Bethany Lowe
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199553792
- eISBN:
- 9780191728617
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199553792.003.0043
- Subject:
- Psychology, Music Psychology, Cognitive Psychology
This chapter explores the interaction between music and consciousness in Buddhist thought. It argues that knowledge of Buddhist thinking on consciousness can illuminate the way that a new approach to ...
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This chapter explores the interaction between music and consciousness in Buddhist thought. It argues that knowledge of Buddhist thinking on consciousness can illuminate the way that a new approach to sonic materials has radicalized Western art music since the 1950s, and suggest fresh insights into all kinds of music through observing our mental processes in response to it. Insight and awareness into a Buddhist view of sound, if developed to a high level, also has the potential to reveal profound truths about the nature of existence, and even to facilitate significant changes in the structure of consciousness. Such theories and practices that show us new ways to perceive the nature of sound, of consciousness, and of reality itself suggest how the elusiveness of music can be turned to good account.Less
This chapter explores the interaction between music and consciousness in Buddhist thought. It argues that knowledge of Buddhist thinking on consciousness can illuminate the way that a new approach to sonic materials has radicalized Western art music since the 1950s, and suggest fresh insights into all kinds of music through observing our mental processes in response to it. Insight and awareness into a Buddhist view of sound, if developed to a high level, also has the potential to reveal profound truths about the nature of existence, and even to facilitate significant changes in the structure of consciousness. Such theories and practices that show us new ways to perceive the nature of sound, of consciousness, and of reality itself suggest how the elusiveness of music can be turned to good account.
Sallie B. King
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- November 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780824833350
- eISBN:
- 9780824870225
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824833350.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
This chapter demonstrates that a number of Engaged Buddhists have significant complaints about the idea of karma or at least about the way that karma is traditionally understood. Some of them have ...
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This chapter demonstrates that a number of Engaged Buddhists have significant complaints about the idea of karma or at least about the way that karma is traditionally understood. Some of them have proposed alternative ways of thinking about karma that may avoid some of the problems of traditional Buddhist thought on the subject. One kind of concern has to do with the traditional teaching that some of the most significant events of one's current life are the result of one's actions in past lives. While the Buddha decidedly did not teach that everything that happens to a person in his or her life is the karmic outcome of that person's deeds in previous lifetimes.Less
This chapter demonstrates that a number of Engaged Buddhists have significant complaints about the idea of karma or at least about the way that karma is traditionally understood. Some of them have proposed alternative ways of thinking about karma that may avoid some of the problems of traditional Buddhist thought on the subject. One kind of concern has to do with the traditional teaching that some of the most significant events of one's current life are the result of one's actions in past lives. While the Buddha decidedly did not teach that everything that happens to a person in his or her life is the karmic outcome of that person's deeds in previous lifetimes.
Jonathan Gold
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- November 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780231168267
- eISBN:
- 9780231538008
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231168267.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
The Indian Buddhist philosopher Vasubandhu (fourth-fifth century ce) is known for his critical contribution to Buddhist Abhidharma thought, his turn to the Mahāyāna tradition, and his concise, ...
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The Indian Buddhist philosopher Vasubandhu (fourth-fifth century ce) is known for his critical contribution to Buddhist Abhidharma thought, his turn to the Mahāyāna tradition, and his concise, influential Yogācāra-Vijñānavāda texts. This book reveals another dimension of his legacy: his integration of several seemingly incompatible intellectual and scriptural traditions, with far-ranging consequences for the development of Buddhist epistemology and the theorization of tantra. Most scholars read Vasubandhu's texts in isolation and separate his intellectual development into distinct phases. Featuring close studies of Vasubandhu's Abhidharmakośabhāsya, Vyākhyāyukti, Vimśatikā, and Trisvabhavanirdeśa, among other works, this book identifies recurrent treatments of causality and scriptural interpretation that unify distinct strands of thought under a single, coherent Buddhist philosophy. In Vasubandhu's hands, the Buddha's rejection of the self as a false construction provides a framework through which to clarify problematic philosophical issues, such as the nature of moral agency and subjectivity under a broadly causal worldview. Recognizing this continuity of purpose across Vasubandhu's diverse corpus recasts the interests of the philosopher and his truly innovative vision, which influenced Buddhist thought for a millennium and continues to resonate with today's philosophical issues.Less
The Indian Buddhist philosopher Vasubandhu (fourth-fifth century ce) is known for his critical contribution to Buddhist Abhidharma thought, his turn to the Mahāyāna tradition, and his concise, influential Yogācāra-Vijñānavāda texts. This book reveals another dimension of his legacy: his integration of several seemingly incompatible intellectual and scriptural traditions, with far-ranging consequences for the development of Buddhist epistemology and the theorization of tantra. Most scholars read Vasubandhu's texts in isolation and separate his intellectual development into distinct phases. Featuring close studies of Vasubandhu's Abhidharmakośabhāsya, Vyākhyāyukti, Vimśatikā, and Trisvabhavanirdeśa, among other works, this book identifies recurrent treatments of causality and scriptural interpretation that unify distinct strands of thought under a single, coherent Buddhist philosophy. In Vasubandhu's hands, the Buddha's rejection of the self as a false construction provides a framework through which to clarify problematic philosophical issues, such as the nature of moral agency and subjectivity under a broadly causal worldview. Recognizing this continuity of purpose across Vasubandhu's diverse corpus recasts the interests of the philosopher and his truly innovative vision, which influenced Buddhist thought for a millennium and continues to resonate with today's philosophical issues.
Jonathan A. Silk
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- November 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780824830908
- eISBN:
- 9780824868987
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824830908.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
Buddhist scholastic tradition speaks of a classification of five “sins of immediate retribution”: killing one's father, mother, or an arhat; drawing the blood of a buddha; and creating a schism in ...
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Buddhist scholastic tradition speaks of a classification of five “sins of immediate retribution”: killing one's father, mother, or an arhat; drawing the blood of a buddha; and creating a schism in the monastic community. These are crimes so heinous that their inevitable karmic result of descent into hell takes place immediately in the next life, rather than at some unspecified vague point in the future, as is usual for generic karmic results. These are the most serious crimes catalogued and studied within Indian Buddhist literature. This chapter examines indigenous Indian Buddhist thinking about the stock set of crimes of which Mahādeva is accused. Interestingly, no great stress is put on his incest, the focus being rather on his murders (for having murdered his father, he goes on to kill a Buddhist saint and his mother as well). The overwhelmingly positive nature of Buddhist ethics is highlighted in this context by the fact that commission of even the worst imaginable crimes does not lead to eternal damnation, that idea playing essentially no role in Buddhist thought or mythology.Less
Buddhist scholastic tradition speaks of a classification of five “sins of immediate retribution”: killing one's father, mother, or an arhat; drawing the blood of a buddha; and creating a schism in the monastic community. These are crimes so heinous that their inevitable karmic result of descent into hell takes place immediately in the next life, rather than at some unspecified vague point in the future, as is usual for generic karmic results. These are the most serious crimes catalogued and studied within Indian Buddhist literature. This chapter examines indigenous Indian Buddhist thinking about the stock set of crimes of which Mahādeva is accused. Interestingly, no great stress is put on his incest, the focus being rather on his murders (for having murdered his father, he goes on to kill a Buddhist saint and his mother as well). The overwhelmingly positive nature of Buddhist ethics is highlighted in this context by the fact that commission of even the worst imaginable crimes does not lead to eternal damnation, that idea playing essentially no role in Buddhist thought or mythology.
Richard Nance
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- November 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780231152303
- eISBN:
- 9780231526678
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231152303.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
Buddhist intellectual discourse owes its development to a dynamic interplay between primary source materials and subsequent interpretation, yet scholarship on Indian Buddhism has long neglected to ...
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Buddhist intellectual discourse owes its development to a dynamic interplay between primary source materials and subsequent interpretation, yet scholarship on Indian Buddhism has long neglected to privilege one crucial series of texts. Commentaries on Buddhist scriptures, particularly the sūtras, offer rich insights into the complex relationship between Buddhist intellectual practices and the norms that inform—and are informed by—them. This book revisits—and rewrites—the critical history of Buddhist thought, including its unique conception of doctrinal transmission. Attributed to such luminaries as Nāgārjuna, Vasubandhu, Dignāga, and Śāntideva, scriptural commentaries have long played an important role in the monastic and philosophical life of Indian Buddhism. The book reads these texts against the social and cultural conditions of their making, establishing a solid historical basis for the interpretation of key beliefs and doctrines. It also underscores areas of contention, in which scholars debate what it means to speak for, and as, a Buddha. Throughout these texts, Buddhist commentators struggle to deduce and characterize the speech of Buddhas and teach others how to convey and interpret its meaning. At the same time, they demonstrate the fundamental dilemma of trying to speak on behalf of Buddhas. The book investigates the notion of “right speech” as articulated by Buddhist texts and follows ideas about teaching as imagined through the common figure of a Buddhist preacher. It notes the use of epistemological concepts in scriptural interpretation and the protocols guiding the composition of scriptural commentary, and provides translations of three commentarial guides to better clarify the normative assumptions organizing these works.Less
Buddhist intellectual discourse owes its development to a dynamic interplay between primary source materials and subsequent interpretation, yet scholarship on Indian Buddhism has long neglected to privilege one crucial series of texts. Commentaries on Buddhist scriptures, particularly the sūtras, offer rich insights into the complex relationship between Buddhist intellectual practices and the norms that inform—and are informed by—them. This book revisits—and rewrites—the critical history of Buddhist thought, including its unique conception of doctrinal transmission. Attributed to such luminaries as Nāgārjuna, Vasubandhu, Dignāga, and Śāntideva, scriptural commentaries have long played an important role in the monastic and philosophical life of Indian Buddhism. The book reads these texts against the social and cultural conditions of their making, establishing a solid historical basis for the interpretation of key beliefs and doctrines. It also underscores areas of contention, in which scholars debate what it means to speak for, and as, a Buddha. Throughout these texts, Buddhist commentators struggle to deduce and characterize the speech of Buddhas and teach others how to convey and interpret its meaning. At the same time, they demonstrate the fundamental dilemma of trying to speak on behalf of Buddhas. The book investigates the notion of “right speech” as articulated by Buddhist texts and follows ideas about teaching as imagined through the common figure of a Buddhist preacher. It notes the use of epistemological concepts in scriptural interpretation and the protocols guiding the composition of scriptural commentary, and provides translations of three commentarial guides to better clarify the normative assumptions organizing these works.
Michael F. Marra
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- November 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780824834609
- eISBN:
- 9780824870546
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824834609.003.0007
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Asian Studies
This chapter focuses on the concepts of impermanence (mujo) and contingency. Mujo has become a catchphrase used to explain the psychology, the logic, and the sentiments of a nation and an ethnicity. ...
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This chapter focuses on the concepts of impermanence (mujo) and contingency. Mujo has become a catchphrase used to explain the psychology, the logic, and the sentiments of a nation and an ethnicity. The enormous interest recently shown by scholars in the notion of mujo is directly related to the importation to Japan from the West of existential philosophies, which were challenged by nihilism and skepticism toward the belief that religions and philosophies could save human beings from the crises of the modern world. Meanwhile, guzensei is the Japanese word used today to translate the English “contingency.” The topic of contingency is particularly cherished by thinkers whose knowledge of Buddhist thought had acquainted them with the idea of the impermanent nature of reality.Less
This chapter focuses on the concepts of impermanence (mujo) and contingency. Mujo has become a catchphrase used to explain the psychology, the logic, and the sentiments of a nation and an ethnicity. The enormous interest recently shown by scholars in the notion of mujo is directly related to the importation to Japan from the West of existential philosophies, which were challenged by nihilism and skepticism toward the belief that religions and philosophies could save human beings from the crises of the modern world. Meanwhile, guzensei is the Japanese word used today to translate the English “contingency.” The topic of contingency is particularly cherished by thinkers whose knowledge of Buddhist thought had acquainted them with the idea of the impermanent nature of reality.
Elliot Wolfson
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520246195
- eISBN:
- 9780520932319
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520246195.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
This book explores the nexus of time, truth, and death in the symbolic world of medieval kabbalah. Demonstrating that the historical and theoretical relationship between kabbalah and western ...
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This book explores the nexus of time, truth, and death in the symbolic world of medieval kabbalah. Demonstrating that the historical and theoretical relationship between kabbalah and western philosophy is far more intimate and extensive than any previous scholar has ever suggested, the book draws an extraordinary range of thinkers such as Frederic Jameson, Martin Heidegger, Franz Rosenzweig, William Blake, Julia Kristeva, Friedrich Schelling, and a host of kabbalistic figures into deep conversation with one another. The book discusses Islamic mysticism and Buddhist thought in relation to the Jewish esoteric tradition as it opens the possibility of a temporal triumph of temporality and the conquering of time through time. The framework for this examination is the rabbinic teaching that the word emet, “truth,” comprises the first, middle, and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet, alef, mem, and tau, which serve, in turn, as semiotic signposts for the three tenses of time—past, present, and future. By heeding the letters of emet we discern the truth of time manifestly concealed in the time of truth, the beginning that cannot begin if it is to be the beginning, the middle that re/marks the place of origin and destiny, and the end that is the figuration of the impossible disclosing the impossibility of figuration, the finitude of death that facilitates the possibility of rebirth. The time of death does not mark the death of time, but time immortal, the moment of truth that bestows on the truth of the moment an endless beginning of a beginningless end, the truth of death encountered incessantly in retracing steps of time yet to be taken—between, before, beyond.Less
This book explores the nexus of time, truth, and death in the symbolic world of medieval kabbalah. Demonstrating that the historical and theoretical relationship between kabbalah and western philosophy is far more intimate and extensive than any previous scholar has ever suggested, the book draws an extraordinary range of thinkers such as Frederic Jameson, Martin Heidegger, Franz Rosenzweig, William Blake, Julia Kristeva, Friedrich Schelling, and a host of kabbalistic figures into deep conversation with one another. The book discusses Islamic mysticism and Buddhist thought in relation to the Jewish esoteric tradition as it opens the possibility of a temporal triumph of temporality and the conquering of time through time. The framework for this examination is the rabbinic teaching that the word emet, “truth,” comprises the first, middle, and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet, alef, mem, and tau, which serve, in turn, as semiotic signposts for the three tenses of time—past, present, and future. By heeding the letters of emet we discern the truth of time manifestly concealed in the time of truth, the beginning that cannot begin if it is to be the beginning, the middle that re/marks the place of origin and destiny, and the end that is the figuration of the impossible disclosing the impossibility of figuration, the finitude of death that facilitates the possibility of rebirth. The time of death does not mark the death of time, but time immortal, the moment of truth that bestows on the truth of the moment an endless beginning of a beginningless end, the truth of death encountered incessantly in retracing steps of time yet to be taken—between, before, beyond.
