Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Rg St 4: Intro to Buddhism

- Maitreya
dressed in regal attire
seated with pendant legs
in possession of a water vase
Korean images tend to be pensive
Cloth Sack Monk
- American Buddha
- first figure you see in Chinese Buddhist temples
- origin is associated with Zen
- Avalokitesvara: Boddhisattva of compassion
often female dressed in white
multiple arms
holding a lotus flower
- figures associated with Pure Land often hold a lotus flower
- Avalokitesvara
has 33 different forms
A chapter in Lotus Sutra about Avalokitesvara was eventually circulated on its own
Maybe confused with Mazu, a Daoist female deity associated with water.
often hands have eyes
- Manjusri: Boddhistatva of wisdom
often holding a buddhist text/scroll-Lotus Sutra
Sometimes riding a lion

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

- Amitabha: Buddha of the Western Pure Land

Sometimes depicted standing on a cloud with various attendants
Usually depicted standing or sitting in meditation posture
- 8 of the top 10 tallest statues in the world are Buddhist
- Four sorts of religion (up to early 19th century)
Christianity

Best

Judaism

West

Mohametanism
Idolatry

Rest

- Buddhism is coined in 1821

- Pre-1830s
Buddha is probably Mecury
Ethiopian?
- 1830-1850
Reading of texts
Scholars
Dont ask Buddhists
- Chinese immigrants opened synchronistic temples
- Soryu Kagahi
Hongan-ji (Jodo shin)
helped found temples in Hawaii
- Young Mens Buddhist Association
Hongan-ji representatives
San Francisco
- Buddhist churches of America
largest Buddhist group today
2

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Subsect of Pure Land

- 1879-1910
The First Buddhist Vogue
interest in Buddhism
Buddha-> Jesus
Social Reformer (Ritual)
- Big Backlash against Catholicism in America
move away from ritual into philosophy
Buddhism=Science
eminently ethical and tolerant
- Presumption in society: if you had no god, you had no morality
- The Buddha says you dont have to reject Jainism. Just understand Buddhism, and
practice your Jain things.

- The whole Mahayana tradition gets completely swept under the carpet
because its not so compatible with science
- A scientific understanding of Buddhism went much further than a Christian or Catholic
understanding.

- World Parliament of Religions (1893)

Is there anything tying all religions together?
Non-Christian representatives from all over the world
The Buddhists stole the show
- Dharmapala and Shaku Soen
gave very stirring renditions of Buddhism to audience
Buddhism and tolerance; evolutionary link
drew the largest crowds

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

- Dt Suzuki
Shaku Soens translator
layperson
popular in 1950s
famous for teaching at Columbia University
Beat Generation are heavily influenced by his understanding of Zen
taught that to understand Zen- non-dual, pure, unmediated understanding of reality
Built his understanding of Zen on William James, 20th century psychology
- Zen Boom (1955-1965)
associated with counterculture movement
- In 1965, Asian immigration policies completely change
Open policy
- Two-Buddhisms
Ethnic Buddhists
- Asian immigrants
- more interested in ritual, generating merit, have some understanding of monks
Convert Buddhists
- Non-Asian
- more interested in psychology or philosophy
meditation
- interested not in monasticism, but in being a lay buddhist
- Sokka Gakkai
Japanese Buddhists who evangelize and target non-Asian Americans
- Nightstand Buddhists
Lukewarm Buddhists

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

- Sympathetic to Buddhist practices, yet theres a resistance to someone whos

Buddhist

- read a book about Buddhism and put it on their nightstand