that cultivating mindfulness and awareness entails relinquishing of self and increasing skill in addressing others’ needs. This contrast demonstrates that the scientific study of meditation and happiness is not value neutral but reframes the meaning of meditation.Less
The widespread discourse of happiness and meditation is part of a “happiness turn” in contemporary Western Buddhism, in which meditation is presented as a path to happiness. This turn is justified, in part, by empirical research on happiness, which appears to be a straightforward scientific inquiry into the causes and conditions of happiness. The two most widespread methods for measuring happiness, life satisfaction questionnaires and random experience sampling, are each committed to a particular theory of happiness: implicit in the random experience sampling method is a hedonic conception of happiness as positive affect or pleasure. In contrast, Śāntideva suggests that cultivating mindfulness and awareness entails relinquishing of self and increasing skill in addressing others’ needs. This contrast demonstrates that the scientific study of meditation and happiness is not value neutral but reframes the meaning of meditation.
Jay L. Garfield
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780190204334
- eISBN:
- 9780190204372
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190204334.003.0009
- Subject:
- Philosophy, General, History of Philosophy
This chapter argues that Buddhist ethical theory is very different in form from Western ethical theory, and is structured as moral phenomenology. It addresses both Abhidharma ethical thought and that ...
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This chapter argues that Buddhist ethical theory is very different in form from Western ethical theory, and is structured as moral phenomenology. It addresses both Abhidharma ethical thought and that of the Mahāyāna, with special focus on Buddhaghosa and Śāntideva.Less
This chapter argues that Buddhist ethical theory is very different in form from Western ethical theory, and is structured as moral phenomenology. It addresses both Abhidharma ethical thought and that of the Mahāyāna, with special focus on Buddhaghosa and Śāntideva.
Jay L. Garfield
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- June 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780190499778
- eISBN:
- 9780190499792
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190499778.003.0011
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy, General
This essay explores the role of the two aspects of mindfulness (smṛti and samprajanya) in ethical discipline. It argues that mindfulness understood as the union of these two attitudes is essential to ...
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This essay explores the role of the two aspects of mindfulness (smṛti and samprajanya) in ethical discipline. It argues that mindfulness understood as the union of these two attitudes is essential to the kind of perception and attention necessary for spontaneous moral engagement with the world. The essay first discusses why mindfulness is so important in Buddhist ethics. It then turns to the importance of spontaneity, first in the Aristotelian and then in the Zen tradition. It closes by showing why spontaneity can be understood as desirable only if infused by the kind of mindfulness philosophers such as Śāntideva recommend, and why mindfulness can be morally efficacious only if it suffuses our perception and action so as to render them spontaneous.Less
This essay explores the role of the two aspects of mindfulness (smṛti and samprajanya) in ethical discipline. It argues that mindfulness understood as the union of these two attitudes is essential to the kind of perception and attention necessary for spontaneous moral engagement with the world. The essay first discusses why mindfulness is so important in Buddhist ethics. It then turns to the importance of spontaneity, first in the Aristotelian and then in the Zen tradition. It closes by showing why spontaneity can be understood as desirable only if infused by the kind of mindfulness philosophers such as Śāntideva recommend, and why mindfulness can be morally efficacious only if it suffuses our perception and action so as to render them spontaneous.
Jay L. Garfield
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- September 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780190260507
- eISBN:
- 9780190260538
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190260507.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
This chapter argues that there is no special problem in Buddhist ethics. Instead of solving a problem about ethics in the context of conventional truth, it seeks to eliminate an apparent problem. It ...
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This chapter argues that there is no special problem in Buddhist ethics. Instead of solving a problem about ethics in the context of conventional truth, it seeks to eliminate an apparent problem. It does so by analyzing the ethical thought of four important Madhyamaka philosophers: Nāgārjuna, Āryadeva, Candrakīrti, and Śāntideva.Less
This chapter argues that there is no special problem in Buddhist ethics. Instead of solving a problem about ethics in the context of conventional truth, it seeks to eliminate an apparent problem. It does so by analyzing the ethical thought of four important Madhyamaka philosophers: Nāgārjuna, Āryadeva, Candrakīrti, and Śāntideva.
Stephen Jenkins
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- September 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780190260507
- eISBN:
- 9780190260538
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190260507.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
Anyone who becomes familiar with Buddhist thought must deal with the question of how compassion can be meaningful, if both its agent and its object are ultimately unreal. The ultimate truth of ...
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Anyone who becomes familiar with Buddhist thought must deal with the question of how compassion can be meaningful, if both its agent and its object are ultimately unreal. The ultimate truth of Buddhism, whether that truth is no-self or emptiness, seems to deny both the object of compassion and the compassionate subject. The Buddhist ethic, which takes the suffering of sentient beings seriously, seems to be at odds with its ultimate truth, which denies the very existence of those beings. This chapter begins by considering how this presents a philosophical and interpretive problem. It then examines Indian Buddhist sources that recognized and addressed these problems in systematic thought. The motif of the three objects, or ālambana of karuṇā, serves as a framework for discussing how compassion made sense to Mādhyamika thinkers such as Candrakīrti, Śāntideva, and Prajñākaramati.Less
Anyone who becomes familiar with Buddhist thought must deal with the question of how compassion can be meaningful, if both its agent and its object are ultimately unreal. The ultimate truth of Buddhism, whether that truth is no-self or emptiness, seems to deny both the object of compassion and the compassionate subject. The Buddhist ethic, which takes the suffering of sentient beings seriously, seems to be at odds with its ultimate truth, which denies the very existence of those beings. This chapter begins by considering how this presents a philosophical and interpretive problem. It then examines Indian Buddhist sources that recognized and addressed these problems in systematic thought. The motif of the three objects, or ālambana of karuṇā, serves as a framework for discussing how compassion made sense to Mādhyamika thinkers such as Candrakīrti, Śāntideva, and Prajñākaramati.
Thomas Cattoi
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- August 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780190677565
- eISBN:
- 9780190677596
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190677565.003.0015
- Subject:
- Religion, Religious Studies, World Religions
The goal of this chapter is to reflect on a joint reading of Ignatius of Loyola’s Exercises and Śāntideva’s Bodhicaryāvatāra (The Way of the Bodhisattva) in seminars that were held in 2009 and 2012 ...
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The goal of this chapter is to reflect on a joint reading of Ignatius of Loyola’s Exercises and Śāntideva’s Bodhicaryāvatāra (The Way of the Bodhisattva) in seminars that were held in 2009 and 2012 at the Center for Buddhist Studies (CBS) in Kathmandu, Nepal. The seminars were a privileged occasion where the comparative reading of a Buddhist text and a Christian text was supplemented with a “dialogue of life” between practitioners of different traditions. This chapter presents some theological insights gained from these conversations, while also exploring the challenges of teaching these texts in a comparative and dialogical manner. In line with Francis Clooney’s call for a new systematic theology that is simultaneously confessional and interreligious, the chapter also attempts to lay foundations for a new “pedagogy of interreligious encounter,” which is characterized by “vulnerability” to the religious other while remaining grounded in a specific religious tradition.Less
The goal of this chapter is to reflect on a joint reading of Ignatius of Loyola’s Exercises and Śāntideva’s Bodhicaryāvatāra (The Way of the Bodhisattva) in seminars that were held in 2009 and 2012 at the Center for Buddhist Studies (CBS) in Kathmandu, Nepal. The seminars were a privileged occasion where the comparative reading of a Buddhist text and a Christian text was supplemented with a “dialogue of life” between practitioners of different traditions. This chapter presents some theological insights gained from these conversations, while also exploring the challenges of teaching these texts in a comparative and dialogical manner. In line with Francis Clooney’s call for a new systematic theology that is simultaneously confessional and interreligious, the chapter also attempts to lay foundations for a new “pedagogy of interreligious encounter,” which is characterized by “vulnerability” to the religious other while remaining grounded in a specific religious tradition.
Christopher W. Gowans
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- June 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780190499778
- eISBN:
- 9780190499792
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190499778.003.0003
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy, General
This essay discusses interpretations of Indian Buddhist moral thought in terms of common categories of Western moral philosophy. Problems are raised for interpretations of Buddhism as being committed ...
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This essay discusses interpretations of Indian Buddhist moral thought in terms of common categories of Western moral philosophy. Problems are raised for interpretations of Buddhism as being committed to a theory of what makes an action morally right (specifically deontology, consequentialism, and virtue ethics). Following the lead of the poison arrow simile, a nontheoretical understanding of Buddhist moral thought is proposed: it was implicitly supposed that we do not need to act on the basis of universal moral principles but simply need to overcome the roots of unwholesome actions (greed, hatred, and delusion) and act skillfully. This interpretation is compared with other nontheoretical interpretations of Buddhist moral thought by reference to moral particularism, moral phenomenology, moral pluralism, and a nontheoretical conception of virtue ethics. It is also suggested that we should not be perplexed by the absence of explicit moral theory in Buddhism. Featured figures include Aristotle and Śāntideva.Less
This essay discusses interpretations of Indian Buddhist moral thought in terms of common categories of Western moral philosophy. Problems are raised for interpretations of Buddhism as being committed to a theory of what makes an action morally right (specifically deontology, consequentialism, and virtue ethics). Following the lead of the poison arrow simile, a nontheoretical understanding of Buddhist moral thought is proposed: it was implicitly supposed that we do not need to act on the basis of universal moral principles but simply need to overcome the roots of unwholesome actions (greed, hatred, and delusion) and act skillfully. This interpretation is compared with other nontheoretical interpretations of Buddhist moral thought by reference to moral particularism, moral phenomenology, moral pluralism, and a nontheoretical conception of virtue ethics. It is also suggested that we should not be perplexed by the absence of explicit moral theory in Buddhism. Featured figures include Aristotle and Śāntideva.
Charles Goodman
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- June 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780190499778
- eISBN:
- 9780190499792
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190499778.003.0007
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy, General
Traditional Buddhist views of karma as a cosmic force that makes the universe fair have little credibility in contemporary philosophy. However, a naturalized account of karma, understanding it as a ...
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Traditional Buddhist views of karma as a cosmic force that makes the universe fair have little credibility in contemporary philosophy. However, a naturalized account of karma, understanding it as a psychological process, could easily turn out to be true. If we read between the lines of Śāntideva’s classic Training Anthology, there is reason to believe that some of his sources already had such a psychological view in mind. A modernized account of karma would have important implications for the theoretical structure of Buddhist ethics, the prospects for a Buddhist political philosophy, and the practice of Engaged Buddhism in contemporary society.Less
Traditional Buddhist views of karma as a cosmic force that makes the universe fair have little credibility in contemporary philosophy. However, a naturalized account of karma, understanding it as a psychological process, could easily turn out to be true. If we read between the lines of Śāntideva’s classic Training Anthology, there is reason to believe that some of his sources already had such a psychological view in mind. A modernized account of karma would have important implications for the theoretical structure of Buddhist ethics, the prospects for a Buddhist political philosophy, and the practice of Engaged Buddhism in contemporary society.
S. Mark Heim
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- September 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780823281244
- eISBN:
- 9780823285990
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Fordham University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5422/fordham/9780823281244.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
This chapter begins with discussion of the term “bodhisattva” and its evolution from a simple designation of the proto-Buddha in his earlier lives to the title for the fullest state of realization ...
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This chapter begins with discussion of the term “bodhisattva” and its evolution from a simple designation of the proto-Buddha in his earlier lives to the title for the fullest state of realization and the goal of every Mahāyāna practitioner. It then begins an exposition of the bodhisattva path through a careful reading of the first seven chapters of Śāntideva’s Bodhicaryāvatāra. These chapters focus on how to cultivate awakening mind, or bodhichitta.Less
This chapter begins with discussion of the term “bodhisattva” and its evolution from a simple designation of the proto-Buddha in his earlier lives to the title for the fullest state of realization and the goal of every Mahāyāna practitioner. It then begins an exposition of the bodhisattva path through a careful reading of the first seven chapters of Śāntideva’s Bodhicaryāvatāra. These chapters focus on how to cultivate awakening mind, or bodhichitta.
S. Mark Heim
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- September 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780823281244
- eISBN:
- 9780823285990
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Fordham University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5422/fordham/9780823281244.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
This chapter completes the exposition of the bodhisattva path as outlined in the Bodhicaryāvatāra, covering chapters eight through ten. This includes a review of the role of various meditative ...
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This chapter completes the exposition of the bodhisattva path as outlined in the Bodhicaryāvatāra, covering chapters eight through ten. This includes a review of the role of various meditative practices, particularly “exchanging self and others.” An exploration of chapter nine, the “wisdom chapter,” lays out some of the more sophisticated issues in intra-Buddhist discussion regarding the nature of nirvana and the role of the bodhisattva.Less
This chapter completes the exposition of the bodhisattva path as outlined in the Bodhicaryāvatāra, covering chapters eight through ten. This includes a review of the role of various meditative practices, particularly “exchanging self and others.” An exploration of chapter nine, the “wisdom chapter,” lays out some of the more sophisticated issues in intra-Buddhist discussion regarding the nature of nirvana and the role of the bodhisattva.
Owen Flanagan
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- November 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780190212155
- eISBN:
- 9780190212186
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190212155.003.0010
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy
This chapter offers a critical analysis of two arguments for eliminating anger from Seneca, the first-century Stoic, and Śāntideva, the eighth-century Buddhist philosopher. Seneca’s De Ira (“On ...
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This chapter offers a critical analysis of two arguments for eliminating anger from Seneca, the first-century Stoic, and Śāntideva, the eighth-century Buddhist philosopher. Seneca’s De Ira (“On Anger”) criticized Aristotle’s view than anger is a virtue if moderated. Seneca thinks that anger’s aim is passing pain and that no virtue, but only vice, has such an aim. In the The Bodhisattva’s Way of Life (Bodhicharyāvatāra), Śāntideva, traces the disposition to anger to ego, to attachment to the self, and recommends a kind of philosophical therapy to understand that the self is impermanent, really no-self. The Stoic and Buddhist reasons given for extirpating anger are an assortment of ethical and metaphysical ones that we, WEIRD souls, can benefit from.Less
This chapter offers a critical analysis of two arguments for eliminating anger from Seneca, the first-century Stoic, and Śāntideva, the eighth-century Buddhist philosopher. Seneca’s De Ira (“On Anger”) criticized Aristotle’s view than anger is a virtue if moderated. Seneca thinks that anger’s aim is passing pain and that no virtue, but only vice, has such an aim. In the The Bodhisattva’s Way of Life (Bodhicharyāvatāra), Śāntideva, traces the disposition to anger to ego, to attachment to the self, and recommends a kind of philosophical therapy to understand that the self is impermanent, really no-self. The Stoic and Buddhist reasons given for extirpating anger are an assortment of ethical and metaphysical ones that we, WEIRD souls, can benefit from.
Jan Westerhoff
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- June 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780198732662
- eISBN:
- 9780191796876
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198732662.003.0005
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
The chapter begins with an account of the lives and works of Diṅnāga and Dharmakīrti, the key thinkers of the so-called ‘logico-epistemological school’. Following sections discuss the most important ...
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The chapter begins with an account of the lives and works of Diṅnāga and Dharmakīrti, the key thinkers of the so-called ‘logico-epistemological school’. Following sections discuss the most important themes of their philosophy: epistemology, metaphysics, inference, and language. The discussion then turns to two specific epistemological problems, the status of scriptural authority and the role of meditatively trained, ‘yogic’ perception. The next section deals with the complex issue of how the school of Diṅnāga and Dharmakīrti relates to the other Buddhist schools, followed by a discussion of its debate with Mīmāṃsā, with particular emphasis on Mīmāṃsā epistemology, theory of language, and historiography. A final section treats the end of Buddhist scholastic philosophy in India, looking at two important thinkers from the times after Diṅnāga and Dharmakīrti, Śāntideva and Atiśa Dīpaṃkaraśrījñāna.Less
The chapter begins with an account of the lives and works of Diṅnāga and Dharmakīrti, the key thinkers of the so-called ‘logico-epistemological school’. Following sections discuss the most important themes of their philosophy: epistemology, metaphysics, inference, and language. The discussion then turns to two specific epistemological problems, the status of scriptural authority and the role of meditatively trained, ‘yogic’ perception. The next section deals with the complex issue of how the school of Diṅnāga and Dharmakīrti relates to the other Buddhist schools, followed by a discussion of its debate with Mīmāṃsā, with particular emphasis on Mīmāṃsā epistemology, theory of language, and historiography. A final section treats the end of Buddhist scholastic philosophy in India, looking at two important thinkers from the times after Diṅnāga and Dharmakīrti, Śāntideva and Atiśa Dīpaṃkaraśrījñāna.
