Tagged: Indian Buddhism
Pages with this tag
Fiordalis - Miracles in Indian Buddhist narratives and doctrine (2010)
1The narrative of the Kāśyapa brothers' conversion, a cornerstone of early Buddhist texts like the Mahāvagga, illustrates a "thaumaturgical impasse" where the Buddha initially fails to convert rival ascetics through numerous displays of superhuman power, such as taming a fire-breathing serpent, but fails to convert the ascetic Kāśyapa, who remains convinced of his own spiritual superiority. The impasse is only broken when the Buddha employs telepathy to read Kāśyapa's prideful thoughts and confronts him directly, which finally leads to his conversion and is followed by the Buddha's "Fire Sermon." By comparing alternate versions of this story from different Buddhist schools, the author demonstrates that while some accounts suggest a hierarchy in which telepathy and teaching are superior to physical miracles, other versions blend these categories, indicating that early Buddhists did not hold a single, unified view on the relationship and effectiveness of the three types of miracles—superhuman power, mind-reading, and teaching the Dharma.
Salomon - What Happened To Buddhism In India? (2018)
2Richard Salomon's essay explores the complex and controversial question of why Buddhism disappeared from India around the 13th century after thriving for over a millennium. Critiquing the common practice of listing multiple, disconnected causes—such as loss of patronage, persecution, internal decay, and Muslim invasions—Salomon argues that asking "why" is less fruitful than asking "how" the decline occurred. He contrasts the two dominant scholarly narratives - the "friendly embrace" theory, which posits that Hinduism peacefully assimilated a weakened Buddhism (Monier-Williams, R.C. Mitra), and the opposing view of relentless hostility and persecution (Giovanni Verardi). Through an analysis of several inscriptions, Salomon demonstrates a long and complex process of syncretism and absorption, showing the Buddha's incorporation as an avatāra of Viṣṇu, the equation of Buddhist and Hindu deities, and the veneration of Hindu gods like Vāsudeva within Buddhist contexts from an early period. Ultimately, he concludes that the most compelling explanation for Buddhism's demise is its gradual assimilation into the broader Hindu religious milieu, which caused it to lose its distinct identity over time.