Search found 30 matches

by Qianxi
Sat Nov 07, 2015 6:35 pm
Forum: General Theravāda discussion
Topic: Does Kalama Sutta Allow Doubt?
Replies: 10
Views: 2041

Re: Does Kalama Sutta Allow Doubt?

The Kalama Sutta is about the movement from paralysing confusion to the realisation ("the four assurances") that the path is worth following no matter what the outcome of these metaphysical debates. There's an interesting variation in the Sarvāstivāda Madhyama Āgama version of this discour...
by Qianxi
Mon Nov 02, 2015 11:28 am
Forum: Early Buddhism
Topic: Live-Stream Discussion at Bodhi Institute (S. Batchelor, J. Peacock, Akincano Weber)
Replies: 15
Views: 4312

Re: Live-Stream Discussion at Bodhi Institute (S. Batchelor, J. Peacock, Akincano Weber)

Here's the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oj_qrRkVckQ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Probably nothing revelatory for the people who browse this forum, but I really like their general approach and wish them wel...
by Qianxi
Wed Dec 03, 2014 6:30 am
Forum: Early Buddhism
Topic: How Modern Orthodox Theravada Deviate from Early Buddhism
Replies: 56
Views: 13818

Re: How Modern Orthodox Theravada Deviate from Early Buddhis

This is helpful as a guide: http://www.dhammaforeveryone.com/is-there-a-distinction-between-early-buddhism-and-theravada.html I noticed this as one of the criteria in the guide: What is mythological, magical and almost superstitious is later development since the philosophy of the commonly agreed t...
by Qianxi
Tue Dec 02, 2014 10:42 pm
Forum: Early Buddhism
Topic: How Modern Orthodox Theravada Deviate from Early Buddhism
Replies: 56
Views: 13818

Re: Differences between Theravada and Early Buddhism

I notice Bhikkhu Analayo has a chapter on "Early Buddhist Teachings" in a book due out soon. "Early Buddhist Teachings", in Blackwell Companion to South and Southeast Asian Buddhism, M. Zimmermann (ed.), (forthcoming). I don't think he has a summary style account of early Buddhis...
by Qianxi
Tue Jul 22, 2014 7:54 pm
Forum: Early Buddhism
Topic: Sutta Central
Replies: 13
Views: 7435

Re: Sutta Central

It's a nice new introduction. The new update has removed the direct links to the Chinese texts on cbeta.org, I hope this is temporary. Without the direct links, going from a reference "MA 162" to the Chinese text can be quite time consuming because you've got to find out which 'scroll' of ...
by Qianxi
Thu Jul 17, 2014 10:52 am
Forum: Vipassanā / Satipaṭṭhāna Bhāvana
Topic: Vipassana taught by the Buddha
Replies: 39
Views: 13364

Re: Vipassana taught by the Buddha

Hello starter. I'll respond to the you of three years ago! Indeed, the Agamas were introduced to and translated (around end 300 A.C.) in China well before Mahayana. Actually Mahayana texts had been translated into Chinese since about 150 AD. It wasnt until 250 years later around 400 AD that within t...
by Qianxi
Fri Jul 11, 2014 9:09 am
Forum: Early Buddhism
Topic: Differences between the Pāḷi Nikāyas & Chinese Āgamas
Replies: 16
Views: 8521

Re: Differences between the Pāḷi Nikāyas & Chinese Āgamas

This thread ( Kalama Sutta: Why in Anguttara Nikaya Chapter three? ) reminded me of an interesting difference. There is a parallel to the Anguttara Nikaya Kalama Sutta (AN 3.65) in the Sarvāstivāda Madhyama Āgama preserved in Chinese (MA 16). They are basically the same: the Kalamas come to the Budd...
by Qianxi
Thu Jul 03, 2014 6:41 pm
Forum: Early Buddhism
Topic: Differences between the Pāḷi Nikāyas & Chinese Āgamas
Replies: 16
Views: 8521

Re: Differences between the Pāḷi Nikāyas & Chinese Āgamas

When talking about similarities and differences, I don't think it's very helpful to put all the Chinese agama texts together because all of the main Agama collections come from different schools. You have to take the Chinese agama collections separately. You can get an approximate idea of the variou...
by Qianxi
Sat Jun 21, 2014 7:33 pm
Forum: Connections to Other Paths
Topic: Exact quote: "You are your own refuge..."
Replies: 27
Views: 10632

Re: Exact quote: "You are your own refuge..."

...Which is why I find it pointless to learn Pali, in order to 'appreciate the teachings more' and be able to understand them more profoundly.... If educate scholarly types are at odds, imagine a total inept like me getting their head round it. :rolleye: No, I will just stick with what I read in En...
by Qianxi
Wed Jun 18, 2014 10:44 pm
Forum: Connections to Other Paths
Topic: Exact quote: "You are your own refuge..."
Replies: 27
Views: 10632

Re: Exact quote: "You are your own refuge..."

Dīpa can be translated as “ island ” or “ lamp .” I checked the Commentary, which gives the meaning of an island. I think it's interesting that the Chinese translations of the Mahāsāṃghika Ekottarikāgama, Sarvāstivāda Madhyamāgama and the Dharmaguptaka Dīrghāgama made from 385 to 413 all translate ...
by Qianxi
Sat May 17, 2014 5:54 am
Forum: Connections to Other Paths
Topic: Was Pali Lord Buddha's "native" or spoken language?
Replies: 52
Views: 11985

Re: Was Pali Lord Buddha's "native" or spoken language?

an arhant is still a striver I'm not sure how that fits with ‘Khīṇā jāti, vusitaṃ brahmacariyaṃ, kataṃ karaṇīyaṃ, nāparaṃ itthattāyā’ti pajānātī’’ti. He knows: "Birth is ended, the holy life is established, what was to be done is done, there is no more beyond." This phrase is common to al...
by Qianxi
Fri May 16, 2014 10:01 am
Forum: Early Buddhism
Topic: If not sure about authenticity, compare with the suttas?
Replies: 47
Views: 14131

Re: If not sure about authenticity, compare with the suttas?

Thinking about it, there's probably something quite significant in the transition from "dhammadharā, vinayadharā, mātikādharā" in the suttas to "suttantikā, vinayadharā, dhammakathikā" in the vinaya.
by Qianxi
Fri May 16, 2014 9:02 am
Forum: Early Buddhism
Topic: If not sure about authenticity, compare with the suttas?
Replies: 47
Views: 14131

Re: If not sure about authenticity, compare with the suttas?

Norman also says " The word bhāṇaka means speaker, from the root bhaṇ “to speak”, and is another of the items of vocabulary which suggest that the early Buddhists used an oral tradition. " However there are no bhāṇakas mentioned either in the canon itself or anytime within the first 10 ce...
by Qianxi
Fri May 16, 2014 8:11 am
Forum: Early Buddhism
Topic: Introduction to Buddhist Chinese free online course
Replies: 12
Views: 3074

Re: Introduction to Buddhist Chinese free online course

I don't think I have time to join the group, but here are a couple of online resources. Roderick Bucknell, Marcus Bingenheimer, venerable Anālayo's Chinese-English glossary for their translation of the Madhyamāgama: http://mbingenheimer.net/t26/mainGlossary.html Zhuang Chunjiang's Agama dictionary. ...
by Qianxi
Tue May 13, 2014 12:17 pm
Forum: Early Buddhism
Topic: If not sure about authenticity, compare with the suttas?
Replies: 47
Views: 14131

Re: If not sure about authenticity, compare with the suttas?

The very name tipitaka (three baskets) is almost as old as the emperor Ashoka (i.e. 3rd century BCE) i.e. as old as the earliest attested Pali itself. I'd be interested to read a study of the history of the concept of tipitaka. I agree it does suggest physical storage, i'm not sure it would be a na...