Redeeming Bugs, Birds, and Really Bad Sinners in Some Medieval Mahāyāna Sūtras and Dhāraṇīs
Abstract
Although the mass of medieval Mahāyāna Sūtras and dhāraṇīs have been shamefully understudied, it is already clear from both manuscript material and inscriptions that some of these texts were known, and actually used in the medieval Buddhist world of South and Central Asia. One such theme, it seems, is the redemption of those unfortunates who have been reborn as bugs or birds, or those who deserve to go to hell. More typically, perhaps, birds and bugs are in Buddhist monastic sources as they frequently are elsewhere a damn nuisance, and often downright disgusting. The Buddha orders that at the start of the rain retreat a monk is to be specially appointed to inspect the nests of both bug and bird and-if they do not contain eggs to unceremoniously throw them out. Keywords:birds; Buddha; bugs; dharanis; medieval mahayana sutras; monks; sinners
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When some Buddhist authors insisted on a strict version of the doctrine of karma, and when this doctrine gradually took root in the world of ordinary people, it was almost inevitable that other Buddhist authors would over time have to devise some means and provide mechanisms for those ordinary people to, in effect, get around it.
“Gregory Schopen (2012: 291) convincingly argues that when some Buddhist authors insisted on a strict version of the doctrine of karma , and when this doctrine gradually took root in the world of ordinary people, ' it was almost inevitable that other Buddhist authors would over time have to devise some means and provide mechanisms for those ordinary people to, in effect, get around it ' .”
From The Buddhist salvation of Ajātaśatru and the Jaina non-salvation of Kūṇika (2019) · cites this paper as Schopen 2012: 291
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The Buddhist salvation of Ajātaśatru and the Jaina non-salvation of Kūṇika
Wu, J. (2019) · Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies · doi:10.1017/s0041977x19000272 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
- Authors
- Schopen, G.
- Corresponding author
- Schopen, Gregory
- Venue
- Sins and Sinners
- Publisher
- BRILL
- Published
- 2012-01-01
- Pages
- 276-294
- OpenAlex
- W2477794348
- Cited by
- 2
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2019: 1 · 2014: 1
- FWCI
- 10.37
- Type
- book chapter
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- BRILL eBooks (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Religious studies › Indian and Buddhist Studies
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Classics › Medieval Literature and History
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Language and Linguistics › Classical Studies and Philology
- Keywords
- insects, birds, hell, sinners, dhāraṇī, Mahayana sutras, Buddhist monasticism, Buddhist iconography, South and Central Asia
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