BUDDHISM IN THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD

1. Buddhism in India. Origin and development in IndiaBuddha Shakyamuni born in India 6th century BCBuddhism and Brahmanic worldviewPilgrimage sites in IndiaIndian Buddhism: monastic centres and development of

Mahayana

2. Transmission throughout AsiaMissions of AsokaPilgrimage and transmissionIntra-Asian links, trade and kingshipBuddhism’s compatibility with indigenous religiosityBuddhism and civilization (more on this in later weeks)

3. Global Buddhism: Transmission to the West and Asian Buddhist Modernity

Colonial contacts, Theravada and ZenGlobal trade and immigrationDiasporic communities: Tibetan exileTrade, war and migrationGlobal capitalism, social change, and new Buddhist movements

Buddhism in the neighbourhood

Just a few of our local Buddhist centres

BUDDHISM IN THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD100850

COORDINATOR: DR JUDITH M SNODGRASS

Week 1. Introduction

The aim of this lecture is • To introduce Buddhism in India

• To show the extent and diversity of Buddhism in the world today • To introduce key terms (Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana) • To introduce ideas of transmission.

How did Buddhism spread?Why was Buddhism so widely accepted?Why is there such diversity?

AndSince it is impossible to cover all of ‘Buddhism’ in 12 weeks, to outline what the unit plans to cover, and what it will not, what you might decide to follow up yourself

Assessment and such matters will be covered in the tutorials.

BUDDHISM IN THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD

1. Buddhism in India. Origin and development in IndiaBuddha Shakyamuni born in India 6th century BCBuddhism and Brahmanic worldviewPilgrimage sites in IndiaIndian Buddhism: monastic centres and development of

Mahayana

2. Transmission throughout AsiaMissions of AsokaPilgrimage and transmissionIntra-Asian links, trade and kingshipBuddhism’s compatibility with indigenous religiosityBuddhism and civilization (more on this in later weeks)

3. Global Buddhism: Transmission to the West and Asian Buddhist Modernity

Colonial contacts, Theravada and ZenGlobal trade and immigrationDiasporic communities: Tibetan exileTrade, war and migrationGlobal capitalism, social change, and new Buddhist movements

PILGRIMAGE SITES

Lumbini Birth (6th C BC)

Kapilavastu Early life

Bodhgaya Awakening

Sarnath First Teaching

Shravasti Miracles

Kushinaga Parinirvana (decease)

HERITAGE SITES

Sanchi

Bharhut

Ajanta

Ellura

Nalanda

Amaravati

Nagarjunakonda

Bamiyan

ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT IN INDIA

Awakening: Bodhi tree c.1835

Teaching: Sarnath Parinirvana: Kusinara (building quite new)

Mahabodhi temple at Bodhgaya

Asoka c. 304 BC – 232 BC

Buddhist King

Built monuments at pilgrimage sites

Set up Edicts throughout the kingdom

Ajanta caves circa 2-1C. BCE to 7C AD

Ajanta Cave 19 c.1830

discovered 1824 by British military men hunting tigers

Ellora

Karla

AmaravatiStupa reconstructed from sculptured

panels

Lumbini mid twentieth century

Kusinara 1970

Current site

Sanchi as inspiration

Sanchi inspired auditorium at Buddhist University in Kyoto, Japan

Sanchi as international symbol of modern humanist Buddhism

PILGRIMAGE SITES

Lumbini Birth (6th C BC)

Kapilavastu Early life

Bodhgaya Awakening

Sarnath First Teaching

Shravasti Miracles

Kushinaga Parinirvana (decease)

HERITAGE SITES

Sanchi

Bharhut

Ajanta

Ellura

Nalanda

Amaravati

Nagarjunakonda

Bamiyan……

(Defining ‘India’?)

ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT IN INDIA

Head of a Buddha

Gupta Period

Mathura, 5th century

While the 5th century is indeed very early, we must remember that this is about 1000 years from the time the Buddha lived in this world.

The Gupta period was a high point of Indian civilization, a time of great intellectual and artistic development.

Also the height of Indian influence through trade and pilgrimage.

Chinese pilgrims:

Faxian 334-420

Hsuan Tsang (596-664) travelled in India 635-641

Bodhisattva Java

Bamiyan valley AfghanistanCirca 400-800ADChinese pilgrim Hsuang Tsang visited 63455 metres high

Buddhism is not exclusive

No conflict with existing belief

Existing beliefs and practices were encompassed

Existing gods found a place within the Buddhist cosmology

…do not neglect the guardian spirits etc.

Note that (Indian/ Hindu) Brahmanic gods are still found in Buddhism,

even as far away as Japan.

In Japan, Japanese Buddhism encompassed Shinto gods (kami).

Similar processes of localization occurred wherever Buddhism went

(civilizational, cultural and political reasons discussed in other weeks)

Bangkok 2003

Shrine to Brahma above

Spirit Houses outside MacDonalds

Burma/Myanmar

Ceylon /Sri Lanka

Abhayagiri (city 88 BC)

Polunnaruwa

East Asia: China Korea Japan Vietnam….

Sokkuram (Korea)

Borobudur: Mahayana Buddhism in Java

Himalayan Buddhism

New monument of global Buddhism

Site: North India

International funding

Problems of Categorizing diversityIndian Buddhism:

Covers over a 1,000 years of development and many different forms. It was not just the place of original Buddhism, but of the development of various Hinayana schools, the many Mahayana schools, including tantric Buddhism.

HinayanaLiterally ‘small vehicle’. There were many different forms. Theravada is the main surviving form. Used mainly to mark the distinction from Mahayana.

TheravadaLiterally ‘The Way of the Elders’. The Buddhism of contemporary Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos… Pali Buddhism (texts are in Pali language)

Mahayana Literally ‘great vehicle’. Now: Vietnam, Japan, China, Korea, Tibet, MongoliaAgain there are many different schools and regional variations.Archaeology: sites in Ceylon, Indonesia, Burma, Thailand and CambodiaIndian Sanskrit texts are basic to all forms. Sanskrit Buddhism

VajrayanaUsually associated with Tibet, but also in Japan (Shingon sect). Archaeology shows it too was once widespread. Remains in Sri Lanka, Burma, and

elsewhere

We should apply the same cautions to:

Modern Buddhism, Western Buddhism, global Buddhism, ethnic Buddhism……

(See readings for final week)

Issues:

• History: all forms of Buddhism were widespread in earlier times

See Ebook for history of each area.

• Modern political borders do not coincide with traditional cultural areas

• Religion, national identity and nationalism. This is one reason for this historical

background in a unit on Buddhism in the contemporary world.

• The present contains the past: continuities of tradition, transformation, innovation.

• The mutually supportive realms of spiritual practice, tourism, heritage, and commerce

Categories are necessary to get a handle on things, but be aware of their

limitations