Pratītyasamutpāda Pratītyasamutpāda (Sanskrit: प्रतीत्यसमुत्पाद; Pali: पटिच्चसमुप्पाद paṭiccasamuppāda) is commonly translated as dependent origination or dependent arising. The term is used in the Buddhist teachings in two senses: On a general level, it refers to one of the central concepts in the Buddhist tradition—that all things arise in dependence upon multiple causes and conditions.On a specific level, the term is also used to refer to a specific application of this general principle—namely the twelve links of dependent origination. Etymology[edit] Pratityasamutpada (Sanskrit: प्रतीत्यसमुत्पाद) consists of two terms: pratitya: "having depended"samutpada: "arising", "rise, production, origin"[web 1] The term has been translated into English variously as dependent origination, dependent arising,[citation needed] interdependent co-arising,[citation needed] conditioned arising,[citation needed] and conditioned genesis. The Dalai Lama explains: In Sanskrit the word for dependent-arising is pratityasamutpada.
Rebirth (Buddhism) Within one life and across multiple lives, the empirical, changing self not only objectively affects its surrounding external world, but also generates (consciously and unconsciously) its own subjective image of this world, which it then lives in as 'reality'. It lives in a world of its own making in various ways. It "tunes in" to a particular level of consciousness (by meditation or the rebirth it attains through its karma) which has a particular range of objects - a world - available to it. It furthermore selectively notices from among such objects, and then processes what has been sensed to form a distorted interpretive model of reality: a model in which the 'I am' conceit is a crucial reference point. The Buddha lived at a time of great philosophical creativity in India when many conceptions of the nature of life and death were proposed. There are many references to rebirth in the early Buddhist scriptures. Buddhist meditation teachers suggest [references?] BuddhaNet
Buddhism Indian religion or philosophy based on the Buddha's teachings Buddhism ( BUU-dih-zəm, BOOD-), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (transl. "doctrines and disciplines"), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha.[3] It originated in present-day North India as a śramaṇa–movement in the 5th century BCE, and gradually spread throughout much of Asia via the Silk Road. It is the world's fourth-largest religion,[4] with over 520 million followers (Buddhists) who comprise seven percent of the global population.[7] Two major extant branches of Buddhism are generally recognized by scholars: Theravāda (lit. 'School of the Elders') and Mahāyāna (lit. Etymology Buddhism is an Indian religion[22] or philosophy. Followers of Buddhism, called Buddhists in English, referred to themselves as Sakyan-s or Sakyabhiksu in ancient India.[25][26] Buddhist scholar Donald S. The Buddha Worldview Four Noble Truths – dukkha and its ending The cycle of rebirth
Reality in Buddhism Reality in Buddhism is called dharma (Sanskrit) or dhamma (Pali). This word, which is foundational to the conceptual frameworks of the Indian religions, refers in Buddhism to the system of natural laws which constitute the natural order of things. Dharma is therefore reality as-it-is (yatha-bhuta). The teaching of the Buddha constituting as it does a method by which people can come out of their condition of suffering (dukkha) involves developing an awareness of reality (see mindfulness). Buddhism thus seeks to address any disparity between a person's view of reality and the actual state of things. Buddhism addresses deeply philosophical questions regarding the nature of reality. One of the most discussed themes in Buddhism is that of the emptiness (sunyata) of form (matter), an important corollary of the transient and conditioned nature of phenomena. Some consider that the concept of the unreality of "reality" is confusing. Reality in Buddhist sutras[edit] "What is the Real (tattva)?
Vipassanā Vipassanā (Pāli) or vipaśyanā (विपश्यना, Sanskrit; Chn. 觀 guān; Tib. ལྷག་མཐོང་, lhaktong; Wyl. lhag mthong) in the Buddhist tradition means insight into the true nature of reality.[1][2] In the Theravadin context, this entails insight into the three marks of existence - (1) the impermanence of and (2) the unsatisfactoriness of every conditioned thing that exists, and (3) non-self. In Mahayana contexts, it entails insight into what is variously described as sunyata, dharmata, the inseparability of appearance and emptiness (two truths doctrine), clarity and emptiness, or bliss and emptiness.[3] Vipassanā is commonly used as a synonym for vipassanā-meditation, in which satipatthana, four foundations of mindfulness or anapanasati, "mindfulness of breathing," is used to become aware of the impermanence of everything that exists. Samatha is a focusing, pacifying, and calming meditation common to many traditions in the world, notably yoga. Etymology[edit] Henepola Gunaratana defined Vipassanā as:
Satipatthana Sutta "This is the direct way [Pāli: ekāyano ... maggo],[4] monks, for the purification of beings, for the overcoming of sorrow and lamentation, for the extinguishing of suffering and grief, for walking on the path of truth, for the realization of nibbāna...." (Vipassana Research Institute, 1996, pp. 2, 3.) The meditation techniques identified in this sutta can be practiced individually or successively or in an interwoven fashion. Text[edit] Title translation and related literature[edit] English translations of the title, "Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta," include: "The Arousing of Mindfulness Discourse" (Soma, 1999)"The Foundations of Mindfulness Discourse" (Nyanasatta, 1994)"The Frames of Reference Discourse" (Thanissaro, 1995) According to Anālayo (2006, pp. 29–30), Thanissaro (2000) and Nyanaponika (1996, pp. 9–10), part of the reason for the variety in this title's translation has to do with how the compound Pāli word "satipaṭṭhāna" is analyzed. Various Recensions & Canonical placement[edit] Contents[edit]
U Dhammaloka In this Burmese name, U is an honorific. U Dhammaloka (Burmese: ဦးဓမ္မလောက; c. 1856 – c. 1914) was an Irish-born hobo (migrant worker)[1] turned Buddhist monk, atheist critic of Christian missionaries, and temperance campaigner who took an active role in the Asian Buddhist revival around the turn of the twentieth century. Dhammaloka was ordained in Burma prior to 1900, making him one of the earliest attested western Buddhist monks. Buddhist Tract Society stationery. Early life[edit] Dhammaloka's early life and given name are as yet uncertain. Burmese career[edit] In Burma, he found work in Rangoon as a tally clerk in a logging firm before becoming interested in the Burmese Buddhism he saw practised all around him. British forces enter Mandalay in 1885 marking the final conquest of Burma. After some years' absence Dhammaloka returned to Burma in 1907, establishing the Buddhist Tract Society (see below). Other Asian projects and travels[edit] Singapore[edit] Japan[edit] Siam[edit] Notes[edit]
Vijñāna Vijñāna (Sanskrit; Devanagari: विज्ञान) or viññāṇa (Pāli; Devanagari: विञ्ञाण)[1] is translated as "consciousness," "life force," "mind,"[2] or "discernment."[3] Buddhism[edit] This section considers the Buddhist concept primarily in terms of Early Buddhism's Pali literature as well as in the literature of other Buddhist schools. Pali literature[edit] Throughout Pali literature, viññāṇa[1] can be found as one of a handful of synonyms for the mental force that animates the otherwise inert material body.[6] In a number of Pali texts though, the term has a more nuanced and context-specific (or "technical") meaning. (1) as a derivative of the sense bases (āyatana), part of the experientially exhaustive "All" (sabba); (2) as one of the five aggregates (khandha) of clinging (upadana) at the root of suffering (dukkha); and, Sense-base derivative[edit] Hence, in this context, viññāṇa includes the following characteristics: The aggregates[edit] "And why do you call it 'consciousness'? "... "No, lord."
Zen Zen is a school of Mahayana Buddhism[note 1] that developed in China during the Tang dynasty as Chán. From China, Zen spread south to Vietnam, northeast to Korea and east to Japan. Zen emphasizes rigorous meditation-practice, insight into Buddha-nature, and the personal expression of this insight in daily life, especially for the benefit of others. The teachings of Zen include various sources of Mahāyāna thought, especially Yogācāra, the Tathāgatagarbha Sutras and Huayan, with their emphasis on Buddha-nature, totality, and the Bodhisattva-ideal. Etymology[edit] The word Zen is derived from the Japanese pronunciation of the Middle Chinese word 禪 (dʑjen) (pinyin: Chán), which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "absorption" or "meditative state". Zen practice[edit] Dhyana - Zen meditation[edit] Central to Zen is the practice of dhyana or meditation. Observing the breath[edit] Venerable Hsuan Hua meditating in the Lotus Position. Soto[edit]
Ātman (Buddhism) Whereas Buddhism generally stresses the non-Self teachings of the Buddha, some Mahāyāna Buddhist sutras and tantras present cataphatic Buddhist teachings with positive language by asserting the ultimate reality of an atman [Self], which is equated with the essential, ultimate nature of mind (Dalai Lama — see relevant section below). This doctrine, also known as Tathāgatagarbha, is also seen as the inborn potential to become a Buddha. The Theravāda Dhammakaya Movement of Thailand also asserts the reality of the atman, which it equates with nirvana. Śāntideva (an 8th-century Indian Buddhist philosopher and practitioner) informs us that in order to be able to deny something, we first of all need to know what it is that we are denying.[2] Without contacting the entity that is imputed You will not apprehend the absence of that entity. (Bodhicaryāvatāra) Candrakīrti contextualises ātman as follows:[3][4] Ātman is an essence of things that does not depend on others; it is an intrinsic nature.
Chandragupta Maurya Chandragupta Maurya (340 BC – 298 BC) was the founder of the Mauryan Empire and the first emperor to unify India into one state. He ruled from 322 BC until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favour of his son Bindusara in 298 BC.[2][3][4] After unifying India, Chandragupta and his chief advisor Chanakya passed a series of major economic and political reforms. He established a strong central administration patterned after Chanakya’s text on politics, the Arthashastra (English: Economics and Political Science). Mauryan India was characterised by an efficient and highly organised bureaucratic structure with a large civil service. Due to its unified structure, the empire developed a strong economy, with internal and external trade thriving and agriculture flourishing. Chandragupta was influenced to accept Jainism by the sage Bhadrabahu; he abdicated his throne to spend his last days at the Shravana Belgola, a famous religious site in southwest India, where he fasted to death.
Śūnyatā Śūnyatā, (Sanskrit, also shunyata; Pali: suññatā), in Buddhism, translated into English as emptiness, voidness,[1] openness,[2] spaciousness, vacuity, is a Buddhist concept which has multiple meanings depending on its doctrinal context. In Theravada Buddhism, suññatā often refers to the not-self (Pāli: anatta, Sanskrit: anātman)[note 1] nature of the five aggregates of experience and the six sense spheres. Suññatā is also often used to refer to a meditative state or experience. Etymology[edit] "Śūnyatā" (Sanskrit noun from the adj. śūnya or śhūnya: "zero, nothing") is usually translated as "emptiness". Sunya comes from the root svi, meaning "hollow", plus -ta "-ness", therefore "hollow, hollowness". This word is ultimately derived from the Proto-Indo European root k̑eu- which means 'to swell' and also 'to grow'.[5] Development of the concept[edit] After the Buddha, emptiness was further developed by Nāgārjuna and the Mādhyamaka school, an early Mahāyāna school. Pali Canon[edit] Sakya[edit]