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Nuns in Indian Buddhism and their Stories in the Avadānaśataka
Barát, Denis ; Holba, Jiří (advisor) ; Hlubina, Miloš (referee)
This thesis is concerned with nuns in Indian Buddhism of the early to middle period, roughly up to the first half of the first millennium CE, with a focus on non-Mahāyāna sources. The textual sources on the subject are few, and the views found in them are not uniform. The thesis first presents the traditional story of the founding of the order of nuns in its various versions, which is ambivalent towards nuns. This story is discussed in detail and the views on it from contemporary scholars are presented. Attention then turns to other sources of information about nuns. The possible historical facts of their lives and the way in which they are portrayed in Buddhist canonical literature are discussed. From this overview, it will be seen that nuns are portrayed in a predominantly positive light, as conscientious and diligent disciples of the Buddha. Texts expressing doubtful or misogynistic views of them, such as the story of the founding of the nuns' order, are considerably fewer. However, not all sources dealing with Buddhist women are sufficiently explored. One of these is the Avadānaśataka, a collection of avadānas, i.e., stories illustrating the effects of actions throughout lives, dating from the first centuries CE. Its eight chapter is devoted to ten stories of nuns who attained liberation. These...
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Shinra's conception of shin-jin as a way to buddhahood
Vrba, Petr ; Holba, Jiří (advisor) ; Antalík, Dalibor (referee)
V této práci se pokusím o jasné a obhajitelné zařazení Šimanovy reformulace učení Čisté země do kontextu mahájánového buddhismu a o vymezení klíčového pojmu v Šimanově soteriologické vizi. Tímto termínem je šindžin, podle mého názoru překládaný nesprávně jako víra. Ukážu, že Šimanův důraz na chápání šindžin jako samotného probuzení a na slitovnou moc buddhy Amidy (sa. Amitábha) může být chápán jako "revoluční" krok, který došel svého naplnění až o mnoho století později, ale že je zároveň nutné vidět v něm proces, v kterém se celkem přirozeným způsobem odráží vývoj převládajících mahájánových proudů i společensko-ekonomická situace dobového Japonska. V neposlední řadě bych rád "očistil" Šimanovo jméno od poměrně častého dezinterpretování běžného nejen v domácí produkci. Jak píše Amstutz: "Buddhismus Džódo šinšú - nejrozšířenější z tradičních japonských buddhistických institucí - bývá dodnes chápán zkresleně. Převládajícím dojmem z šín-buddhismu je, že je to buddhismus pro ty, kdo nejsou dostatečně ukáznění, aby participovali na ,skutečném', tj. odříkavém (nebo alespoň meditativním) způsobu pěstování buddhistické praxe, jímž se vyznačuje ,normativní buddhismus'." 1 Myslím, že nepochopení klíčového konceptu šindžin a jeho neopodstatněné deformování evropskými pojmy nám zabraňuje porozumět Šimanovu poselství v...
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Early buddhism and ethical problem of dying and death
Mičkalová, Klára ; Holba, Jiří (advisor) ; Halík, Tomáš (referee)
Buddhismus byl již ve starověku spojován s lékařským uměním a tento rys buddhismu si vždy uvědomovala laická i odborná veřejnost. V současnosti se buddhismus stal mimo jiné předmětem zájmu odborníků na lékařskou etiku (bioetiku), kteří se domnívají, že z buddhistických tradic je možné načerpat inspiraci a argumentaci k diskuzím o eticky sporných otázkách spojených se smrtí a umíráním. Debata se vede o tom, zda je morálně přípustné, aby nevyléčitelně nemocní pacienti spáchali sebevraždu, pokud jsou toho sami schopni, nebo aby jim někdo ke spáchání sebevraždy pomohl, pokud toho sami schopni nejsou (asistovaná sebevražda), a zda je přípustné, aby pacienti rozhodovali o pokračování péče a medikace, případně aby druzí rozhodovali o takových pacientech, kteří toho vzhledem ke svému stavu nejsou schopni.
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Nichiren, fundamentalistic Buddhist
Bártová, Zuzana ; Holba, Jiří (advisor) ; Chlup, Radek (referee)
Nichiren, the fundamentalistic buddhist The bachelor thesis is treating Japanese Buddhist monk Nichiren who lived in 13th century. Different aspects of his life and teaching are discussed. The principal field of the research is Japanese Buddhism which is a part of Mahayana Buddhism. In addition, the main Nichiren's ideas are put into context of general Buddhist thouht. In conclusion, a fundamentalistic trait of Nichiren view is more elaborated. This procedure results in the statement that Nichiren is a fundamentalist. The work is conceived as a groundwork for further study of religious movements which have been referring to Nichiren in subsequent years.
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"Eastern theodicea" as an alternative treatment for the Western problem of evil
Šestáková Novotná, Kateřina ; Novák, Lukáš (advisor) ; Holba, Jiří (referee)
This essay responds to the dissatisfaction of some philosophers with traditional Western solutions to the problem of evil in religion and it offers an alternative solution, which is inspired by the Eastern philosophy of advaita to a great extent. According to the critics, traditional theodicies do not solve the following aspects of the problem of evil: problems with the extent and distribution of evil, suffering of animals and eternal damnation. Three elements of the Eastern philosophy combined with some traditional strategies do solve these problems. The first element is the idea of universal salvation, the second is the theory of karma nand reincarnation and the last one is advaita and lila. These elements can be accepted in various forms and combinations, some of which are more compatible with the traditional methods than others. The final solution is hypothetical and should be understood as a sketech of several ways in which the problem of evil can be solved. This essay is not merely an application of Eeastern concepts to a Western problem, but rather a mutual interaction. That is why I do not hesitate to work with Western new age literature and use Eastern concepts creatively myself. Even though my solution is based on the Indian philospohy of advaita, I criticize its usual implication, according to...
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The caste system in rural India in the fifties of the 20th century
Zábranská, Margareta ; Chlup, Radek (advisor) ; Holba, Jiří (referee)
Tematem me prace je podoba kastovnfho systemu na indickem venkove, konkretne ve dvou indickych vesnidch Kumbapettai a RamkherL jak byla zachycena v antropologickych vyzkumech K. Gough a A. Mayera v 50. letech 20. stoletf. Toto doba zachycuje prerod kastovnfho systemu ze starsf formy do nove, ovlivnovane evropskymi myslenkami. Toto prace ma predevsfm dva cne: 1. na zaklade vyse zmfnenych vyzkumu podat podrobnejsf popis kastovnfho systemu s durazem na jeho obecne pozorovane charakteristiky tak, aby si i nezasveceny ctenar mohl udelat predstavu, co kastovnf system obnasf; 2. pokusit se o rozkrytf kriteriL podle nichz se tvoi'f hierarchicka struktura kastovnfho systemu, a blfze urcit vnitrnf principy, na nichz je kastovnf system postaven. K rozboru pouzfvam predevsfm strukturalistickeho vykladu L. Dumonta a antropologicke teorie nabozenskych jevu od M. Blocha. V praci dochazfm / vykladam kastovnf system jako zpusob, jak je resen vztah cloveka a spolecnosti v globalnfm merftku. Vidfm ho jako prolnutf nabozenske a politicke roviny, ktere se vzajemne doplnujf. Kastovnf hierarchie je , urcena rozlisovanfm na ciste a neciste (souvislost s nabozenskou rovinou) a podflem na politicke moci. Obe tyto klasifikace jsou pi'fstupne i zapadnfmu cloveku a system sam se jevf jako racionalnf. Typickymi predstaviteli cistoty...
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Self-immolation in Buddhism
Gossová, Markéta ; Zemánek, Marek (advisor) ; Holba, Jiří (referee)
The subject of this thesis is self-immolation in Buddhist countries. The author shows examples from both history and the present and interprets them as a ritualised pattern passed on from the fourth century until the present time, the continuity of which was based on literary tradition as well as on historical occurrences. She demonstrates that self-immolations in Vietnam and Tibet also follow the centuries long tradition and prove to have the same components. The author intends to answer the question of the origin of the tradition in Buddhism and its broad popularity compared to other forms of self-sacrifice. Reasons for self-immolations among the Buddhists might have been manyfold: to demonstrate their loyalty to the buddhist doctrine and the Buddha, to use it as means of attaining enlightment immediately or as a form of a political protest. All of the above can be understood as a sacrifice to the Three Jewels of Buddhism, i.e. the Buddha, the Drarma and the Sangha. The author also handles self-immolation in Buddhism as a question of ethics in order to present the problem in its completeness. In doing so, she concentrates on the point of view of the followers of Buddhism themselves. The phenomenon proves to have many forms and therefore even the Buddhists are nor united in their opinions....
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Buddhist mantra and the Heart Sūtra
Langrová, Eva ; Holba, Jiří (advisor) ; Chlup, Radek (referee)
The subject matter of religious language from the perspective of Religious studies is the chief schema of the thesis. It deals with concrete religious utterances, namely Buddhist mantras. The thesis outlines the context of their origin in Vedic religion and their subsequent development in Mahayana and Tantric Buddhism. It further examines the mantra both in Buddhist theory (the mantra in the text) and in Buddhist practice (the mantra in the ritual). The answer to the questions if the exact meaning of the individual mantras can be found and to what extent mantras are translatable from original Sanskrit is the primary aim of the thesis. Special attention is paid to the Heart Sutra, the crowning text of Mahayana Buddhism, and its final mantra gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha. Key words: buddhism, Mahāyāna buddhism, the Heart Sūtra, mantra, ritual language
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Early Buddhist Cosmology of the Pali canon
Horáček, Petr ; Holba, Jiří (advisor) ; Melnikova, Nora (referee)
This paper is focused on the early Buddhist cosmology. It briefly presents the general concepts of cosmology in Buddhism and the Pali Canon in order to better emphasize the characteristics of the primary text on which the work is based, namely the Agaññasutta of the Pali canon. The author takes into account other suttas of the Pali canon and secondary literature as well. The Agaññasutta represents one of the first cosmological texts of Buddhism and can therefore be considered as a very valuable source of information about the early cosmological ideas and the context in which these ideas were formed. It deals with the destruction of the world, its re-emergence, the emergence of creatures, human beings and social strata, the election of the first king and the establishment of the ascetic social groups. To gain a better orientation in the source material, the plot can be divided into the period until the development of human beings, the creation of social institutions with the election of the king and the emergence of alternative social institutions headed by a Buddhist monk. The main aim of the present paper is to show that the Agaññasutta contains the structure based on the necessity of the emergence of the human beings in their physical form and endowed with their moral faults, the society which...
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