Mysticism and Scripture in Theravāda Buddhism
Oxford University Press eBooks December 7, 2000 DOI: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195097030.003.0012 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Buddhism Mysticism |
| Key points | Argues that Buddhism's focus on concentration and its theory of causation precluded mantric and sacramental ritual, making Theravadin scriptures less revelatory but practically useful as handbooks for meditation and moral guidance. |
Abstract
This chapter shows that while Brahmanism rested on a kind of sacramental and mantric ritual, Buddhism did not encourage such rites. Buddhism looked mostly on concentration, involving the purification of consciousness. The Buddhist theory of causation was inimical to both mantric causation and the use of ritual other than in a psychological manner. There could not be any strict revelatory transaction between the transcendent and this world. The numinous experience of the Other is more hospitable to truly sacred revelation. This did not significantly figure in the Buddh's worldview. Thus in this sense, the scriptures are a bit of a disappointment in the Theravadin canon, compared to the “high” views of scripture elsewhere. But because of its strong concern with psychology and analysis, parts of the canon function like handbooks for practical living, including, notably, meditation. Scripture, therefore, has powerful uses in the life of the Sangha. It contains many materials of general relevance to the wider community, beyond the loose frontier of the order. It also reflects the amazing originality of Gotama, while giving a moral prehistory in the wonderful stories of his previous births, which so often take existing material, characteristically, of the Gangetic culture and bend them to Buddhist uses. It also contains a good deal of poetry.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on buddhism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mental balance and well-being: Building bridges between Buddhism and Western psychology. | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Buddhist Modernism and the Rhetoric of Meditative Experience | 1995 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Buddhist and Psychological Perspectives on Emotions and Well-Being | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Too Early to Tell: The Potential Impact and Challenges—Ethical and Otherwise—Inherent in the Mainstreaming of Dharma in an Increasingly Dystopian World | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| From self to nonself: The Nonself Theory | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |