To See the Buddha

"Eckel has masterfully drawn on the richness of the Indian language of the senses to shed light on the multiple voices being heard in the philosophical chorus."

Autorentext

Malcolm David Eckel

Klappentext

Malcolm David Eckel takes us on a contemporary quest to discover the essential meaning behind the Buddha's many representations. Eckel's bold thesis proposes that the proper understanding of Buddhist philosophy must be thoroughly religious--an understanding revealed in Eckel's new translation of the philospher Bhavaviveka's major work, The Flame of Reason. Eckel shows that the dimensions of early Indian Buddhism--popular art, conventional piety, and critical philosophy--all work together to express the same religious yearning for the fullness of emptiness that Buddha conveys.

Zusammenfassung
Takes us on a contemporary quest to discover the essential meaning behind the Buddha's many representations. This title shows that the dimensions of early Indian Buddhism - popular art, conventional piety, and critical philosophy - work together to express the same religious yearning for the fullness of emptiness that Buddha conveys.

Inhalt
Abbreviations Ch. 1The Story of the Asuras' Cave Ch. 2The Structure of Bhavaviveka's Thought Philosophy as a Cognitive Quest The Three-Part Structure of Bhavaviveka's Argument Points of Transition from One Stage in the Argument to Another Bhavaviveka's Ironical Point of View Ch. 3Interpreting the Signs of the Buddha Hsuan-tsang's Encounter with the Indian Landscape The Buddha as a Place Where an Absence Is Present Ch. 4The Diachronic Dimension of the Buddha's Absence The Buddha's Previous Vows The Buddha's Manifestations The Buddha's Sustaining Power Ch. 5The Synchronic Dimension of the Buddha's Absence The Dharma Body The Eternal Buddha Ch. 6Bhavaviveka's Theory of the Buddha The Ultimate Buddha: A Negative Version of the Two-Body Theory The Conventional Buddha: A Positive Version of the Two-Body Theory The Three-Body Theory Ch. 7Buddhahood and the Language of the Senses Hsuan-tsang's Encounter with the Pirates Bhavaviveka and the Philosopher's Eyes Structural Similarities Between Different Kinds of Vision The Ranking of the Different Senses Translation: Bhavaviveka's Account of the Buddha in Chapter III of The Verses on the Essence of the Middle Way with the Commentary in The Flame of Reason 1The Ultimate Buddha 2The Bodhisattva Path 3The Conventional Buddha Notes Bibliography Index