lecture 8: Mahayana Buddhism Overview

  • Guanyin and Bodhisattvas

    • Painted cave mural from Kansu province, China, early 8th century.
    • The emergence of Mahayana Buddhism:
    • Arose around the beginning of the Common Era.
    • By the 9th century, became a dominant influence in Central and East Asia.
    • Characterized by the emergence of Mahayana sutras and scriptures.
    • Features grandiose cosmology, complex ritualism, and paradoxical metaphysics.
    • Reinterprets the story of the Buddha.

  • The Triyāna - The Three Vehicles

    • In Mahayana literature, the three ways to liberation:
    • Śravakayāna: Vehicle of the hearers (Hinayana).
    • Pratyekabuddhayāna: Vehicle of the solitary Buddhas, who realize enlightenment without a teacher.
    • Bodhisattvayana: The highest vehicle, representing the path of the Bodhisattvas.

  • Nagarjuna

    • Featured in the Sichuan Provincial Museum with Tibetan representations.
    • Known as the founder of the Middle Way (Mādhyamika school).
    • Key teachings focus on emptiness.

  • Verses on Emptiness (Sunyatasaptati)

    • Verse 24:
    • Opponent’s claim about nirvana: If there's no origination/cessation, how can nirvana exist?
    • Nagarjuna's response: Liberation is in recognizing that nothing inherently arises or ceases.
    • Verse 25:
    • If nirvana resulted from cessation, it suggests destruction.
    • If opposite, it suggests permanence.
    • Verse 26:
    • For a defined cessation to exist, it must relate to being and non-being.

  • Nagarjuna's Philosophy

    • Nirvana states: No abandonment, attainment, annihilation, eternality, cessation, or arising.

  • The Lotus Sutra

    • Parable of the Burning House:
    • Represents the temporary nature of worldly life amidst suffering.
    • Suffering from birth, aging, illness, and death is likened to a fire that burns unceasingly.

  • Vimalakirti Sutra

    • Contains debates on skillful means as exemplified by Vimalakirti.

  • Asanga

    • Founder of the Yogācāra school (315-370 CE) in India.
    • Key spiritual figure in Mahayana Buddhism.
    • Taught by Maitreya and systematized the Mahayana in the Compendium of the Mahayana.
    • Practices rooted in meditative trance (dhyana).

  • Vasubandhu

    • Important figure associated with the Yogācāra tradition.

  • Trikaya: The Three Bodies of the Buddha

    • Dharmakaya: Truth body.
    • Sambhodakaya: Enjoyment body, represented by deities.
    • Nirmanakaya: Manifestation body, such as Sakyamuni Buddha.

  • The Five Primordial Buddhas

    • Amitabha, Ratnasambhava, Vairochana, and Amoghasiddhi.
    • Note: Specific details on these figures not included in the provided content.