Website for
Research Projects Involving
Bhikkhu
Anālayo and Sāmaṇerī Dhammadinnā
at
Dharma Drum Buddhist College
Projects:
Bhikkhunīs
(Attitudes
towards Nuns in Early Buddhist Texts)
Madhyama-āgama
(Translation into English)
Meditation
(Studies of Theoretical and
Practical Aspects)
Śamathadeva
(English
Translation of Sūtra Quotations)
Saṃyukta-āgama
(Translation
into English)
Ekottarika-āgama
(Studies
on the formation of the collection)
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The Early
Buddhist Order of Nuns
The purpose of this project is to
study the role of, as well as the attitude towards, nuns in early Buddhist
texts.
At present under preparation:
-
an article on the revival of the
order of nuns in Sri Lanka.
-
a monograph that will provide
annotated translations of the extant eight canonical accounts of the foundation
of the order of nuns, so as to make them available to the general public,
combined with a comparative study of these accounts, placing them within a
wider context of attitudes towards nuns in early Buddhist texts in general.
Time frame:
- Publication of the article on the
revival of the order of nuns is planned for 2013. For the study of the
canonical accounts of the foundation of the order of nuns the translations have
already been completed and work is in progress.
Publications by Bhikkhu
Anālayo relevant to this theme:
- "Attitudes Towards
Nuns – A Case Study of the Nandakovāda in the Light of its
Parallels", (with an appendix by Giuliana Martini) Journal of Buddhist
Ethics, 2010, vol. 17 pp. 332-400.
- "The
Bahudhātuka-sutta and its Parallels on Women’s Inabilities", Journal
of Buddhist Ethics, 2009, vol. 16 pp. 137-190.
- "Beautiful Eyes Seen
with Insight as Bereft of Beauty – Subhā Therī and Her Male Counterpart
in the Ekottarika-āgama", The Journal for the Sati Center for
Buddhist Studies, vol. 2 (forthcoming).
- "Chos sbyin gyi mdo,
Bhikṣuṇī Dharmadinnā Proves Her Wisdom", Chung-Hwa
Buddhist Journal, 2011, vol. 24 pp. 3-33.
- "Defying Māra –
Bhikkhunīs in the Saṃyukta-āgama", in
Women in Early Indian Buddhism: Comparative Textual Studies, A. Collett
(ed.), Oxford University Press (forthcoming).
-
"Mahāpajāpatī’s Going Forth in the
Madhyama-āgama", Journal of Buddhist Eth ics, 2011, vol. 18
pp. 268-317.
- "Outstanding Bhikkhunīs
in the Ekottarika-āgama", in Women in Early Indian
Buddhism: Comparative Textual Studies, A. Collett (ed.), Oxford University
Press (forthcoming).
- "Theories on the Foundation
of the Nuns' Order – A Critical Evaluation", Journal of the Centre for
Buddhist Studies, Sri Lanka, 2008, vol. 6 pp. 105-142.
- "Women's Renunciation
in Early Buddhism - The Four Assemblies and the Foundation of the Order of
Nuns", in Dignity and Discipline, The Evolving Role of Women in
Buddhism, Jampa Tsedroen and Thea Mohr (ed.), Boston: Wisdom 2010, pp.
65-97.
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Translation of the Madhyama-āgama
The translation of the Madhyama-āgama,
to be published as part of the Numata series, began in 2006 under the chief
editorship of Marcus Bingenheimer, with Bhikkhu Anālayo and Rod Bucknell
as co-editors. By now, the first volume containing translations of chapters 1
to 6 has been completed and should be coming out soon. In the meantime, due to
his many other work commitments Marcus Bingenheimer has requested Bhikkhu
Anālayo to take over the role of chief editor for the remaining two
volumes to be translated. The present plan is to complete volume 2 (chapters 7
to 12) and volume 3 (chapters 13 to 18) by the end of 2014.
In addition to the above project,
Bhikkhu Anālayo's collected papers with comparative studies of single Madhyama-āgama
discourses has been published as:
- Madhyama
Āgama Studies, Taipei: Dharma Drum Publishing Corporation, 2012
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Meditation
The practice of meditation is one
of the main areas of interest of Bhikkhu Anālayo. Publications in this area
began with his phd thesis on satipaṭṭhāna, completed in
2000 and published in 2003, which has by now become a bestseller, with
translations into ten other languages being either completed or under way:
- Satipaṭṭhāna,
the Direct Path to Realization, Birmingham: Windhorse, 2003.
This has been followed by two
monographs, published in 2009 and in 2010, which collect selected entries,
originally published in the Encyclopaedia of Buddhism, on topics related to
meditation practice.
- From Craving to Liberation –
Excursions into the Thought-world of the Pāli Discourses (1), New York: Buddhist
Association of the United States, 2009.
- From Grasping to Emptiness – Excursions
into the Thought-world of the Pāli Discourses (2), New York: Buddhist Association
of the United States, 2010.
These two monographs have been
combined in a single book by Pariyatti in Washington, published 2012 under the
title:
- Excursions into the
Thought-world of the Pāli Discourses
A follow up monograph on the
topic of satipaṭṭhāna is at present under preparation
and scheduled for publication in 2013 under the title:
- Satipaṭṭhāna
in Comparative Perspective
In addition to these monographs,
several articles by ven. Anālayo take up various aspects of meditation
practice:
- "The Ancient Roots of the U
Ba Khin Vipassanā Meditation", Journal of the Centre for Buddhist
Studies, Sri Lanka 2006, vol. 4 pp. 259-269.
- "The
Āneñjasappāya-sutta and its Parallels on Imperturbability and on the
Contribution of Insight to the Development of Tranquillity", Buddhist
Studies Review, 2009, vol. 26 no. 2 pp. 177-195.
- "The Development of Insight
– A Study of the U Ba Khin Vipassanā Meditation Tradition as Taught by
S.N. Goenka in Comparison with Insight Teachings in the Early Discourses",
Fuyan Buddhist Studies, 2011, vol. 6 pp 151-174.
- "The Dynamics of Theravāda Insight
Meditation", in 佛教禪坐傳統國際學術研討 會論文集, Taiwan: Dharma Drum Academic
Publishing (forthcoming).
- "The First Absorption
(Dhyāna) in Early Indian Buddhism – A Study of Source Material from the
Madhyama-āgama", in Cultural Histories of Meditation, H. Eifring
(ed.), University of Oslo, (forthcoming).
- "Mindfulness in the
Pāli Nikāyas", in Buddhist Thought and Applied Psychological
Research, K. Nauriyal (ed.), London: Routledge Curzon, 2006, pp. 229-249.
- "Mindfulness of Breathing in
the Saṃyukta-āgama", Buddhist Studies Review, 2007, vol.
24 no. 2 pp. 137-150.
- "Sati &
Samādhi", in Preserving the Dhamma, Writings in Honor of the
Eightieth Birthday of Bhante Henepola Gunaratana Mahā Thera, Y. Rahula
(ed.), West Virginia: Bhavana Society, 2007, pp. 89-92.
At present, a study is under
preparation of the brahmavihāras and of meditation on emptiness
(based on the gradual entry into emptiness described in the Smaller Discourse
on Emptiness MN 121), probable title: "Compassion and Emptiness".
Sāmaṇerī
Dhammadinnā's research focus is on the historical developments of the
theory and practice of meditation from the early Buddhist texts to the
Mahāyāna and contemporary traditions. She has published the following
studies:
- “Mahāmaitrī in
a Mahāyāna Sūtra in Khotanese ― Continuity and Innovation
in Buddhist Meditation”, Chung-Hwa Buddhist Journal / 中華佛學學報 Zhonghua foxue xuebao 2011, vol. 24 pp. 121-193.
- “Transcending the Limiting
Power of Karma — Early Buddhist Appamāṇas”, in Buddhist
Philosophy & Praxis, Papers Contributed to the 2nd International
Association of Buddhist Universities Academic Conference 31 May-2 June, 2012,
ed. Dion Peoples, Wangnoi: Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University Press,
2012, pp. 413-437.
- “The Meditative Dynamics of the
Early Buddhist Appamāṇas”, Canadian Journal of Buddhist
Studies 2011, vol. 7 pp. 137-180.
At present, a number of studies
tackling different aspects of the brahmavihāras are under
preparation: an article on the development of the notion of 'great compassion'
(mahākaruṇā) and its function in the formation of
Mahāyāna soteriology and meditation; a survey of the brahmavihāras
as taught and re-contextualized in modern meditative traditions; an assessment
of the theoretical and methodological premises and results of psychometric and
neuroscientific experiments with the brahmavihāras based on a
critical survey of relevant scientific literature vis-à-vis the framework found
in different Buddhist texts.
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Sūtra-quotations in
Śamathadeva's Compendium of Canonical Quotations in the Abhidharmakośabhāṣya
Śamathadeva's Chos mngon
paʼi mdzod kyi ʼgrel bshad nye bar mkho ba zhes bya ba ("The
Essential Companion to the Treasury of the Abhidharma", Derge no. 4094 /
Peking no. 5595), is a handbook for the study of the Abhidarmakośa
that quotes passages from the Mūlasarvāstivāda canon. Preserved
only in Tibetan translation, Śamathadeva's work contains a wealth of early
Buddhist discourse material. The project aims at making the discourses quoted
in this text available in English translation, accompanied by
comparative notes that draw attention to significant differences found in
discourse parallels extant in Chinese, Pāli and Sanskrit etc.
The project is undertaken by
Sāmaṇerī Dhammadinnā, with the assistance of Bhikkhu
Anālayo. Peter Skilling has kindly agreed to act as an academic supervisor
for the project.
Time frame:
The project started in April
2010, when Sāmaṇerī Dhammadinnā (Giuliana Martini) began
to work on a preliminary translation of the sūtra quotations during
a six months stay in Japan, sponsored by the Bukkyō Dendō Kyōkai
(Society for the Promotion of Buddhism) and is at present being continued at
DDBC. Translations of parallels to Saṃyukta-āgama discourses
will appear in the company of the respective fascicle of the Saṃyukta-āgama
in the Dharma Drum Journal of Buddhist Studies starting from 2012 (see below).
A monograph with translations of parallels to Madhyama-āgama discourse
is at present under preparation.
Relevant publications are:
- Bhikkhu Anālayo,
"Chos sbyin gyi mdo, Bhikṣuṇī Dharmadinnā Proves Her
Wisdom", Chung-Hwa Buddhist Journal, 2011, vol. 24 pp. 3-33.
- Giuliana Martini, “The
‘Discourse on Accumulated Actions’ in Śamathadeva’s Abhidharmakośopāyikā”,
The Indian International Journal of Buddhist Studies 2012, vol. 13 pp.
49-79.
- Sāmaṇerī
Dhammadinnā, "A Translation of the Sūtra Quotations in
Śamathadeva's Abhidharmakośopāyikā-ṭīkā Parallel
to the Chinese Saṃyukta-āgama Discourses 8, 9, 11, 12, 17 and
2", Dharma Drum Journal of Buddhist Studies, 2012, vol. 11 pp.
68-100.
From October 2011, with Hung
Jenjou (洪 振洲) as project co-director,
Sāmaṇerī Dhammadinnā is working on a collated digital
edition and parallels database of Śamathadeva’s Abhidharmakośopāyikā.
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The Saṃyukta-āgama
- An Annotated Translation
This project aims at providing an
English rendering of the Saṃyukta-āgama (雜阿含經 / Taishō no. 99) that has been preserved in a Chinese translation
undertaken 435-436 by Băoyún (寶雲), based on what appears to have
been a Sanskrit original of Mūlasarvāstivāda provenance read out
by Guṇabhadra. The translation will be accompanied by annotations that
take into account significant differences found between Saṃyukta-āgama
discourses and their extant parallels in Chinese, Pāli, Sanskrit and
Tibetan.
The translation and comparative
study will be undertaken by Bhikkhu Anālayo, in cooperation with Shi
Kongmu, a monk of American origin, and Ken Su, a private scholar
from Taiwan who has for many years been studying and teaching on the Saṃyukta-āgama
collection. The translations will appear fascicle by fascicle in the Dharma
Drum Journal of Buddhist Studies starting from 2012.
Translations by
Bhikkhu Anālayo of single Saṃyukta-āgama discourses:
- (SĀ 110)
"Saccaka's Challenge – A Study of the Saṃyukta-āgama
Parallel to the Cūḷasaccaka-sutta", Chung-Hwa
Buddhist Journal, 2010, vol. 23 pp. 39-70.
- (SĀ 200)
"Teaching and Liberation – The Saṃyukta-āgama Parallel
to the Rāhulovāda-sutta", in Felicitation Volume for
Professor Samtani, ed. L. Shravak, 2011 (forthcoming).
- (SĀ 276)
"Attitudes Towards Nuns – A Case Study of the Nandakovāda in the
Light of its Parallels", (with an appendix by Giuliana Martini) Journal
of Buddhist Ethics, 2010, vol. 17 pp. 332-400.
- (SĀ 344 and SA
389) " Right View and the Scheme of the Four Truths in Early Budhism,
The Saṃyukta-āgama Parallel to the Sammādiṭṭhi-sutta
and the Simile of the Four Skills of a Physician", Canadian Journal of
Buddhist Studies, 2011, vol. 7 pp. 11–44.
- (SĀ 379) "The
Chinese Parallels to the Dhammacakkappavattana-sutta (1)", Journal of
the Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies, 2012, vol. 3 (forthcoming).
- (SĀ 505)
"Śakra and the Destruction of Craving – A Case Study in the Role of
Śakra in Early Buddhism", Indian International Journal of Buddhist
Studies, 2011, vol. 12 pp. 157-176.
- (SĀ 506)
"Teaching the Abhidharma in the Heaven of the Thirty-three, the Buddha and
his Mother", Journal of the Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies,
2012, vol. 2 pp. 9–35.
- (SĀ 810)
"Mindfulness of Breathing in the Saṃyukta-āgama", Buddhist
Studies Review, 2007, vol. 24 no. 2 pp. 137-150.
- (SĀ 1032)
"Teachings to Lay Disciples – The Saṃyukta-āgama Parallel to
the Anāthapiṇḍikovāda-sutta", Buddhist Studies
Review, 2010, vol. 27 no. 1 pp. 3-14.
- (SĀ 1077) "The
Conversion of Aṅgulimāla in the Saṃyukta-āgama",
Buddhist Studies Review, 2008, vol. 25 no. 2 pp. 135-148.
- (SĀ 1198 – SĀ
1207) "Defying Māra – Bhikkhunīs in the Saṃyukta-āgama",
(forthcoming).
- (SĀ 1042) "The Saṃyukta-āgama
Parallel to the Sāleyyaka-sutta", Journal of Buddhist
Ethics, 2006, vol. 13 pp. 1-22.
- (SĀ
1249) "Exemplary Qualities of a Monastic – The Saṃyukta-āgama
Counterpart to the Mahāgopālaka-sutta and the Need of Balancing Inner
Development with Concern for Others", Sri Lanka International Journal
of Buddhist Studies, 2010, vol. 1 pp. 1-22.
- (SĀ
1265) "Vakkali's Suicide in the Chinese Āgamas",
Buddhist Studies Review, 2011, vol. 28 no. 2 pp. 155–170.
- (SĀ
1266) "Channa's Suicide in the Saṃyukta-āgama", Buddhist
Studies Review, 2010, vol. 27 no. 2 pp. 125-137.
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The Ekottarika-āgama
Sāmaṇerī
Dhammadinnā and Bhikkhu Anālayo are currently editing the proceedings
of a workshops on the Chinese Ekottarika-āgama (T 125) held at the
Library and Information Center of Dharma Drum Buddhist College in April 2011.
Bhikkhu Anālayo is presently
engaged in collaborative research on T 125 based on digital quantitative text
analysis and translatorship attribution with Hung Jenjou (洪 振洲).
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Digital Projects
From July 2011 Sāmaṇerī
Dhammadinnā contributes lexicographic entries to the “Indo-Tibetan Lexical
Resource” (ITLR), a
digital project developed at the Khyentse Center for Tibetan Buddhist Textual
Scholarship (KC-TBTS),
Department of Indian and Tibetan Studies, Asia-Africa Institute, University of
Hamburg.
From October 2011, with Hung
Jenjou (洪 振洲) as project co-director,
Sāmaṇerī Dhammadinnā is working on a collated digital
edition and parallels database of Śamathadeva’s Abhidharmakośopāyikā.
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