Papers by Pisit P. Maneewong
Introduction
The purpose of this paper is to present a documentation of Dunhuang and Silk Route
w... more Introduction
The purpose of this paper is to present a documentation of Dunhuang and Silk Route
which is the part of REL 641: Dunhuang Studies, it is not a specific topic. It gives the broad information of Dunhuang and Silk Route, the history and its importance. As we know that Buddhism also came with the maritime route because the group of missionary monks propagated Buddhism along the maritime route. After, Buddhism disappeared from India and flourished in South Asia areas such as Sri Lanka, China. At that time, Sri Lanka was the center of study and promotion of Buddhism. The other main route was the Silk Route as the land transportation which connected between the East and the West. Without this route, I cannot imagine that how Buddhism propagate and spread into this present world.
The introduction of Buddhism in China, which appeared in the later Han dynasty (A.D.25-220), also presented in the earliest reliable textual and archaeological evidence. The first translators and missionaries were virtually all Central Asians, and the importance of Central Asia and China’s north-western frontiers and trade routes is crucial. Although China traditionally looked inward, from the former Han (206 BC-AD 23) to the Tang (618-907) China’s relations with the outside world, along Central Asian routes were of considerable economic importance. With the advent of Buddhist missionaries, they became routes also for Indian and Greek-Roman art forms into China as well as for Buddhist travelers in search of Indian scriptures.
The gateway to China for both Buddhism and trade from the West to the East was through Gansu in northwest China, an area that corresponds to the present day, the province of Gansu and a portion of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. Gansu was the only passageway connecting the overland routes, popularly known as the Silk Road, from the desert regions of the west with China’s heartland and its imperial cities of Chang’an, the ancient capital city of China (present day Xi’an) and Luoyang. Across this region graveled Buddhist monks, foreign merchants, and nomads carrying the ideas and objects that profoundly affected the history and culture of China. Therefore, my research emphasizes the study of the historical of Silk Route related to Dunhuang.
Thai Buddhist Holy Water (Nam Montr)
Nam Montr (น้ำมนต์, Thai) is the name given to Holy water, t... more Thai Buddhist Holy Water (Nam Montr)
Nam Montr (น้ำมนต์, Thai) is the name given to Holy water, the blessing water or magically empowered water. Thai grammatically, Nam means water. Montra (Mantra,Skt.) is kept and empowered in a special receptacle called a ‘Khan Nam Montr’, which exist in a multitude of forms, specialized purposes, and artistic interpretations. The prepared objects and tools for the ceremonies were; 1). the Khan Nam Montr is used for meditative empowerment methods as well as incantation and prayer as a method of transference of power. 2). the candles 3). the holy thread, 4). incenses, and 5). the use of added ingredients and sacred objects immersed in the holy prayer water are used as a magical fusion method to increase and amplify the power of the holy prayer water. The water is used to spray on the Lays, the devotees and any objects considered worthy of Blessing.
Thai Buddhist Altar and Thai Buddhist Prostration
Introduction
There are many subdivisions within... more Thai Buddhist Altar and Thai Buddhist Prostration
Introduction
There are many subdivisions within Buddhism, but generally it can be classified into three major branches: Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana. Each branch can be divided into categories; such as countries, cultures, societies and traditions. If we talk about Buddhist rituals, there are many Buddhist rituals around the world.
In Thailand, most of Thai people nowadays believe and practice in Theravada Buddhism. Even though in Theravada traditions if we look closely, there is no any rituals at the beginning but later the Buddhist rituals is quite popular in Thai Theravada Buddhism. Gil Fronsdal is a Norwegian-born, American Buddhist teacher wrote in his article about ritual in Buddhism; “One of the important functions of Buddhist rituals is to strengthen people’s connection to the Dharma and to the intention, respect, understanding, community, and experiential dimension associated with the Dharma. While feeling a stronger connection to the Dharma can be meaningful in and of itself, it can also fuel a person’s practice when it is challenging to do.”
There are many traditional Thai Buddhist rituals such as the celebrations of birthdays, weddings, house warming, the opening of a new business, memorial service and others. All rituals and ceremonies need to set up the Buddhist altars in the proper way. Therefore, this Buddhist ritual paper will focus on how to set up the Thai Buddhist Altars and how to perform Thai Buddhist prostrations in briefly.
The aim of this research is to undertake a comparative survey of ethics between Jainism and Buddh... more The aim of this research is to undertake a comparative survey of ethics between Jainism and Buddhism. There are three objectives of this paper: 1) to present a brief overview of Jainism, 2) to study the ethics in Jainism, and 3) to make a comparison between the ethics in Jainism and Buddhism.
In India, religion is a way of life, a spiritual path and a path to liberation for all seekers. India has been the land of spirituality and philosophy, and it also was the birthplace of the numerous religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. Among Indian religions, Jainism and Buddhism are most related to each other. Jainism and Buddhism are alike in many aspects, having common features, i.e. the origins, the teachings, the followers, and the aim of liberation. Both religions share so many similarities from the outside, yet they are slightly different upon deeper investigation into their detail and information of their teachings. In Jainism, there are twenty-four Tīrthaṅkaras or Jinas. The last Tīrthaṅkara, Mahāvīra was a contemporary spiritual leader living in the same period as Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism. Buddhism differed from the Jainism by teaching an alternative, not practicing extreme asceticism like Jainism did. Both philosophies and teachings continue to share similar terminologies, concepts and ideas of important themes even though the meanings may differ a bit, for example regarding the Mokṣa and Nibbāna ideals, both religions practice to liberate themselves to attain that supreme bliss but their methodologies are different.
Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to provide a survey of Jain ethics and Buddhist ethics and do a comparative study of ethics between Jainism and Buddhism in overview.
1. Introduction
The purpose of this paper is to present about Thai Buddha Images for the Days of... more 1. Introduction
The purpose of this paper is to present about Thai Buddha Images for the Days of the Week (Thai: Phra Prajum Wan Kerd). In Thailand, almost of all festivals, ceremonies and celebrations generally start with “merit-making” ceremonies. The merit-making is literally translated from Thai phrase “Tum Boon.” Thai word “Tum” means “to make, to do and to act” and “Boon” means “services to others such as providing food to the needy, contribution to education, hospitals and other charitable organizations, etc. However, when the phrase is mentioned as a part of festivity such as Tum Boon Wan Kerd (merit-making for a birthday), it usually means a traditional Thai Buddhist ceremony where excerpts from the Buddha’s teaching are recited and food is offered to Buddhist monks.
If you have been to a temple (or 'Wat') in Thailand, you might have noticed that the Buddha appears in standing, sitting or reclining postures or in different position. In some temple you will even see seven (or sometimes eight) statues of Buddha aligned next to each other, and often with a donation cup or bowl in front of them. So what does it mean? Many people see them without really knowing what these images mean or are for what. Each of them is for a day of the week, and you would pay respect to the statue representing the day you were born. There are of course a lot more than seven postures of Buddha and while we were researching we found different versions and explanations. That’s why on this paper I would like to study more about its historical background and the development of Buddha Images for the Days of the Week.
Introduction
The purpose of this paper is to present the theory of Momentariness in Sautrāntika S... more Introduction
The purpose of this paper is to present the theory of Momentariness in Sautrāntika School and compare it with others school in Early Buddhism.
The doctrine of momentariness is one of the most important doctrines of Buddhism. The Buddha, in this foremost teaching expounded the basic principles of impermanence, which combined with causal law of ‘Pratityasamutpāda’(Pali, Paṭicca samuppāda) and the theory of no-soul (Pali, Anattā) that later was developed into the form of momentariness theory.
By studying the doctrine of momentariness, detailed information from the Sautrāntika perspective can be revealed. The present work is mainly concerned with the philosophical and logical theory of momentariness as developed in the Sautrāntika school of Buddhism. Because of this, it is necessary that the theory of momentariness be considered in its historical context and looked at in comparison to other Buddhist philosophical schools of thought.
A key competent of this pursuit is answering the following question: why do the Sautrāntikas only accept the reality of the present moment and view the past and the future as unreal and illusory?
The purpose of the present thesis is to study the concepts of Maranassati and show its meanings a... more The purpose of the present thesis is to study the concepts of Maranassati and show its meanings and practices which are mentioned in Tipitaka, the Commentaries, the Sub-Commentaries, the special texts and all other related data, to analyze the roles and benefits of Maranassati, and to study how to apply Maranassati to the present societies. From the study, it was found that contemplation of death means to remind oneself that, for both human beings and animals, death can occur at anytime. One should accept and consider that death is inevitable so that one’s mind should not suffer through worry and fear of death. Moreover, one should remember and remind oneself that someday one will die. It cannot be avoided. It is a practical way to remind oneself not to be careless in living one’s life so that one will practice good deeds.
The result of the study shows that the development of Maranassati is an approach to face the death with a peaceful mind, to realize the painful and soulless nature of existence, at the moment of death, one is devoid of fear, and remains mindful and self-possessed. It is found that Maranassati, when properly applied to the present societies in the right way by giving a new viewpoint about the death, will lead to accepting the reality of death and showing us how to overcome our fears and be prepared for it when it happens. Because mindfulness of death can even be an opportunity to gain insight into the true nature of ourselves and all things, this insight will enable us to become free from all suffering. Practicing the contemplation of death is suitable for all kinds of people, genders and languages without being limited to places and time. It can be practiced all the time and good results will always follow for the practitioner. Practicing the contemplation of death is very useful to life. It helps all humans accept death peacefully and to be conscious of this. Besides, it can be used as a tool to stimulate one’s mind not to be careless in doing good deeds. Morality will be the focus in one’s mind and it results in indescribable good deeds.
The development of Maranassati is the way which helps us to treasure our time more without making us more attached to the present thing, because our life is not sure. We should spend our time wisely. On the other hand, we should not get too attached to our bodies, as we understand clearly that they are subject to old age, illness and death. This also helps us to let go of other things as all formations are transient, and it leads us to live with heedfulness. It is very proper that one should reflect daily on death, because Maranassati is one of the four-fold subjects of Buddhist meditation prescribed for Buddhists as suitable to be practised everywhere and every time. Contemplation on death and other forms of sorrow such as old age and disease, constitutes a convenient starting point for the long line of investigation and meditation that will ultimately lead one to Reality. The practice of the contemplation of death will help humans at the end of their lives be reborn with all good deeds while terminating all bad deeds because one maintains oneself in goodness. By being conscious of reminding oneself about death, it can be said that one is suitably prepared for death, being well-versed in the teachings of Buddhism. This practice leads to the cultivation of wisdom and to the attainment of Enlightenment.
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Papers by Pisit P. Maneewong
The purpose of this paper is to present a documentation of Dunhuang and Silk Route
which is the part of REL 641: Dunhuang Studies, it is not a specific topic. It gives the broad information of Dunhuang and Silk Route, the history and its importance. As we know that Buddhism also came with the maritime route because the group of missionary monks propagated Buddhism along the maritime route. After, Buddhism disappeared from India and flourished in South Asia areas such as Sri Lanka, China. At that time, Sri Lanka was the center of study and promotion of Buddhism. The other main route was the Silk Route as the land transportation which connected between the East and the West. Without this route, I cannot imagine that how Buddhism propagate and spread into this present world.
The introduction of Buddhism in China, which appeared in the later Han dynasty (A.D.25-220), also presented in the earliest reliable textual and archaeological evidence. The first translators and missionaries were virtually all Central Asians, and the importance of Central Asia and China’s north-western frontiers and trade routes is crucial. Although China traditionally looked inward, from the former Han (206 BC-AD 23) to the Tang (618-907) China’s relations with the outside world, along Central Asian routes were of considerable economic importance. With the advent of Buddhist missionaries, they became routes also for Indian and Greek-Roman art forms into China as well as for Buddhist travelers in search of Indian scriptures.
The gateway to China for both Buddhism and trade from the West to the East was through Gansu in northwest China, an area that corresponds to the present day, the province of Gansu and a portion of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. Gansu was the only passageway connecting the overland routes, popularly known as the Silk Road, from the desert regions of the west with China’s heartland and its imperial cities of Chang’an, the ancient capital city of China (present day Xi’an) and Luoyang. Across this region graveled Buddhist monks, foreign merchants, and nomads carrying the ideas and objects that profoundly affected the history and culture of China. Therefore, my research emphasizes the study of the historical of Silk Route related to Dunhuang.
Nam Montr (น้ำมนต์, Thai) is the name given to Holy water, the blessing water or magically empowered water. Thai grammatically, Nam means water. Montra (Mantra,Skt.) is kept and empowered in a special receptacle called a ‘Khan Nam Montr’, which exist in a multitude of forms, specialized purposes, and artistic interpretations. The prepared objects and tools for the ceremonies were; 1). the Khan Nam Montr is used for meditative empowerment methods as well as incantation and prayer as a method of transference of power. 2). the candles 3). the holy thread, 4). incenses, and 5). the use of added ingredients and sacred objects immersed in the holy prayer water are used as a magical fusion method to increase and amplify the power of the holy prayer water. The water is used to spray on the Lays, the devotees and any objects considered worthy of Blessing.
Introduction
There are many subdivisions within Buddhism, but generally it can be classified into three major branches: Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana. Each branch can be divided into categories; such as countries, cultures, societies and traditions. If we talk about Buddhist rituals, there are many Buddhist rituals around the world.
In Thailand, most of Thai people nowadays believe and practice in Theravada Buddhism. Even though in Theravada traditions if we look closely, there is no any rituals at the beginning but later the Buddhist rituals is quite popular in Thai Theravada Buddhism. Gil Fronsdal is a Norwegian-born, American Buddhist teacher wrote in his article about ritual in Buddhism; “One of the important functions of Buddhist rituals is to strengthen people’s connection to the Dharma and to the intention, respect, understanding, community, and experiential dimension associated with the Dharma. While feeling a stronger connection to the Dharma can be meaningful in and of itself, it can also fuel a person’s practice when it is challenging to do.”
There are many traditional Thai Buddhist rituals such as the celebrations of birthdays, weddings, house warming, the opening of a new business, memorial service and others. All rituals and ceremonies need to set up the Buddhist altars in the proper way. Therefore, this Buddhist ritual paper will focus on how to set up the Thai Buddhist Altars and how to perform Thai Buddhist prostrations in briefly.
In India, religion is a way of life, a spiritual path and a path to liberation for all seekers. India has been the land of spirituality and philosophy, and it also was the birthplace of the numerous religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. Among Indian religions, Jainism and Buddhism are most related to each other. Jainism and Buddhism are alike in many aspects, having common features, i.e. the origins, the teachings, the followers, and the aim of liberation. Both religions share so many similarities from the outside, yet they are slightly different upon deeper investigation into their detail and information of their teachings. In Jainism, there are twenty-four Tīrthaṅkaras or Jinas. The last Tīrthaṅkara, Mahāvīra was a contemporary spiritual leader living in the same period as Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism. Buddhism differed from the Jainism by teaching an alternative, not practicing extreme asceticism like Jainism did. Both philosophies and teachings continue to share similar terminologies, concepts and ideas of important themes even though the meanings may differ a bit, for example regarding the Mokṣa and Nibbāna ideals, both religions practice to liberate themselves to attain that supreme bliss but their methodologies are different.
Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to provide a survey of Jain ethics and Buddhist ethics and do a comparative study of ethics between Jainism and Buddhism in overview.
The purpose of this paper is to present about Thai Buddha Images for the Days of the Week (Thai: Phra Prajum Wan Kerd). In Thailand, almost of all festivals, ceremonies and celebrations generally start with “merit-making” ceremonies. The merit-making is literally translated from Thai phrase “Tum Boon.” Thai word “Tum” means “to make, to do and to act” and “Boon” means “services to others such as providing food to the needy, contribution to education, hospitals and other charitable organizations, etc. However, when the phrase is mentioned as a part of festivity such as Tum Boon Wan Kerd (merit-making for a birthday), it usually means a traditional Thai Buddhist ceremony where excerpts from the Buddha’s teaching are recited and food is offered to Buddhist monks.
If you have been to a temple (or 'Wat') in Thailand, you might have noticed that the Buddha appears in standing, sitting or reclining postures or in different position. In some temple you will even see seven (or sometimes eight) statues of Buddha aligned next to each other, and often with a donation cup or bowl in front of them. So what does it mean? Many people see them without really knowing what these images mean or are for what. Each of them is for a day of the week, and you would pay respect to the statue representing the day you were born. There are of course a lot more than seven postures of Buddha and while we were researching we found different versions and explanations. That’s why on this paper I would like to study more about its historical background and the development of Buddha Images for the Days of the Week.
The purpose of this paper is to present the theory of Momentariness in Sautrāntika School and compare it with others school in Early Buddhism.
The doctrine of momentariness is one of the most important doctrines of Buddhism. The Buddha, in this foremost teaching expounded the basic principles of impermanence, which combined with causal law of ‘Pratityasamutpāda’(Pali, Paṭicca samuppāda) and the theory of no-soul (Pali, Anattā) that later was developed into the form of momentariness theory.
By studying the doctrine of momentariness, detailed information from the Sautrāntika perspective can be revealed. The present work is mainly concerned with the philosophical and logical theory of momentariness as developed in the Sautrāntika school of Buddhism. Because of this, it is necessary that the theory of momentariness be considered in its historical context and looked at in comparison to other Buddhist philosophical schools of thought.
A key competent of this pursuit is answering the following question: why do the Sautrāntikas only accept the reality of the present moment and view the past and the future as unreal and illusory?
The result of the study shows that the development of Maranassati is an approach to face the death with a peaceful mind, to realize the painful and soulless nature of existence, at the moment of death, one is devoid of fear, and remains mindful and self-possessed. It is found that Maranassati, when properly applied to the present societies in the right way by giving a new viewpoint about the death, will lead to accepting the reality of death and showing us how to overcome our fears and be prepared for it when it happens. Because mindfulness of death can even be an opportunity to gain insight into the true nature of ourselves and all things, this insight will enable us to become free from all suffering. Practicing the contemplation of death is suitable for all kinds of people, genders and languages without being limited to places and time. It can be practiced all the time and good results will always follow for the practitioner. Practicing the contemplation of death is very useful to life. It helps all humans accept death peacefully and to be conscious of this. Besides, it can be used as a tool to stimulate one’s mind not to be careless in doing good deeds. Morality will be the focus in one’s mind and it results in indescribable good deeds.
The development of Maranassati is the way which helps us to treasure our time more without making us more attached to the present thing, because our life is not sure. We should spend our time wisely. On the other hand, we should not get too attached to our bodies, as we understand clearly that they are subject to old age, illness and death. This also helps us to let go of other things as all formations are transient, and it leads us to live with heedfulness. It is very proper that one should reflect daily on death, because Maranassati is one of the four-fold subjects of Buddhist meditation prescribed for Buddhists as suitable to be practised everywhere and every time. Contemplation on death and other forms of sorrow such as old age and disease, constitutes a convenient starting point for the long line of investigation and meditation that will ultimately lead one to Reality. The practice of the contemplation of death will help humans at the end of their lives be reborn with all good deeds while terminating all bad deeds because one maintains oneself in goodness. By being conscious of reminding oneself about death, it can be said that one is suitably prepared for death, being well-versed in the teachings of Buddhism. This practice leads to the cultivation of wisdom and to the attainment of Enlightenment.
The purpose of this paper is to present a documentation of Dunhuang and Silk Route
which is the part of REL 641: Dunhuang Studies, it is not a specific topic. It gives the broad information of Dunhuang and Silk Route, the history and its importance. As we know that Buddhism also came with the maritime route because the group of missionary monks propagated Buddhism along the maritime route. After, Buddhism disappeared from India and flourished in South Asia areas such as Sri Lanka, China. At that time, Sri Lanka was the center of study and promotion of Buddhism. The other main route was the Silk Route as the land transportation which connected between the East and the West. Without this route, I cannot imagine that how Buddhism propagate and spread into this present world.
The introduction of Buddhism in China, which appeared in the later Han dynasty (A.D.25-220), also presented in the earliest reliable textual and archaeological evidence. The first translators and missionaries were virtually all Central Asians, and the importance of Central Asia and China’s north-western frontiers and trade routes is crucial. Although China traditionally looked inward, from the former Han (206 BC-AD 23) to the Tang (618-907) China’s relations with the outside world, along Central Asian routes were of considerable economic importance. With the advent of Buddhist missionaries, they became routes also for Indian and Greek-Roman art forms into China as well as for Buddhist travelers in search of Indian scriptures.
The gateway to China for both Buddhism and trade from the West to the East was through Gansu in northwest China, an area that corresponds to the present day, the province of Gansu and a portion of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. Gansu was the only passageway connecting the overland routes, popularly known as the Silk Road, from the desert regions of the west with China’s heartland and its imperial cities of Chang’an, the ancient capital city of China (present day Xi’an) and Luoyang. Across this region graveled Buddhist monks, foreign merchants, and nomads carrying the ideas and objects that profoundly affected the history and culture of China. Therefore, my research emphasizes the study of the historical of Silk Route related to Dunhuang.
Nam Montr (น้ำมนต์, Thai) is the name given to Holy water, the blessing water or magically empowered water. Thai grammatically, Nam means water. Montra (Mantra,Skt.) is kept and empowered in a special receptacle called a ‘Khan Nam Montr’, which exist in a multitude of forms, specialized purposes, and artistic interpretations. The prepared objects and tools for the ceremonies were; 1). the Khan Nam Montr is used for meditative empowerment methods as well as incantation and prayer as a method of transference of power. 2). the candles 3). the holy thread, 4). incenses, and 5). the use of added ingredients and sacred objects immersed in the holy prayer water are used as a magical fusion method to increase and amplify the power of the holy prayer water. The water is used to spray on the Lays, the devotees and any objects considered worthy of Blessing.
Introduction
There are many subdivisions within Buddhism, but generally it can be classified into three major branches: Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana. Each branch can be divided into categories; such as countries, cultures, societies and traditions. If we talk about Buddhist rituals, there are many Buddhist rituals around the world.
In Thailand, most of Thai people nowadays believe and practice in Theravada Buddhism. Even though in Theravada traditions if we look closely, there is no any rituals at the beginning but later the Buddhist rituals is quite popular in Thai Theravada Buddhism. Gil Fronsdal is a Norwegian-born, American Buddhist teacher wrote in his article about ritual in Buddhism; “One of the important functions of Buddhist rituals is to strengthen people’s connection to the Dharma and to the intention, respect, understanding, community, and experiential dimension associated with the Dharma. While feeling a stronger connection to the Dharma can be meaningful in and of itself, it can also fuel a person’s practice when it is challenging to do.”
There are many traditional Thai Buddhist rituals such as the celebrations of birthdays, weddings, house warming, the opening of a new business, memorial service and others. All rituals and ceremonies need to set up the Buddhist altars in the proper way. Therefore, this Buddhist ritual paper will focus on how to set up the Thai Buddhist Altars and how to perform Thai Buddhist prostrations in briefly.
In India, religion is a way of life, a spiritual path and a path to liberation for all seekers. India has been the land of spirituality and philosophy, and it also was the birthplace of the numerous religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. Among Indian religions, Jainism and Buddhism are most related to each other. Jainism and Buddhism are alike in many aspects, having common features, i.e. the origins, the teachings, the followers, and the aim of liberation. Both religions share so many similarities from the outside, yet they are slightly different upon deeper investigation into their detail and information of their teachings. In Jainism, there are twenty-four Tīrthaṅkaras or Jinas. The last Tīrthaṅkara, Mahāvīra was a contemporary spiritual leader living in the same period as Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism. Buddhism differed from the Jainism by teaching an alternative, not practicing extreme asceticism like Jainism did. Both philosophies and teachings continue to share similar terminologies, concepts and ideas of important themes even though the meanings may differ a bit, for example regarding the Mokṣa and Nibbāna ideals, both religions practice to liberate themselves to attain that supreme bliss but their methodologies are different.
Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to provide a survey of Jain ethics and Buddhist ethics and do a comparative study of ethics between Jainism and Buddhism in overview.
The purpose of this paper is to present about Thai Buddha Images for the Days of the Week (Thai: Phra Prajum Wan Kerd). In Thailand, almost of all festivals, ceremonies and celebrations generally start with “merit-making” ceremonies. The merit-making is literally translated from Thai phrase “Tum Boon.” Thai word “Tum” means “to make, to do and to act” and “Boon” means “services to others such as providing food to the needy, contribution to education, hospitals and other charitable organizations, etc. However, when the phrase is mentioned as a part of festivity such as Tum Boon Wan Kerd (merit-making for a birthday), it usually means a traditional Thai Buddhist ceremony where excerpts from the Buddha’s teaching are recited and food is offered to Buddhist monks.
If you have been to a temple (or 'Wat') in Thailand, you might have noticed that the Buddha appears in standing, sitting or reclining postures or in different position. In some temple you will even see seven (or sometimes eight) statues of Buddha aligned next to each other, and often with a donation cup or bowl in front of them. So what does it mean? Many people see them without really knowing what these images mean or are for what. Each of them is for a day of the week, and you would pay respect to the statue representing the day you were born. There are of course a lot more than seven postures of Buddha and while we were researching we found different versions and explanations. That’s why on this paper I would like to study more about its historical background and the development of Buddha Images for the Days of the Week.
The purpose of this paper is to present the theory of Momentariness in Sautrāntika School and compare it with others school in Early Buddhism.
The doctrine of momentariness is one of the most important doctrines of Buddhism. The Buddha, in this foremost teaching expounded the basic principles of impermanence, which combined with causal law of ‘Pratityasamutpāda’(Pali, Paṭicca samuppāda) and the theory of no-soul (Pali, Anattā) that later was developed into the form of momentariness theory.
By studying the doctrine of momentariness, detailed information from the Sautrāntika perspective can be revealed. The present work is mainly concerned with the philosophical and logical theory of momentariness as developed in the Sautrāntika school of Buddhism. Because of this, it is necessary that the theory of momentariness be considered in its historical context and looked at in comparison to other Buddhist philosophical schools of thought.
A key competent of this pursuit is answering the following question: why do the Sautrāntikas only accept the reality of the present moment and view the past and the future as unreal and illusory?
The result of the study shows that the development of Maranassati is an approach to face the death with a peaceful mind, to realize the painful and soulless nature of existence, at the moment of death, one is devoid of fear, and remains mindful and self-possessed. It is found that Maranassati, when properly applied to the present societies in the right way by giving a new viewpoint about the death, will lead to accepting the reality of death and showing us how to overcome our fears and be prepared for it when it happens. Because mindfulness of death can even be an opportunity to gain insight into the true nature of ourselves and all things, this insight will enable us to become free from all suffering. Practicing the contemplation of death is suitable for all kinds of people, genders and languages without being limited to places and time. It can be practiced all the time and good results will always follow for the practitioner. Practicing the contemplation of death is very useful to life. It helps all humans accept death peacefully and to be conscious of this. Besides, it can be used as a tool to stimulate one’s mind not to be careless in doing good deeds. Morality will be the focus in one’s mind and it results in indescribable good deeds.
The development of Maranassati is the way which helps us to treasure our time more without making us more attached to the present thing, because our life is not sure. We should spend our time wisely. On the other hand, we should not get too attached to our bodies, as we understand clearly that they are subject to old age, illness and death. This also helps us to let go of other things as all formations are transient, and it leads us to live with heedfulness. It is very proper that one should reflect daily on death, because Maranassati is one of the four-fold subjects of Buddhist meditation prescribed for Buddhists as suitable to be practised everywhere and every time. Contemplation on death and other forms of sorrow such as old age and disease, constitutes a convenient starting point for the long line of investigation and meditation that will ultimately lead one to Reality. The practice of the contemplation of death will help humans at the end of their lives be reborn with all good deeds while terminating all bad deeds because one maintains oneself in goodness. By being conscious of reminding oneself about death, it can be said that one is suitably prepared for death, being well-versed in the teachings of Buddhism. This practice leads to the cultivation of wisdom and to the attainment of Enlightenment.