Summary of Summary of Notes for Mahayana Exam, Oct. 28, 2009

 that is when i was study in MA ,the subject of Mahayana which i summit to teacher that who want to need this assignment any buddy can take it .

Summary of Summary of Notes for Mahayana Exam, Oct. 28, 2009

Examination Questions on Mahayana Buddhism - Dr Sudarat

(1)   Explain the development of Mahayana scriptures in the beginning period or middle period! (choose 1 period only)

(2)   Multiply choice - 20 questions .

The Origin of the Mahayana Sutras.

Mahayana sutras were mainly composed in the south of India, and that later the activity of writing additional scriptures was continued in the east and north of India. Generally, scholars conclude that the Mahayana scriptures were composed from the first century CE onwards. And it is believed that  the most of the Mahayana Sutras kept developing over the course of many centuries, from the 2nd century up until the 11th century AD . In these 10 centuries additional information was added, new Mahayana Sutras were written as the need for them was felt. As a result of this, many different versions exist of the same Mahayana Sutras. So these different versions of the same sutras display a large variety in content and length.

The classification is divided into 3 periods:

1. The beginning is beginning roughly 150-250 CE.
2. The middle is roughly, 400-480 CE.
3. The last period extends to the seventh century.

The beginning period runs from roughly 150-250 CE. It is divided into five groups of sutras, which express different concepts.

(1)The first group: Prajñāpāramitā-sūtra. There are several famous sutras in prajanparamita literature, for example:

• Astasahasarika sutra ( Perfection of Wisdom in 8000 lines)
• Diamond sutra (Prajñāpāramitā Vajracchedikā Sūtra)
• Heart sutra  (Prajñāpāramitā Hṛdaya Sūtra)

• Prajñāpāramitā-sūtra. Its central concept is svabhāvatā—every phenomenon has no essence of its own and is empty of a permanent self.
• The Perfection of Wisdom sutras teaches that all entities, including dharmas, are only conceptual constructs. They are empty of permanent self, and that nature is void. This concept emerged in opposition to the intrinsic nature concept. All entities are like hallucinatory objects. There is no ultimate truth. ‘Even Nirvana is like a magical illusion, is like a dream.

·           The central idea of The prjanparamita is complete release from the world of existence. It goes beyond earlier Buddhist teaching. It offers a way to enlightenment.—the ideal of a bodhisattva.

(2)The second group: Ratnakara or Garland literature.

Examples of Ratanakara literature are: Mahāratnakūta Sūtra and the Mahāsamnipāta Sūtra, both finalized by about the 5th century,.

They have the concept of “the middle way” and the mind-only doctrine.

 The most important teaching is the concept of “fundamental right view”. Right view here means the understanding of the nature of all things based on prajñā.  The Bodhisattva vehicle advocates prajñā, its doctrine surpassing pure emptiness and taking the middle way between void[1] and real.[2]  “The middle way” of the Mahayana is called a“right view”.

The Avatamsaka-sūtra was produced in the same period as the Ratnakara-sūtra

The main themes are: (1)The interdependency of all phenomena (dharmas). (2) The progression of the Buddhist path to full Enlightenment, or Buddhahood.

This class of literature extends the path of Buddhahood to all beings. As with most Mahayana scriptures, it treats Buddha not as merely a man of ancient India, but as a cosmic principle. Differing from the austere and non-theist Theravada scriptures, it is full of gods and goddesses, heavens, jeweled trees and imaginary beings.

The Avatamsaka sutra broke through these space and time limitations on becoming a Buddha. In the new concept, there were numerous Bodhisattvas with no time or space restrictions on becoming Buddhas.

The teaching in the Avatamsaka sutra includes the important Vijñāptimātrata doctrine. Its teaching is concerned with the questions about the cosmos and led to the mind-only concept.

The essence of this concept is that all existence in the three realms, originates only from mind.[3] The mind-only doctrine was combined with the fundamental Buddhist doctrine of dependent origination.

The mind-only doctrine differs from the Prajnaparamita approach in that it gives a positive, qualitative description of the Absolute Reality, which is described as being of the nature of pure Consciousness (vijnana); "consciousness-only" (vijnanamatrata, vijnaptimatrata); or "Mind-only" (Chittamatra).

3.  The third group: The Lotus or the Dharma-flower Sutra

The full text of lotus sutra usually includes the lotus sutra, the Sutra of Innumerable, and the Sutra of Meditation on the Bodhisattva Universal Worthy and the Vimalakīrti-nirdeśa-sūtra, The important teaching of these texts is that all dharmas are absolute reality.

The lotus sutra is well-known for its extensive instruction on the concept and usage of skillful means (Sanskrit: upāya), mostly in the form of parables. It is also one of the first sutras to use the term Mahayana, or "Great Vehicle" Buddhism.

The first important point the Buddha wishes to convey is that there is only one vehicle or one path to salvation. The Buddha’s earlier preaching on three paths for believers (three vehicles). They are: sravaka or voice-hearer; second was that of the pratyekabuddha; and the third was that of the bodhisattva. 

The ultimate "teaching" of the sutra, however, is implied to the reader that "full Buddhahood" is only arrived at by exposure to the truths expressed implicitly in the Lotus Sutra via its many parables.

Another concept introduced by the Lotus Sutra is the idea that the Buddha is an eternal entity, who achieved nirvana eons ago, but willingly chose to remain in the cycle of rebirth to teach beings the Dharma time and again.

From this we see that in the Lotus sutra, the Buddha, who had earlier been viewed as a historical personality, is now conceived as a being who transcends all boundaries of time and space, an ever-abiding principle of truth and compassion that exists everywhere and within all beings.

In the Lotus sutra the bodhisattvas are pictured as unlimited in number, all-seeing and all-caring, capable of extending boundaries aid and succor to those who call upon them in sincere faith. Bodhisattvas aspire to Supreme Enlightenment and Buddhahood for themselves and all beings. The word Bodhisattva can therefore stand for realized beings such as Avalokitesvara or Samanthabhadra but also for anyone who has developed the Bodhi Mind -- the aspiration to save oneself and others

The concept of non-duality, often described in English as “nondualism”, rejects or transcends all distinction. The world perceived through the senses, the phenomenal world as we know it, was described in early  Buddhism as “empty” because all such phenomena arise from causes and conditions, are in constant state of flux, and are destined to change and pass away in time.

They are also held to be “empty” in the sense that they have no inherent or permanent characteristics by which they can be described, changing as they do from instant to instant. But in Mahayana thought it became customary to emphasize the positive aspects of Emptiness. If All phenomena are characterized by the quality of ‘emptiness’, then emptiness must constitute the unchanging and abiding nature of existence, and therefore the absolute or unchanging world must be synonymous with the phenomenal one. Hence all mental and physical distinctions that we perceive or conceive of with our minds must be part of a single underlying unity.

It is this concept of Emptiness or nonduality that leads the Mahayana texts to assert that samsara, the ordinary world of suffering and cyclical birth and death, is in the end identical with the world of nirvana, and that earthly desires are enlightenment.

The Lotus Sutra indicates that emptiness (śūnyatā) is not the ultimate vision to be attained by the aspirant Bodhisattva, but the attainment of Buddha Wisdom is indicated to be a bliss-bestowing treasure which transcends seeing all as merely empty.

The Vimalakīrti-nirdeśa Sutra is also classified in the same genre of the Lotus Sutra. Its famous teaching is nondualism. The Lotus Sutra gives its teaching in outline while the Vimalakīrti-nirdeśa gives it in detail.    

In this text is that Mahyana Buddhism does not require us to lead a homeless life as a Bhikshu in order to attain enlightenment, that is, the householder's life is as good and pure as the mendicant's.

The doctrine of non-duality is essentially a re-statement of the Buddha’s teaching of the middle way between the existence and non-existence. It is beyond the realm of good and bad, nirvana and samsara, virtue and evil, self and liberation. They are both void because wherein ultimately, there is neither existence nor non-existence.

(4) The fourth group is Pure Land Sutras:

·          The Infinite Life Sutra, the Sutra of Boundless Life (Sukhāvatī-vyūha-sūtra, or Amitayus-sūtra also known as the Larger Pure Land Sutra;

·          The Amitabha Sutra, Amitabha-sūtra or (the shorter Sukhāvatī-vyūha-sūtra) also known as the Smaller Pure Land Sutra

·          The Contemplation Sutra, or Visualization, Sutra or the Sutra on the Meditation of Amitayus .

The Pure Land genre of early Mahayana literature concerns faith in the Buddha. In the literature dealing with the Buddha Land, it is said that besides the Buddha Land of Śakyamuni Buddha, there are other Buddha Lands, in particular the Buddha Lands in the East , and in the West.

It is said that to the east there is a land called Abhirati,[4] possessed by Akṣobhya Buddha; to the west there is a land called sukhavati possessed by Amitabha Buddha.

Sukhavati is a Sanskrit word meaning “Realm of Bliss” or “Land of Happiness” and  Vyuha means “magnificent display.” งดงาม And so “Sukhavati-Vyuha Sutra” could be translated as “The Sutra of the Magnificent Display of the Realm of Bliss.”  Both the Shorter and Longer Sutras are thought to have been written about 1700 years ago on the frontier of northwest India in what is now Pakistan.  The earliest renditions are said to have been written in the first or second century C.E.  Kumarajiva wrote a Chinese translation of the Shorter Sutra in the fifth century C.E.

The Shorter Sukhavati Sutra introduces us to the fact that there is hope for suffering beings due to the boundless compassion of the Buddha Amitayus/Amitabha (Boundless Life, Boundless Light), that a realm of rebirth exists in which enlightenment is easy to attain, that one should generate an earnest desire to be reborn there and that Amitabha Buddha will meet sentient beings more than halfway, a function of Amitabha’s boundless compassion and wisdom.

Two Main Sutras of the Pure Land Canon are Infinite Life Sutra , and Amitabha Sutra

The Sukhāvatīvyūha-sūtra or the Infinite Life Sutra, or Larger Pure Land Sutra is the primary text of Pure Land school, and the longest of its three major texts.

The sūtra begins as a discourse between the Buddha and Ānanda. In the first sections, the Buddha describes his awareness of the existence of other Buddhas, who in turn are aware of him. He then describes a lineage of Buddhas that existed before him, starting with Dipankara all the way to the 53rd Buddha, named Lokesvararaja Buddha, or Sovereign of the World Buddha.

If a sentient being makes even "ten recitations" (十念 shí niàn) of the Amitābha Buddha's name they will attain "certain rebirth" (必生 bì shēng) into the Pure Land.[5]

This sutra is dedicated exclusively to Amitabha Buddha, the direct realization of the Pure Land and the vows which created the Pure Land.  In many ways the Longer Sutra is seen as an expansion of the Shorter Sutra.  The principles of self-cultivation and hope or trust come together, which may also be seen as the combination of faith and practice.  Additionally, the Sutra is a demonstration of the transference of merit on a vast scale and of the power of vows.

A principal teaching of the Longer Sutra is that powerful vows may change the external environment of the person who makes them if that person trusts the vows with a serene mind (Sk. prasada,meaning “serene trust”).  This causes one to be  transformed from one’s former state, so it may be said that the mind which trusts a vow participates in that vow.  The vows which are responsible for the creation of Sukhavati are the culmination การบรรลุถึงจุดสูงสุด of a Bodhisattva’s eons of effort.  This effort resulted in an incredible storehouse of merit which is now available to sentient beings in order to help them attain Nirvana.

Lastly the Sutra shows the Buddha discoursing at length to the next Buddha to come, Maitreya, describing the various forms of evil that Maitreya must avoid to achieve his goal of becoming a Buddha, as well as other admonitions and advice.

The Amitabha Sutra or The Shorter Sukavativyuha sutra, or阿彌陀經, or the Buddha's Discourse of the Amitabha Sutra is also one of the primary sutras recited and upheld in the Pure Land Buddhist schools.

It was translated from Sanskrit into Chinese by the Tripitaka Master Kumarajiva in 402, but may have existed in India as early as year 100, and composed in Prakrit language. The bulk of the text, considerably shorter than other Pure Land sutras, consists of a discourse which the Buddha gave at Jeta Grove in Sravasti to his disciple Shariputra. The talk concerned the wondrous adornments that await the righteous in the Western Pure Land as well as the beings that reside there, including the buddha Amitabha. The text also describes what one must do to be reborn there.

PURE LAND BUDDHISM. "Pure Land comprises the schools of East Asia which emphasize aspects of Mahayana Buddhism stressing faith in Amida, meditation on and recitation of his name, and the religious goal of being reborn in his 'Pure Land,' or 'Western Paradise.'"[6] "The goal of those devoted to Amitabha and the Pure Land is to be reborn there, and attain enlightenment (Buddhahood)". "Pure Land Buddhism chiefly consists in hearing and reciting Amitabha Buddha's name with a faithful mind, but it does not exclude meditation (dhyana) and insight (vipasyana) through which one can visualise the Buddha.

(5) The fifth group, the Samatha genre, combines Mahayana concepts with traditional teachings.

The word samatha, rendered “calm,” denotes quietude of mind. The word is almost synonymous with concentration (Samadhi), meaning to become peaceful. According to Mahayana Buddhism, there are several kinds of śamatha teaching.

Around the 3^rd century, this literature was collected and set up as an independent repository of Mahayana teachings. Some of these texts were categorized and eventually organized into new categories.

The Mahāvairocana-sūtra and the Vajraśekhara-sūtra are key sutras of this period.

It is generally supposed that the Mahāvairocana-sūtra, emerged in the seventh century. In the Mahāvairocana-sūtra, Mahāvairocana Buddha, in dialogue with Vajrasattva, explains the way of obtaining Buddha-wisdom. He defines the aspiration for enlightenment as the cause, great compassion as the foundation, and skilful means as the way to realize that wisdom. The sutra teaches that to observe the true nature of one's mind is to obtain Buddha-wisdom. It also describes rituals and various aspects of practice, such as mudra (hand gesture), mantra (magical formula), and mandala.

In Mahayana Buddhism, Monkhood is part of the system of “vows of individual liberation”. These vows are taken by monks and nuns from the ordinary sangha, in order to develop personal ethical discipline. The vows of individual liberation are taken in four steps. A lay person may take the five vows called “approaching virtue”. The next step is to enter the monastic way of life. After that, one can become a novice or samanera. The last and final step is to take all the vows of a “fully ordained monk”, or nun. There are five vows for lay Buddhists, 250 for fully ordained monks.

Pratimoksa has two meanings. The first is 'guaranteed liberation', the second is 'special liberation'. Guaranteed liberation means if one holds these Bodhisattva precepts, it's guaranteed that one can go from the level of an ordinary person to the level of a Sage. Special liberation means that for every precept you hold, you obtain that partcular liberation" .

In Mahayana Buddhism, all precepts can be grouped into two main categories: Sravaka precepts (of laymen, monks and nuns); and Bodhisattva precepts, the exalted code above the Sravaka precepts. All these precepts are derived from Three Root Precepts which form the basis of all Buddhist practice: Do not what is evil, do what is good and be of benefit to all sentient beings.

The essence of this code is compassion toward all sentient beings.
The most noteworthy of the sutra are: 1) the practice of vegetarianism; 2) the compassionate duty to rescue sentient beings in danger and guide them to Enlightenment; and most of all, 3) the concept of compassion  toward all sentient beings. 

The most serious type of offense in Mahayana Buddhism is killing beings. "An offense that merits casting out -- being cast out of the sea of the Buddhadharma

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