18 research outputs found
Emptiness through dhammas or Emptiness of dhammas:understanding of Emptiness in Theravāda Meditation Traditions
Get PDFThe Paṭṭhāna (Conditional Relations) and Buddhist meditation:application of the teachings in the Paṭṭhāna in Insight (Vipassanā) Meditation Practice
No full textFoundations of criticality:applications of traditional monastic pedagogy in Myanmar
Get PDFIt is well documented in scholarship that standardized, non-secularised monastic examinations in Myanmar have resulted in an education system that focuses on rote learning. Through a multidisciplinary study of monastic education in Myanmar and modern educational theories, this article investigates how Burmese monks and nuns study Buddhist texts in formal monastic curricula and what pedagogical and learning approaches are applied in their study of Buddhist texts. I shall give particular attention to the process of acquiring expert knowledge through the use of mnemonic techniques. This article demonstrates that the textual expertise developed through memorisation and detailed study of both canonical and exegetical Buddhist texts in fact provides a basis for criticality, i.e. a practice encompassing analytical skills, logical thinking skills and the ability to think anew. In order to explore the Burmese pedagogical and learning approaches, I shall discuss the significance of scriptural learning within the socio-political climate of Myanmar and pedagogical philosophy of teaching monasteries and nunneries. Along the way, I shall point out, albeit only briefly, some differences between teaching and learning approaches used in Higher Education in the UK and those of monastic teaching institutions of Myanmar
In the Midst of Imperfections:Burmese Buddhists and Business Ethics
Get PDFThis article looks at interpretations by Buddhists in Burma of right livelihood (sammā-ājīva) and documents the moral reasoning that underlies their business activities. It explores different ways in which Buddhists in Burma, through the use of Buddhist ethics and practices, resolve moral dilemmas that they encounter whilst pursuing their livelihood. I give a brief summary of the existing scholarship on Buddhist economics and on economic action in Burma, exemplified by the work of E. F. Schumacher and Melford Spiro respectively. In so doing, I wish to highlight a difference between the approaches of the existing scholarship and that of this article: the existing scholarship analyzes economic issues from the perspective of normative ethics; this research analyzes them from the perspective of descriptive ethics, looking at how Buddhists interpret and apply Buddhist ethics in their business activities, in the midst of moral, social and economic imperfections. The research presented draws on semi-structured interviews and fieldwork conducted in Burma in the summer of 2010 and relates the interpretations given to the relevant Buddhist literature, the textual authorities for doctrines such as morality (sīla)
The Sound of the Breath:Sunlun and Theinngu Meditation Traditions of Myanmar
Get PDFThis article explores the popular Sunlun and Theinngu meditation traditions in Myanmar. The founders, Sunlun Sayadaw Ven. U Kavi (1878–1952) and Theinngu Sayadaw Ven. U Ukkaṭṭha (1913–1973), both led a lay life until in their mid-40s and only then took up meditation, going on to become highly respected meditation teachers. Their meditation techniques are similarly distinctive in employing rapid, strong and rhythmic breathing. They combined this with the contemplation of the intense, usually unpleasant, bodily sensations that are thus induced. I document their techniques and application in detail, highlighting their complexity and diversity. I draw contrasts between the use of sati, mindfulness, in their methods and the way it is used in the modern Mindfulness movement. Finally, I discuss the ways in which the practices and experiences of both masters had to be authorised to survive where other meditation traditions have been outlawed. Senior members of the Burmese Sangha catechised both masters separately, using Pāli canonical and post-canonical texts as a benchmark to verify the popular belief amongst Burmese people that they were arahants. I locate this testing within the context of the concerns, sense of duty and status experienced by Burmese lay people in relation to defending Buddhism from decline
The Paṭṭhāna (Conditional Relations) and Buddhist meditation:application of the teachings in the Paṭṭhāna in Insight (Vipassanā) Meditation Practice
No full textEmptiness through dhammas or Emptiness of dhammas:understanding of Emptiness in Theravāda Meditation Traditions
Get PDF
<i>Entering the Stream to Enlightenment: Experiences of the Stages of the Buddhist Path in Contemporary Sri Lanka</i>, by Yuki Sirimane. Equinox Publishing Ltd., 2016. 366pp. Hb. £75.00; Pb. £24.99. ISBN-13: 978-1-7817-9203-2 (Hb.); 978-1-7817-9204-9, Pb.
No full textEntering the Stream to Enlightenment: Experiences of the Stages of the Buddhist Path in Contemporary Sri Lanka, by Yuki Sirimane. Equinox Publishing Ltd., 2016. 366pp. Hb. £75.00; Pb. £24.99. ISBN-13: 978-1-7817-9203-2 (Hb.); 978-1-7817-9204-9 (Pb.)</jats:p
