This course provides an introduction to the study of the history, major teachings, and practices of the major Chinese religions and spiritual practices and is deigned to give conceptual tools to appreciate diverse religious practice in East. It covers the development of Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism and wide range of popular and local religions. From historical perspective we will also explore the development of key theological, religious and philosophical doctrines as well as associated practices. An effort will be made to spend time on each tradition according to its importance to Asia as a whole. We will explore the role of religions in politics and social relations in East and South, South East Asia and China in particular, and will analyze the origins, central teachings, divisions and branches, rituals and practices, influences on culture, and responses to modern challenges for each tradition. The emphasis throughout the course is on the hermeneutic difficulties attendant upon the study of religion in general, and Asian religions in particular. We will explore new Asian religions as dynamic, ongoing forces in the lives of individuals and in the collective experience of modern societies.
Doctrine of Chan
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Do curso por National Research University Higher School of Economics
Religions and Society in China
70 classificações
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National Research University Higher School of Economics
70 classificações
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Sinified Buddhism as an almost independent tradition
This module's content outlines the main texts and doctrines of Chan Buddhism, enumerates the main schools and branches, explains the influence that Buddhism had and has on Chinese life and art.
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Aleksey A. MaslovHead
School of Asian Studies
[SOUND]
[MUSIC]
Even after becoming a most influential Buddhist in China,
Chan Buddhism kept a lot of Indian remains.
First of all texts, some of these texts were rewritten into Chinese and translated
in different ways, but anyway, they still kept all the ideas that came from India.
First of all, Chan Buddhism very highly praised, several sutras and
first of all it's a Vimalakirti Sutra, Nirvana Sutra, Lotus Sutra.
Even today it's very famous.
Lankavatara Sutra which we already spoke about, and Diamond Sutra.
And Diamond Sutra and Lotus Sutra are the two sutras that are so-called
the starting point of every teaching in today's Buddhist monasteries.
So Chan Buddhism is not a completely independent stream.
As there are other Buddhist schools in China.
It's close connected to the Buddhist idea from India.
But these ideas were re-thinking and re-written.
Two main points became most important ideas of Chan Buddhism.
Chan Buddhists decided to combine two ways of as it's called the entrance
to Chan Buddhist School [FOREIGN] to enter to the clan Buddhism.
The first one, its called the principle li.
The main idea,
the main theory it means first of all meditation and general contemplation.
So you have to contemplate to meditate and to look inside you.
To look inside you, you have to find Buddha inside you.
But this meditation is only the passive way,
its not the only way to trying Buddhism.
Another point is sort of the active way, so
they entrance through actions or through some acts.
It means xing.
Xing in Chinese means action or any effort.
So it means that Chan Buddhism combine in two ways, the practical and theoretical.
The passive and active way.
That's why Chan Buddhism became distinguished from any other schools of
Buddhism that were much enclosed inside Buddhist monasteries.
So Chan Buddhists proposed completely different approaches to the enlightenment.
You can live by the layman life.
You can follow your own profession, or
your own ideas, or any way by your own way of life.
But at the same time you have to combine two things, practical and theoretical.
You can do everything that you already do in this life, but
at the same time you have to rethink, and
maybe revamp everything that you already did in this life.
So it means that you have to be much more concentrated,
much more concentrated of everything that you do, and
you have to do the same but by the completely clear and pure of mind.
So that's a combination of the practical and theoretical in Chan Buddhism.
Chan Buddhism proclaim its several ideas that I already spoke about but
let me sum up some most important idea that still alive even today.
First of all your mind is Buddha.
There is no Buddha outside your mind.
You don't have to reach it and to find it in some scriptures, or
in some teachers with some schools, just look inside you.
That's the first, and maybe most important idea of Chan Buddhism.
Another thing that all beings in this life of all human beings,
and even all animals, already have a Buddha nature.
So fo-xing, and this foresees
originally in light, from your beginning, from the birth,
so it mean the benjue, but you don't know about it.
You have to realize that you're already enlightened.
And you don't feel it because first of all,
because there is a lot of dirty everywhere and around you.
So you have to purify your mind and you feel that you're already enlightened.
Don't look any enlightenment outside your mind.
So it means that you can be enlightened right now, right here in this place.
You don't have to find any better time, or any better place,
or even any better teacher.
Right now.
Right here.
And listen, for example, to my words.
You can become enlightened because you have everything that you need to have for
enlightenment.
Nothing to look more.
That's another very important point for Buddhism.
So Buddhism of Chan Buddhism propagated the not attached mind.
So it means you don't have to be attached to any place or any teacher.
So it means that you don't have to hang onto anything or anywhere, to be attached.
You don't have to think about some conceptual ideas, or
to develop some theories.
That's why from the first side Chan Buddhism could
be looked at a very simplistic approach to Buddhism.
And that too much theory, a lot of practice, a lot of meditation,
not too much logic as you can find for
example in Indian Buddhism at the first Chinese because everything is very simple.
But in this simplicity we can find a route for the enlightenment.
Enlightenment is very simple.
As Chinese Buddhists say, the real enlightenment is not far away from you,
but the problem that you don't know about it.
That was the main idea of Chan Buddhism.
Enlightenment is already here.
So it means that the our life, our cycle of life, and
nirvana, are completely the same.
It's not like in old Chinese school of Buddhists that
it's a very bad mundane life.
So you have to get rid of this body, of this life, and
to search some kind of enlightened life or enlightened space.
No, is already Nirvana.
And you don't have to rely on some kind of
super mundane sources or rituals.
Everything is already inside you.
You are a completely spiritual being, and you could be enlightened right now and
right here.
What does mean enlightenment?
We use this word very often, but not too much people,
even in Buddhist circles clearly understand what does it mean.
First of all enlightenment, it's really idea about light, light inside you.
There is a darkness in the mind of every man, of every people in this life.
Because he or she is too attached to the mundane world.
We are too nervous about our life.
We usually think what to do and what not to do.
So we are too close connected to everything that happens around us.
But let's pretend for one moment that nothing exists, absolutely nothing.
And there's only benxing, so it means my old nature.
Everything that exist outside me is my mind, the projection of our mind.
So just keep it clear, keep it calm and
the world outside you will be the same level of the calmness or clearness.
So you have to realize your authentic heartmind, your authentic heart.
So it means zhenxin, the true heart.
Because everyone has a true heart, but
not everyone could understand to realize this true heart.
Get rid of your illusions.
Get rid of the illusions about you and you will be enlightened.
Enlightened means to get rid of any ropes,
any connections, any ties that oppress your mind.
So it means after you cut all the strokes
you can feel a light that came from inside you.
And it means that you can feel zhenxin so the true mind, the true Buddha inside you.
That's a very easy way so nothing to do more.
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