Abhidharma

Discuss and learn about the traditional Mahayana scriptures, without assuming that any one school ‘owns’ the only correct interpretation.
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reiun
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Abhidharma

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References to recommended translations or accurate academic papers, etc., of or concerning The Abhidharmakośakārikā or Verses on the Treasury of Abhidharma, by Vasubandhu, would be appreciated, if such exist.
Malcolm
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Re: Abhidharma

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reiun wrote: Thu Apr 29, 2021 9:05 pm References to recommended translations or accurate academic papers, etc., of or concerning The Abhidharmakośakārikā or Verses on the Treasury of Abhidharma, by Vasubandhu, would be appreciated, if such exist.
reiun
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Re: Abhidharma

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*Kindle, bc 4 vol set $1002
Malcolm
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Re: Abhidharma

Post by Malcolm »

reiun wrote: Thu Apr 29, 2021 9:39 pm *Kindle, bc 4 vol set $1002
$80
reiun
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Re: Abhidharma

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Malcolm wrote: Thu Apr 29, 2021 10:04 pm
reiun wrote: Thu Apr 29, 2021 9:39 pm *Kindle, bc 4 vol set $1002
$80
Best deal. (+kindle paperwhite, ~$100+ these days).
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FiveSkandhas
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Re: Abhidharma

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Never mind (deleted post). Please continue.
Last edited by FiveSkandhas on Fri Apr 30, 2021 3:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"One should cultivate contemplation in one’s foibles. The foibles are like fish, and contemplation is like fishing hooks. If there are no fish, then the fishing hooks have no use. The bigger the fish is, the better the result we will get. As long as the fishing hooks keep at it, all foibles will eventually be contained and controlled at will." -Zhiyi

"Just be kind." -Atisha
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FiveSkandhas
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Re: Abhidharma

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Never mind (deleted post). Please continue.
"One should cultivate contemplation in one’s foibles. The foibles are like fish, and contemplation is like fishing hooks. If there are no fish, then the fishing hooks have no use. The bigger the fish is, the better the result we will get. As long as the fishing hooks keep at it, all foibles will eventually be contained and controlled at will." -Zhiyi

"Just be kind." -Atisha
reiun
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Re: Abhidharma

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Note: first edition, 2012
Malcolm
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Re: Abhidharma

Post by Malcolm »

reiun wrote: Fri Apr 30, 2021 3:10 pm Note: first edition, 2012
Correct. Generally speaking, people find this translation of Vallée Pouissin easier to digest than Pruden's. But neither are wholly translated out of French. They both make use of the Sanskrit manuscript as well as the Chinese and Tibetan.
SilenceMonkey
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Re: Abhidharma

Post by SilenceMonkey »

reiun wrote: Thu Apr 29, 2021 9:05 pm References to recommended translations or accurate academic papers, etc., of or concerning The Abhidharmakośakārikā or Verses on the Treasury of Abhidharma, by Vasubandhu, would be appreciated, if such exist.
I'm studying abhidharma now, and I found one book by Thupten Jinpa is very helpful. It explains the abhidharma concepts simply in plain language, juxtaposing shravakayana abhidharma and mahayana abhidharma. I'm using volume 1 as a reference, but it looks like vol 2 also covers abhidharma.

reiun
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Re: Abhidharma

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SilenceMonkey wrote: Fri Apr 30, 2021 9:20 pm
reiun wrote: Thu Apr 29, 2021 9:05 pm References to recommended translations or accurate academic papers, etc., of or concerning The Abhidharmakośakārikā or Verses on the Treasury of Abhidharma, by Vasubandhu, would be appreciated, if such exist.
I'm studying abhidharma now, and I found one book by Thupten Jinpa is very helpful. It explains the abhidharma concepts simply in plain language, juxtaposing shravakayana abhidharma and mahayana abhidharma. I'm using volume 1 as a reference, but it looks like vol 2 also covers abhidharma.

This book has all favorable reviews as of date. Thanks for sharing.

I note that the book deals with Buddhist science of the physical world. In you reading so far, would you say it is congruent with modern Western science?
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FiveSkandhas
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Re: Abhidharma

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The Kusha school (倶舎宗), one of the six early "Nanto" sects of Japanese Buddhism, took the Abhidharmakośakārikā (倶舎論 or Kusharon in Japanese) as their central text. Like most of the other Nanto schools, they were less a developed "sect" and more a kind of "textual research group" focusing on this particular text as well as some related works. Given their interest in Vasubandhu, they were later swallowed up as part of the Hosso-shu (Japanese Yogacara).

If you are interested in an east-Asian perspective on the Abhidharmakośakārikā and related texts, the video below might be germane.

"One should cultivate contemplation in one’s foibles. The foibles are like fish, and contemplation is like fishing hooks. If there are no fish, then the fishing hooks have no use. The bigger the fish is, the better the result we will get. As long as the fishing hooks keep at it, all foibles will eventually be contained and controlled at will." -Zhiyi

"Just be kind." -Atisha
SilenceMonkey
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Re: Abhidharma

Post by SilenceMonkey »

reiun wrote: Fri Apr 30, 2021 9:45 pm
This book has all favorable reviews as of date. Thanks for sharing.

I note that the book deals with Buddhist science of the physical world. In you reading so far, would you say it is congruent with modern Western science?
Hmm... only insofar as abdhidharma is in congruence with western science. From what little I've read, this series doesn't seem to me like a scientization of buddhism, but probably a presentation of aspects of buddhist philosophy that have parallels in a scientific (materialist) mindset. Perhaps a sourcebook that makes it easy for people looking for common ground.

The lower tenets (shravakayana philosophy) are said to be a mostly materialist worldview along the lines of science (ie. newtonian physics), but examining physical reality to a very fine degree. I'm not sure I agree with this statement, personally. But that's often how it's presented to western academics and scientists. "Buddhist science" and "Buddhist psychology" is how it is presented.
reiun
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Re: Abhidharma

Post by reiun »

SilenceMonkey wrote: Fri Apr 30, 2021 10:33 pm
reiun wrote: Fri Apr 30, 2021 9:45 pm
This book has all favorable reviews as of date. Thanks for sharing.

I note that the book deals with Buddhist science of the physical world. In you reading so far, would you say it is congruent with modern Western science?
Hmm... only insofar as abdhidharma is in congruence with western science. From what little I've read, this series doesn't seem to me like a scientization of buddhism, but probably a presentation of aspects of buddhist philosophy that have parallels in a scientific (materialist) mindset. Perhaps a sourcebook that makes it easy for people looking for common ground.

The lower tenets (shravakayana philosophy) are said to be a mostly materialist worldview along the lines of science (ie. newtonian physics), but examining physical reality to a very fine degree. I'm not sure I agree with this statement, personally. But that's often how it's presented to western academics and scientists. "Buddhist science" and "Buddhist psychology" is how it is presented.
First review:

"This is an amazing initiative by H.H. The Dalai Lama and this first volume (on the physical world) really shows in detail (but not too much) the different buddhist views (from lower Abhidharma to upper Abhidharma and Madhyamaka and even some passages from the Kalacakra Tantra) on our world. Some ideas are really impressive, like how the sun will grow in size and the planets will be consumed by it's fire; and some are mind boggling like how the first beings of the cosmos were bodyless/formless and gradually de-evolved to coarser forms of life."

I would have to agree. Does sound "mind-boggling".
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