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by Huseng
Sun Apr 01, 2018 1:54 pm
Forum: Academic Discussion
Topic: ‘Dharmas do not arise’
Replies: 49
Views: 12977

Re: ‘Dharmas do not arise’

But that overlooks the sense in which ‘the world’ is really Vijñāna and not a separately existent reality. This is a point that Yogācāra also stresses: the presence of the "grasped" (cognized object) and "grasper" (the subjective agent cognizing the object) is a result of false ...
by Huseng
Sun Apr 01, 2018 11:23 am
Forum: Academic Discussion
Topic: ‘Dharmas do not arise’
Replies: 49
Views: 12977

Re: ‘Dharmas do not arise’

From here I do encounter this declaration on DharmaWheel regularly, but I don’t understand it. What I always want to say is ‘but I still have to mow the lawn’. So - what does it mean? Awhile back I translated a brief essay by Chéngguān 澄觀 (738-839), which might be a bit useful to consider in this r...
by Huseng
Wed Mar 28, 2018 2:33 pm
Forum: Academic Discussion
Topic: Buddhist Astrology and Astral Magic in the Tang Dynasty
Replies: 16
Views: 7154

Re: Buddhist Astrology and Astral Magic in the Tang Dynasty

Fortyeightvows wrote: Tue Mar 27, 2018 8:05 am
Indrajala wrote: Tue Dec 05, 2017 11:43 pmGreetings everyone.
http://www.ikgf.uni-erlangen.de/content ... -flyer.pdf

I just came across this, the lineup looks great!
By all means, come for the talk if you're anywhere nearby. :smile:
by Huseng
Sat Mar 03, 2018 12:08 pm
Forum: Academic Discussion
Topic: Buddhist Astrology and Astral Magic in the Tang Dynasty
Replies: 16
Views: 7154

Re: Buddhist Astrology and Astral Magic in the Tang Dynasty

Anyway I would like to ask you Jeff, what was the house system used in the Buddhist astrology of the Tang dynasty? Was it whole sign houses? Sorry for the late reply. Chinese Buddhist and more broadly Chinese horoscopy used whole-sign houses exclusively until perhaps around the 17th century when un...
by Huseng
Tue Dec 19, 2017 4:37 pm
Forum: Tibetan Buddhism
Topic: Tibetan Astrology
Replies: 23
Views: 5289

Re: Tibetan Astrology

Since Kālacakra is part of Tibetan Buddhism, it is worth nothing that the Kālacakra includes a component of scientific astronomy, a bit of astrology and use of the tropical zodiac (in contrast to the normal sidereal zodiac of Indian astrology). I'm uncertain the extent to which modern practitioners ...
by Huseng
Tue Dec 19, 2017 4:30 pm
Forum: Mahāyāna Buddhism
Topic: nagarjuna basics?
Replies: 31
Views: 7623

Re: nagarjuna basics?

I am doing well. Not a professor yet! Thank you for asking.

If you're interested in my recent research and activities, see the following:

http://huayanzang.blogspot.com/2017/09/ ... egree.html
by Huseng
Tue Dec 19, 2017 10:36 am
Forum: Mahāyāna Buddhism
Topic: nagarjuna basics?
Replies: 31
Views: 7623

Re: nagarjuna basics?

Welcome back Indra! Been a fan of yours for years hah Tell us more about how you see Nagarjuna and some of the points he makes. I think your right on the money with your above presentation. Hi! I don't have much more to say off the top of my head. I will say this. If you want to read Buddhist philo...
by Huseng
Mon Dec 18, 2017 4:39 pm
Forum: Language
Topic: Vedic Sanskrit is basically undeciphered
Replies: 4
Views: 2590

Re: Vedic Sanskrit is basically undeciphered

I don't think it is fair to say it is "basically undeciphered".

I know colleagues who specialize in Vedic Sanskrit and Indo-European. I am not of the impression that Vedic Sanskrit, according to them, is undeciphered.
by Huseng
Mon Dec 18, 2017 4:35 pm
Forum: Mahāyāna Buddhism
Topic: nagarjuna basics?
Replies: 31
Views: 7623

Re: nagarjuna basics?

Also, bear in mind that Nāgārjuna's treatise (MMK) is refuting Hīnayāna, namely Sarvāstivādin, doctrines, so in order to understand what he wrote, you need to have a basic understanding of the prevailing Buddhist philosophy of his time. The Abhidharmakośa-bhāṣya is precious in this respect because i...
by Huseng
Mon Dec 18, 2017 12:19 pm
Forum: Mahāyāna Buddhism
Topic: nagarjuna basics?
Replies: 31
Views: 7623

Re: nagarjuna basics?

I recommend that you read the Abhidharmakośa-bhāṣya before Nāgārjuna, for the simple reason that the categories and concepts that Nāgārjuna addresses in his work are based on an earlier Buddhist framework that is quite elegantly and thoroughly explained in the Abhidharmakośa-bhāṣya.
by Huseng
Mon Dec 18, 2017 12:15 pm
Forum: Language
Topic: Vedic Sanskrit is basically undeciphered
Replies: 4
Views: 2590

Re: Vedic Sanskrit is basically undeciphered

Vedic Sanskrit is nowadays normally studied through the lens of reconstructed Indo-European and Proto-Indo-European.
by Huseng
Tue Dec 12, 2017 2:31 pm
Forum: Academic Discussion
Topic: Buddhist Astrology and Astral Magic in the Tang Dynasty
Replies: 16
Views: 7154

Re: Buddhist Astrology and Astral Magic in the Tang Dynasty

BTW Jeff, could you recommend any introductions to Hellenistic astrology? I have tried a few resources in the past but found it difficult to put together all the pieces. Indeed! This book is what you need: http://www.hellenisticastrology.com/book/ I highly recommend it. In addition to explaining th...
by Huseng
Fri Dec 08, 2017 10:57 pm
Forum: Academic Discussion
Topic: Shakra-Indra as Xtian God
Replies: 37
Views: 10320

Re: Shakra-Indra as Xtian God

Not quite sure if this is going to answer your questions, but here's a good overview of lore related to Indra/Sakka (it is lengthy!):

http://www.palikanon.com/english/pali_n ... /sakka.htm
by Huseng
Fri Dec 08, 2017 11:28 am
Forum: Academic Discussion
Topic: Buddhist Astrology and Astral Magic in the Tang Dynasty
Replies: 16
Views: 7154

Re: Buddhist Astrology and Astral Magic in the Tang Dynasty

You probably give examples in the rest of the paper, but if not, the Ten Stages Sutra in the Fifth Stage section there is this (Cleary 739): Definitely! I cite that text and passage. The truth is that Mahāyāna jumped on a trend by encouraging its adherents to study worldly sciences. The stigma agai...
by Huseng
Thu Dec 07, 2017 10:28 pm
Forum: Academic Discussion
Topic: Buddhist Astrology and Astral Magic in the Tang Dynasty
Replies: 16
Views: 7154

Re: Buddhist Astrology and Astral Magic in the Tang Dynasty

But why is some of it "under embargo" and what does that mean? Never heard of that before. It means that some of the content in those chapters is officially published elsewhere, such as in articles. That means the article is the first public presentation of the relevant work, rather than ...
by Huseng
Wed Dec 06, 2017 8:41 am
Forum: Academic Discussion
Topic: Buddhist Astrology and Astral Magic in the Tang Dynasty
Replies: 16
Views: 7154

Re: Buddhist Astrology and Astral Magic in the Tang Dynasty

Congratulations. Thanks! Didn't read it yet, but curious if you looked at Kalachakra astrology too? In the dissertation, I briefly mention it, since its calendar's epoch of 806 is identical to what we find a Chinese text from the early- to mid-ninth century. I discuss the Kālacakra in more detail i...
by Huseng
Tue Dec 05, 2017 11:43 pm
Forum: Academic Discussion
Topic: Buddhist Astrology and Astral Magic in the Tang Dynasty
Replies: 16
Views: 7154

Buddhist Astrology and Astral Magic in the Tang Dynasty

Greetings everyone. I would like to let everyone know that my PhD dissertation, or about 80% of it, is available online: https://openaccess.leidenuniv.nl/handle/1887/54858 In a nutshell, my study documents the Buddhist practice of astrology first in India, and then in China, where it really took off...
by Huseng
Tue Nov 21, 2017 9:28 am
Forum: Discovering Mahayana Buddhism
Topic: Preparing for Ordination
Replies: 34
Views: 10180

Re: Preparing for Ordination

If you're not independently wealthy or have a reliable source of income that you can earn remotely (translation for example), then the biggest obstacle will be financial. Some monks have sponsors, but unless they're very reliable people long-term, you might have to go around requesting assistance fr...
by Huseng
Tue Nov 21, 2017 8:54 am
Forum: Sūtra Studies
Topic: More Pdfs from BDK
Replies: 10
Views: 3726

Re: More Pdfs from BDK

You beat me to it. :thumbsup:
by Huseng
Sat Oct 07, 2017 1:14 am
Forum: Dharma in Everyday Life
Topic: Shinto - Buddhism
Replies: 26
Views: 7632

Re: Shinto - Buddhism

I understand, but this is a very touchy issue that is also being discussed among some western Shinto practitioners. This line of thought by Rev. Indrajala can actually bar many people from exploring this kind of spirituality. When actually, we have examples of native faiths being exported and assim...

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