Mahayana Buddhism Flashcards
Denise Cush for why Mahayana teachings are still from the Buddha
- They weren’t revealed by the historical Buddha but the spiritual one.
- Anyone who speaks from perfect wisdom speaks from the words of a Buddha, the Pali canon wasn’t just written by the Buddha.
- They were delivered by the historical Buddha depending on the individuals ability to understand.
Damien Keown on Mahayana emergence
‘The new Mahayana cosmology made it possible to claim that the Buddha was, if not the human author of new sutras, at least the cosmological one.’
Keown similarity to Christianity
- Movements occur at the same time as christ.
- Both based on love.
- Concept of saviours.
Bhikkhu Bodhi on upaya
Argues that Buddhists should avoid degenerating the original teachings of the Buddha as mere upaya (made irrelevant by later teachings).
Robert Ellis on bodhisattvas
A bodhisattva is ‘one who has enlightenment in their essence.’
Paul Williams on bodhisattvas
Bodhisattva path is more impractical as it could go on forever.
Snelling
Calls bodhisattvas ‘a spiritual hero.’
Gethin on bodhisattvas
Argues that compassion is central to Mahayana Buddhism which is exemplified by the bodhisattva vow.
Cush on arhat vs bodhisattva
All teachings is a mean to an end and they both have the same goal of extinguishing suffering.
Barabara O’Brien on the trikaya
Understanding the trikaya is important as it can clear up a lot of confusion about the nature of the Buddha.
Denise Cush on prajnaparamita
‘The full and complete insight into the way things truly are.’
Thich Nhat Hanh
The prajnaparamita sutras are distinctly Mahaya as they are new and innovative. It allowed the arhat path to develop into the bodhisattva path.
Cush on sunyata
‘The central insight of this is perfect wisdom is that all things are characterised by sunyata.’
Nagarjuna on sunyata
‘Thanks to emptiness, everything is possible.’
Rupert Gethin on the Abhidhamma
The concept of the dharmas established in the Abhidamma are a map for the way things are.