This course provides an introduction to the study of the history, major teachings, and practices of the major Chinese religions and spiritual practices and is deigned to give conceptual tools to appreciate diverse religious practice in East. It covers the development of Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism and wide range of popular and local religions. From historical perspective we will also explore the development of key theological, religious and philosophical doctrines as well as associated practices. An effort will be made to spend time on each tradition according to its importance to Asia as a whole. We will explore the role of religions in politics and social relations in East and South, South East Asia and China in particular, and will analyze the origins, central teachings, divisions and branches, rituals and practices, influences on culture, and responses to modern challenges for each tradition. The emphasis throughout the course is on the hermeneutic difficulties attendant upon the study of religion in general, and Asian religions in particular. We will explore new Asian religions as dynamic, ongoing forces in the lives of individuals and in the collective experience of modern societies.
Schools and Texts - Part 2
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From the course by National Research University Higher School of Economics
Religions and Society in China
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From the lesson
Sinified Buddhism as an almost independent tradition
This module's content outlines the main texts and doctrines of Chan Buddhism, enumerates the main schools and branches, explains the influence that Buddhism had and has on Chinese life and art.
Meet the Instructors
Aleksey A. MaslovHead
School of Asian Studies
[SOUND] Another very important
school of Chinese Buddhism
which is called Huayan.
Flourished in Chinese 6 and 7 Centuries.
This school had a very beautiful, and even picturesque name, Huayan,
which means Flower Ornament School, or flower garland school.
This came from the Sanskrit name Avatamsaka because this school
used as a main idea, as a main text, used the Avatamsaka Sutra.
This Huayan school also based on the same
ideas as the Tiantai school but really small differences.
First of all, the reality is understood
as an independent rating thinks in independent rating reality.
It just an illusion.
For example, evil is interpenetrating with the good and vice versa.
Nothing is stable.
Nothing is fixed.
Nothing is arranged as it was.
So everything just is changing.
And we have to find our middle way to understand the illusion of this reality.
Huayan school played a very important role in the codification of Chinese Buddhism.
And this clarification was made for
the first time in the history of China by the teachers of Huayan school.
But they made this clarification,
this structure, this lineage in favor of the Huayan followers.
The main idea was very, very simple.
All schools of Indian and even of Chinese Buddhism could be divided in several
stage or several steps of the development.
The fist one was called the Hinayana school, which already existed in India.
It was just a basic, a grant for the future development of Buddhist.
The 2nd its a Mahayana school or
Mahayana stream which opened in China, so it was the 2nd one.
Finally, it was the final teacher or
final school, one of the highest point of the development of this
doctrine based on the so-called the idea of Tathagatagarbha, the womb of Buddha.
It means that the womb of Buddha includes an embrace of everything.
So all schools, all ideas, all streams,
all teacher could be embraced by these Tathagatagarbha.
Huayan school, also, the very highly praised the Sudden school.
It means [FOREIGN].
Right now we have a little discussion.
What does it mean, the Sudden school?
Some schools argue that it was an idea about this called
the future Chang Buddhism, which emphasizes on the sudden enlightenment.
But the highest way, the highest point of the development of all Buddhism by
the idea of the Huayan teachers where the so called the complete perfect teaching,
which is Avatansaka-sutra and which is Huayan school.
So it means that Huayan school supported all other streams of the Buddhism.
But at the same time, in a very smart way, they just supported the idea that
all schools and all ideas could be embraced in one school which was Huayan.
The beginning of the very long lasting discussions
about different schools of Chinese Buddhaism.
So for the first period of the development Chinese Buddhaist
started to discuss several main ideas.
The first idea was the debates about enlightenment.
Who could be enlighted?
In what way it could be enlight?
The Faxiang school are told that the main Faxiang school was that
because people are different by the nation,
and that's why they have different ways to enlightenment.
And they have different chances for this enlightenment, it means that not
everyone can be enlightened in this life, and in this body.
So it means, we have to come back to the idea of the resurrection.
And maybe after some resurrections, rebirth, we could be enlighten.
So it's not for everyone.
The idea of Tiantai school was a little bit different.
It means that everyone of us has a good nature inside.
We don't have any big difference with Buddha which lived in India,
with the Buddha Guatama.
It means that the way to Buddhahood is open for everyone,
you have just make some try, more attempt to do it.
It does mean that you can be alloted in this life, but
anyway, you have a chance to be enlightened in this life.
Chan school of Buddhism had in this way much more democratic approach.
Yes, the way to Buddhahood is open for everyone.
It's prepare it for everyone.
But there are some preconditions.
Prerequisites for the enlightenment.
First of all, you have to make a very smart, a very strong attempt to do it.
So it does mean that it could be attended just as it was without any effort.
Not the first idea.
The second idea you need to find or to meet in your life an enlightened
teacher and this teacher will explain to you what to do and what not to do.
How to practice to give the enlightenment.
So it means that Chan Buddhists lay stress on the that teach and student connection.
So it means that the most important idea to find a good school,
a good teacher and to be inside a sangha, also it called the Buddhist community.
That's was the second stage of the debate about sectarianism of Buddhism.
That's a very important idea.
And there are a lot of contradictions about it.
Sectarianism, is it good or bad?
Is it possible to have a lot of sects with different point of views
inside one religious tradition?
If you look, for example, from the Western point of view, not impossible.
There is only one orthodoxy.
And all other streams are just sects.
So they are not coincided by the views and the approach or
even by the [INAUDIBLE] with the main orthodox tradition.
That the beginning of the very crucial
really just wars during the medieval history of Europe.
Even today we can see some remains of these discussions in the religious wars.
But it's not the case about China.
Buddhism, we can find a lot of discussions in Buddhism, but not wars.
Sectarianism in Buddhism, comprehended as a sign of the vitality of the tradition.
It means more sects, more streams, more teacher, is more vital, this tradition.
This tradition could survive for a long time.
So it's very good to have a lot of sects, a lot of teachers, and
a lot of explanation, even understanding what does mean Buddha nature.
For example, even today when Chinese try to be connected to Buddhism he or
she tries not to find a good monastery or good temple or just to read some books.
These future students tried to find a good teacher.
And so it's a teacher basic Buddhism.
And teacher will explain you what to do.
What not to do.
How to meditate.
What to do.
For example, in your life what food to eat and what to sustain.
So it means that first of all, you had to find your teacher.
It means that the teacher based Buddhism.
And this idea of the teacher based Buddhism born
in the medieval Chinese Buddhism in the epoch of Tan and Su.
[MUSIC]
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