Dharma Wheel

Ven. Huifeng and ācārya Eijo

Thanks for the pointers.

Thanks Huseng for posting these pics. Thanks too for your comments, and Devotee's too, on the situation of Chinese Buddhism in it's present vibrant form in Taiwan. As for the language issue, the first batch of monastic graduates from the Masters in Buddhist Studies program at Foguang Uni have alrea...

BTW, about Chinese teachers being generous with teachings -- I've had similar experiences. When I was going to visit the monkeys in the nature preserve in Gaoxiong (see photo below), I passed by this little tent sandwiched between two shops where a bhikusuni was sitting with a mountain of sutra book...

Devotee The stupa project is being done by Foguangshan. It is actually within walking distance of the main temple complex. You just go out the back, through the garden, past the zoo, down the gravel road and around the corner and you're in the neighbouring valley where the project is under construct...

Last month I was in Taiwan and I visited Foguangshan 佛光山 just outside of Gaoxiong in the south and I got to see the passive stupa project under construction in the neighbouring valley. It will house a Buddha relic. Behind it there will also be a massive Buddha statue that will be stuffed with countl...

Pumpkin pie and dharma talk.

Amituofo!

Incidentally, just looking at the Chinese. 《長阿含經》卷1：「太子初生。父王槃頭召集相師及諸道術。令 觀太子。知其吉凶。時。諸相師受命而觀。即 前披衣。見有具相。占曰。有此相者。當趣 二處。必然無疑。若在家者。當為轉輪聖王。 王四天下。四兵具足。以正法治。無有偏枉。 恩及天下。七寶自至。千子勇健。能伏外敵。 兵[16]杖不用。天下太平。若出家學道。當成正 覺。十號具足。　時。諸相師即白王言。王所生 子。有三十二相。當趣二處。必然無疑。在家 當為轉輪聖王。若[17]其出家。當成正覺。十號 具足。」(CBETA, T01, no. 1, p. 4, c2...

Venerable Huifeng Thank you for your reply. Off the top of your head, do you know from what Pali or Sanskrit lexical item one derives the English rendering "prince" from? I'd try to go look for it myself, but I'll ask you first. Would maybe looking up the dictionary translations for "prince" across ...

1. Fazang -- just an interesting Buddhist master in the Tang who also fooled around with Daoist magick. 2. Nagarjuna -- without him I doubt the Mahayana would have thrived as much as it has. 3. Vasubandhu -- Wrote Abhidharmakosa, which is a solid user manual for the Buddha-dharma. 4. Asanga -- Had a...

If studying Buddhism at the expense of reading John Keay, with firm faith and belief that enlightnment will result, for the sake of the liberation of humanity, is an unhealthy attitude, then this is most unfortunate. I never said that reading John Keay would result in enlightenment. However, fishin...

With respect, I don't think that is a healthy attitude to take towards Buddhist practise and academic study of history and religion. Seeking accurate knowledge and insight, as well as rectifying errors and making the picture clearer, is an aspect of the six paramita of wisdom. I can also assure you ...

Regardless if John Keay is a Buddhist or not, we Buddhists might still have to account for historical discrepancies between our story and what Indologist historians have to say about the reality of the Shakya clan. Unfortunately hagiographies -- no matter the religion -- have a tendency of becoming ...

Let's just say for a moment that John Keay is correct and that the Shakya clan was republican and thus had no hereditary system of political power, and that the tale of Buddha being a prince was a fabrication in later decades (or possibly centuries?). I wonder what the basis is for stating that all ...

Does anyone else think a new translation of the Avatamsaka-sutra is in order? Cleary certainly worked hard and we should commend him for his efforts, but the translation he produced lacks citation and as I understand it only is a translation from the Chinese. It would be interesting to do a translat...

I'm reading John Keay's history of India and he mentions briefly that the clan of the Shakyas was a republican ganas-sangha with many rajas who elected their chief through vote. He then suggests that the "Prince" story of the Buddha is a later fabrication. Basically, since there was no hereditary su...

I've recently been reading through Ennin's journal 《入唐求法巡禮行記》 where he describes in detail day by day his travels through China in the mid 9th century. He was a Japanese Tendai monk who studied abroad in China for several years and saw firsthand the great Buddhist repression of 845. The journal itse...

I like the Vimalakirti Sutra. It seems to contain elements of humour. Thereupon, the venerable Sariputra had this thought: "There is not even a single chair in this house. Where are these disciples and bodhisattvas going to sit?" The Licchavi Vimalakirti read the thought of the venerable Sariputra a...

Also known as Shinkuu. I was at E-Sangha and I lurk around several internet forums. Long story short I'm in Tokyo studying for an MA in Buddhist Studies. Right now I'm doing some broad reading and studying Sanskrit, but my general area of study is Classical Chinese Buddhism and in particular Tang Dy...