ISSN 1076-9005
Volume 28, 2021
Buddhist Ethics. Cambridge Elements in Ethics. By Maria Heim. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2020, 66 pp. ISBN 978-1-108-70662-9 (paperback), $20.00.
Reviewed by Emily McRae
Tag Archives: Buddhaghosa
Is Buddhaghosa the Author of the Vinaya and Abhidhamma Commentaries?
ISSN 1076-9005
Volume 25, 2018
The Authorship of the Vinaya and Abhidhamma Commentaries: A Response to von Hinüber
Ven. Pandita (Burma)
University of Kelaniya
Von Hinüber claims in his recent article, “Early Scripture Commentary,” which is included in Brill’s Encyclopedia of Buddhism, that: (1) Buddhaghosa is the author of the commentaries on four nikāyas, but (2) not of other commentaries traditionally attributed to him. I agree with (1) but not with (2). On the contrary, I believe it is highly probable that the Vinaya and Abhidhamma commentaries have come from Buddhaghosa. I will give in this article the reasons for this belief.
Facing Death from a Safe Distance
ISSN 1076-9005
Volume 23, 2016
Facing Death from a Safe Distance: Saṃvega and Moral Psychology
Lajos Brons
Nihon University and Lakeland University
Saṃvega is a morally motivating state of shock that—according to Buddhaghosa—should be evoked by meditating on death. What kind of mental state it is exactly, and how it is morally motivating is unclear, however. This article presents a theory of saṃvega—what it is and how it works—based on recent insights in psychology. According to dual process theories there are two kinds of mental processes organized in two “systems”: the experiential, automatic system 1, and the rational, controlled system 2. In normal circumstances, system 1 does not believe in its own mortality. Saṃvega occurs when system 1 suddenly realizes that the “subjective self” will inevitably die (while system 2 is already disposed to affirm the subject’s mortality). This results in a state of shock that is morally motivating under certain conditions. Saṃvega increases mortality salience and produces insight in suffering, and in combination with a strengthened sense of loving-kindness or empathic concern both mortality salience and insight in suffering produce moral motivation.
Review: Perspectives on Buddhist Ethics
ISSN 1076-9005
Volume 2 1995
Perspectives on Buddhist Ethics. Edited by Prof. Mahesh Tiwary. Delhi: Department of Buddhist Studies, Delhi University, 1989. Rs 150.00.
Theravāda Buddhist Ethics with Special Reference to Visuddhimagga. Dr Vyanjana. Calcutta: Punthi Pustak, 1992. Rs 275.00.
Reviewed by Roger Farrington