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The Religious Life in History Series
Charles Hallisey, Series Editor
Understanding Religious Life, Third Edition
Frederick]. Streng
African Cosmos: An Introduction to Religion in Africa
Noel Q. King
The Buddhist Religion: A Historical Introduction, Fourth Edition
Richard H. Robinson, Willard L. Johnson, and Sandra A. Wawrytko
The Experience qf Buddhism: Sources and Interpretations
John S. Strong
Chinese Religion: An Introduction, Fifth Edition
Laurence G. Thompson
The Chinese rtay in Religion
Laurence G. Thompson
The Hindu Religious Tradition
Thomas]. Hopkins
The House qf Islam, Third Edition
Kenneth Cragg and R. Marston Speight
Islam from Within: Anthology qf a Religion
Kenneth Cragg and R. Marston Speight
Japanese Religion: Unity and Diversity, Third Edition
H. Byron Earhart
Religion in the japanese Experience: Sources and Interpretations, Second Edition
H. Byron Earhart
The rtay qf Torah: An Introduction to Judaism, Sixth Edition
Jacob Neusner
The Life qf Torah: Readings in the Jewish Religious Experience
Jacob Neusner
Native American Religions: An Introduction
Sam Gill
Native American Traditions: Sources and Interpretations
Sam Gill
The Buddhist Religion
A Historical Introduction
Fourth Edition
RICHARD H. ROBINSON
formerly of the
University of Wisconsin
WILLARD L. JOHNSON
San Diego State University
Assisted by
Sandra A. Wawrytko
San Diego State University
Thanissaro Bhikkhu {Geoffrey DeGraff)
Metta Forest Monastery
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Robinson, Richard, H.
The Buddhist Religion: a historical introduction I
Richard H. Robinson, Willard L. Johnson; assisted by Sandra A. Wawrytko,
Thanissaro Bhikkhu (Geoffrey DeGraff).-4th ed. ·
p. cm.-(Religious life in history series)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-534-20718-9 (pbk.)
1. Buddhism. I. Johnson, Willard L. ll. Wawrytko, Sandra A. (Sandra Ann)
ill. DeGraff, Geoffrey. IV. Title.. V. Series.
BQ4012.R6 1996 96-9605
294.3-dc20
To Sitii and Neil,
my daughter and my son,
kuladuhitre ca kulaputriiya
(R.H.R.)
In this life, hate is never
calmed by hatred,
but by love.
This is the primordial dhamma.
Dhammapada, 5
(WL.J.)
Better than a thousand useless words
is one single word that gives peace.
Dhammapada, 100
(S.AW)
To Donald K. Swearer,
my first iiciirya in things Buddhist
(T.B./G.F.D.)
Contents
FOREWORD xii
PREFACE xiv
MAP: THE WORLD OF BUDDHISM x vi
ABBREVIATIONS XV iii
INTRODUCTION 1
Buddhism in India
1 THE BUDDHA'S AWAKENING 7
1.1 The Social and Religious Context of Early Buddhism 7
1.2 The Worldview ofEarly North Indian Thought 9
1.3 The Biography of the Buddha 10
1.3.1 Birth and Youth if the Bodhisattva 11
1.3.2 The Great Renunciation 12
1.3.3 The Bodhisattva's Studies and Austerities 13
1.3.4 Temptation by Mara 14
1.3.5 The Awakening 15
vi
CONTENTS vii
1.4 An Interpretation of the Awakening 17
1. 4.1 The Bodhisattva's Remembrance cif His Past Lives
and the }iitakas 20
1. 4. 2 The Jiflheel cif Life and the Hierarchy cif Beings 20
1.4.3 Dependent Co-Arising and the Cessation cif Suffering 23
2. THE BUDDHA AS TEACHER 30
2.1 The Decision to Propagate the Dharma 30
2.2 The First Sermon 31
2.3 Commentary on the First Sermon 34
2.3.1 The Four Noble Truths 35
2.3.2 Practice and Attainment 39
2.4 Founding the Buddhist Community 42
2.5 The ParinirviitJ-a (The Buddha's Passing Away) 47
3 THE DEVELOPMENT OF EARLY INDIAN BUDDHISM 51
3.1 The Formation of the Canon 51
3.1.1 The Sutras 52
3.1.2 Vinaya 53
3. 1. 3 Abhidharma 54
3.2 The Development of the Early Systems and Schools 55
3.2.1 The Second Council and the Mahiisanghikas 57
3.2.2 The Personalist School 58
3. 2. 3 The Third Council and the Sarviistiviidins 60
3. 2. 4 The Sautriintikas and Later Schools 61
3.3 Asoka 62
3.4 Religious Life in the Early Centuries 67
3.4.1 The Code cifDisciplinefor Monks 67
3.4.2 The Life cifthe Monks 72
3.4.3 Buddhist Nuns 74
3.4.4 The Laity 77
3.4.5 Cult Objects and Forms cif Worship 79
4 THE RISE AND DEVELOPMENT
OFMAHAYANABUDDHISM 82
4.1 The Rise of Mahayana 82
4.2 The Teaching of Emptiness 86
4.3 Yogacara 91
4.4 Later Developments in Hinayana 96
5 SOTERIOLOGY AND PANTHEON
OF THE MAHAYANA 99
5.1 The Bodhisattva Path 99
5.2 Buddhist Women in the Mahayana 103
5.3 Images of the Buddha 104
viii CONTENTS
5.4 The Cosmic Bodhisattvas 105
5.4.1 Maitreya 105
5.4.2 Maiijusri 106
5. 4. 3 A valokite5vara 10 7
5.4.4 Other Bodhisattva Traditions 108
5.5 The Cosmic Buddhas 109
5.5.1 Multiple Bodies ifthe Buddha and the Buddha-Lands 110
5. 5.2 Siikyamuni According to the Lotus Sutra 111
5.5.3 Ak?obhya 113
5. 5.4 Amitiibha (Amita) 113
5. 5. 5 Vc!irocana 115
5.5.6 Bhai$ajyaguru-The Healing Buddha 115
6 VAJRAY ANA AND LATER INDIAN BUDDHISM 117
6.1 Syncretism and Survival 117
6.2 Buddhist Dialectics and the Monastic Universities 120
6.3 Buddhist Tantrism 123
6. 3. 1 Action and Peiformance Tantras 124
6.3.2 Yoga Tantras 125
6.3.3 Unexcelled Yoga Tantras 127
6.3.4 Lay Vc!jrayiina Practitioners: Siddhas and Yoginis 130
6. 3. 5 Mainstream Monastic Vc!jrayiina 132
6.4 The Disappearance of Indian Buddhism 134
6.4.1 Buddhism in Nepal 137
6.4.2 The Buddhist Revival 139
Buddhism Outside of India
7 BUDDHISM IN SRI LANKA AND SOUTHEAST ASIA 141
7.1 Orthodoxy and Syncretism, History and Structure 141
7.2 Buddhism in "Further India" 142
7.3 The Theravada Connection 146
7.4 The Colonial Period 149
7. 4.1 Sri Lanka 150
7.4.2 Burma 151
7. 4.3 Thailand 152
7.5 The Postcolonial Period 153
7. 5.1 Domesticated (Popular) Buddhism 155
7.5.2 Buddhism in the Forest 162
CONTENTS ix
8 BUDDHISM IN CENTRAL ASIA AND CHINA 166
Central Asia 166
8.1 The Dharma Travels the Silk Road 166
8.1.1 From the Mauryan to the Ku~iitta Empire 166
8.1.2 Between Two Empires 167
8.1.3 The Tibetan Empire and Afterward 169
China 170
8.2 A Grand Assimilation 170
8.3 Buddhism on the Fringes of Society 173
8.4 Buddhism Enters the Mainstream of Chinese Culture 175
8.4.1 The Era if Buddha-Taoism 178
8. 4.2 The Rise if Buddhist Scholasticism 181
8.5 The Sui and T'ang Dynasties (581-907) 183
8.5.1 T'ien-t' ai 186
8.5.2 Hua-yen 190
8.5.3 Pure Land (Ching-te) 196
8.5.4 The Third Period Sect (San-chieh-chiao) 198
8.5.5 Ch'an 199
8.6 The Sung Dynasty (970-1279) 207
8.7 The Religion of the Masses (1279-1949) 210
8. 7.1 Religious Life: Monastic 213
8. 7.2 Religious Life: Lay 214
8.8 Modern Chinese Buddhism 216
8. 9 A Buddhist Charitable Organization 217
9 BUDDHISM IN KOREA AND VIETNAM 220
9.1 An Indian Import via China 220
Korea 221
9.2 The Three Kingdoms Period (18 B.C.E.-688 C.E.) 221
9.3 The Unified Silla Dynasty (668-918) 223
9.3.1 Hwaifm (Hua-yen) 224
9.3.2 Son (Ch'an) 225
9.4 The Koryo Dynasty (918-1392) 225
9.4.1 Uich'ifn 226
9.4.2 Chinul 227
9.4.3 T'aego 228
9.5 The Yi/Choson Dynasty (1392-1910) 229
9.6 Japanese Rule (1910-1945) and Its Mtermath 230
9. 7 Buddhism in Modern Korea 231
9.8 Life in a Son Monastery 232
