This book argues for the central role played by absorption in the functioning of the human mind. The importance of absorption makes itself felt in different ways; the two studies combined in this book concentrate on two of them. The first study, 'The Symbolic Mind', argues that, largely as a result of language acquisition, humans have two levels of cognition, which in normal circumstances are simultaneously active. Absorption is a (or the) means to circumvent some, perhaps all, of the associations that characterize one of these two levels of cognition, resulting in what is sometimes referred to as mysitcal experience, but which is not confined to mysticism and plays a role in various "religious" phenomena, and elsewhere. In the second st...
Publisher description: As David White explains in the Introduction to Tantra in Practice, Tantra is an Asian body of beliefs and practices that seeks to channel the divine energy that grounds the universe, in creative and liberating ways. The subsequent chapters reflect the wide geographical and temporal scope of Tantra by examining thirty-six texts from China, India, Japan, Nepal, and Tibet, ranging from the seventh century to the present day, and representing the full range of Tantric experience--Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, and even Islamic. Each text has been chosen and translated, often for the first time, by an international expert in the field who also provides detailed background material. Students of Asian religions and general reader...
The human voice is one of the principal conveyers of social and affective communication. Yet relatively little is known about the neural circuitry that supports the recognition of different vocally expressed emotions. We conducted an FMRI study to examine the brain responses to vocal expressions of anger and happiness, and to test whether specific brain regions showed preferential engagement in the processing of one emotion over the other. We also tested the extent to which simultaneously presented facial expressions of the same or different emotions would enhance brain responses, and to what degree such responses depend on attention towards the vocal expression. Forty healthy individuals were scanned while listening to vocal expressions...
This article discusses the consecration ritual (rab gnas cho ga) of Tibetan Buddhism in which images, stūpas (mchod rten), and other objects are ritually transformed into objects of worship. Consecration is generally considered a tantric ritual, but here the author traces the history of consecrations that belong to sūtra. She notes that elements of these sūtra-style consecrations are still to be seen in the tantric form of the ritual, which is actually a composite ritual. (Ben Deitle 2006-02-23)
This article compares accounts of the life of Ra Lotsāwa (rwa lo tsA ba, 1016-1198) given in several Tibetan hagiographies (rnam thar) and religious histories (chos 'byung). The article particularly focuses on the contradictions of the accounts. It also provides some remarks on biographical literature in Tibet. (Ben Deitle 2006-02-23)
This article compares Tibetan Buddhist philosophical ideas with those of Indian presentations on the topic of "real universals as the objective referents of general terms." The article focuses on Gelukpa (dge lugs pa) philosophical literature and the philosophy of the Indian Dharmakīrti. In general Buddhism denies the existence of real universals, however this paper points out that the debate is not without it's controversies. (Ben Deitle 2006-02-23)
This article traces the history of a text titled Zhus lan bdud rtsi sman mchog as a way of examining the relationship between the Nyingmapa (rnying ma pa) teacher Lhodrak Drupchen (lho brag grub chen) and his famous student Tsongkhapa (tsong kha pa), founder of the Gelukpa (dge lugs pa) school of Tibetan Buddhism. The author draws largely on the writtings of Lhodrak Drupchen. (Ben Deitle 2006-02-23)
This paper examines Tsongkhapa’s (tsong kha pa) views on One Vehicle (Tib. theg pa gcig, Skt. ekyāta) and a few other concepts, focusing on his presentation of these in the texts Legs bshad gser phreng and Dbu ma dgongs pa rab gsal. The views of a few other Gelukpa (dge lugs pa) thinkers are also considered. (Ben Deitle 2006-02-23)
This article criticizes some earlier interpretations of Tsongkhapa’s (tsong kha pa) philosophy which concluded that he was in agreement with the theory of tathāgatagarbha and śūnyatā as presented in the Ratnagotravibhāga. (Ben Deitle 2006-02-23)
This article explores the history and relationship of various editions of the Kangyur (bka' 'gyur) of the Tibetan Buddhist Canon. The author bases his discussion on his experience constructing a critical edition of the Lokānuvartanāsūtra. He also draws heavily on previous studies done by Helmut Eimer, on whose work he also bases much of his methodology. He concludes by recommending approaches to future text critical studies of the Kangyur. (Ben Deitle 2006-02-23)
This article looks at the early uses of two metaphors for enlightenment, a bird still in the egg and a newborn lion, as well as later controversies surrounding the use and meaning of these metaphors. The metaphors were employed by Indian, Tibetan, and Chinese Buddhists, most famously in accounts of the debate between Indian and Chinese Buddhists at the Samyé (bsam yas) monastery in Tibet. Controversy often stemmed from debate as to whether or not the imagery conveyed a notion of "simultaneous" or "all-at-once" (cig car ba) enlightenment. (Ben Deitle 2006-02-23)
A preliminary study of a manuscript edition of the Kangyur (bka' 'gyur) of the Tibetan Buddhist Canon which was produced at Pukdrak (phug brag) monastery sometime between 1696 and 1709. This edition is unique because it exhibits features which suggest that it may be from an independent tradition than that of the old Nartang (snar thang) Kangyur, which is believed to be the source of all other currently known editions of the Kangyur. (Ben Deitle 2006-02-23)
This article is a study of the text Dris lan rin po che'i bstan bcos / lung gi gter mdzod by Jikmé Lingpa ('jigs med gling pa, 1729/30-1798). The text, which explains the origins of the tantras of the early transmission and the later transmission from India, exhibits features of both a religious history (chos 'byung) and a presentation of tenets (grub mtha'). (Ben Deitle 2006-02-23)
This article examines the 9th and 10th chapters of a Sanskrit version of the Madhyamaka-hṛdaya-Tarkajvālā which was found in Tibet and by Rāhula Sāṃskṛtyāyana in 1936. The author compares this text with several Tibetan versions from various editions of the Tibetan Buddhist Canon. He notes several differences including paraphrased translations as well as extra verses in the Tibetan versions. The author attributes the most glaring instance of extra verses in the Tibetan to a scribal error in the copying of the original Sanskrit manuscript which caused the available Sanskrit version to be lacking. (Ben Deitle 2006-02-27)
This short paper reviews Tibetan sources concerning the First, Second, and Third Buddhist Councils in India. The paper is presented in both English and Tibetan versions. (Ben Deitle 2006-02-27)
In this article, the author povides further support for the argument that Kamalaśīla refuted theories held by Dharmottara, and Dharmottara refuted theories held by Śāntarakṣita. In recreating the flow of these Indian Buddhist philosophers' arguments, the author is able to propose dates for the life of Dharmottara to approximately 740-800 CE. (Ben Deitle 2006-02-27)
This article deals with the use of skulls in Tibetan rituals, particularly tantric rituals. It discusses the history of the ritual object, how a skull is selected for ritual use, and some of its uses. Several photographs and diagrams are included. (Ben Deitle 2006-02-28)
This article looks at the work of Chökyong Zangpo (chos skyong bzang po, 1441-1528), a Tibetan translator of Sanskrit who belonged to Zhalu (zha lu) monastery in western Tibet. The author lists Chökyong Zangpo's translations and also offers some possible revisions to select passages from these translations. (Ben Deitle 2006-02-28)
This short paper gives brief overview of Madhyamaka philosophy, and notes that there is a strong tradition of literature on Madhyamaka in Mongolia. (Ben Deitle 2006-02-28)
This article looks at polemical arguments between Sakyapas (sa skya pa) and Kagyüpa (bka' 'gyud pa) over relics. Small relics (ring bsrel) are often regarded in Tibet as appearing miraculously at the death of a saint. However, as the article demonstrates, the exact nature of these relics and their authenticity has been a matter of debate among Tibetan Buddhists. Furthermore, controversies over relics have sometimes taken place in the context of broader political contentions. (Ben Deitle 2006-02-28)
This paper is a study of the thirteenth century Tibetan textbook on Abhidharma (mngon pa), the Mchims mdzod by Chim Jampeyang (mchims ’jam pa’i dbyang, 1210-1289?) of Nartang (snar thang) monastery. The paper mainly deals with the structural presentation of the Abhidharmakośa in the Mchims mdzod, and compares it with a 7th century Chinese commentary called the Guang ji. (Ben Deitle 2006-02-28)
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