When the Buddha described his enlightenment, he related how he, as a phase of the process, recoll... more When the Buddha described his enlightenment, he related how he, as a phase of the process, recollected his past lives during many aeons of world-contraction and world-expansion, but he said nothing about recollecting past Buddhas. When soon afterwards the ascetic Upaka asked him who was his teacher or whose teaching he professed, the Buddha answered that he had no teacher, had no equal, was perfected and was himself the supreme teacher. The style of the description of this encounter suggests that it may indeed have happened that way. The Buddha described it later to his monks and it seems that it was faithfully remembered by them. While awareness of past Buddhas may be implicit in the ability of remembering past lives, the Buddha’s statement about details of six past Buddhas was made at Sāvatthi some years later, but the wording of the passage is suspect. The names ascribed to the past Buddhas were no doubt fabricated. Gombrich (1980, 64) suggested it was done to authenticate the Buddha’s status by reference to a long line of teachers. A further extension of the line of past Buddhas in Buddhavasa, a late text, was influenced by Mahāyāna. However, the idea of future Buddhas was an early logical outcome of the notion of past Buddhas. But the Buddha predicted only the coming of the next Buddha Metteyya (Skrt. Maitreya). The paper then deals with the novel idea of projections or ‘descents’ of the Bodhisattva Maitreya as utilised by some Mahāyāna movements and contemporary ‘new religions’ and it finishes with an extensive account of the failed attempt by the Theosophical Society to present to the world Krishnamurti as the World Teacher, akin to Jesus, under the guidance of the ‘Lord Maitreya’, as partly witnessed by the author.
Fenomenologie je reakce na noetiku Immanuela Kanta (1724-1804): každou jednotlivinu čili věc znám... more Fenomenologie je reakce na noetiku Immanuela Kanta (1724-1804): každou jednotlivinu čili věc známe jen jak se nám jeví, jako jev čili fenomén (Ding als Erscheinung); co je věc o sobě (Ding an sich) je nepoznatelné. Jev je dán smyslovým vnímáním, ale k tomu se přidruží rozum. S ohledem na určitou věc, jde o to rozumět o co jde, takže z vjemu vznikne pojem. Srovnáním mnoha jevů a shrnutím jejich mnohosti čili procesem abstrakce vznikne všeobsáhlý pojem svět, který existuje v prostoru a času a vykazuje řád vzniklý vývojovým dynamismem kosmu. To vše zůstáva v oblasti jevové. Stejně tak i otázka po příčině s celou filosofickou problematikou kausality. Odtud je snadný krok k fikci, když je kladena otázka po příčině světa a dojde ke skoku do oblasti víry ve všemohoucího boha stvořitele ('nebeského otce'), který byl dosazen do kosmického kontextu analogicky z kontextu rodiny, kdy otec byl pro dítě všemocnou postavou. To je přežitek z předhistorické doby primitivního myšlení do doby starověku a raného středověku, kdy se tato víra stala ústředním dogmatem judaismu, křesťanské teologie a následného islámu — fiktivních věroučných systémů v jevové oblasti. Kant však našel svědectví o průniku oblasti o sobě do oblasti jevové v podobě svědomí čili v mravním zákonu v nás, jejž nazval kategorickým imperativem. Člověk vždy ví, jak má nebo jak by měl jednat, takže jeho jednání v souhlasu s jeho věděním by vždy bylo také v zájmu všeho lidstva a tedy v souhlasu s možným všeobecným zákonodárstvím. Toto vědění nevyplývá z jevové zkušenosti či z řádu vzniklého vývojovým procesem kosmu, z nějž jsou odvozeny přírodní zákony vědy. Přestože člověk ví, co je správné, má schopnost rozhodnout se jednat ve vlastním sobeckém zájmu namísto v zájmu lidstva. Z toho vyplývá, že má svobodnou vůli, nezávislou na vývojovém dynamismu kosmu, takže může své svědomí ignorovat nebo zatlačit do podvědomí. Vědění jak má člověk jednat čili etika pochází zjevně z oblasti o sobě, tedy z transcendentna čili z nepoznatelného absolutna. Kant však byl věřící křesťan a proto původcem mravního zákona v nás byl pro něj bůh. To však byl jeho filosoficky nezdůvodněný úsudek založený na víře; nevyplývá tedy z jeho jinak logického myšlenkového postupu. Existence mravního zákona a transcendentního absolutna, byť i v podstatě nepoznatelného, je jeho myšlenkovým postupem dostatečně oddůvodněna i bez zavedení ideje boha. Idea, že tu musí být 'průtok' z absolutna do jevové skutečnosti, zkonkrétnělý jako mravní svědomí v duševním prožívání individuálních příjemců, je z největších přínosů filosofie k sebepoznání člověka, který sám sebe jinak zná jen povrchně a v podstatě je sám sobě velkým mysteriem. Kant měl řadu pokračovatelů, kteří jej skoro bez výjimky kritizovali, i když z něj selektivně použili pojmy a termíny, z kterých vytvářeli vlastní systémy. Nejvíc byl v tom smyslu Kantovi poplatný G. W. F. Hegel (1770-1831), který na pouhém pojmu 'o sobě' založil svou spekulativní metafysiku pod názvem 'Fenomenologie ducha'. Duch o sobě (Geist an sich) je kosmický subjekt , jenž se promění dialektickým procesem v přírodu, což je Duch pro sebe v jinobytí (Geist für sich in Anderssein), tj. objekt. Vyzrálý dějinným procesem, v němž dojde k vytvoření státu, umění, náboženství a filosofie, Duch se vrátí k sobě jako absolutní vědomí, Duch jako absolutno (Geist an und für sich). Jeho ztělesněním byl Hegelovi Pruský stát. Zřetel na jednotlivce, a tedy i mravnost, se z tohoto schematu zcela vytratil, jednotlivec je jen 'pěšákem' ve službě dějinného procesu v zájmu dosažení dokonalosti celku. To je také popis marxismu, nahradíme-li ducha zákonitostí dějinného procesu
Published in: Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute LXVIII (1987), Ramakrishna Gop... more Published in: Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute LXVIII (1987), Ramakrishna Gopal Bhandarkar 150th Birth-Anniversary Volume, Poona, 491-523. The ABORI SERIES is not easily available now and may not have been known to scholars in IE studies at the time of the publication of the article. Many subsequent articles on IE topics show ignorance of some important points which this article elucidates. This is why it is made available now without change, even though in some other points it may have been overtaken.
In the previous paper I referred to the ancient seers (r. s. is) as the path-finders who were rep... more In the previous paper I referred to the ancient seers (r. s. is) as the path-finders who were reputed to have won immortality and were thus equal to gods. These spiritual giants with profound mystical insights became the founders of Indian spiritual tradition as the originators of the oldest Vedic hymns and were probably also responsible for shaping the moral awareness of the Vedic Âryans and also much of their religious, cultural and social institutions. They were ancient and legendary figures already to the minds of the redactors of the Vedic collections and we cannot say if any hymns can be ascribed directly to their authorship in the form in which they have been preserved in the RV. But much of the contents of the Vedic hymns does go back to very early times even if many or most of them were given their final form by lesser seers of the younger Vedic period. The tendency to keep the tradition of seerhood alive was very strong, and active composition of hymns continued for many generations over several centuries. In the process of this poetic creativity old insights and ideas were often incorporated into new hymns while some older hymns were undergoing modifications. Some new hymns did not always found general approval and so the process of adding new poems to the ancient heritage was eventually stopped by the codification of the RV around 1000 B.C.{1} (It can be assumed, however, that the production of religious poetry went on even afterwards in 'unofficial circles' throughout subsequent centuries, gradually changing its character in the process, and that its last descendants in our time are the melodious devotional songs.) Some hymns of the RV were used in a shortened form in liturgy and these were then codified as Sama Veda. Yajur Veda is a collection of ritual texts closely connected with the sacrificial cult. The three Vedas were the basis on which the priesthood gradually erected the elaborate structure of the Vedic religion whose overwhelming ritualism virtually obscured the spiritual tradition of seerhood for several centuries until the time of the Upanisadic revival. But there were also other individuals inclined to pursue mystical experiences without themselves engaging, like the ancient rsis, in attempts to transmit their experiences through mythological poetry and religious leadership. They adopted mystical pursuits as their way of life. Mysticism as a consciously cultivated way of life is known in India as Yoga. It is the purpose of this paper to establish the actual character of these individuals who were active outside the trend of Vedic mythological creativity and the Brahminic religious orthodoxy and therefore little evidence of their existence, practices and achievements has survived. And such evidence as is available in the Vedas themselves is scanty and indirect. Nevertheless the indirect evidence is strong enough not to allow any doubt about the existence of spiritually highly advanced wanderers: besides several allusions to them in various hymns of the RV we have the hymn of 'the longhaired one' (keoein, RV 10,136) which is the only hymn in the whole of the Vedas which is fully dedicated to the description of an outsider who does not belong to the Brahminic establishment and yet is given a rather sympathetic treatment. He is presented as a longhaired wandering renunciate called muni, as distinct from r. s. is, who possesses extraordinary powers and deep spiritual experiences. The word muni is derived
We learn from these accounts that while still a bodhisatta he had already acquired proficiency in... more We learn from these accounts that while still a bodhisatta he had already acquired proficiency in meditational practices and was able to enter concrete as well as abstract absorptions (rûpa and arûpa jhânas) at will, but recognised that none of these states of mind was in itself a solution to the riddle of existence, a permanent achievement or the final liberation from sam . sâra. The jhânic states were, indeed, satisfying in their way and highly valued in contemporary Yoga circles, but to rest content with them would mean stagnation and eventual regress into lower sam . sâric states again. The bodhisatta was now aware that what was needed was the discovery of the cause of conditioned life in sam . sâra in order to remove that cause and break the chain of conditionality.
... For a translation of the hymn, its original text and discussion of difficult words and verses... more ... For a translation of the hymn, its original text and discussion of difficult words and verses see the Appendix.) Perhaps the first misleading interpretation of the hymn is that of Ydska (c. 500 BC) in his Nirukta.1 Belonging ... With these words the seer describes the sun.' Nirukta 12, 26. ...
... In the case of puggalaalso the meaning 'character' occurs, particularly in ... more ... In the case of puggalaalso the meaning 'character' occurs, particularly in Abhidhamma texts. ... only one school, belonging to the Vatsïputrïya tradition, which bravely attempted in the 3rd century BC to formulate a concept of person ... Indian Conceptions of Human Personality 105 ...
... The Buddha stayed in Campā a few times, and when there, he laid down some Vinaya regulations ... more ... The Buddha stayed in Campā a few times, and when there, he laid down some Vinaya regulations (Vin I, 312 & II, 307; SI, 195; A IV, 59 & 168; AV, 151 & 189). Champa was visited by the Chinese pilgrim Yijing (I-ching) towards the end of the 7th century. ...
This review article describes the background about Richard Wagner's intention to compose a Buddhi... more This review article describes the background about Richard Wagner's intention to compose a Buddhist opera 'Die Sieger' for which he wrote a prose sketch, but died before he could even start composing it. The article then reviews Jonathan Harvey's opera 'Wagner Dream' in which he presents 'Die Sieger' as enacted in Wagner’s mind while in coma after a heart attack before he dies. Simultaneously are shown the 'real life' events happening around him
I) DEATH. The concept of 'death' occurs in two contexts in early Buddhist sources. First, it appe... more I) DEATH. The concept of 'death' occurs in two contexts in early Buddhist sources. First, it appears under the term mâra in a general meaning and as such designates the whole of the sam . sâric world and also the mode of existence which involves death (cf. several Mârasuttas of Sam .
Although worship of the relics of the Buddha - and its corollary, stūpa worship - is a widespread... more Although worship of the relics of the Buddha - and its corollary, stūpa worship - is a widespread feature of Buddhist devotional practice, there is in some quarters a view that, while recommended to lay followers, it is forbidden to monks. This controversy started very early after the Buddha’s parinibbāna and has reverberated throughout the centuries till the present time. Its source is in the Parinibbāna-sutta, in the ambiguity in the meaning of the compound sarīrapūjā in the Buddha’s reply to Ānanda’s two questions concerning the actions to be taken after the Master’s death with respect to his body. The resolution of the controversy depends on correct understanding of the nature of the Buddha’s reply to the two questions. The paper analyses the relevant passages of the sutta and the way they have been translated, correctly or wrongly, into Western languages and into Chinese, and finally comes with a solution derived entirely from within the text of the Parinibbāna-sutta itself.
The aim of this paper is to compare the contents of the Lotus Sūtra and the style of presentation... more The aim of this paper is to compare the contents of the Lotus Sūtra and the style of presentation of its message with the thrust of the Buddha’s teachings as they are preserved in the early Buddhist sources, particularly the Sutta Pitaka of the Pāli Canon, and also in the Pāli commentarial literature. In the process it attempts to identify in the early sources the precedents of some of the bold statements in the Lotus Sūtra which appear as complete innovations, but may be elaborations of elements contained in Pāli sources in germinal form. Despite the difference in style, language and mythological imagery, the conclusion is that both the Sutta Pitaka and the Lotus Sūtra express in their respective manners the true spirit of the Buddhist message. Attention is drawn also to the striking parallels between the Buddhist picture of the multiple universe and modern cosmological theories.
Richard Wagner , the greatest operatic composer ever, was not a religious man in the conventional... more Richard Wagner , the greatest operatic composer ever, was not a religious man in the conventional sense, although he had been baptised in the church of St. Thomas in Leipzig (Wagner, 1993,1; but cf. Osborne, 10). He was, however, preoccupied from his early years till his death with the problems of human destiny and with the search for a final solution to its dilemma. He longed for salvation and was aware that it required discipline, renunciation, even saintliness. But he also had an urge to embrace life in full, whose culmination he saw in the 'unique beauty of overwhelming love between man and woman' with its 'unconstrained sexual love'. Didn't, after all, sexual union culminate in the merging of souls in ecstasy, which transcended temporality and the sense of being in the world, and was a state of 'untroubled, pure harmony' (ungetrübte, reine Harmonie), in effect nirvân . a (Wagner, 1975, 198)? Death would then be the gate to final redemption. It would seem that Wagner genuinely believed that sexual union could culminate in the merging of souls in ecstasy and a shifting from temporality into a timeless dimension akin to nirvân . a. Death in this state would be the gate to final redemption. All this is expressed in his mature operas, partly in words, but fully by a powerful musical language.
When the Buddha described his enlightenment, he related how he, as a phase of the process, recoll... more When the Buddha described his enlightenment, he related how he, as a phase of the process, recollected his past lives during many aeons of world-contraction and world-expansion, but he said nothing about recollecting past Buddhas. When soon afterwards the ascetic Upaka asked him who was his teacher or whose teaching he professed, the Buddha answered that he had no teacher, had no equal, was perfected and was himself the supreme teacher. The style of the description of this encounter suggests that it may indeed have happened that way. The Buddha described it later to his monks and it seems that it was faithfully remembered by them. While awareness of past Buddhas may be implicit in the ability of remembering past lives, the Buddha’s statement about details of six past Buddhas was made at Sāvatthi some years later, but the wording of the passage is suspect. The names ascribed to the past Buddhas were no doubt fabricated. Gombrich (1980, 64) suggested it was done to authenticate the Buddha’s status by reference to a long line of teachers. A further extension of the line of past Buddhas in Buddhavasa, a late text, was influenced by Mahāyāna. However, the idea of future Buddhas was an early logical outcome of the notion of past Buddhas. But the Buddha predicted only the coming of the next Buddha Metteyya (Skrt. Maitreya). The paper then deals with the novel idea of projections or ‘descents’ of the Bodhisattva Maitreya as utilised by some Mahāyāna movements and contemporary ‘new religions’ and it finishes with an extensive account of the failed attempt by the Theosophical Society to present to the world Krishnamurti as the World Teacher, akin to Jesus, under the guidance of the ‘Lord Maitreya’, as partly witnessed by the author.
Fenomenologie je reakce na noetiku Immanuela Kanta (1724-1804): každou jednotlivinu čili věc znám... more Fenomenologie je reakce na noetiku Immanuela Kanta (1724-1804): každou jednotlivinu čili věc známe jen jak se nám jeví, jako jev čili fenomén (Ding als Erscheinung); co je věc o sobě (Ding an sich) je nepoznatelné. Jev je dán smyslovým vnímáním, ale k tomu se přidruží rozum. S ohledem na určitou věc, jde o to rozumět o co jde, takže z vjemu vznikne pojem. Srovnáním mnoha jevů a shrnutím jejich mnohosti čili procesem abstrakce vznikne všeobsáhlý pojem svět, který existuje v prostoru a času a vykazuje řád vzniklý vývojovým dynamismem kosmu. To vše zůstáva v oblasti jevové. Stejně tak i otázka po příčině s celou filosofickou problematikou kausality. Odtud je snadný krok k fikci, když je kladena otázka po příčině světa a dojde ke skoku do oblasti víry ve všemohoucího boha stvořitele ('nebeského otce'), který byl dosazen do kosmického kontextu analogicky z kontextu rodiny, kdy otec byl pro dítě všemocnou postavou. To je přežitek z předhistorické doby primitivního myšlení do doby starověku a raného středověku, kdy se tato víra stala ústředním dogmatem judaismu, křesťanské teologie a následného islámu — fiktivních věroučných systémů v jevové oblasti. Kant však našel svědectví o průniku oblasti o sobě do oblasti jevové v podobě svědomí čili v mravním zákonu v nás, jejž nazval kategorickým imperativem. Člověk vždy ví, jak má nebo jak by měl jednat, takže jeho jednání v souhlasu s jeho věděním by vždy bylo také v zájmu všeho lidstva a tedy v souhlasu s možným všeobecným zákonodárstvím. Toto vědění nevyplývá z jevové zkušenosti či z řádu vzniklého vývojovým procesem kosmu, z nějž jsou odvozeny přírodní zákony vědy. Přestože člověk ví, co je správné, má schopnost rozhodnout se jednat ve vlastním sobeckém zájmu namísto v zájmu lidstva. Z toho vyplývá, že má svobodnou vůli, nezávislou na vývojovém dynamismu kosmu, takže může své svědomí ignorovat nebo zatlačit do podvědomí. Vědění jak má člověk jednat čili etika pochází zjevně z oblasti o sobě, tedy z transcendentna čili z nepoznatelného absolutna. Kant však byl věřící křesťan a proto původcem mravního zákona v nás byl pro něj bůh. To však byl jeho filosoficky nezdůvodněný úsudek založený na víře; nevyplývá tedy z jeho jinak logického myšlenkového postupu. Existence mravního zákona a transcendentního absolutna, byť i v podstatě nepoznatelného, je jeho myšlenkovým postupem dostatečně oddůvodněna i bez zavedení ideje boha. Idea, že tu musí být 'průtok' z absolutna do jevové skutečnosti, zkonkrétnělý jako mravní svědomí v duševním prožívání individuálních příjemců, je z největších přínosů filosofie k sebepoznání člověka, který sám sebe jinak zná jen povrchně a v podstatě je sám sobě velkým mysteriem. Kant měl řadu pokračovatelů, kteří jej skoro bez výjimky kritizovali, i když z něj selektivně použili pojmy a termíny, z kterých vytvářeli vlastní systémy. Nejvíc byl v tom smyslu Kantovi poplatný G. W. F. Hegel (1770-1831), který na pouhém pojmu 'o sobě' založil svou spekulativní metafysiku pod názvem 'Fenomenologie ducha'. Duch o sobě (Geist an sich) je kosmický subjekt , jenž se promění dialektickým procesem v přírodu, což je Duch pro sebe v jinobytí (Geist für sich in Anderssein), tj. objekt. Vyzrálý dějinným procesem, v němž dojde k vytvoření státu, umění, náboženství a filosofie, Duch se vrátí k sobě jako absolutní vědomí, Duch jako absolutno (Geist an und für sich). Jeho ztělesněním byl Hegelovi Pruský stát. Zřetel na jednotlivce, a tedy i mravnost, se z tohoto schematu zcela vytratil, jednotlivec je jen 'pěšákem' ve službě dějinného procesu v zájmu dosažení dokonalosti celku. To je také popis marxismu, nahradíme-li ducha zákonitostí dějinného procesu
Published in: Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute LXVIII (1987), Ramakrishna Gop... more Published in: Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute LXVIII (1987), Ramakrishna Gopal Bhandarkar 150th Birth-Anniversary Volume, Poona, 491-523. The ABORI SERIES is not easily available now and may not have been known to scholars in IE studies at the time of the publication of the article. Many subsequent articles on IE topics show ignorance of some important points which this article elucidates. This is why it is made available now without change, even though in some other points it may have been overtaken.
In the previous paper I referred to the ancient seers (r. s. is) as the path-finders who were rep... more In the previous paper I referred to the ancient seers (r. s. is) as the path-finders who were reputed to have won immortality and were thus equal to gods. These spiritual giants with profound mystical insights became the founders of Indian spiritual tradition as the originators of the oldest Vedic hymns and were probably also responsible for shaping the moral awareness of the Vedic Âryans and also much of their religious, cultural and social institutions. They were ancient and legendary figures already to the minds of the redactors of the Vedic collections and we cannot say if any hymns can be ascribed directly to their authorship in the form in which they have been preserved in the RV. But much of the contents of the Vedic hymns does go back to very early times even if many or most of them were given their final form by lesser seers of the younger Vedic period. The tendency to keep the tradition of seerhood alive was very strong, and active composition of hymns continued for many generations over several centuries. In the process of this poetic creativity old insights and ideas were often incorporated into new hymns while some older hymns were undergoing modifications. Some new hymns did not always found general approval and so the process of adding new poems to the ancient heritage was eventually stopped by the codification of the RV around 1000 B.C.{1} (It can be assumed, however, that the production of religious poetry went on even afterwards in 'unofficial circles' throughout subsequent centuries, gradually changing its character in the process, and that its last descendants in our time are the melodious devotional songs.) Some hymns of the RV were used in a shortened form in liturgy and these were then codified as Sama Veda. Yajur Veda is a collection of ritual texts closely connected with the sacrificial cult. The three Vedas were the basis on which the priesthood gradually erected the elaborate structure of the Vedic religion whose overwhelming ritualism virtually obscured the spiritual tradition of seerhood for several centuries until the time of the Upanisadic revival. But there were also other individuals inclined to pursue mystical experiences without themselves engaging, like the ancient rsis, in attempts to transmit their experiences through mythological poetry and religious leadership. They adopted mystical pursuits as their way of life. Mysticism as a consciously cultivated way of life is known in India as Yoga. It is the purpose of this paper to establish the actual character of these individuals who were active outside the trend of Vedic mythological creativity and the Brahminic religious orthodoxy and therefore little evidence of their existence, practices and achievements has survived. And such evidence as is available in the Vedas themselves is scanty and indirect. Nevertheless the indirect evidence is strong enough not to allow any doubt about the existence of spiritually highly advanced wanderers: besides several allusions to them in various hymns of the RV we have the hymn of 'the longhaired one' (keoein, RV 10,136) which is the only hymn in the whole of the Vedas which is fully dedicated to the description of an outsider who does not belong to the Brahminic establishment and yet is given a rather sympathetic treatment. He is presented as a longhaired wandering renunciate called muni, as distinct from r. s. is, who possesses extraordinary powers and deep spiritual experiences. The word muni is derived
We learn from these accounts that while still a bodhisatta he had already acquired proficiency in... more We learn from these accounts that while still a bodhisatta he had already acquired proficiency in meditational practices and was able to enter concrete as well as abstract absorptions (rûpa and arûpa jhânas) at will, but recognised that none of these states of mind was in itself a solution to the riddle of existence, a permanent achievement or the final liberation from sam . sâra. The jhânic states were, indeed, satisfying in their way and highly valued in contemporary Yoga circles, but to rest content with them would mean stagnation and eventual regress into lower sam . sâric states again. The bodhisatta was now aware that what was needed was the discovery of the cause of conditioned life in sam . sâra in order to remove that cause and break the chain of conditionality.
... For a translation of the hymn, its original text and discussion of difficult words and verses... more ... For a translation of the hymn, its original text and discussion of difficult words and verses see the Appendix.) Perhaps the first misleading interpretation of the hymn is that of Ydska (c. 500 BC) in his Nirukta.1 Belonging ... With these words the seer describes the sun.' Nirukta 12, 26. ...
... In the case of puggalaalso the meaning 'character' occurs, particularly in ... more ... In the case of puggalaalso the meaning 'character' occurs, particularly in Abhidhamma texts. ... only one school, belonging to the Vatsïputrïya tradition, which bravely attempted in the 3rd century BC to formulate a concept of person ... Indian Conceptions of Human Personality 105 ...
... The Buddha stayed in Campā a few times, and when there, he laid down some Vinaya regulations ... more ... The Buddha stayed in Campā a few times, and when there, he laid down some Vinaya regulations (Vin I, 312 & II, 307; SI, 195; A IV, 59 & 168; AV, 151 & 189). Champa was visited by the Chinese pilgrim Yijing (I-ching) towards the end of the 7th century. ...
This review article describes the background about Richard Wagner's intention to compose a Buddhi... more This review article describes the background about Richard Wagner's intention to compose a Buddhist opera 'Die Sieger' for which he wrote a prose sketch, but died before he could even start composing it. The article then reviews Jonathan Harvey's opera 'Wagner Dream' in which he presents 'Die Sieger' as enacted in Wagner’s mind while in coma after a heart attack before he dies. Simultaneously are shown the 'real life' events happening around him
I) DEATH. The concept of 'death' occurs in two contexts in early Buddhist sources. First, it appe... more I) DEATH. The concept of 'death' occurs in two contexts in early Buddhist sources. First, it appears under the term mâra in a general meaning and as such designates the whole of the sam . sâric world and also the mode of existence which involves death (cf. several Mârasuttas of Sam .
Although worship of the relics of the Buddha - and its corollary, stūpa worship - is a widespread... more Although worship of the relics of the Buddha - and its corollary, stūpa worship - is a widespread feature of Buddhist devotional practice, there is in some quarters a view that, while recommended to lay followers, it is forbidden to monks. This controversy started very early after the Buddha’s parinibbāna and has reverberated throughout the centuries till the present time. Its source is in the Parinibbāna-sutta, in the ambiguity in the meaning of the compound sarīrapūjā in the Buddha’s reply to Ānanda’s two questions concerning the actions to be taken after the Master’s death with respect to his body. The resolution of the controversy depends on correct understanding of the nature of the Buddha’s reply to the two questions. The paper analyses the relevant passages of the sutta and the way they have been translated, correctly or wrongly, into Western languages and into Chinese, and finally comes with a solution derived entirely from within the text of the Parinibbāna-sutta itself.
The aim of this paper is to compare the contents of the Lotus Sūtra and the style of presentation... more The aim of this paper is to compare the contents of the Lotus Sūtra and the style of presentation of its message with the thrust of the Buddha’s teachings as they are preserved in the early Buddhist sources, particularly the Sutta Pitaka of the Pāli Canon, and also in the Pāli commentarial literature. In the process it attempts to identify in the early sources the precedents of some of the bold statements in the Lotus Sūtra which appear as complete innovations, but may be elaborations of elements contained in Pāli sources in germinal form. Despite the difference in style, language and mythological imagery, the conclusion is that both the Sutta Pitaka and the Lotus Sūtra express in their respective manners the true spirit of the Buddhist message. Attention is drawn also to the striking parallels between the Buddhist picture of the multiple universe and modern cosmological theories.
Richard Wagner , the greatest operatic composer ever, was not a religious man in the conventional... more Richard Wagner , the greatest operatic composer ever, was not a religious man in the conventional sense, although he had been baptised in the church of St. Thomas in Leipzig (Wagner, 1993,1; but cf. Osborne, 10). He was, however, preoccupied from his early years till his death with the problems of human destiny and with the search for a final solution to its dilemma. He longed for salvation and was aware that it required discipline, renunciation, even saintliness. But he also had an urge to embrace life in full, whose culmination he saw in the 'unique beauty of overwhelming love between man and woman' with its 'unconstrained sexual love'. Didn't, after all, sexual union culminate in the merging of souls in ecstasy, which transcended temporality and the sense of being in the world, and was a state of 'untroubled, pure harmony' (ungetrübte, reine Harmonie), in effect nirvân . a (Wagner, 1975, 198)? Death would then be the gate to final redemption. It would seem that Wagner genuinely believed that sexual union could culminate in the merging of souls in ecstasy and a shifting from temporality into a timeless dimension akin to nirvân . a. Death in this state would be the gate to final redemption. All this is expressed in his mature operas, partly in words, but fully by a powerful musical language.
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Papers by Karel Werner
The ABORI SERIES is not easily available now and may not have been known to scholars in IE studies at the time of the publication of the article. Many subsequent articles on IE topics show ignorance of some important points which this article elucidates. This is why it is made available now without change, even though in some other points it may have been overtaken.
Key words: sarīrapūjā, sarīrānam. bhāgam., bhagavato sarīrāni, dhātu, vandanā, kāya, shēntĭ, shèli, quánshēn
The ABORI SERIES is not easily available now and may not have been known to scholars in IE studies at the time of the publication of the article. Many subsequent articles on IE topics show ignorance of some important points which this article elucidates. This is why it is made available now without change, even though in some other points it may have been overtaken.
Key words: sarīrapūjā, sarīrānam. bhāgam., bhagavato sarīrāni, dhātu, vandanā, kāya, shēntĭ, shèli, quánshēn