Rubrika: Uncategorized

Bhante Dhammadipa shows in this article that  in  China  and  other  Far  East  countries,  where  Chinese  Buddhism  spread  at  the  early  stages  of  Mahāyāna  Buddhism, traditional  methods  of  Buddhist practice,  as  explained  in  the  Āgamas, were  in  practice,  but  reinterpreted  from  the  Mahāyānistic understanding. Eventually, in the periods following the decline of the Tang Dynasty those practices were mostly abandoned and replaced by pure Mahāyānistic meditation practices, especially those of the Chan (Zen) and Pure Land schools. It can be clearly seen from the meditation treatises discussed in this article, which are attributed to Kumārajīva, the most popular translator of Indian Buddhist literature in China. Actually, as Western researchers show, these treatises are likely to be notes of Kumārajīva’s disciples, introduced into meditation by him.