Buddhist Studies Commons^™

Scientific Empathy, American Buddhism, And The Ethnography Of Religion, Daniel S. Capper

Faculty Publications

The expansion of the use of ethnography in the study of religion has led to substantial methodological confusion. The reflexive ethnographic efforts which exist commonly appeal to the need for ethnographer empathy for field subjects, although the nature and ethical ramifications of this empathy remain poorly explored. This essay offers a model of ethnographic empathy in terms of the methodological observations of Weber, Homans, and Kohut. Using a model of empathy in terms of a reflexive “evenly hovering attention” for data collection, possible gains in the field from this model are explored. These gains include overcoming obstacles to data collection …

Commentary: Blowing Up The Buddhas By The Taliban, James Shields

Other Faculty Research and Publications

Commentary on "Blowing-up of the [Bamiyan] Buddhas by the Taliban"

Trends. Spinning Buddhas, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article discusses the March 2001 destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan by the Taliban.

Trends. The Idolatry Of Ignorance And Iconoclasm: Notes On The Taliban, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

The New York Times has reported that at least some Taliban authorities have directed that all statues in Afghanistan--including those commonly viewed as priceless exemplars of cultural (largely Buddhist) heritage and as treasures--be destroyed. The Taliban's rationale--that these statues have been used as idols and deities by non-Islamic believers and may be turned into idols in the future--is largely discussed in the context of leading to a global cultural catastrophe, as an unacceptable decision, as gratuitous vandalism, as exemplifying a rigid ignorance deserving unique contempt and disgust.

The Bodhisattva Ideal In Theravāda Buddhist Theory And Practice: A Reevaluation Of The Bodhisattva-Śrāvaka Opposition, Jeffrey Samuels

Philosophy & Religion Faculty Publications

In the academic study of Buddhism the terms" Mahayana" and "Hinayana" are often set in contradiction to each other, and the two vehicles are described as having different aspirations, teachings, and practices. The distinctions made between the Mahayana and the Hinayana, how-ever, force the schools into neat, isolated, and independent categories that often undermine the complexities that exist concerning their beliefs, ideologies, and practices.

Buddhist Meditation And The Consciousness Of Time, Philip Novak

Collected Faculty and Staff Scholarship

This paper first reviews key Buddhist concepts of time -- anicca (impermanence), khanavada (instantaneous being) and uji (being-time) -- and then describes the way in which a particular form of Bhuddist [sic] meditation , vipassana, may be thought to actualize them in human experience. The chief aim of the paper is to present a heuristic model of how vipassana meditation, by eroding dispositional tendencies rooted in the body-unconscious alters psychological time, transforming our felt-experience of time from a bind to a liberating force.

Blooming In The Desert, Anne Teich

Anne Teich

Buddhist Ethics In Japan And Tibet: A Comparative Study Of The Adoption Of Bodhisattva And Pratimoksa Precepts, Karma Lekshe Tsomo Phd

Theology and Religious Studies: Faculty Scholarship

The religious traditions of Japan and Tibet are complex and unique, yet many interesting parallels may be drawn concerning the introduction of Buddhism and its subsequent development in the two countries. Although two very different cultural environments greeted the arrival of the imported faith, we find striking similarities in their early Buddhist history.

Buddhist Commons In Asia, Roger A. Lohmann

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Although nothing precisely like the modern nonprofit organization, voluntary association or foundation existed in Asia prior to the 20th century, there can be little doubt that some types of similar indigenous activities are found deep in the history of the many cultures of Asia. Buddhism, for example, has a long record of organized activity, beliefs about giving, and other evidences of what might be termed Buddhist philanthropy.

The Practice Of Attention, Philip Novak

Collected Faculty and Staff Scholarship

"Practices that strengthen the capacity for concentration or attention play a role in most great religious traditions. The importance of developing attention is most readily seen in the great traditions that arose in India, namely Hinduism and Buddhism." ~ from the article

Mystical Experiences And The Search For Human Spiritual Connection, Philip Novak

Collected Faculty and Staff Scholarship

"...Mystical experiences can come and go, it seems, without altering the fundamental habit patterns and tendencies that vector our behavior. It is precisely this that separates mystical experience from the wider, deeper process of enlightenment. Enlightenment necessarily involves a lasting transformation of character (character is my shorthand for deep structural determinants of consciousness), while mystical experience does not. Enlightenment is an irreducibly moral notion and is, existentially speaking, inversely proportional to stinkerism. At least this is so for Buddhism, the tradition to which we owe, more than to any other, the very notion of enlightenment, and the tradition on …

Mysticism, Enlightenment, And Morality, Philip Novak

Collected Faculty and Staff Scholarship

"Our outspoken anthropologist friend, Dr. A. Bharati, once remarked that if someone is a stinker before a mystical experience, he'll be a stinker afterwards .¹ The swami's observation stemmed from years spent among the holy men of India and , no doubt, from considerable personal experience. It is an exaggeration , of course, but we cannot dismiss his crucial point: it is quite possible to be a mystic and a stinker. If we refuse to take Bharati's word for it, we need only to examine the numerous recent accounts of the oafish behavior displayed by acclaimed mystic-teachers. Or we …

Buddhist Meditation And The Great Chain Of Being: Some Misgivings, Philip Novak

Collected Faculty and Staff Scholarship

"In his Buddhist Meditation, Edward Conze puts it plainly: 'Meditational practices constitute the very core of the Buddhist approach to life.'¹ To presume that the wisdom gained from mental culture is equally available to intellectual analysis, even of the highly refined and subtle, sort, is to presume that a job requiring a laser can be done equally will with a blowtorch. The Buddha's deepest insights are available to the intellect, and powerfully so, but it is only when those insights are discovered and absorbed, by a psyche made especially keen and receptive by long coursing in meditative …

On The Virtue Of Not Knowing Who You Are, Philip Novak

Collected Faculty and Staff Scholarship

"...The problem of identity is an inescapable part of being born human and it is perhaps no an overstatement to say that the quality of our lives depends to a large extent on how we deal with it. In the following pages I will attempt two things: 1) to sketch the problem of identity in its universal characteristics and 2) to discuss the Buddhist approach to that problem." ~ from the article

The Dynamics Of The Will In Buddhist And Christian Practice, Philip Novak

Collected Faculty and Staff Scholarship

"The task of this paper is to suggest that the will-dynamics educed by Buddhist and Christian contemplative paths share fundamental structural similarities, a hypothesis which, if true, lends support to the notion of a psychologia perennis. The contemplative dimensions of Buddhism and Christianity, we will suggest, possess formally similar strategies for the attunement of the human will to its source in the Real, and attunement and dynamic balance in which both Buddhist and Christian contemplatives discover the salvation they seek." ~ from the article

Buddhism And Christianity By George Siegmund, Philip Novak

Collected Faculty and Staff Scholarship

"Influenced by the sympathetic explorations of Thomas Merton, William Johnston and Hugo Enomiya-LaSalle (to name but a few) Christians have over the last decade or so shown an increasing willingness to learn from the Buddhist tradition. An environment in which interest is accompanied by a deep bow of respect is precious and worthy of preservation, and it is for this reason that Buddhism and Christianity deserves attention. It threatens that environment." ~from the review

Empty Willing: Contemplative Being-In-The-World In St. John Of The Cross And Dogen, Philip Novak

Collected Faculty and Staff Scholarship

"If persons on different sides of the glove were independently to discover that bodies fall at the rate of sixteen feet per second squared, this would be taken as evidence that they had learned something about nature -- about the world and how it works. We see something like this at work in the sadhanas (spiritual paths) of St. John and Dogen. Though the Christian saint and the Zen master are leaves on quite different trees, similarities between then [sic], qua contemplatives, exist at a level profound enough to encourage the exploration of common ground. Ultimately this common ground invites …

Book Review Of Jeffrey Hopkins's "Tantra In Tibet" & Alex Wayman's "Calming The Mind And Discerning The Real: Buddhist Meditation And The Middle View", Christopher Key Chapple

Theological Studies Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Buddhistische Elemente In Hermann Hesses Siddhartha, Sawitree Kunapongsiri

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to show the elements of Buddhism, exerted in Siddhartha. These elements are important to the plot, despite the fact that Hesse did not intend to write an authentic Buddhist work, but to express his own belief.

The conclusion shows that certain Buddhist teachings have in various ways directly shaped the work.

The Basic Beliefs Of Hinduism And Buddhism, Joyce Mason

Honors Theses

In the world today there are approximately three billion people who belong to 11 major religions. Nearly all belong to the religion and denomination into which they were born, and accept it naturally, and are loyal to it as they are loyal to their nationality.

Religion so exists for many men. "They have been born into a culture, and it is unthinkable that religion can be anything but part of their being."

As far as can be determined, religion has existed in every society. The more we learn about the days of man on earth, the more evidence there is …

"Zen", Alan W. Watts

Special Collections: Oregon Public Speakers

Alan Watts was a British expatriate writer, speaker, and philosopher who notably popularized Eastern philosophy and religion with Western audiences. This lecture, "Zen," describes the fundamentals of Zen Buddhist thought and was delivered as part of Portland State College's "Fine Arts Festival," May 3, 1966.

The college newspaper, the Vanguard, makes note of Watts' appearance at Portland State on page four of the April 29, 1966 issue.

Transferred to digital format from original ¼ inch reel to reel audio recording.

Transferred and preserved by Portland State University Library’s Special Collections with the generous support of the Institute of Museum …

A Recommended One-Year Buddhist Curriculum For High School Seniors In The Buddhist Churches Of America, Laverne Senyo Sasaki

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The present research attempts to discover a type of Buddhist curriculum which will best suit the needs and interests of the high school senior (twelfth grader) Buddhists in the United States. The present Buddhist Churches of America recommended curriculum in use covers only the pre-school through the eighth grades. There is an obvious need for a Buddhist curriculum in the important upper grades. As this proposed curriculum is directed to twelfth graders, the compilation of a curriculum for the other three grades {ninth, tenth, and eleventh) still remains to be completed.

Dogen And Bankei And A Study Of The Soto Zen, Kazumitsu W. Kato

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The reason I am writing this dissertation is to introduce another side of Zen, Soto, which is completely unknown in the Western world; and at the same time to bring Dogen's teaching to the attention of Western scholars, since it is famous in Japan as the most profound branch of the philosophy of Zen. Unfortunately, none of Dogen' s teaching has yet been translated into English except Masunaga's private publication given above. Therefore I am taking this opportunity to translate and to add a commentary of my own for the better understanding of Dogen as well as the historical survey …

Conceptions Of Formative Processes In Western Science And Eastern Philosophy, Glenn E. Kaufmann

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The central theme of this paper concerns the way Eastern and Western (sometimes termed Oriental and Occidental) thought view the formation of the world; the means of arriving at these conclusions and the concepts or pre-conceived ideas upon which they are based. Western thought has been limited to views that have developed out of modern science, post-1500; they are mechanistic science, evolution, Whitehead's philosophy pertaining to God and modern physics. For the purpose of this paper, the emphasis in Eastern thought is placed on Mahayana Buddhism, especially the Madhyamika school of philosophy. In India it developed in contact with many …

A Relationship Between Eastern Thought And Western Psychotherapy : An Application Of Taoism And Zen To Client-Centered Therapy, Lloyd Saxton

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This paper does not purport to be an examination of Zen or Taoism, but rather a view of certain aspects of Zen and Taoism, but rather a view of certain aspects of Zen and Taoism from the vantage point of contemporary psychology, to see if a metaphysic, a philosophical resting-place, might not be found for the admittedly pragmatic science of clinical psychology.

The questions the paper asks, then, and attempts to answer, are (1) can such a formulation be made, and (2) does psychotherapy conducted from this point of view move satisfactorily.

A Comparative Study Of The Prasada Complex And The Grace Of God, Jay R. Mccullough

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

A word or word group lifted from its context incurs the grave danger of a misunderstanding ranging from the greatest excess of analytical dismemberment to an overgenerous and all-inclusive synthesis which tends to rob it of any specific identity or meaning. Considered not only from within the body of textual material which may frame a particular word, but from the ground of these physical, mental and cultural needs which give it birth as well as the motivating force or forces which seem to endanger it, it may be possible to develop a better understanding of its varying harmonic nuances of …