| THE EASTER SERMON
The Lord Archbishop of Canterbury
The Most Reverend and Rt Hon George Leonard Carey
Archbishop of Canterbury
Easter Sermon
Canterbury Cathedral
It began at dawn. In the Gospel reading for today Mary Magdalene made her
way to the tomb to pay her last farewell to her Lord and friend slain just
three days earlier only to find the tomb empty and the body gone. So
begins the most exciting story of all time and so begins the story of the
Christian Church. Dawn is also a significant point of time in the story of
Creation. At the beginning of Genesis, each epoch of time ends not with
evening but with the dawn: 'The evening and the morning was the first day'.
Both stories are stories of new creation and both speak of events that are
surprising, unique and mysterious.
It may seem strange to put the story of the Resurrection on the same level
as that of Creation. After all, some might say, there isn't much of a
mystery about Creation - we know it happened but who can be sure of the
Resurrection? Even Christians seem to be in some doubt as to precisely
what happened! Others will have doubts about the truth of the Resurrection
and, influenced by the so-called 'solid' evidence of scientific knowledge
will dismiss it, at best as superstition, and at worst as nonsense!
Such reactions need a little correction. For a start, although we know a
great deal about the beginning of the physical creation of the universe and
can date it fairly accurately, we are still tantalised by other questions.
When we are told that it was in the first three or so seconds following the
fireball which created the universe out of the primeval 'soup' that the
whole of human life was encoded, we find ourselves pausing before the
mystery of it all. Rather than dismissing religious interpretations of
life as increasingly incredible, recent studies in astrophysics have made
them more appealing, as scientific materialism has lost credibility. Dr
Paul Davies comments that many eminent scientists are also religious.
Following publication of his book God and the New Physics he said he was
struck by how many of his close scientific friends practised a conventional
religion. He comments that although he did not subscribe to a conventional
religion, he had come to believe more and more strongly that the physical
universe is put together with an ingenuity so astonishing that he cannot
accept it as brute fact. There must be a deeper level of explanation.
Indeed, modern cosmological research, dazzled by the immense complexity of
the universe, is much more receptive and sympathetic to the place of the
spiritual in the order of things. Little wonder that some years ago, just
before a lecture on the origin of life, the announcer on Radio 3 introduced
the lecturer with the words: 'The Professor will not be saying anything
about the supernatural beginnings of the universe as the natural beginnings
are strange enough!'
With this background I invite you to look afresh at the story of the
Resurrection. In scripture it is put on the same level as Creation itself.
It is the start of the New Creation. Indeed, so pivotal is the
Resurrection for the Christian faith, that without the claim that Jesus was
raised from the dead we probably would not even know his name today and,
certainly, there would be no Christian Church. The entire New Testament
depends on the belief that Christ is risen and that universal hope exists
through him and in his name. Of course there are many questions raised by
the resurrection of Christ. For example, what accounts for the remarkable
change in disciples who just three days before fled from the crucifixion in
fear? What experience enabled them and others to face persecution and
death? What event led the early Christians to change their holy day from
the seventh day to the first day of the week?
If, then, it began at dawn, what is the message for us today? We look at
the world around us and see it in great need of new life. Fifty years
after the Second World War, conflicts still rage in at least forty places
in which the innocent, the young and the poor are always the victims. We
look at our society and even though most of us are undeniably more
prosperous and materially advantaged than fifty years ago, we look in vain
for evidence that we are happier or morally more advanced. We look at our
churches, and, although there is evidence that the Church's message of hope
and new life calls the wider society into a firmer faith, there is always
the risk that our own agendas could stop us from becoming a convincing
witness to the truth of the Resurrection.
It happened at dawn. Mary Magdalene made two discoveries that morning that
have lasting significance.
First, she met a person who changed her life. The story is very human.
She was not looking for a resurrected saviour, she was looking for someone
to tell her what had happened to the body. She asked the man she thought
was the gardener. Only when he spoke to her did it dawn on her that it was
the Lord. 'Rabboni' was her glad cry of recognition. We do well to
remember that Christianity is not essentially about believing a series of
doctrinal beliefs or adhering to the tenets of a particular Church. It
means encountering a person who has overcome death and who is the
Resurrection and the Life. It is not always easy to follow Him. On Palm
Sunday we remembered the remarkable life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer who died
for his faith and for Christian Germany fifty years ago. He fought against
the evils of Nazism which he believed to be unchristian and inhuman. He
died at dawn on the morning of April 9th 1945. He died in the confidence
that only belief in the Resurrection can give. He sent a message through
to George Bell, Bishop of Chichester: 'Tell him,' he said, 'that for me
this is the end but also the beginning'. For Bonhoeffer and for the
majority of Christians down the centuries belief in the Resurrection has
been the pivot and focus of the Christian message. The Church must never
deny its central position, nor be embarrassed by its blunt assertion that
Christ triumphed over death. John Updike put it in robust fashion in Seven
Stanzas at Easter:
Let us not mock God with metaphor,
analogy, side stepping transcendence,
making of the event a parable, a sign painted in
the faded credulity of earlier ages.
Let us walk through the door.
Mary's dawn discovery was of the power of the Resurrection. It made her a
new person - a person made whole, renewed or, in the words of St Paul, 'a
new creation'. This miracle still continues to happen.
Mary's second dawn experience was a wholly new discovery about God - a new
perspective. Within our own experience we talk about discovering something
as when the 'penny drops' or we say 'it dawned on me'. Such a dawning
experience happened to the first disciples when they realised that their
Lord was alive, and therefore his mission was still on course. As you read
the New Testament for yourself, you discover that the Resurrection of
Christ was the single motivating fact of the early Church. So it has
continued to be. It creates goodness; it creates faith; it gives birth to
faith and hope, it make people strong. Well did Bishop Barnes of Birmingham
describe the Resurrection as 'the greatest victory the world has ever seen'
and in a memorable sermon during the First World War declared: 'If you are
to accept anything worthy of the name of Christianity, among your beliefs
must be the certain conviction that Christ rose from the dead on Easter Day
and that you yourself will do likewise, and live as he lives, in another
state'.
Sometimes our experience of the world leads us to doubt that assurance. It
is also the case that classic English understatement may undermine belief
in ourselves as well as God's power to transform situations and events. It
is true of both Church and State. We doubt too readily our ability to
respond to new initiatives and rise to new challenges. In a world where
faith and hope appear to be in short supply, the Resurrection of Christ
gives fresh hope, raises our horizons and prompts us to join God in his
crusade to bring new life, new hope and fresh possibilities to his world.
There is a powerful story about a journalist during the last war. The
journalist was out looking around after a night of heavy bombing. Despite
the wreckage around him, it was a beautiful day with blue sky and sunshine.
He came to a small house. Its windows had been blown out by the bomb blast;
the tiny garden was littered with roof tiles. At the door was a young woman
with a baby in her arms. She stood there with all the devastation around
her. The journalist stopped at the gate. 'What a terrible night', he said.
'Yes, but what a wonderful morning' was her moving reply. It was a
statement of resurrection, new possibilities, new hope, new beginnings.
That was Mary's experience when she met the risen Christ that first Easter
Dawn. Let it also be ours.
|
| From Usenet; for use only within Digital:
TALK.RELIGION.BUDDHISM FAQ (Draft)
Mind precedes its objects. They are mind-governed and mind-made.
To speak or act with a defiled mind is to draw pain after oneself,
like a wheel behind the feet of the animal drawing it.
Mind precedes its objects. They are mind-governed and mind-made.
To speak or act with a peaceful mind is to draw happiness after
oneself, like an inseparable shadow.
-- The Dhammapada (Richards' translation, see "resources" for info)
------------------------------
Subject: 1. Introduction and Table of Contents
Happy Hanamatsuri. This is the first draft of a proposed Frequently
Asked Questions (FAQ) file for talk.religion.buddhism. It is
submitted for discussion, comments, flames, whatever.
If possible, please post discussion of the draft FAQ to t.r.b.,
instead of sending email to the FAQ maintainer. That way, the FAQ can
benefit from other perspectives on the issue involved.
*Pleez* do not embed the whole draft FAQ into your posts! If you
really think the prose is worth preserving, keep only what is needed
for context. Thanks.
The FAQ maintainer lives in Finland. Please set your "Distribution:"
line to World when you post (shouldn't matter, but it doesn't hurt to
be safe). If you desire an acknowledgment of some kind from the FAQ
maintainer, please cc him when you post.
The FAQ maintainer will make any changes that seem appropriate, and
will try to have a second draft ready at the beginning of May. With
luck, a final version can be ready in June.
Disclaimer: This is not yet an "official" FAQ, and even if it was it
would not represent the collective view of t.r.b. Several parts of
the document are still under construction and changing daily. There
may be errors. You have been warned.
Readers of this FAQ may also be interested in the alt.zen FAQ, at
<http://sunsite.unc.edu/zen/faq.html>
1. Introduction and Table of Contents
2. Preliminaries
2.1 What are WWW, FTP, gopher, archie and veronica ...?
2.2 About newsgroups
2.3 Netiquette
2.4 I am bothered by X. What can I do?
2.5 Aren't you being a bit obsessive about crossposting?
2.6 Additions/corrections to the FAQ
2.7 Obtaining the most recent version of the FAQ
2.8 How to contact the FAQ maintainer
3. Occasionally asked questions
3.1 What is this Nichiren argument all about?
3.2 Do Buddhists worship the Buddha?
3.3 Do Buddhists believe in God?
3.4 Do Buddhists believe in a soul?
3.5 But didn't you just say there is no Self?
3.6 Do Buddhists believe in reincarnation?
3.7 What does Buddhism say about sex?
3.8 What does Buddhism say about homosexuality?
3.9 Are all Buddhists vegetarians?
4. Resources of interest to Buddhists
4.1 Some Internet sites
4.2 Sites mostly devoted to specific practices
4.3 Scriptures
4.4 A random selection of books
4.5 Newsgroups
4.6 Mailing lists and E-journals
4.7 Overlapping interests
4.8 Some non-Internet addresses
4.9 Non-Buddhist sites of possible interest
5. Glossary
5.1 Why don't you folks speak English?
5.2 A note on spelling and usage
5.3 A random selection of terms and names
------------------------------
Subject: 2. Preliminaries
This section is intended primarily for readers who are still very new
to Internet services in general. Many readers will want to just skim
the headings, or skip directly to the next major heading. If your
newsreader understands digest format (tin doesn't), you should be able
to do this painlessly (e.g., by using ^G in nn).
------------------------------
Subject: 2.1 What are WWW, FTP, gopher, archie and veronica ...?
If you are new to the Internet, please obtain a copy of FYI #4,
Answers to Commonly asked "New Internet User" Questions. You may need
to "bootstrap" this process, by using one of the utilities you are
asking questions about. This is not as mysterious as it sounds.
In what follows, the computer's side of the dialogue is indicated in
square brackets []. Do not type that part in. The indicated dialogues
are only approximate -- details may vary depending on circumstances.
The rest is your side of the dialogue, which you *do* have to type in
(followed by pressing the Return or Enter key). I have used my own
email address in the examples; you should substitute your own.
If you have a Web browser, set it to point at
gopher://ds2.internic.net:70/00/fyi/fyi4.txt
If you have access to gopher, use the following
gopher ds.internic.net [Connecting...Retrieving Directory...}
cursor down to InterNIC Directory and Database Services (AT&T)/
and press <Enter> [Connecting...Retrieving Directory...}
cursor down to Internet Documentation (RFC's, FYI's, etc.)/
and press <Enter> [Connecting...Retrieving Directory...}
cursor down to FYI's (For Your Information RFC's)/
and press <Enter> [Connecting...Retrieving Directory...}
cursor down to fyi4.txt
and press <Enter> [Connecting...Retrieving File...}
Press s
A form will pop up. Just press <Enter>.
Press q, followed by another q
You will be asked if you really want to quit. Answer y.
If you have access to FTP, use the following:
ftp ds.internic.net
[Connected to ds.internic.net]
[A long welcome message.]
[220 ds2.internic.net FTP server ready.]
[Name (ds.internic.net:kahila):] anonymous
[331 Guest login ok, send ident as password.]
[Password:] kahila@kyyppari.hkkk.fi
[230 Guest login ok, access restrictions apply.]
[Remote system type is UNIX.]
[Using binary mode to transfer files.]
[ftp>] ascii
[200 Type set to A.]
[ftp>] cd fyi
[250 CWD command successful.]
[ftp>] get fyi4.txt
[200 PORT command successful.]
[150 Opening ASCII mode data connection for fyi4.txt (98753 bytes)]
[226 Transfer complete]
[101220 bytes received in 60.71 seconds (1.628 Kbytes/s)]
[ftp>] bye
[221 Goodbye.]
If you have only email access, send a message to
mailserv@ds.internic.net. In the body of the message, put the line
document-by-name /ftp/fyi/fyi4.txt
The document will be sent to you by an automatic mail server in two
pieces, which you will have to splice together yourself.
As of 27 March 1995, FYI4 had a size of 98753 bytes as a UNIX file and
101220 bytes as a PC file. If you use the mail server, the two
received messages -- as of 27 March 1995, on UNIX -- have sizes of
67287 and 34803 bytes. I don't know if the server is smart enough to
break them into smaller chunks for mail systems that require that; if
anybody knows the answer to this, please tell me.
FYI4 is sometimes cited by RFC number (currently RFC1594). It is
possible to retrieve documents by RFC numbers, but you should not do
so in this case. RFC numbers change if a document is revised, FYI
numbers do not.
------------------------------
Subject: 2.2 About newsgroups
If you are new to USENET newsgroups generally, please subscribe to
news.answers and news.newusers.questions if you have not already done
so. General questions about USENET (and some other topics) are
addressed regularly in these two groups. By subscribing, you can
learn a lot in a short time about how to use Internet resources.
------------------------------
Subject: 2.3 Netiquette
Consider reading "Emily PostNews Answers Your Questions on Netiquette"
if you haven't already done so. It is available from many sites, e.g.
by gopher from gopher.eunet.ch /FAQ's/emily-postnews/part1. Besides
being informative, Emily is very funny. Less whimsical guides can be
found at various locations around the Net (which you will probably see
mentioned from time to time in news.newusers.questions).
Please do not crosspost carelessly or broadly. If you are replying to
something crossposted by somebody else, please ask yourself if the
original crosspost really needs to be preserved.
When responding to long posts (such as this one), please do not embed
the entire original post into your reply. Preserve only what is
needed for context.
Please do not disparage other peoples' practice, whether they are
Buddhists or non-Buddhists. If others disparage your own practice,
try to respond with restraint and compassion.
Here are a few more thoughts on netiquette for Buddhists -- adapted
from the Insight mailing list FAQ:
Keep discussions friendly. View this newsgroup as an opportunity to
practice both ahimsa (harmlessness) and sati (mindfulness). Let's
use the group as a means of offering encouragement and support to each
other in our shared exploration of Dharma.
Rule of thumb: When responding to a message to which you had a strong
emotional reaction -- irritation, ecstatic delight, anger, whatever --
wait a day or two to cool down a little before responding. There is no
hurry. Also keep in mind that silence often speaks louder than words.
------------------------------
Subject: 2.4 I am bothered by X. What can I do?
If a post inspires an unpleasant (or even pleasant) feeling, it may be
instructive to examine how that feeling arises. Phosphors on screens
have no independent power to influence thought.
Remember that newsgroups and email are very "flat." There is very
little emotional context, unless somebody is flat-out raving. Take a
few seconds to ask if the poster might have meant a remark humorously.
OK, you've read this far -- it's serious. Your simplest choice is to
press the "next" key as soon as you recognize the poster or the topic
as an irritant. If you are tired of pressing "next," or if that isn't
even an option (maybe you get the group by email), consider using a
killfile. If you don't know how to set up a killfile, talk to your
system administrator or someone else who is knowledgeable. There is
also a FAQ on killfiles, which should be available from any FAQ site
(e.g. gopher.eunet.ch/FAQ's/killfile-faq).
There are three special cases that may require more forceful action.
(1) If spammers post ads to t.r.b. for things like credit-rating
repair services or legal "help" with Green Card lotteries, consider
putting them on the blacklist. See the source in (3) for more info.
(2) If you are being personally harassed in some major way, and if the
offender does not respond to requests to stop, talk to your
administrator and communicate with the offender's administrator.
Persist until the problem is fixed.
(3) If somebody is crossposting 1700-line off-topic tracts to a large
number of unrelated groups including t.r.b., and if he does not
respond to requests to stop, talk to your administrator and
communicate with the offender's administrator. If the offender's
administrator responds with something like "USENET has no rules," you
may want to get a copy of
rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet-by-group/alt.answers/advertisers-blacklist
by anonymous FTP. It was written with a different application in
mind, but it contains ideas that may be useful in this situation also.
------------------------------
Subject: 2.5 Aren't you being a bit obsessive about crossposting?
Maybe so. A well-planned crosspost does save resources (only one copy
of the message needs to be kept, instead of one per group). And
velveeta is preferable to spam any day.
However, a poorly-planned crosspost can cause problems even if the
original post was on-topic for all groups involved. If a tree of
threads and subthreads develops, some of them will inevitably be
on-topic for only one group -- but all of the original groups will see
the thread unless someone remembers to change the addressing.
The problem just mentioned can be eliminated quite easily, by setting
the "Followup-To" line of a post so that it only points at one group.
This also has a nice side effect: you won't have to look in all of the
original groups for replies that have gotten detached from the thread.
It's not a rule ... just a request to be thoughtful.
------------------------------
Subject: 2.6 Additions/corrections to the FAQ
If there is a topic you would like to see covered in the FAQ, or if
you find any mistakes, please send email to the FAQ maintainer. If
you are knowledgeable on a topic of general interest, and feel like
writing something short, so much the better.
------------------------------
Subject: 2.7 Obtaining the most recent version of the FAQ
Once the FAQ has been submitted in final form to news.answers (and
approved), the most recent version will always be available by
anonymous ftp from rtfm.mit.edu. Until then, please wait for drafts
to be posted. If you absolutely *cannot* wait until the next post,
send email to the FAQ maintainer (see next item).
------------------------------
Subject: 2.8 How to contact the FAQ maintainer
The current FAQ maintainer is John Kahila (kahila@kyyppari.hkkk.fi)
------------------------------
Subject: 3. Occasionally asked questions
------------------------------
Subject: 3.1 What is this Nichiren argument all about? I don't understand.
You are not alone. What follows is the FAQ maintainer's attempt at an
explanation.
Some posters speak derisively of "Nichiren Buddhism," by which they
normally mean Soka Gakkai (formerly Nichiren Shoshu of America and its
affiliates in Canada and Mexico).
There are quite a few sects based on the teachings of Nichiren
Daishonin. There is an even larger number of Mahayana sects that are
based on the teachings of the Lotus Sutra (known as Myoho Renge Kyo in
Japanese). Nichiren Shoshu is just one of the Nichiren sects, and not
even the largest one -- that distinction belongs to Nichiren Shu as
far as the FAQ maintainer knows. Other Nichiren sects are
noncontroversial in t.r.b. What's so special about Soka Gakkai?
Disparagers of Soka Gakkai sometimes present their case in doctrinal
terms. Nichiren Daishonin characterized Shakyamuni's teachings as
"provisional" (compared to his own, which were absolute). He also
characterized other Buddhist teachings, such as Jodo Shinshu, as
incorrect (compared to his own, which were correct).
However, it is very difficult to accept this as a justification for
the controversy. Similar formulas about "provisionality" can be found
in other Mahayana sources; in fact, there is more than a hint of such
a thing even in Theravada, in the distinction between the "conventional"
language of the suttas and the "precise" language of the Abhidhamma.
By and large, nobody pays any attention. Moreover, it is only Soka
Gakkai that gets criticized most of the time. The North American
Buddhist community has little trouble getting along with Nichiren Shu,
Rissho Kosei-Kai, Nipponzan Myohoji or other Nichiren sects.
The real reason for the disagreement appears to be historical. NSA
(as the American organization was known in its early days) did not
enter the United States by the same route as other traditions -- Asian
immigrants first, followed gradually by Westerners. Instead, the
practice of Nichiren Shoshu was aggressively "marketed" in North
America by the Japanese leadership of Soka Gakkai. Thus NSA never
went through the process of gradually building up a network of
contacts within the American Buddhist community -- a process familiar
to nearly all other American sects, from Theravada to Zen.
In addition, NSA's earliest American followers had a reputation for
excessive missionary zeal and a materialistic, almost magical,
approach to practice. Moreover, unlike their Japanese leaders (e.g.,
Daisaku Ikeda) these early American members had almost no
understanding of Buddhist history or doctrine. (We are not talking
Abhidharma here. We are talking about things like the Precepts and
the Noble Eightfold Path.)
But this is history -- and most of it is ancient history. Many of
Nichiren Shoshu's early excesses have been corrected as Soka Gakkai
has become more familiar with Western culture. The aggressive
pitchmen of the Sixties and Seventies have vanished, and the level of
doctrinal knowledge has improved.
Nonetheless, the effect of the early misunderstandings lingers on. One
can only hope that bridges to understanding will continue to be built.
The Internet, and groups like this one, can help in that process -- as
long as we all try to respect the practice of others.
One final point. In its home country, Soka Gakkai has a political
agenda. If you want to discuss the domestic Japanese *politics* of
Soka Gakkai (whether pro or con), please take the discussion to
alt.religion.buddhism.nichiren and do not crosspost to t.r.b. Thanks.
[Note: Something on this topic seemed desirable, but I'm not convinced
that what I have written is the right solution. Even if it were, it
would be nice to shorten it. Posts or email on both points are
welcome. The views expressed here are my own, not t.r.b.'s. Please
direct FAQ-related pro- or anti-SGI flames to the FAQ maintainer, not
to the group. Thanks.]
------------------------------
Subject: 3.2 Do Buddhists worship the Buddha?
No. The Buddha achieved perfect victory over the causes of rebirth.
He has been dead for 2500 years. There is nothing to worship.
The Buddha's last words to the disciples were: "Work out your own
salvation with diligence."
------------------------------
Subject: 3.3 Do Buddhists believe in God?
Theists, agnostics and atheists are all welcome within Buddhism (and
in this group). Buddhists make up their own minds about the existence
or nonexistence of God -- if they get around to it. See also next item.
------------------------------
Subject: 3.4 Do Buddhists believe in a soul?
The answer is pretty much the same as the answer to 3.3 (and for
pretty much the same reasons).
In both cases, someone who answers with a categorical "yes" needs to
reconcile the answer with the characteristics of conditioned
phenomena: unsatisfactoriness (dukkha), impermanence (anicca) and the
nonexistence of a substantial Self (anatta). Someone who answers with
a categorical "no" faces a different set of problems, e.g. trying to
describe precisely what it is they are negating. Suffice it to say
that there are ways to give a coherent sense to either answer, if one
is so inclined.
Some would say that questions like 3.3 and 3.4 are in the same general
category as "Does Nonexistence Exist?" Such questions are unanswerable.
------------------------------
Subject: 3.5 But didn't you just say there was no Self?
Yes.
A centipede was happy quite,
Until a frog in fun
Said, "Pray, which leg comes after which?"
This raised her mind to such a pitch,
She lay distracted in the ditch
Considering how to run.
- Anon (from Oxford Book of Verse for Children)
------------------------------
Subject: 3.6 Do Buddhists believe in reincarnation?
People who ask this question usually mean transmigration of souls.
People who answer it sometimes mean rebirth. This can lead to
confusion.
Buddhism does not teach transmigration of souls, not does it teach
against it (see 3.4). Buddhism *does* teach liberation from rebirth.
Rebirth in this context means bondage to the causes of suffering, not
renewed physical embodiment of a permanent spiritual substance in the
form of an animal or human.
------------------------------
Subject: 3.7 What does Buddhism say about sex?
Monks and nuns may (or may not) be expected to observe strict
celibacy, depending on the sect they belong to. The laity of most
traditions are expected to observe the Precepts, which call for
*nonharmful* sexual behavior.
At a minimum, this means refraining from sexual behavior that is a
cause of non-mindfulness and suffering, our own or anyone else's.
In some Buddhist countries it may mean other things as well,
reflecting the prevailing values of the cultures involved. Such
cultural overlays vary from country to country.
If your interest is primarily cultural, you may be able to find a
knowledgeable person in a pertinent soc.culture.* group. Please do
not crosspost soc.culture.* messages to t.r.b. If you receive
information from soc.culture.* that you feel would be of general
interest to readers of this newsgroup, please post a separate summary
to t.r.b. instead.
------------------------------
Subject: 3.8 What does Buddhism say about homosexuality?
Nothing. Individual Buddhists or Buddhist cultures may have views on
the subject, but such views are not germane to this FAQ. As a general
rule, Buddhists of all major traditions are perfectly welcoming and
do not see sexual orientation as being terribly relevant to practice.
------------------------------
Subject: 3.9 Are all Buddhists vegetarians?
Many are, because the First Precept of the Buddhist moral code calls
for reverence for all sentient life. But vegetarianism is not
mandatory, and is not practiced by all Buddhists.
------------------------------
Subject: 4. Resources of interest to Buddhists
This list is offered mainly as a service to those who do not have (or
have not yet learned how to use) the powerful search capabilities
available through some resources on the Internet. If you have a Web
browser, you are better off generating a list yourself, using a
service such as Lycos <http://lycos.cs.cmu.edu/>. Such a list will be
more up to date, and you will not be constrained by the FAQ
maintainer's tastes.
The FAQ maintainer attempts to visit listed Net sites once in a while
to be sure that links are still valid, but it is not possible to
monitor all listed sites on a regular basis. If you become aware of
changes, please send email to the FAQ maintainer so that the FAQ can
be updated.
------------------------------
Subject: 4.1 Some Internet sites
The Number One nifty site has to be the Coombs Virtual Library, at the
Australian National University. It has links to all sorts of stuff,
plus a wealth of information of its own related to a vast range of
traditions and topics.
<http://coombs.anu.edu.au/CoombsHome.html>
<gopher://coombs.anu.edu.au/coombspapers/otherarchives/>
<ftp://coombs.anu.edu.au/coombspapers/otherarchives/>
Cornell AsiaLink
<http://cucjk.eap.cornell.edu/asialink.homepage.html>
Dharma Electronic Files Archive (DEFA)
<http://sunsite.unc.edu/dharma/>
<ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/academic/religious_studies/Buddhism/>
Dongguk University doesn't have much yet, but seems promising
<http://www.dongguk.ac.kr/byunjy/budwebs.html>
(it looks like mostly Zen resources are planned for this site)
------------------------------
Subject: 4.2 Sites mostly devoted to specific practices
Theravada
<http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/freenet/rootdir/menus/sigs/religion/buddhism/>
(NCF Buddhism Home Page in Ottawa)
Vajrayana
Asynchronus School of Buddhist Dialectics
<http://faraday.clas.virginia.edu/~wam7c/>
Jodo Shinshu
<ftp://ftp.netcom.com/pub/sh/shinshu/homepage.html>
Soka Gakkai
<http://www.halcyon.com/Ichinet/welcome.html>
Zen
<http://oac11.hsc.uth.tmc.edu/zen/index.html> (Chogye Zen home page)
<http://www.well.com/Community/Brian.Tanaka/dw.html> (DharmaWeb)
<http://www.well.com/www/devaraja/index.html> (Zen Hospice Project)
------------------------------
Subject: 4.3 Scriptures
For the serious specialist, the entire(!) Tipitaka and Atthakatha
(plus a few miscellaneous items such as the Milindapanha) are
available on CD-ROM in both(!) Thai and Romanized Pali, through Mahidol
University in Thailand and its American representatives. Note: these
materials are *not in English*, although there are plans to make
translations available some day. Package includes software for
display and cross-referencing. For more information:
<http://www.mahidol.ac.th/>
Dhammapada
Heart Sutra
Mahamangala sutta
<ftp://coombs.anu.edu.au/coombspapers/otherarchives/
electronic-buddhist-archives/buddhism/general/e-texts/sutras-translations/>
(Should be all on one line. Sorry for splitting it, but wrapping
seemed even worse.)
Parinirvana Sutra
<http://www.well.com/www/devaraja/parinirvana.html>
------------------------------
Subject: 4.4 A random selection of books
Buddhist Dictionary - by Nyanatiloka.
The Path of Purification (Visuddhimagga) - by Buddhaghosa. Still
probably the best meditation text ever written for someone who wants a
comprehensive overview of orthodox Buddhist meditation techniques.
(Warning: this book is not a casual read.) The FAQ maintainer suggests
starting with Vol. 2, unless you want to be an expert on kasina disks.
What the Buddha Taught - by Walpola Rahula. A beautifully clear
introduction to Buddhist doctrine, written by a Sri Lankan scholar.
Very intelligible, even to non-Buddhists.
Zen Mind, Beginners Mind - by Shunryu Suzuki.
------------------------------
Subject: 4.5 Newsgroups
In addition to this newsgroup, you may be interested in
alt.religion.buddhism.nichiren
alt.religion.buddhism.tibetan
alt.zen
soc.religion.eastern
talk.politics.tibet
Note that not all sites carry all of these groups. If you cannot find
one of the groups on your local system, talk to the news adminstrator
for the local system. Do not email the FAQ maintainer; he can't help.
There are also many other USENET newsgroups that deal with religious
and philosophical topics not specifically related to Buddhism.
------------------------------
Subject: 4.6 Mailing lists and E-journals
Australian National University
<gopher://coombs.anu.edu.au/16/Buddhist Studies/>
Bodhi News - Edited by Buddhism Study Group at Urbana-Champaign
To subscribe, send a short message to bodhi@uiuc.edu.
Buddha-L - An academic Buddhism discussion group
To subscribe, send the command: SUB BUDDHA-L your_firstname your_lastname
to listserv@ulkyvm.louisville.edu.
Buddhist - An academic Buddhism discussion group
To subscribe, send the command: SUB BUDDHIST your_firstname your_lastname
to listserv@jpntuvm0.bitnet.
CLEAR-MIND - Tibetan Buddhist Newsletter
gopher://gopher.cic.net/11/e-serials/alphabetic/c/clear-mind
DailyZen - A daily dose of Zen wisdom
To subscribe, send a message with your full name to mAmund@iac.net.
Include the word "DailyZen" in your subject line.
Dharma-talk - Forum for discussions, information, announcements
To subscribe, send the command: subscribe dharma-talk
to majordomo@saigon.com.
GASSHO - Electronic Journal of DharmaNet International
<gopher://sunsite.unc.edu:70/11/.pub/academic/religious_studies/Buddhism/>
(This journal is not devoted to any specific practice.)
Insight (IMS) - Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Mass.
To subscribe, send the command: subscribe insight
to majordomo@pioneer.ci.net
Jodo Shinshu
To subscribe, end the command: subscribe a-shinshu-forum
to listserv@netcom.com
Journal of Buddhist Ethics
To subscribe to the Journal Abstract, send e-mail to jbe-ed@psu.edu
specifying "JBE Subscription" in the Subject Line (NOT Mail Body!).
ZenBuddhism-L
To subscribe, send the command: SUB ZenBuddhism-L your_e-mail
to Majordomo@coombs.anu.edu.au to subscribe.
[Still trying to get a sense of what is available at these sites.]
------------------------------
Subject: 4.7 Overlapping interests
Women:
There is a conference on Women and Buddhism on BodhiNet.
For info on BodhiNet (and Tiger Team Network), send email to
gary.ray@tigerteam.org
Buddhists in 12-step programs:
If you are on AOL, see the folder AA and Buddhism.
Otherwise email BODHI123@aol.com for more information.
If anyone knows of other resources appropriate for listing here,
please send email to the FAQ maintainer.
------------------------------
Subject: 4.8 Some non-Internet addresses
Bodhi-Line phone service
A telephone information service providing information about Buddhist
centers in New York area, including centers' locations, schedules of
classes and meditation sessions, and a list of books, tapes and other
materials. All services offered by the Bodhi- Line are free of charge.
Just dial (212) 677-9354. For more information about Bodhi-Line, contact
Michael Wick at Buddhist Information Service of New York, 331 E 5th
Street, New York, NY 10003. Tel: (212) 777-3745. Fax & voice mail: (212)
677-9354.
Buddhist Book Service
P.O. Box 9677
Washington, DC 20016
Phone 01-946-7560, or 202-832-9393
The Buddhist Bookstore
1710 Octavia Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
Phone 415-776-7877
Buddhist Publication Society
P.O. Box 61
54, Sangharaja Mawatha
Kandy, Sri Lanka
Cambridge Insight Meditation Center
331 Broadway
Cambridge, MA 02139
Phone (24hr info): (617) 491-5070
Tiger Team Buddhist Information Network (BBS)
1920 Francisco, Suite 112
Berkeley, CA 94709
gary.ray@tigerteam.org
Vipassana Support Institute
4070 Albright
Los Angles CA 90066
310 915-1943
Wisdom Publications
361 Newbury Street
Boston, MA 02115
Phone 800-274-4050, 617-536-2305, FAX 617-536-1897
------------------------------
Subject: 4.9 Other sites of possible interest
Asian Art
<http://www.ingress.com/~asianart/asianart.html>
Fonts
<http://faraday.clas.virginia.edu/~wam7c/fp/font_hp.html>
<http://babel.uoregon.edu/Yamada/guides.html>
Coombs also has some info about displaying Sanskrit etc. on PCs.
Tibet
<http://www.manymedia.com/tibet/index.html> (Free Tibet home page)
------------------------------
Subject: 5. Glossary
The following glossary is offered to help with words sometimes seen in
posts in t.r.b. This list is not intended to be comprehensive or
doctrinally precise -- the definitions given here are only intended
as a rough guide, to orient readers who are unfamiliar with the
terminology.
If you believe important terms are missing, feel free to email the FAQ
maintainer with suggestions.
------------------------------
Subject: 5.1 Why don't you folks speak English?
Buddhism has several canonical languages. The chief ones are Pali
(the main language of the Theravada canon) and Sanskrit (the main
language of the Mahayana canon). Other languages that are sometimes
encountered: Sinhalese (Sri Lanka), Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Tibetan.
(These are not all of the languages of Buddhism -- they are only the
languages of the earliest versions of key scriptures and commentaries.)
Terms transliterated from Asian languages have an undeniable in-group
appeal -- but there are other (and better) reasons for using them.
One reason is simply that these "foreign" terms have the authority of
2500 years of tradition in many cases, and are understood by members
of all Buddhist traditions (even if their first language is something
like Finnish or Swahili).
Another reason is that the words that would have to be used to render
a Pali or Sanskrit technical term into English (or any other living
language) are inevitably freighted with unintended meanings. The
advantage of using a "dead" language is that semantic precision
becomes less of a moving target.
------------------------------
Subject: 5.2 A note on spelling and usage
In cases where more than one choice for a word is available, the FAQ
maintainer has a tendency to favor Pali. Some attempt has been made
to indicate equivalent terms in other languages, but this has not been
done in all cases. If you find another spelling more natural, send
email to the FAQ maintainer so that the alternative spelling can be
included.
No attempt has been made to preserve diacritical marks.
------------------------------
Subject: 5.3 A random selection of terms and names
Amitabha Buddha (Jap. Amida butsu) - In Mahayana, the Buddha of the
Western Paradise (the Pure Land). Pure Land Buddhists practice
recitation of the name of Amitabha.
anatta (Skt. anatman) - No-self. One of the Three Characteristics (q.v.).
anicca (Skt. anitya) - Impermanence. One of the Three Characteristics.
arahant (Skt. arhat) - One who has attained enlightenment.
Avalokiteshvara (Tib. Chenrezi) - Mahayana Bodhisattva of Compassion
bhikku, bhikkuni (Skt. bhikshu, bhikshuni) - monk, nun
bodhisattva - In Theravada, one whose imminent enlightenment is
certain. In Mahayana, one of high spiritual attainment who has sworn
a vow to liberate all sentient beings from suffering before passing
into Enlightenment.
brahmaviharas - Four "sublime abidings" that accompany spiritual
development, consisting of compassion, loving kindness, sympathetic
joy for others, and equanimity toward the pleasant and the unpleasant.
Buddha - The Enlightened One
buddhasasana - In Theravada, the community of believers. See Sangha.
Chogye - largest Zen sect in Korea
conditioned phenomena - Phenomena (dhammas) constituted of the five
khandas, objects for paticcasamuppada, subject to arising and passing
away. With a handful of exceptions (notably Enlightenment itself),
all phenomena fall into this category.
daimoku - The practice of chanting "Nam Myoho Renge Kyo" in Japanese
Lotus Sutra Buddhism. (Myoho Renge Kyo is the sutra's name in Japanese.)
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama - Spiritual leader of Vajrayana
Buddhism, and chief of state of the Tibetan government in exile.
Vajrayana Buddhists regard him as the living embodiment of
Avalokiteshvara (q.v.). Most other Buddhists, including Theravadins,
revere him as a teacher of very high spiritual attainment who works
tirelessly for peace and goodwill. [give a reference to online info]
dana - Selfless giving.
dependent arising, dependent origination - see paticcasamuppada
dharma (Pali dhamma) - When spelled this way (not capitalized), means
roughly "phenomenon."
Dharma (Pali Dhamma) - When spelled this way (capitalized), refers to
the Teaching preached by the Buddha.
dukkha - Often rendered as "suffering," but can span the whole range
from excruciating pain to not-getting-what-I-want. One of the Three
Characteristics (q.v.).
Noble Eightfold Path - The Path of the Fourth Noble Truth: Right
Understanding, Right Thinking, Right Speech, Right Attitude, Right
Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration.
Four Noble Truths - Existence is suffering. Suffering has a cause.
Suffering has an end. There is a path that leads to the cessation of
suffering (see Eightfold Path).
Gautama (alt. Gotama) - Family name of the Buddha.
Heart Sutra - The Prajnaparamita Hridraya Sutra, one of several
"perfection of wisdom" sutras in the Mahayana scriptures.
Calculatedly paradoxical in its language ("there is no suffering,
cause, cessation or path"). Central to Zen.
hermeneutics - The science of interpretation or exegesis of Scripture.
Hinayana - Lesser Vehicle. A pejorative coined by Mahayanists in the
early centuries of doctrinal controversy to describe the competition.
The days of that controversy are long past, and the term is pretty
neutral nowadays. Many Buddhists prefer the term Theravada (q.v.).
insight meditation -- See vipassana.
Jodo - Japanese Pure Land Buddhism.
Jodo Shinshu - The largest Jodo sect in modern Japan (in fact, the
largest Buddhist sect of any kind in Japan, as far as the FAQ
maintainer knows). See Shinran Shonin.
karma (Pali kamma) - Literally, "action." Often translated "cause and
effect." Acts have consequences.
karuna - Compassion. One of the brahmaviharas.
khandha (Skt. skandha) - One of the Five Aggregates of Clinging:
matter (rupakhandha), sensations (vedanakhandha), perceptions
(sannakhandha), mental formations (sankharakhandha), consciousness
(vinnanakhandha). A starting point for Buddhist psychology.
Lotus Sutra - The Saddharmapundarika Sutra, one of the Mahayana
scriptures. Lotus Sutra Buddhists sometimes practice recitation of
the title of the sutra. See daimoku.
Mahayana - Greater Vehicle. The northern branch of Buddhism. More
doctrinally liberal than Theravada (recognizes several non-historical
sutras as canonical). Strong focus on alleviation of suffering of
all sentient beings.
metta - Loving kindness. One of the brahmaviharas.
mettabhavana - A (mostly Theravadin) meditation practice that develops
loving kindness toward all sentient beings.
mudita - Sympathetic joy. One of the brahmaviharas.
nembutsu - The practice of chanting "Namu Amida Butsu" in Japanese
Pure Land Buddhism. See Amitabha.
Nichiren Daishonin - Twelfth-century founder of a practice that is the
basis of a number of Lotus Sutra (q.v.) sects in Japan.
Nichiren Shu - Orthodox Nichiren Buddhism.
Nichiren Shoshu - A Nichiren sect founded in the 20th century.
See FAQ 3.1.
nirhoda - Extinction. (Specifically, the extinction of suffering in
the Third Noble Truth.)
nirvana (Pali nibbana) - Absolute cessation of suffering and its causes.
parinirvana (Pali parinibbana) - The end of the Buddha's physical
existence (i.e., his death).
paticcasamuppada - Dependent origination. The twelve-stage process
that leads from ignorance to rebirth.
Precepts - A basic set of standards for moral conduct: to refrain
from killing, stealing, harmful sexual behavior, lying and the use of
intoxicants. The Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh has captured the
essence of the Precepts: Reverence for Life, Generosity, Sexual
Responsibility, Deep Listening and Loving Speech, and Mindful
Consumption. These are the "normal" precepts for the laity; more
extensive sets may apply to persons in special circumstances, e.g. the
monastic community. The Precepts are not "commandments" in the sense
of some Western religions; they are rules of training, intended to
help us move closer to liberation and compassionate action.
Pure Land - See Amitabha.
samadhi - Concentration. A state of one-pointedness of mind
achievable through certain forms of meditation.
samsara - The wheel of suffering and rebirth.
Sangha - In Theravada, the community of ordained monks and nuns. In
some Mahayana traditions, the term has the broader meaning of all
believers.
sensei - Teacher. Title of respect in Japan.
Shakyamuni - Sage of the Shakya clan. Common epithet of the Buddha.
Shingon - A Japanese Vajrayana sect.
Shinran Shonin - Twelfth-century founder of Jodo Shinshu.
skandha - see khandha.
skillful means - Explaining the Dharma in language that the hearer can
understand.
Siddhartha (Pali Siddhatta) - Personal name of the Buddha.
sublime abidings - See brahmaviharas.
sutra (Pali sutta) - In Theravada, a historical discourse of the
Buddha as passed down by oral tradition and committed to writing at
the First Council, approximately 100 years after the Buddha's
Parinibbana. In Mahayana, the set of canonical discourses is enlarged
to include some nonhistorical sermons -- the Heart Sutra, the Lotus
Sutra, etc.
thera, theri - elder monk, elder nun.
Theravada - The Way of the Elders. The southern branch of Buddhism.
More doctrinally conservative than Mahayana (narrower conception of
what is canonical). Strong focus on correct practice and right conduct.
Three Characteristics - All conditioned phenomena are unsatisfactory,
impermanent and devoid of Self.
Tipitaka (Skt. Tripitaka) - The Three Baskets of Buddhist scripture,
comprising the Suttapitaka (the discourses), the Vinayapitaka (rules
governing the monastic order) and the Abhidhammapitaka (Buddhist
psychology). There are significant differences between the Theravada
and Mahayana canons.
Triple Gem - The Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha.
upekkha - Equanimity. One of the brahmaviharas.
Vajrayana - Sometimes translated Thunderbolt Vehicle. A development
of Mahayana Buddhism that includes several features of Indian
philosophy not found elsewhere (e.g., Tantra). In some cases (notably
Tibet and Mongolia) it has also assimilated local shamanic practices.
Strong emphasis on teacher-student relationship.
vipassana (Skt. vipashyana) - Insight, seeing things as they are.
Also used to refer to insight meditation, a technique that develops
attention to the arising and passing away of conditioned phenomena.
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