Buddhist Studies Commons^™

The Art Of Dying As The Art Of Living: Exploring Buddhist Death Meditation As A Path To Human Flourishing, Kayla Stock

Obsculta

Can spiritual practices that inform our ideas about death alleviate fear of death? Can they lead to human flourishing? To explore these questions, I will examine the Buddhist practice of death meditation, assessing the practice both theologically and scientifically, then discussing the merits of this practice toward the purposes of human flourishing. I will end with an exploration of the potential ministerial applications of Buddhist death meditation.

Kreeft's "Between One Faith And Another: Engaging Conversations On The World's Great Religions" (, Elizabeth Pearson

The Christian Librarian

No abstract provided.

Thangka Painting: An Exploration Of Tibetan Buddhism Through Art, Hannah Slocumb

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Thangka painting is an ancient Tibetan Buddhist art form which depicts Buddhist deities. The deities must be made in very specific proportions, as it is believed that the deities can inhabit the paintings and thus the painting must be of the utmost beauty. Thangkas have a variety of uses, but they are mostly used as a means of gaining merit, in death rituals, during meditation, and in Buddhist ceremonies. In order to learn more about Tibetan Buddhism, I spent two and a half weeks studying thangka painting. I learned the entire process of creating a thangka, from the creation of …

Getting Sick Where Karma Is Gravity: Disease In The Tibetan Perspective, Moreau Hadley

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Karma is the Buddhist idea that our actions from current and previous lives affect our fortune in this life. In particular, if we suffer in the current life, it is due to negative action in the past. Likewise, if we prosper, it is due to past positive acts, such as compassion. The idea of karma extends to illness; in simplification, sickness is attributed to negative past action.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the belief of karmic disease in the Tibetan Buddhist community of Shangri-La. Although disease is often used as an example of karmic suffering, and there …

Mapping Mindfulness In Digital Culture With Contemplative Leadership, Erin Sheehan

Lesley University Community of Scholars Day

MAP Mindfulness is a project and organization founded by Sherri Henderson and Erin Sheehan, two recent Lesley University alumni from the Master of Arts in Mindfulness Studies program. They created MAP to serve two main purposes that they will share in this presentation. Their first aim is to curate a dynamic online community for mindfulness professionals to engage in dialogue and collaborative efforts in the emerging field of mindfulness. This group would bring an emphasis on research, ethical standards, and authentic practice.

Their second purpose is to continue their own work in what they call, “Digital Mindfulness.” Their …

Review Of John Whalen-Bridge, Tibet On Fire: Buddhism, Protest, And The Rhetoric Of Self-Immolation, Daniel S. Capper

Faculty Publications

Review of John Whalen-Bridge, Tibet on Fire: Buddhism, Protest, and the Rhetoric of Self-Immolation, in Journal of Contemporary Religion

Review Of Seeing Like The Buddha. Enlightenment Through Film By Francisca Cho, Ronald S. Green

Philosophy and Religious Studies

No abstract provided.

Korean Contributions To Japanese Buddhism, Ronald S. Green, Chanju Mun

Philosophy and Religious Studies

No abstract provided.

Indian Foundations And Chinese Developments Of The Buddha Dharma, Ronald S. Green, Chanju Mun

Philosophy and Religious Studies

No abstract provided.

Visions Of Tibet, Paul K. Nietupski

2018 Faculty Bibliography

No abstract provided.

Bridging Worlds: Buddhist Women's Voices Across Generations, Karma Lekshe Tsomo Phd

Theology and Religious Studies: Faculty Scholarship

Since 1987, Sakyadhita has worked to remind the Buddhist women of the world of their potential to correct social problems and create a world of peace and happiness for all living beings. We strongly believe in the value of awakening the world's 300 million Buddhist women to work for peace and social justice. Our work has been focused in Asia, especially among the poorest women. Sakyadhita's working principle has been to assist those in greatest need: women and children. We are convinced that educating women in disadvantaged segments of Buddhist society will act as a powerful catalyst for long lasting …

Experiences Of Wildness And Value, Hannah G. Mclean

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

No abstract provided.

The Empty Cup: Tea, Mythos, And Initiation Through Emergent Ritual, Katherine C. West

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

West, Katherine Church, M.A., Summer 2018

Master of Arts in Fine Arts, Integrated Arts and Education

Abstract

In our increasingly fast paced and busy world, the cultural value placed in ritual and ceremony has been lost. Yet, cultures for centuries have known the importance of such initiations to both usher us into and through important passages that mark a new time in our lives by deepening our awareness of our own lives and an understanding of the collective human experience.

This paper documents a two part project, one is the creation of a Gypsy Caravan, explored through the process of …

Latina/O Conversion And Miracle-Seeking At A Buddhist Temple, Stephen M. Cherry, Kemal Budak, Aida I. Ramos

Faculty Publications - Department of Sociology

The growing diversification of the US Latino religious’ experiences calls for scholarly attention beyond Protestant or Catholic categories. This study begins to answer this call. Using interview data with 26 Latinos collected over 2 years of observation at the True Lama Meditation Center (TLMC) in Houston, Texas, we describe how Latinos who convert to Buddhism or actively attend the temple while also continuing to attend Christian services (both Catholic and Protestant) see themselves and understand their religious identities and practices. We then explore the reasons for their conversion or changes in religious identities and practices through various theoretical lens. Although …

Countering Untouchability: The Stories Of Mātaṅga, Chandrabhan P. Yadav

Articles

Excerpt:

"In the Jātakas we get description of the Caṇḍālas which is rare as far as traces about this class from the early Indian past is concerned. In around eight stories we get description of the Caṇḍālas.1 Amongst those the Mātaṅ gaJātaka (No.497) is the most important story because of its sheer description which is comparatively more elaborate than the other stories. In this essay I shall not only be examining this particular story to see the everyday lives of the Caṇḍālas in the early historic period, but most importantly, I shall also be exploring those processes through which these …

A Departure For Returning To Sabha: A Study Of Koan Practice Of Silence, Jea Sophia Oh

Philosophy Faculty Publications

This paper deals with koan practice of silence through analyzing the Korean Zen Buddhist film, Why Has Boddhidharma Left for the East? (Bae, Yong-Kyun, Why Has Bodhidharma Left for the East? 1989). This paper follows Kibong's path along with the Buddha's journey of 1) departure, 2) journey in the middle way, and 3) returning with a particular focus on koan practice of silence as the transformative element of enlightenment. Analyzing silence throughout the film, this paper studies the Seon Buddhist lifestyle in an aesthetic way and finds a philosophical understanding of interdependency of samsara and nirvana. Silence is a crucial …

Ua12/2/2 2017 Talisman: Power, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

2017 Talisman yearbook.

• Gibson, Helen. Letter from the Editor
• Edwards, Aly. What's Your Superpower?
• Mattison, Reed. Dangerous Heights - George Clark, Mountaineering
• Voorhees, Jessica. Innovative Energy - Wei-Ping Pan
• Voorhees, Jessica. Counterpunch - Rock Steady Boxing
• Barritt, Brooklyn. B.G. Bosses - Small Business
• Frint, Hunter. Cason's Cove: The Power of Family
• Mitchell, McKenna. Picking Up the Mic - Reuben Bynes, Waco Bell
• Mohr, Olivia. Hidden in Plain Sight - Human Trafficking
• Mattingly, Evan. Voice Off - Noah Hancock, Deaf Persons
• Robb, Hayley. Game, Set, Unmatched - Phillip Cole, Tennis
• Good, Hannah. Damage Control - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Gordon, Zora. …

Sensory Dots, No-Self, And Stream-Entry: The Significance Of Buddhist Contemplative Development For Transpersonal Studies, Charles D. Laughlin

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

Based on the author’s nearly 50 years of meditation, it is observed that as a given alternative state is accessed and used over the span of years, experiences and capacities within that state are not merely static but may themselves shift as a practitioner develops neuropsychologically. An ethnographer using a substance within the context of a cultural practice may gain helpful direct insights into that cultural practice, but the researcher may fail to realize that the state attained by a novice may be substantively different from that gained by an elder or shaman with years of experience in the practice. …

Contemporary Buddhist Women: Contemplation, Cultural Exchange & Social Action: Sakyadhita 15th International Conference On Buddhist Women, Karma Lekshe Tsomo Phd

Theology and Religious Studies: Faculty Scholarship

The theme of the 15th Sakyadhita Conference in Hong Kong, “Contemporary Buddhist Women: Contemplation, Cultural Exchange & Social Action,” highlights our diversity and also the many choices that Buddhist women have today. Among us, there are many different ways that we may focus our energies, such as meditation practice, active social engagement, studies, teaching, parenting, artistic expression, and a range of other options. The beauty of Buddhist women is that we come from different countries and cultures, with different interests and diverse approaches to Buddhism, yet together we represent enormous power for good in the world. We are fortunate to …

Immanent Frames: Meiji New Buddhism And The 'Religious Secular', James Mark Shields

Faculty Journal Articles

The secularization thesis, rooted in the idea that “modernity” brings with it the destruction—or, at least, the ruthless privatization—of religion, is clearly grounded in specific, often oversimplified, interpretations of Western historical developments since the eighteenth century. In this article, I use the case of the New Buddhist Fellowship (Shin Bukkyō Dōshikai 新仏教同志会) of the Meiji period (1868–1911) to query the category of the secular in the context of Japanese modernity. I argue that the New Buddhists, drawing on elements of classical and East Asian Buddhism as well as modern Western thought, promoted a resolutely social and this-worldly Buddhism that …