The achievement of independence in 1948 was in many ways a watershed in Burma’s history. At this time, a variety of Buddhist movements emerged that were part not only of a ‘Burmese Buddhist revival’, in which even the government was involved, but also a general re-enchantment of Asia. In the period following World War II, projects of nation-building and further modernization were implemented in...
The article focuses on the practice of mindfulness, which has migrated from being part of a religion, Buddhism, to being an integral part of Western psychology. Mindfulness is especially used in cognitive behavioural therapy, but also in, e.g., dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). In Sweden several doctors, psychologists and psychiatrists use and...
This book offers an engaging philosophical overview of Tibetan Buddhist thought. It shows the way that Buddhist theory informs Buddhist practice across various Tibetan traditions in ways that integrate competing and complimentary perspectives on the nature of mind and reality. The book draws upon a contrast between phenomenology and ontology to highlight distinct starting points of inquiries...
Buddhism has traditionally focused on epistemological and psychological causes of suffering in individuals: deluded perception, greed, and ill will.Buddhist compassionate action seeks to free people from those inner causes of suffering, through contemplative, ritual and ethical practices.Christian liberation theology focuses on oppressive social systems as main causes of suffering, and on...
The purpose of this paper is to familiarize researchers, scholars, and interested readers with the historical influence of Japanese Buddhist Zen meditation techniques on mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) research and practice. The role of D.T. Suzuki is discussed as one of the most influential scholars to transmit information to the West. MBSR techniques, format, and evidence are also...
философия и медитация В китайском БуддизмеСтатья посвящена проблеме отношения философии и медитации в учении школ китайского буддизма.Рассматриваются место и роль философии как теоретического обоснования путей и методов спасения, а также медитации как центрального звена в сотериологии буддизма.В этой связи дается анализ теории двух истин школы саньлунь, в которой делается упор на вневербальном...
Analytical meditation and monastic debate are contemplative practices engaged in by Tibetan Buddhist monastics that have up to now been largely unexplored in Western contemplative science. The highly physical form of contemplative debating plays an important role in the monastic curriculum. Based on discussions and recorded interviews Tibetan monastic teachers and senior students at Sera Jey...
The "neural correlates of consciousness" (NCC) is a familiar topic in neuroscience, overlapping with research on the brain's "default mode network." Task-based studies of NCC by their nature recruit one part of the cortical network to study another, and are therefore both limited and compromised in what they can reveal about consciousness itself. The form of consciousness explored in such...
Many studies have conclusively proven that meditative techniques derived from the Indian systems of philosophy, meditation and ritual classified as "Tantra" can bring about sustained changes in the structure and function of the nervous system of practitioners. The aim of this study is to provide neuroscientists a framework through which to interpret Tantra, and thereby provide a foundation upon...
Richard Hayes (1993, 2013) and Dan Arnold (2008, 2012) have argued that Dharmakīrti (c. 600-660 C.E.) is a mind-body dualist. The proof, they say, lies in the justification he gives for his theory of rebirth. In this paper, I put Dharmakīrti’s argument to the test against a rival argument of Nāgārjuna. It turns out Nāgārjuna completely rejects the mind-body dualism of Dharmakīrti and the...
Wisdom-based Buddhist-derived practices (BDPs) are concerned with transmuting suffering by cultivating insight into the ultimate nature of both the self and reality. Arguably the most important wisdom-based BDP is emptiness (Sanskrit: śūnyatā) that implies that although phenomena are perceptible to the human mind, they do not intrinsically exist. Despite its significance in Buddhism, emptiness...