Abstract This paper discusses Terry Kawashima's argument that women in medieval Japan were marginalized by the Buddhistmonks and men in power. It uses the example of poet Ono no Komachi and the changing views of her story to compare and contrast this theory with 3 other slightly different ideas.
From the Paper "This paper outlines Terry Kawashima's theory of discursive marginalization of women with regard to the female poet Ono no Komachi. It compares her argument with the ways that Sarah M Strong B Faure and Michael Marra explicate the relationship of the ..."
Abstract This paper provides a critical analysis of the training and religious practices of the Shaolin monks to determine how they gained such power and how this regimen played out in the social order of the day. A summary of the research is provided in the conclusion.
Introduction
Review and Analysis
Ancient and Contemporary Influences on Shaolin Training and Religions Practices.
Conclusion
From the Paper "The central unifying quality of the East Asian martial arts that distinguishes them from other martial arts is the influence of Taoism and Zen Buddhism (Kung Fu 2004). According to Donald S. Lopez, Jr. (2002), although the Buddhist sects around the world all tend to embrace certain traditions and practices in common, there are some important differences that have emerged among the different practitioners over the centuries. The Chinese leader Tai Tsung was a patron of Buddhism in general, and the Shaolin order in particular, possibly because he was indebted to the Shaolin "fighting monks," the inventors of the famous lethal kung-fu martial arts of self-defense, for their assistance at the time of his early conquests (Hardacre, Kendall & Keyes 1994). Thirteen such Shaolin monk-soldiers and their "fists of steel" had once saved Tsung's life on the battlefield; as a reward, he granted the Shaolin order an immense tract of land and the unique right to consume the meat and wine that were forbidden to other monks. In fact, in this area particularly, the Shaolin monks seemed to have differentiated themselves from other Buddhist sects (Campany 2001)."
This paper discusses the early Buddhist sutras, which contained the framework upon which later Mahayana Buddhism developed its doctrinal emphasis and formulated the relationship between the lay and monastic communities.
Abstract This paper explains that the early Mahayana Buddhist sutras showed the close intermingling of lay and monastic lives guided by the Mahayana scripture, which later matured into the patriarchal Chan lineage of the 8th century. The author relates that the Mahayana concepts influenced the roles of monks as renunciants and advocates of the Bodhisattva path: the idea of emptiness and salvation as a means of encouraging withdrawal from the household life and embracing the way of the renunciant. The paper points out that the scriptural translators were incorporating beliefs in filial piety coming from India with the indigenous beliefs of China.
From the Paper "The emphasis on renunciate life lay in its virtue as a means of overcoming attachment and the importance of emphasizing Mahayana doctrine. Historically this emerges from the early debates between the Hinayana and Mahayana practitioners and it is reflected in the organization of the texts. The Ugra Sutra begins as a text extolling the virtues of the Bodhisattva path and renunciate life and then moves into more philosophical statements in which we find some early references to the actions of Bodhisattvas, Independent Origination and the ideas of the hells and references to karma. This suggests that sutras were compiled with diverse authors, and use of different translations, but the organization retained in the versions entering the cannon indicates recognition of a relationship between the two concepts. The prevailing idea is that as a renunciant the monk will be able to devote himself to contemplation of doctrines essential to the Bodhisattva path."
Abstract This paper discusses how when looking at ancient Chinese art and even art today, one can easily see the influence of the Buddhists after they arrived in this country during the Han Period of 200 B.C. It looks at how Buddhism traveled from India to China and how it was transformed into something that could be readily incorporated into the local culture. It also discusses how the Buddhist influence increased to such a significant extent that huge amounts of money and human work were used to create astonishing pieces of art and elaborate temples and how this expanding interest in Buddhism led to new ways of representing deities, different forms of architecture for worship and changing rituals.
From the Paper "Most Buddhist monks came to China by way of the Silk Road, which was a critical junction at the caravan trails that stretched from China to the Mediterranean. As the easternmost Chinese station on the route, the village of Dunhuang (Tunhuang) became the ideal location for these foreign monks to learn the language and culture before moving into central China. The missionaries and their Chinese disciples built the earliest Buddhist communities at Dunhuang in the late third and early fourth centuries. Many religious sutras were translated at Dunhuang and then distributed outward. Uncountable economic and human resources were used to produce Buddhist sutras and construct religious centers, including thousands of cave temples. "
Abstract This paper discusses how when looking at ancient Chinese art and even art today, one can easily see the influence of the Buddhists after they arrived in this country during the Han Period of 200 B.C. It looks at how Buddhism traveled from India to China and how it was transformed into something that could be readily incorporated into the local culture. It also discusses how the Buddhist influence increased to such a significant extent that huge amounts of money and human work were used to create astonishing pieces of art and elaborate temples and how this expanding interest in Buddhism led to new ways of representing deities, different forms of architecture for worship and changing rituals.
From the Paper "Most Buddhist monks came to China by way of the Silk Road, which was a critical junction at the caravan trails that stretched from China to the Mediterranean. As the easternmost Chinese station on the route, the village of Dunhuang (Tunhuang) became the ideal location for these foreign monks to learn the language and culture before moving into central China. The missionaries and their Chinese disciples built the earliest Buddhist communities at Dunhuang in the late third and early fourth centuries. Many religious sutras were translated at Dunhuang and then distributed outward. Uncountable economic and human resources were used to produce Buddhist sutras and construct religious centers, including thousands of cave temples. "
Abstract This paper takes a look at Matthew Lewis' book, 'The Monk'. The paper explores how the book includes and uses many gothic conventions in such a way so as to prove its validity amongst other gothic works of the time. The paper also includes evidence to support the claim that 'The Monk' was influential in creating an important subdivision of gothic literature that still exists today and also uses up to date references to prove the novel's continued relevance.
From the Paper "The accusation from many of Lewis' critics that The Monk wallows in excess may initially appear a difficult claim to refute. By its very essence, gothic literature is excessive; a gothic author creates novels infused with intensely malevolent, atmospheric settings and exaggeratedly freakish and dangerous characters in order to instil within the reader a sense of ominous foreboding and fearful anticipation that could not be achieved by the inclusion of the mundane. Yet, even in this genre; one which is founded on the inclusion of the supernatural and the grotesque, Lewis' novel stands out as a work of literature that pushes, from its inception to its denouement, the boundaries of decency and good taste as recognised and accepted by the literary audience of its time."
Abstract Through a study of Buddhism in Vietnam, and how this has been reflected in art and architecture, we can understand how a country-specific approach to the analysis of Buddhism and Buddhist art can illuminate features of both. This paper discusses Buddhism and Buddhist art in Vietnam.
Abstract This paper describes a particular Chinese Buddhist chant used for both individual and group practice, which is the repetition, through singing or chanting, of one of the names of Buddha - Amitabha. The author points out that Amitabha, which is an ancient chant, was written in the Sanskrit language before Buddhism was transmitted to China. The paper relates that the chanting is sometimes accompanied by percussion instruments.
From the Paper "The Chinese Buddhist chant I have chosen to describe is, perhaps, one of the simplest and most ancient - the chanting of Amitabha. While some Chinese Buddhist chants were originally written in Chinese, this one predates the transmission of Buddhism to China and is therefore written in Sanskrit, the original language of Buddhism that comes from northern India. Amitabha is one of the names of Buddha, and the chant is associated with repentance and forgiveness. It is, in most cases, as simple repetition of the four-syllable word 'Amitabha', though in some cases other syllables are added to it. Buddhist thought values simplicity above all things."
Abstract This paper discusses the life and influence of the Buddhist activist monk, Taixu. It describes how he was profoundly affected by China's experience of World War I and the suffering of ordinary Chinese and what he did to improve the situation. In particular, the paper discusses how Taixu improved Buddhism, in order to improve the life of ordinary people in China.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Improving Buddhism, Improving China
Concluding Remarks
From the Paper "What was observed as a New Buddhist Movement in China after the Communist Revolution of 1949 was still remarked upon by observers and associated with Taixu after his death. (See Callahan 1952) Taixu had hoped for a Buddhism that was national, transnational, public and populist, as needed well educated and otherwise prepared monks and outlets suiting lay people who wanted to create an improved society. Taixu could not imagine what lay in store for the Chinese in the decades after his death. In 1950, his disciplines saw his writings published, and then all things of the kind were steadily discouraged. In 1989, there was renewed interest in Taixu and his followers, in a rather glorified rendition of Taixu, despite his failure to ever gain leadership of the Chinese Buddhist Association. The regime backed several volumes of his works that were reprinted in various languages, as though the People's Republic of China had never opposed its spiritual authorities, the competing network in the Buddhist establishment."
Abstract This essay reflects on information presented in Susan M. Darlington's article. The two main issues commented on are: the link to economic and material benefits from the destruction of the environment taking place in Thailand and other Buddhist nations and the other issue is whether or not the work involved in saving the environment has any justifiable connection to the religious and spiritual teachings of Buddhism.
From the paper:
?The monks therefore are in fact tackling the destruction of the environment from a religious standpoint, that is, they are concerned about the well ?being of the people, and not for economical advantage. If the religion teaches concern for the people and the quality of their lives, then I would also think that anything that affects the quality of their lives is a religious issue.?
Abstract This is an in-depth juxtaposition and analysis of Oscar Wilde's "The Happy Prince" and a Buddhist tale "The Biography of the Buddha". It details the plots and main characters of both tales and tries to compare them, and find similarities between them. The comparison is done by examining the narrative construction of both stories. It compares both main characters: the prince and Buddha and manages to find many similarities between their characters and behaviorisms. It details Buddhism outlook on life as well as the happy Princes' outlook, both optimistic.
From the Paper ""The Happy Prince? tells the story of a prince, whom, while he was alive, was always happy and lived in a great, walled palace. When he died he was fashioned into a statue of gold and placed where all could see him in the middle of the town square. The story of the Buddha, or Naropa, or Siddartha Gautama, as he is sometimes known, tells the tale of young Brahmin (one step down from the priests in the Indian caste system) who was highly sheltered from the world. One day, he was taken out of the walled confines of his home. There, he witnessed three sights: old age, sickness, and death. Then he sees a holy man and is struck by the obvious "sincerity" of the man's bearing. These sights spurred him to renounce the world and enter into a life of contemplation. The results of these years of contemplation was Buddhism, an epiphany he struck upon when a young girl presented him with a bowl of rice after many years of fasting. (Saunders 23; Mitchell 39-40)"
Abstract This paper reviews "The Monk's Tale" in Geoffrey Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales" with an emphasis on the themes of religiosity and women representation. It uses extracts of the tale's text in order to comprehend fully the significance of these themes. It looks at how Chaucer uses the character of the Monk to serve as the symbol of religiosity and Christianity and how his account of the different feats and eventual downfall of the great characters he had enumerated in his tale shows the weakness of humans despite their greatness and contributions to human civilization. It also examines how Chaucer extends to his audience the message of how greatness becomes useless because of Man's weakness and self-adulation.
From the Paper "The first theme, which is greatness without religious guidance and the eventual fall of Man because of this, is illustrated through the stories of great rulers of human civilization such as Nebuchadnezzar, Balthasar, Antiochus Epiphanes, and Alexander the Great. Nebuchadnezzar, prominently known as the greatest leader of the Babylonian Empire. The Monk shows Nebuchadnezzar's fault when he became overindulgent in his power and wealth; his greatest weakness is when he asked his people to pray before a large gold statue. When a religious figure disobeyed him, Nebuchadnezzar was ashamed, and received his downfall when he lost his sanity: ?This king of kings right proud was and elate/ And thought that God, Who sits in majesty/ Could not bereave him of his high estate/ Yet suddenly he lost all dignity.? However, despite his faults, Nebuchadnezzar is pardoned by God, humbling the once great leader."
Abstract This paper explains that Buddhist Art sprang from the religion Buddhism; dragons, flowers, as well as Buddha himself are portrayed in paintings, statues, shrines, tapestry and many various forms and textures across many centuries of art. The author points out that not much is known about the ancient Buddhist artists, but two 19th century Buddhist artists are Utagawa Hiroshige, born in Tokyo and sometimes known as Ando Tokytaro, and Katsushika Hokusai, a master and genius of the Japanese art of woodblock printing. The paper relates that Buddhist Art continues to influence world art today; Cuiun Matsuda is a modern day Buddhist artist and a Buddhist priest. Chart.
Table of Contents
Statement of Thesis
Introduction
Aniconic Phase (5th Century - 1st Century BCE)
Iconic Phase (1st Century CE to Present)
Ancient Artists
Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858) Buddhist Artist
Katsushika Hokusai (1760 - 1849) Buddhist Artist
Conclusion
From the Paper "Emperor Ashoka of the Mauryan era which was from 322 BCE to 180 BCE is defined by the first clear manifestations of Buddhist art. It was during the first and second centuries BCE that sculptures gained a characteristic of being explicit in representation of Buddha, his life and his teachings. India's representations of the Buddha were the bodhi tree, the footprint, the empty throne, the lions, the columns or the lotus. The lotus was a symbol of purity."
Tags: centuries, mauryan, hiroshige, india, woodblock
Abstract This paper evaluates Robert Monk's book "Exploring Religious Meaning" as being a succinct appraisal of how other religions assess suffering, glossing over most philosophical or religious thought prior to 300 B.C., totally ignoring the majority of the eastern religions and jumping immediately to Christianity to illustrate his world-view of suffering. The author points out that Monk writes that many Christians who struggle with the logical problem of how evil can exist when everything has been created by a good and all powerful God, have accepted the position that evil comes from a real but inferior source of power created by God. The paper concludes that the greatest philosophers and theologians from every culture, religion and belief system cannot agree on the causation or the meaning of the concepts of good and evil.
From the Paper "The earliest animistic religions (prehistory or ancient history) had a theology based on the movement of the sun, the moon and the planets. Early Norse, Greek and Roman, Mid Eastern (Babylon, Mesopotamia and Chaldea) as well as Egyptian and the Celtic and Druidic religions of the British Isles based their beliefs on their observations of the passing of the seasons and the movement of the lights. Human characteristics with super human powers were projected on these celestial beings. Thus were formed the earliest pantheons of gods and goddesses. Because these godlets were more human than godlike in character, they were portrayed as either indifferent (as privileged humans are often indifferent to those of the lower classes), or malicious (demonstrating how the worst of human behavior is magnified when given godlike powers.) In either case, the people who worshipped them felt they had to propitiate these gods with various sacrifices in order to beg them to end various personal or universal disasters or to grant them luck in day to day living."
Abstract Published in 1796, "The Monk", by Matthew Gregory Lewis, became the object of significant public scrutiny and caused much controversy due to the unedifying light in which it portrayed mainstream religion - specifically, Catholicism. This paper examines how "The Monk" is punctured with constant reminders of the tragedy that ensues when religious fundamentalism reigns supreme and choices are taken away from individuals and transferred instead to rigid institutions. It discusses how, throughout the book, the reader is presented with images, circumstances and events that purport atrocious evil, but rarely is any goodness represented.
From the Paper "As the novel progresses, the monastic life is further critiqued. In particular, Lewis examines the passions deeply embedded in a soul when forced to contend with an unnatural life of solitude and celibacy. These unnatural states of human existence lead to Ambrosio's disturbing and excessive behavior - an outpouring of the sexuality, which has been made to lay dormant for so long. In The Monk, the forces of the supernatural enter the realm of human experience in response to man's excessive erotic drives, as a representation of the forces within himself which he must recognize and struggle with. Ambrosio's drama is in fact the story of his relationship to the imperatives of desire. His tale is one of Eros denied, only to reassert itself with the force of vengeance, to smite him."
