RELS 131 Lecture Notes - Lecture 17: Lotus Sutra, Diamond Sutra, Heart Sutra

• School: Queen's University
• Department: Religious Studies
• Course: RELS 131
• Professor: Aditi Sen- Chowdhury

Document Summary

Not the western idea of emptiness but a feeling of deep fulfillment. Dedicate your life to the wellbeing of the world. Bodhisattvas: work over many lives to help others reach nirvana. Bodhisattva path with practice of six perfections. All buddhas teach the same thing, but they have to adapt to different people, and different. Bodhisattvas usually do not have a gender but are mostly perceived as male. Placating the dead before they turn malevolent. This includes spirits of unborn children too. Controlling spirits is a major part of the japanese tradition. Twist to the tiger and cliff story. Indian monks shaved their head, begged for alms, renounced their families (=social actions against filial piety), changed their (family) names and practiced celibacy. In a culture that valued filial piety and ancestor worship above all, these practices were considered not only controversial but also immoral.