Mahāmaitrī in a Mahāyāna Sūtra in Khotanese ― Continuity and Innovation in Buddhist Meditation
Giuliana Martini
中華佛學學報 July 1, 2011 DOI: 10.6986/chbj.201107.0121 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Buddhism Meditation |
| Citations | 2 |
| Key points | Argues that the meditation in the Book of Zambasta is distinctive in its emphasis on conceptual and visual aspects combined with the four elements and particles of matter, and that it aligns doctrinally with a Sarvastivada/Yogacara milieu while showing both continuity and innovation with earlier Buddhist traditions. |
Abstract
This article is a study of loving kindness meditation as presented in the third chapter of the Khotanese Book of Zambasta in the light of its Chinese parallel, the Da fangguang fo huayan jing xiuci fen 大方廣佛華嚴經修慈分 (T 306), a Buddhavatamsaka (Fo huayan 佛華嚴) work. Chapter three is first assessed in relationship to the structure and content of the Book of Zambasta. It is then analyzed in terms of its meditation dynamics and dialectics, against its philosophical background of objectless loving kindness (Skt. analambana-maitri) and nonconceptual knowledge (Skt. nirvikalpaka-jnana). The peculiarity of the meditation practice in question is a marked emphasis on the conceptual and visual aspects integrated with the use of the four elements and particles of physical matter as the basis for a loving kindness suffusion. Aspects of both continuity and innovation with respect to earlier Buddhist traditions are taken into account, as well as an example of four elements meditation as taught in a contemporary Burmese Theravada tradition. The practice is described in the Khotanese text as one of 'great loving kindness' (Skt. mahamaitri): the soteriological implications of this statement and the way the Mahayana goal and vision inform practical aspects of meditation are explored, and elements pointing to doctrinal compatibility of the text with a Sarvastivada/Yogacara milieu are also singled out.
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