Empowering Ourselves In The Buddhist Studies

EMPOWERING OURSELVES IN THE BUDDHIST STUDIES Milan Shakya MA in Buddhist Studies

General Trends in Nepal It is depressing to note that even if there is a vast ocean of Buddhist literatures and philosophy we are ignorant of them, still we pretend to be a great Buddhist scholar and deceive those innocent listeners but in fact we don't know much about Buddhism. This is an indisputable truth. Why so? Because of lack of Buddhist studies, research or three forms of prajñā (śrutamayī, cintāmayī and bhāvanāmayī). Two trends are rampant in our society during these days. 1. One group of people say all the studies and reflections are just the luxury of the intellect (Buddhivilāsa) and all devotional worships, pūjas and rituals are just meaningless activities (karmakāṇḍa). So on the basis of this mistaken idea, they blindly focuss only on the meditation while ignoring the listening and study (śrutamayī) and reflection and discussion (cintāmayī) aspect. Even if the followers of this trend believe this is only the way, but, this, according to Buddhism, is a fallacious and wrong notion and leads to the luxury of the mind (manavilāsa) and selfishness of the mind (svārthīdhyāna). As for the another trend, focussing only on the Śrutamayī prajñā, people just study few Buddhist books and they claim themselves to be the greatest Buddhist scholars while not applying what has been learnt from Buddhist studies to practice. They are jealous of others’ success and always try to show others how superior they are to others. Even if they teach Buddhism, because they never practice much of it, they are always striken by rāga, dveṣa and moha and consequently their minds are restless and deluded. The uneducated and simple people also blindly follow them as if they are the realized paṇḍita. So they don't know they are being deceived by that false guru. The false guru may again be the person who declares himself to be the realized one and causes others to spread the good news about him, develops a cult while himself still being subject to the Eight Worldly Concerns (aṣṭalokadharma: 1. Fame [yaśa], 2. Disfame [apayaśa], 3. Happiness [sukha], 4. Sorrow [duḥkha], 5. Profit [lābha], 6. Loss [alābha], 7. Praise [praśaṃsā], 8. Humuliation [nindā]). This is opposed to the Buddhavacana or

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the Buddhist text. So we need to integrate all three of them, śrutamayī, cintāmayī and bhāvanāmayī prajñā.

Let's wake up before it is too late. So these are two extreme hypocrisies prevalent now in our society. We don't need any one of them. This is the issue of the so called learned and the so called practicing person who are doing things in distorted way just beguiling the commoners like ourselves. OK leave them now, look at ourselves, what are we doing now? As for we the commoners, all the time we just preoccupy ourselves with our monotonous work or job and we boast that we are the busiest persons in the world. Everybody down to the tiny insect work for their survival, there is nothing unique or special about that. Do we live just for that, i.e earning our livelihood or earning money. Is this our sole objective in our life? In the Buddhist text, it is said that human lives are very precious, then are not we spending it in solely earning money? Do we not have to do anything creative in our lives. Even if some of us do come out of a closed box, we end up in the mesh of either of the above two distortions because of lack of proper Buddhist education. Now is it not the time to wake up and see through the their deception? We are now being led by others while we like a servant succumb to them and their ideas without analysing it. Why so? because we don't study ourselves, and let alone practice what we have learnt but make earning livelihood the sole end of our lives, don't we? With all these questions in mind, we have come up with new empowering program for all of us so that we can move ahead in the society in the field of Buddhism, we can do something for the society through Buddhism and we don't just listen to others lecture about Buddhism, instead we can also stage our presentation and let others listen to what we say about Buddhism and there is a golden opportunity to learn as much about Buddhism (any field of Buddhism) as possible and put it to practice.

Solution: Study Buddhism as much as possible and let others know about our learning The main part of the program is preparing of a schalarly writeup or article. For that we give several topics to everybody interested about Buddhist philosophy, Buddhist Literature, Buddhist Art and Architecture, Culture and so on from the original sources Pali, Sanskrit, Tibetan and Chinese and the secondary English, Nepali, Newari sources and so on. A person who wants to carry out academic research about one of the topics in 2

the above genre may study as much books as possible in the 15 days alloted and may take interviews with the scholars or may acquire information from the Internet as well. Then he or she may prepare an academic article or writeup on the topic and give a lecture or presentation about that in the classroom in front of many listeners or participants using Whiteboard and Boardmarker (In other words, then he becomes a teachers while the listeners become students.)

Last Remark I hope you understand our mission and this is just a beginning. This has an inconceivable benefit which we need not stress here. Some of the benefits may be: 1. We will be able to have a writing habit. 2. We will be able to speak in the mass with confidence. 3. We can come out of the closed box or boundary of inferiority complex and our status quo (like Oh, I am very busy, I don't have time today. or These are not my fields, what to do, we have to earn our living, and don't have time for all this.). 4. We can visit the foreign countries to participate in the conference about Buddhism there. 5. It also helps to write our thesis or Phd thesis. These are just a few benefits. Now it is a ripe time to analyse ourselves, motivate ourselves. We don't need to impose on you, you have to see for yourself whether this approach is suitable for you or all of us or not. Only then we can leap forward. But we have to keep in our mind this powerful message of Śākyamuni Buddha, our root teacher who says that this life is very transient and rare. If we don't do something now and spend it as we have been from the previous lives, then there will not be any opportunity to even repent or regret. So let us not waste our lives idly saying we are busy now. All are busy now. Ven. Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche says this sentence "we are busy" is just a lame excuse to keep ourselves away from the dharma and study. Everybody has enough time but because they are not interested, they say, they are busy. We have time for the picnic, get together, feasting and everything, but for the dharma practice and study which make us self-sufficient in the society and free from any kind of suffering in this life and another, finally up to attaining Buddhahood, sadly we don't have time. How foolish we are and how unaware we are? Śāntideva in his Bodhicaryāvatāra says: "The Lord of Death (yamarāja) doesn't wait for whether we have finished our project or not, he just snatches away our lifeforce anytime." So it is a time to be awake from our sleep and learn about Buddhism and put it to practice. I hope everybody understands what I am saying. So we have established Dharmacakra Academic Center to conduct the extensive Buddhist studies. Given below are some of the topics (quite a many indeed) that we can choose for our Buddhist study. You can also come up with a new topics on your own and carry out an academic research on it then give a nice presentation in the classroom. 3

PROVISIONAL TOPICS FOR THE BUDDHIST STUDY: (Following are just some of the topics. You can choose any Buddhist topic you like and do academic study on it.) 1. The Life of the Buddha : A Study on the twelve principle deeds of Sakyamuni Buddha. 2. The Life of Ananda or Bhiksuni Sangha and Ananda's role in establishing it. 3. The Life of Sariputra 4. The Life of Maudgalyana 5. A Study on Theragatha and Therigatha 6. A Study on the Buddhist Nuns from the Buddha's period. 7. Major disciples of the Buddha 8. King Asoka and Expansion of Buddhism 9. King Milind and His contribution to the promotion and spread of Buddhism in India and abroad 10. King Harsavardhan and His contribution to the spread of Buddhism 11. Contribution of Pala rulers to the promotion and spread of Buddhism in India and abroad. 12. The Buddhist Councils 13. Four Noble Truths 14. Four Noble Truths and Pratityasamutpada: A Study on the interconnection between these two. 15. A study on the Arhat and Bodhisattva Ideal. 16. A Study on the three vehicles of Buddhism: Sravaka, Pratyeka, Mahayana (paramita and Vajrayana) 17. Twelvefold Link of Dependent Origination in the wheel of life. 18. A study on Three Universal Characteristics of Buddhism: 1. Impermanence, 2. Suffering and 3. Egolessness. 19. A Brief Study on Five Aggregates (Pancaskandha) 20. A Critical study on Karma and its effects 21. A study on 10 perfections from Sanskrit Mahayana and Pali Sources. 22. A study on Six Perfection as the Prasthana Bodhicitta. 23. Four Mind Changing Practice: A study 24. A study on the role of monasticism in Buddhism. 25. Nibbana and Buddhahood: A study 26. A Study on the Bodhisattva Path or Mahayana. 27. A Study on Skillful means of Bodhisattva 28. Samatha and Vipasyana Meditation 29. A study on the four philosophical schools 4

30. A Vaibhasika Philosophy 31. Sautrantika Philosophy 32. Yogacara Philosophy 33. Madhyamika Philosophy 34. Three Dharmacakra Pravartana by Sakyamuni Buddha 35. A critical study on the Eight Heavy Dharma (Astagarudharma) for Bhiksuni Sangha: its pros and cons 36. The rise of Mahayana and Vajrayana. 37. The teaching of Buddhanature 38. Three Bodies of Buddha, Nirmanakaya, Dharmakaya and Sambhogakaya 39. Generation of Bodhicitta 40. A Critical Study on Lojong (Mind Training Practices) as taught by Atisa Dipankarasrijnana 41. A Critical Study of Lamrim (Stages of the Path) as taught by Atisa Dipankarasrijnana and Tsongkhapa 42. A critical study on Alayavijnana, Klistamanovijnana and Pravrritivijnana 43. A Critical study on Three Natures, Parikalpita, Paratantra and Parinispanna. 44. A brief study on Digha Nikaya. 45. A textual study of Milindapanna. 46. A textual study of Mulamadhyamakakarika 47. A textual study of Visuddhimagga 48. A textual study of Buddhavamsa 49. A textual study of Mahavagga 50. A textual study of Majjima nikaya 51. A textual study of Dhammapada 52. A study on Paritrana and its efficacies 53. A textual study of Visvanatarajataka from Jatakamala 54. A textual study of Abhidharmakosa 55. A textual study of Vijnaptimatratasiddhi 56. A Study of Lankavatara Sutra 57. A Study of Saddharmapundarika Sutra 58. A Study of Gandavyuha Sutra 59. A Study of Samadhiraja Sutra 60. A Study of Lalitavistara Sutra 61. A Study of Suvarnaprabhasa Sutra 62. A Study of Prajnaparamita Sutra 63. A Study of Dasabhumika Sutra 64. A Study of Vimalakirtinirdesa Sutra 65. A Study of Aparimitayu Sutra 5

66. A Study of Gunakarandavyuha Sutra 67. A Study of Arya anityata nama Mahayana Sutra 68. A Study of Arya Pratityasamutpada Nama Manayana Sutra 69. A Study of Bhaisajyaguruvaiduryaprabharaja Sutra 70. A Study of Sukhavativyuha Sutra 71. A Study of Arthaviniscaya Sutra 72. A Study of Madhyamakavatara 73. A Study of Samdhinirmocanasutra 74. A Study of Mahaparinirvana Sutra 75. A Study of Prasannapada 76. A Study of Bodhicaryavatara 77. A Study of Five Texts of Maitreya : a. Abhisamayalankara b. Dharmadharmatavibhanga c. Madhyantavibhaga d. Uttaratantra e. Mahayanasutralankara 78. A study on the origin of Buddhist Art and its style. 79. Introduction to Nepalese Buddhist Sculptures: 1. Stone images, 2. Metal images, 3. Wood crafts 80. A study on the Paubha painting 81. A study on the Vihara architecture with reference to Hiranyavarna Mahavihara and others if any. 82. A study on the Stupa architecture with reference to Baudhastupa and others if any. 83. A study on the temple architecture with reference to the Pagoda type temples of Sankhu and others if any. 84. A study on the origin and evolutionary history of Buddhist iconography 85. The Iconographic description of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and others. 86. Concept of Triratna in Buddhism of Nepal Mandala 87. A study on the Vihara and Bahi and the Sangha tradition of Nepal Mandala 88. A study on the Acaluiyegu of the Kathmandu valley. 89. A study on the Buddhist Religious Practices of Nepal Mandala 90. A study on the Buddhist Life Cycle Rituals of the Nepal Mandala 91. A study on the Prominent Buddhist Masters and scholars of Nepal Mandala. 92. A study on the Pre-Buddhist cultural religion of Tibet 93. Introduction to Buddhism in Tibet. 1) Srong btsan Gampo, 2. Bhrikuti, Wenchen Kongjo and Sila manju. 94. Early Transmission of Buddhism in Tibet 95. The Nyingma tradition 6

96. Later Transmission of Buddhism in Tibet: A role of Atisa Dipankara srijnana 97. Kadampa Tradition 98. Kagyupa Tradition 99. Sakyapa Tradition 100. Gelugpa Tradition 101. A life of Padmasambhava 102. Thonmi sambhota and the Tibetan Script 103. Three Dharmarajas: Songtsen Gampo, Thisong Deutsen and Ralpacan 104. Life of Milarepa 105. Life of Tsongkhapa 106. Life of Nagarjuna 107. Life of Aryadeva 108. Life of Asanga 109. Life of Vasubandhu 110. Life of Dignana 111. Life of Dharmakirti 112. Life of Santideva and Bodhicaryavatara 113. Chandrakirti and Madhyamakavatara 114. Vasubandhu and Abhidharmakosa 115. A brief introduction to Nine Vaipulya Sutras of Nepal 116. A Textual study on Svayambhu Purana 117. Life of Sakyapandita 118. Five Patriarches of Sakyapa tradition 119. Paltrul Rinpoche and a textual study on Kunsang Lamey shelung 120. A Critical study on Madhyamaka philosophy: its branches, and Tibetan way of understanding it : Rangtong, Shentong 121. A study on Shedra, Dubdra, Lama, tulku, Dapa (Gelong and Getsul), ani, ngagpa 122. A study on the history of Sangha and its later development 123. A study on the Buddhism in Srilanka 124. A Study on the Buddhism in Thailand 125. A study on the Buddhism in Myanmar 126. A study on the Buddhism in Vietnam 127. A study on Buddhism in China 128. A study on Buddhism in Tibet 129. A study on Buddhism in Mongolia 130. A study on Buddhism in Korea 131. A study on Buddhism in Japan 132. A study on Buddhism in Laos 7

133. 134. 135. 136.

A study on Buddhism in Indonesia A Study on Buddhism in Cambodia A study on Buddhism in America A study on Buddhism in England.

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