The Philosophy of Desire in the Buddhist Pali Canon

David Webster explores the notion of desire as found in the Buddhist Pali Canon. Beginning by addressing the idea of a 'paradox of desire', whereby we must desire to end desire, the varieties of desire that are articulated in the Pali texts are examined. A range of views of desire, as found in Western thought, are presented as well as Hindu and Jain approaches. An exploration of the concept of ditthi(view or opinion) is also provided, exploring the way in which 'holding views' can be seen as analogous to the process of desiring. Other subjects investigated include the mind-body relationship, the range of Pali terms for desire, and desire's positive spiritual value. A comparative exploration of the various approaches completes the work

A study of the dialogue between Christianity and <i>Theravāda</i> Buddhism in Thailand: as represented by Buddhist and Christian writings from Thailand in the period 1950-2000

There has been little Buddhist-Christian dialogue in Thailand. Thai Buddhists, the majority community, see little need for dialogue. There are, however, two notable exceptions: the Venerable Payutto and the Venerable Buddhadāsa Bhikkhus. Thai Christians do not realise the importance of dialogue, hence Dialogue has been confined to a few Thai scholars. Historical study has shown that the first Christian emissaries from the West arrived with superior attitudes and hidden agendas, not troubling to understand Buddhism, nor its social context. Their efforts led to a lack of acceptance, even disdain, for Christianity. Thai Christians have not grasped the need to understand Theravāda Buddhism, as this dissertation uncovers, and without realising, they are communicating with Buddhists using Thai vocabulary that is incomprehensible. Buddhadāsa took a very significant initiative to dialogue with Thai Christians. Through his use of two levels of understanding language, Buddhadāsa reformulates key Buddhist doctrines. In particular his explication of nibbāna, not at or beyond death, but for all in the here-and-now via jitwang (freed-mind) and detachment from I/me-my/mine gives Buddhism contemporary relevance. Buddhadāsa compares his Buddhism to what he sees as the main features of Christianity. ‘God’ he identifies with the Buddhist concept of dhamma; nibbāna with ‘the kingdom of God’; and anattā with the Christian cross, perceiving it as ‘the denial of I’. Payutto’s exposition is more cautious, by contrast. It reflects Buddhist suspicions of historical Christianity and points to the urgency of dialogue. This dissertation uncovers the weaknesses and strengths of Thai Buddhist-Christian dialogue as it now stands, giving the big picture and uncovering the underlying issues for further research. It provides the crucial groundwork necessary for future work and stresses the need to dialogue and to enter each others’ worldview to overcome the problem of miscommunication through incomprehension. Only thus can fruitful dialogue leading to mutual understanding and social harmony be achieved

Aspects of the self: an analysis of self reflection, self presentation and the experiential self within selected Buddhist blogs

At the heart of this dissertation is an examination of self reflection, self presentation and the experiential self within three Buddhist blogs: The Buddhist Blog, The American Buddhist and ThinkBuddha.org. Based upon this original research, my thesis contributes to ongoing discussions relating to the self online and to the emerging field of media, religion and culture. A number of other scholars have already investigated how the internet has provided a new platform in which to engage with online religious communities, participate in rituals and develop religious identity. Up to this point, however, the place of Buddhism online has been largely overlooked or limited to purely descriptive analysis. As I argue in chapter one, this thesis provides a more developed examination of Buddhism on the internet. In chapters two and three, I demonstrate how my analysis and definition of three aspects of the self, namely self reflection, self presentation and the experiential self, within selected Buddhist blogs (online diaries) provides an innovative contribution to the developing area of study related to new media and religion. In chapter four, I consider my four central research questions and the interdisciplinary approach used which draws from the fields of anthropology, visual cultural studies, media studies, as well as Buddhist studies. In chapter five I present the Buddhist interpretative framework used for the analysis of the experiential self. This focuses on the conceptual issues of the self in early Buddhism as well as the Buddhist Theravada Abhidhamma framework for the analysis of the self (anatta), the components of the self (khandhas) and the senses and sense spheres (ayatanas and dhatus). Through the three ethnographic case studies (chapters six, seven and eight) I demonstrate how the genre of life writing (blogs) is used as a medium for self reflection, self presentation and the experiential self, thus emphasising the experiential aspect of human existence online. In the conclusion (chapter nine), I consider the continuities and discontinuities between the three blogs, and in doing so I illustrate how the detailed examination of Buddhist blogs provides an insight into different aspects of popular culture, of Buddhism on the internet and how new media is being used in the twenty first century

Early Buddhist interpersonal ethics : a study of the Singalovada Suttanta and its contemporary relevance

This dissertation discusses the Singalovada suttanta, a text which is part of the Pali Canon and variants of which are also found in the Mahayana corpus. The Pali Text Society edition of this text is translated into both English and Afrikaans, and its place within the greater scheme of Buddhist religious philosophy and canonical literature is examined. It is concluded that the Singalovada suttanta is an integral part of Buddhist ethical teaching and that it displays clear connections to fundamental early Buddhist philosophy. The text is also checked for internal coherence and for variation between its different versions. It is shown how the ethical principles and practices that are expounded in the singalovada Suttanta can be applied to life in a modern society, and what this implies for the relationship between contemporary society, philosophy, religion and ethics generallyReligious Studies and ArabicM.A. (Religious Studies

Christian-Buddhist Dialogue in the Writings of Lynn A. De Silva

This dissertation studies the theological implications of inter-religious dialogue that call for resolution from the Christian standpoint, the Christian self-understanding in religiously plural context, and the essentials of authentic inter-religious dialogue by an analysis and evaluation of Lynn A. de Silva\u27s dialogue with Sri Lankan Buddhism. Chapter I surveys the historical factors which heightened the encounter between the religions and describes the background from which De Silva\u27s theology emerged. Developments in the debate on inter-religious dialogue in missionary conferences in Asia and in the World Council o f Churches reveal the confrontation between Asian and European theologies. It is shown that De Silva\u27s dialogical concerns arose out of existential contact with Sri Lankan Buddhism, and that the resurgence of Buddhism and the transition in Christian missionary attitudes led to a Sri Lankan expression of Christianity. Chapter II describes De Silva\u27s holistic dialogical approach in contrast to theoretical Western approaches. The basic ingredients essential to authentic dialogue and its objectives, as spelled out by De Silva, are noted. In his appraisal of the Buddhist approach to dialogue, dialogical exchanges with Buddhist thought leaders, and use o f Buddhist terms, a practised theology of dialogue emerges. Chapter III describes the translational nature of De Silva\u27s dialogical theology. The process of conveying concepts from one religious context to another is traced in his use of Tilakkhana (the three signata of Buddhism) as a conceptual framework in the development of: (1) a Christian-Buddhist estimate of man— the relation between anattā (non-self) and the Christian teaching about the spirit , (2) an inclusivist Christology — Christ as Dharma-Loqos, and his salvific role in the religions, and (3) anattā and the indispensability of God. Chapter IV evaluates De Silva\u27s treatment of Christianity and Buddhism as complementary systems and sifts out that which is theologically decisive for authentic inter-faith dialogue. It deals with the Buddhist response to De Silva and assesses his dialectical approach. It is shown that the salvific status accorded to other religions is crucial to Asian Christian self-understanding on the questions of church and mission

The Legacy of the Controversies: The Continuing Impact on Interfaith Encounters in Sri Lanka of Nineteenth-Century controversies between Buddhists and Christians

The Buddhist-Christian encounter of the late nineteenth-century Sri Lanka was an important episode in the history of the country. The nineteenth-century Christian missionaries who were influenced by the eighteenth-century Enlightenment legacy forced the Buddhist monks to engage in debates with them on the relative merits of both religions with the view to demonstrating the superiority and authenticity of their religion and Christianising Sri Lanka. However, it became counterproductive and inspired a revival in Buddhism instead of winning Buddhists to Christianity. The outcome of those controversies still affects the Buddhist-Christian relationship in Sri Lanka. Since the major hindrance to the harmonious co-existence of the Buddhist and Christian communities was the continuing impact of the nineteenth-century controversies, this dissertation makes an attempt to discover the causes, origin, and consequences of those controversies, and to analyse them in order to trace its legacy and impact on the development of both religious communities and their faith to the present day. In Chapter One, the British missionaries’ encounters with the Buddhists are described in order to highlight the dramatic changes that took place in the Buddhist attitude towards Christianity. The inclusive and tolerant spirit of the Buddhists was provoked to such an extent that they abandoned their traditional approach to other religions and adopted the methodology of the missionaries in condemning Christianity and eventually met the Christians in public debates. A critical analysis of the subjects that were debated in the controversies is given in the second chapter. Each party criticised and ridiculed their opponent’s religions. Both parties used their intellectual skills and religious knowledge to demonstrate that their religion was superior and authentic. The Buddhists with their oratorical skills and knowledge of Western biblical criticism defeated the Christians in the public debates. Since this victory gave tremendous confidence and enthusiasm to the Buddhists, they began to revive and reform their religion by utilising the methods used by the Christian missionaries while undermining Christian faith and mission. This development in Buddhism is analysed in the third chapter. In the fourth chapter, the contemporary Buddhist attitude towards Christian doctrines and mission is analysed since the nineteenth-century controversies conditioned the Buddhist perception of Christianity even to the present day. The dissertation concludes by reflecting on the controversies and their continuing impact upon contemporary Buddhist-Christian relationship in Sri Lanka and recommending a context-sensitive attitude and approach in contemporary interfaith encounters

Beyond Mind III: Further Steps to a Metatranspersonal Philosophy and Psychology (Continuation of the Discussion on the Three Best Known Transpersonal Paradigms, with a Focus on Washburn and Grof )

This paper gives continuity to the criticism, undertaken in two papers previously published in this journal, of transpersonal systems that fail to discriminate between nirvanic, samsaric, and neithernirvanic- nor-samsaric transpersonal states, and which present the absolute sanity of Awakening as a dualistic, conceptually-tainted condition. It also gives continuity to the denunciation of the false disjunction between ontogenically ascending and descending paths, while showing the truly significant disjunction to be between existentially ascending and metaexistentially descending paths. However, whereas in the preceding paper the focus was on Wilber’s so-called integral system, in this paper the focus of the main body is on the systems of Washburn and Grof. It features an appendix discussing psychedelics and the use of the term entheogens in their regard, and another appendix showing Wilber’s system to give continuity to the Orphic dualism of Pythagoreans, Eleatics, and Plato, and the covert Orphic dualism of Neo-Platonics