The Thirty-seven Aids to Enlightenment are a set of fundamental teachings of Buddhism in the form of a list. The list’s seeming simplicity belies the fact that it is in fact a kind of road map to enlightenment for anyone who follows it with diligence and sincerity. The Thirty-seven Aids comprise seven practices conducive to awakening. Each of the seven practices is itself a set of elements, which add up to the total of thirty-seven: (1) The Four Foundations of Mindfulness, (2) The Four Proper Exertions, (3) The Four Steps to Magical Powers, (4) The Five Roots, (5) The Five Powers, (6) The Seven Factors of Enlightenment, and (7) The Noble Eightfold Path. Master Sheng Yen’s down-to-earth teachings take the reader on a progression through each of the practices—many of which are familiar to all major schools of Buddhism—illustrating how they relate to the reader’s own practice on the path toward enlightenment.
The present book collects various research papers by Bhikkhu Anālayo with translations of Madhyama-āgama discourses and a comparative study of their Pāli parallels, together with a brief discussion, found in the appendix, of the school affiliation of the Madhyama-āgama and its relation to the Majjhima-nikāya. The main emphasis in these studies is on detecting possible transmission errors in the Pāli versions through the help of the parallel Madhyama-āgama discourse. Topics taken up in the course of the different studies are the Buddha’s decision to teach, the role of investigation in early Buddhism, the notion of a recluse, the relationship between tranquillity and insight, the lateness of the dictum that a woman cannot be a Buddha, the beginnings of the Abhidharma, meditation on emptiness in early Buddhism, the development of the arahant ideal, the canonical account of the founding of the order of nuns, and the relationship between karma and liberation.
作者簡介
Bhikkhu Anālayo was born in Germany in 1962 and ordained in Sri Lanka in 1995. He completed a Ph.D. thesis at the University of Peradeniya (Sri Lanka) in 2000 and a habilitation thesis at the University of Marburg (Germany) in 2007. At present, he teaches at the Center for Buddhist Studies, University of Hamburg, and researches at Dharma Drum Buddhist College (Taiwan).
This volume contains the proceedings of a workshop on the Chinese translation of the Ekottarika-āgama, the Zengyi ahan jing (增壹阿含經), Taishō no. 125, held at Dharma Drum Buddhist College in April 2012. The papers included focus on different aspects of the translation of this early Buddhist canonical collection: its school affiliation; the relationship of its textual materials to Indian Mahāsāṃghika and Mahāyāna milieux; the incorporation of late elements in the course of revisions or additions effected in China; collaborative quantitative text analysis and authorship attribution applied to verify the philological hypothesis of later additions to the collection; structural aspects that can be reconstructed on the basis of its summary stanzas and of scriptural quotations in other works.
作者簡介
Bhikkhu AnālayoUniversity of Hamburg, GermanyDharma Drum Buddhist College (法鼓佛教學院), Taiwan
Satoshi Hiraoka (平岡 聡)Kyōto Bunkyō University (京都文教大学), Japan
Jenjou Hung (洪振洲)Dharma Drum Buddhist College (法鼓佛教學院), Taiwan
Tsefu Kuan (關則富)Yuan Ze University (元智大學), Taiwan
Ken Su(蘇錦坤)Hsinchu City (新竹市), Taiwan
Buddhism suggests that it is possible to investigate the nature of reality ourselves; but to do so one needs to differentiate definitive teachings from those of interpretable meaning. William Magee’s book, Paths to Omniscience, discusses a number of topics related to the interpretation of scripture according to Dzong-ka-ba, Jam-yang-shay-ba, Nga-w?ng-bel-den, and other great scholars of the Geluk world. Paths to Omniscience also addresses the Geluk approach to the practice of hermeneutics. Even within the lineage itself, scholars have not always agreed about interpretation of scripture. Paths to Omniscience describes intricate maneuvers enlivening the spirited controversies of these emminent Lamas. Paths to Omniscience also includes translations of thirty annotations from Nga-w?ng-bel-den’s Annotations for (Jam-yang-shay-ba’s) "Great Exposition of Tenets". These annotations show how diverse and wide-ranging a great commentarial author can be in his treatment of the basic text. Far from being mere footnotes to Jam-yang-shay-ba, the Annotations can instead be viewed as a seminar on his Great Exposition of Tenets.
To my knowledge there are no anthologies of Ch’an poetry in Chinese, Japanese or English which describe in detail the method of practice and the experience of Ch’an Furthermore, there are few prose sources in English dealing with the same topics On the other hand, there are numerous books in English that relate the episodes of the kung-ans(koans)The prevailing view that comes from reading these stories is that the practice of Ch’an is methodless, and since there is no way to describe the experience of Ch’an, it is suggested that we just go ahead and practice by studying the kung-ans The purpose of these poems is different in that they specifically show you how to practice, what attitudes to cultivate and what pitfalls to beware of Finally, they attempt to describe the ineffable experience of Ch’an itself These poems flow directly from the minds of the enlightened Ch’an masters; we get a glimpse into their experience at the time of, and after their enlightenment In contrast, in reading a kung-an we get an objective story of what happened and we don’t really know what was in their minds. It is my hope that this collection of poems will give those who are interested in the practice a new way of looking at Ch’an and a more balanced view of the scope of Ch’an literature The present selection is offered to make this tradition available to Western readers who may otherwise not be aware of their existence.
Master Sheng-Yen has devoted much of his life to spreading the teachings of Chinese Buddhism—a practice that antedates the more familiar Japanese and Tibetan traditions—throughout the world. He became known in the United States after he began founding meditation centers here in 1980. Now in his late seventies, he tells the remarkable story of his life and spiritual education in FOOTPRINTS IN THE SNOW. From descriptions of the private world of Buddhist masters to first-hand accounts of Chinese history, it is a rare document that is both an important look at China’s past and a compelling spiritual journey across a lifetime.Sheng-Yen’s story is of a life lived in the last years of the Republic of China, the Sino-Japanese War, and the founding of the People’s Republic of China. An eye-opening slice of modern history as well as an authoritative introduction to an ancient religious tradition, FOOTPRINTS IN THE SNOW will appeal to spiritual seekers, travelers who want to understand more about China, or anyone looking for a fascinating story.
From The Preface By Dan Stevenson EN. SHENG YEH is a master in the Caodong and Linji lineages of Chan〈Zen〉 school, who for twenty five years now has been guiding students from Taiwan, the United States, and Europe in the practice of Chan Buddhism. Hoofprint of the Ox provides a systematic introduction ─ in Sheng yen,s own words ─ to the principles that inform his particular style of Chan training.... In the final analysis, it is an unabashedly normative work ─ a book on Chan practice addressed to an English speaking audience with a personal interest in Buddhism. To the extent that this audience is also primarily Western, Hoofprint is more than passive report of Sheng yen,s personal convictions. It situates those convictions in responsive relation to specific expectations about Chen practice current among Western students, with specific points to be made.
The present book is a textual study in early Buddhism, which compares the Pali discourses of the Majjhima-nikāya with their parallels preserved in Chinese, Sanskrit and Tibetan etc.
作者簡介
Bhikkhu Anālayo was born in Germany in 1962 and ordained in Sri Lanka in 1995. He completed a Ph.D. thesis at the University of Peradeniya (Sri Lanka) in 2000 and a habilitation thesis at the University of Marburg (Germany) in 2007. At present, he teaches at the Center for Buddhist Studies, University of Hamburg, and researches at Dharma Drum Buddhist College (Taiwan).
A Guide to the Practice of Chan BuddhismThis is an inspiring guide to the practice of Chan (Chinese Zen) in the words of four great masters of that tradition. It includes teachings from contemporary masters Xuyun and Sheng Yen, and from Jiexian and Boshan of the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644). Though the texts were written over a period of hundreds of years, they are all remarkably lucid and are perfect for beginners as well as more advanced practitioners today. All the main points of spiritual practice are covered: philosophical foundations, methods, approaches to problems and obstacles—all aimed at helping the student attain the way to enlightenment.本書結集了四位禪師的禪修指導,包括明代曹洞宗的博山(無異元來)禪師、臨濟宗的晦山戒顯禪師的禪法,以及近代虛雲法師與聖嚴法師的禪法。內容涵括修行的各個面向,包括哲學基礎、實修方法、問題與障礙的解決,以及如何將修行融入生活中等。書中的資訊無論是對禪修初學者或已經深入修行的人,都能有所助益。
作者簡介
聖嚴法師,一九三○年出生,少年出家,曾於高雄山中閉關六年,並留學日本,獲得立正大學文學博士學位,曾任雜誌編輯、教授、所長以及譯經院院長等,創辦中華佛學研究所、創建法鼓山、僧伽大學、法鼓大學以及社會大學等,在國內設立禪修、文教、慈善等基金會,而分支道場亦遍及於歐、亞、美、澳等各大洲。他是一位教育家、作家,更是一位宗教家和國際知名的禪師,長年在國內外推動「心靈環保」、「種族和諧」及「世界和平」等工作不餘遺力。他所獲得的榮譽獎項中,包括總統文化獎、行政院文化獎、行政院社會領袖和風獎、中山文藝創作獎、中山學術著作獎、斐德烈二世和平獎等十多種。出版著作一百多種,已有十多種語言的譯著。他曾應邀為《中華日報》、《中央日報》、《聯合報》、《中國時報》、《自由時報》等各大報紙,及《天下》、《康健》等雜誌撰寫專欄。