The Different Paths of Buddhism: A Narrative-Historical Introduction CARL OLSON Rutgers University Press The Different Paths of Buddhism robin-bobin robin-bobin RUTGERS UNIVERSITY PRESS NEW BRUNSWICK, NEW JERSEY, AND LONDON The Different Paths of Buddhism A Narrative-Historical Introduction CARL OLSON robin-bobin LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA Olson, Carl. The different paths of Buddhism : a narrative-historical introduction / Carl Olson. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-8135-3562-X (pbk. : alk. paper) — ISBN 0-8135-3561-1 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Buddhism. I. Title. BQ4022.057 2005 294.3—dc22 2004011754 A British Cataloging-in-Publication record for this book is available from the British Library Copyright © 2005 by Carl Olson All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher. Please contact Rutgers University Press, 100 Joyce Kilmer Avenue, Piscataway, NJ 08854–8099. The only exception to this prohibition is “fair use” as defined by U.S. copyright law. Manufactured in the United States of America robin-bobin This book is dedicated to the memory of John Y. Fenton, an early mentor and friend. robin-bobin robin-bobin CONTENTS Acknowledgments ix PART ONE Origins and Historical Development 1 Crows and Monks: Introduction 1 2 The Elephant and the Buddha 21 PART TWO Therava¯da Philosophy and Practice 3 The Narrative Path of the Buddha 45 4 Ethical and Political Implications of Buddhist Narratives 68 5 The Tale of Beggars and Donors 88 6 The Feminine Narrative in Buddhism 110 7 Stories from Buddhist Villages 123 PART THREE Major Maha¯ya¯na Movements and Schools 8 The Bodhisattva’s Path to Perfection 143 9 Secret Narratives: Philosophies of Emptiness 163 10 Devotional Voices of the Pure Land 184 11 Tales of Lamas: Tibetan Buddhism 201 robin-bobin 12 The No-Narrative of Seated Meditation: Zen 225 13 New Narratives: Recent Paths of Reform and Revival 245 Chronology 257 Abbreviations 261 Notes 263 Index 285 CONTENTS viii robin-bobin ix ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This book is the outcome of over twenty years of teaching Buddhism on the undergraduate level at large universities and a small liberal arts college in what at times in the winter seems like Tibet. Critics might assert that I should have spent another twenty years working on the subject. I would have to agree, because the Buddhist tradition is very rich, complex, and widespread. It is impossible to do Buddhism full justice in a single volume, and I have not attempted to cover every- thing. This book focuses on major highlights of the tradition from India, Tibet, China, and Japan, and also takes a look at Buddhism on the village level in such countries as Sri Lanka, Myanmar (Burma), and Thailand. This book is intended for college-level courses and instructors who are not fearful of challenging students. After composing a book, there are many people whom one should thank. Most important, I want to thank the many Buddhist scholars who have shaped my understanding of the tradition and this book. It is more their book than mine. I thank former Dean Lloyd Michaels and President Richard Cook for giving me the Teacher-Scholar Chair in the Humanities at Allegheny College, which gave me free time to research and begin writing this book at Clare Hall of the University of Cambridge. I want to express my appreciation to the staff and fellows at Clare Hall for a wonderful adventure and for creating a terrific atmosphere in which to work. My time spent with Anindita and Julius Lipner was a major bonus of my stay in the beautiful town. I also must thank Peggy for her understanding, generosity, hard work, and love to pursue my fellowship and work; and Casey for teaching me about friendship and companionship. I would be remiss not to thank my col- leagues Glenn and our rookie Eric for sharing their collegial spirit. I also need to thank the people at Rutgers University Press, especially David Myers for the faith and encouragement he gave me at the start. These good people also include Kristi Long and Adi Hovav. Kristi’s constructive criticism and suggestions helped to improve this book, along with the comments of an anonymous reviewer. Finally, I want to thank the many students whom I have taught over the years for allow- ing me to have fun and to share what little I know with them. Illustrations 1, 2, 3, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 are photos taken by the author at the British Museum, London. Illustrations 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 are photos used by permission from the Asian Religious Media Resources, Yale Divinity robin-bobin [...]... Buddha, and important literary activity occurred among Buddhist sects Significant literary developments included contributions by the great commentator of the Pali canon Buddhaghosa, and the brothers Asanga and Vasubandhu of the Yogacara school of Mahayana Buddhism The Buddhist logician Dignaga was also active during this period The Mahayana branch of Buddhism was capturing the imagination of the people... born as a human being with the potential of becoming a Buddha, an awakened or enlightened being The spirit of selfless giving is evident in the narrative of the final reincarnation of the historical Buddha in the tale of Prince Vessantara in a Jataka story (547) In a narrative reminiscent of the spirit of a Native American Indian potlatch, Prince Vessantara gave away everything Among his gifts was a white... important role in the infancy narrative of the Buddha, and later an enraged elephant is sent to destroy the Buddha during his adulthood The importance of the figure of the elephant to the narrative of the Buddha is evident when Buddhaghosa, an important commentator and philosopher, compares 21 robin-bobin THE DIFFERENT PATHS OF BUDDHISM 22 the stature of the Buddha to that of an elephant in his Path of. .. B.C.E.) was allegedly held at Pataliputra during Azoka’s reign The most important development for the subsequent history of Buddhism during Azoka’s reign was the sending forth of missionaries to spread its teachings to other parts of South Asia and the East After the death of Azoka, a political decline began that culminated in the assassination of Brhadratha, the final Mauryan ruler, by his commander-in-chief... length There are five major collections of these texts: the collection of long sayings (Digha-nikaya); collection of middle-length sayings (Majjhima-nikaya); a collection of works united together by their contents (Samyutta-nikaya); texts arranged by numerical groupings of items (Anguttaranikaya); and a collection of minor works (Khuddaka-nikaya) At a later historical date, the Abhidhamma-pitaka, consisting... works are included with the collection called the Khuddaka-nikaya, which is not recognized as canonical by other schools because of disputes about their authenticity There are fifteen various types of books within the collection of the Khuddaka-nikaya In addition to the three texts already mentioned, it is also worth calling attention to the popular Dhammapada, Sutta-nipata, Peta-vatthu, Theragatha, Therigatha... it has been difficult to assert unequivocally that nonviolence emasculated the army A fact that tends to contradict the argument about the weakening of the army is that Azoka continued to maintain the death penalty The failure of his advocacy of dharma (doctrine) was probably associated with its vagueness as an instrument to unite the kingdom The reasons for the decline of the dynasty were a combination... many changes that began in the reign of Chandragupta (c 322–298 B.C.E.), who came from lower-caste origins This ruler freed India from Macedon- ian political hegemony, and he united politically a greater part of the subcontinent of India Chandragupta Maurya established a central administration with the aid of his adviser named Kautiliya, famous author of the Arthazastra (Treatise on Material Gain),... Buddhism, dating to different periods in Buddhist history The retelling of the Buddha’s biography here will rely primarily on evidence from the Jataka tales, the Majjhima Nikaya, other examples of Nikaya literature, and the Buddhacarita of the poet Azvaghosa (second century C.E.) robin-bobin THE ELEPHANT AND THE BUDDHA 23 The various biographies and biographical material associated with the life of. .. matching meanings with Taoist terms; Fa-hsien, who reached India in 399 searching for an original monastic code; and Dharmaraksa (232–309), a translator of over a hundred Mahayana texts Even though China was predominately Mahayanist, Buddhist monks followed rules of discipline established by the robin-bobin THE DIFFERENT PATHS OF BUDDHISM 12 Sarvastivadin and Dharmagupta schools of the so-called Hinayana, . and the East. After the death of Azoka, a political decline began that culminated in the assassination of Brhadratha, the final Mauryan ruler, by his commander-in-chief named Pusyamitra around 185. AND LONDON The Different Paths of Buddhism A Narrative-Historical Introduction CARL OLSON robin-bobin LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA Olson, Carl. The different paths of Buddhism. they accepted matter as the ultimate reality. Materialists like the Carvakas or the Lokayatikas agreed that all phenomena and consciousness could be traced to transformations of matter. There were also