Mahāyāna Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations

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**{{i|''The origins and development of the Prajñāpāramitā literature''|47}}
**{{i|''The origins and development of the Prajñāpāramitā literature''|47}}
**{{i|''Wisdom'' (prajña) ''and its perfection''|49}}
**{{i|''Wisdom'' (prajña) ''and its perfection''|49}}
**{{i|''Absence of Self – the extensive perspective|51}}
**{{i|''Absence of Self – the extensive perspective''|51}}
**{{i|''The Bodhisattva''|55}}
**{{i|''The Bodhisattva''|55}}
*{{i|'''3 Mādhyamika'''|'''63'''}}
*{{i|'''3 Mādhyamika'''|'''63'''}}
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**{{i|''A brief note on Mādhyamika method''|71}}
**{{i|''A brief note on Mādhyamika method''|71}}
**{{i|''Three Mādhyamika critiques''|72}}
**{{i|''Three Mādhyamika critiques''|72}}
**{{i|''On causation''|73}}
***{{i|''On causation''|73}}
**{{i|''On the Self''|74}}
***{{i|''On the Self''|74}}
**{{i|''On nirvāṇa''|75}}
***{{i|''On nirvāṇa''|75}}
**{{i|''The two truths''|76}}
**{{i|''The two truths''|76}}
**{{i|''Meditation and emptiness – an impressionistic outline''|79}}
**{{i|''Meditation and emptiness – an impressionistic outline''|79}}
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**{{i|''Yet more disputes within the Yogācāra tradition''|100}}
**{{i|''Yet more disputes within the Yogācāra tradition''|100}}
*{{i|'''5 The Tathāgatagarbha'''|'''103'''}}
*{{i|'''5 The Tathāgatagarbha'''|'''103'''}}
Some TathAgatagarbha SEtras 104
**{{i|''Some Tathāgatagarbha Sūtras''|104}}
The Tathagatagarbha in the Ratnagotravibhaga 109
**{{i|''The'' Tathāgatagarbha ''in the'' Ratnagotravibhāga|109}}
Tibet – the gzhan stong and rang stong dispute 112
**{{i|''Tibet – the'' gzhan stong ''and'' rang stong ''dispute''|112}}
The Dasheng qixinlun (Ta-sheng ch’i-hsin lun) and the
**{{i|''The'' Dasheng qixinlun (Ta-sheng ch’i-hsin lun) ''and the''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Tathagatagarbha ''in East Asia''|115}}
Tathagatagarbha in East Asia 115
**{{i|''Dōgen on the Buddha-nature''|119}}
DDgen on the Buddha-nature 119
**{{i|''A note on some contemporary issues: Critical Buddhism and a debate on<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;not-Self in Thai Buddhism''|122}}
A note on some contemporary issues: Critical Buddhism and a debate
**{{i|''Critical Buddhism''|122}}
on not-Self in Thai Buddhism 122
**{{i|''Not-Self in contemporary Thai Buddhism''|125}}
Critical Buddhism 122
*{{i|'''6 Huayan – the Flower Garland tradition'''|'''129'''}}
Not-Self in contemporary Thai Buddhism 125
**{{i|''Buddhism in China''|129}}
6 Huayan – the Flower Garland tradition 129
**{{i|''The'' Avataṃsaka Sūtra|132}}
Buddhism in China 129
**{{i|''The Huayan tradition in China''|138}}
The Avatatsaka Setra 132
**{{i|''Huayan thought – Fazang’s 'Treatise on the Golden Lion' ''|141}}
The Huayan tradition in China 138
**{{i|''A note on some aspects of Huayan practice''|144}}
Huayan thought – Fazang’s ‘Treatise on the Golden Lion’ 141
**{{i|''The'' Avataṃsaka Sūtra ''and Vairocana in Buddhist art''|146}}
A note on some aspects of Huayan practice 144
*{{i|'''7 The ''Saddharmapuṇḍarīka (Lotus) Sūtra'' and its influences'''|'''149'''}}
The Avatatsaka Setra and Vairocana in Buddhist art 146
**{{i|''A note on Tiantai (Tendai)''|161}}
7 The Saddharmapuéäaráka (Lotus) Sâtra and its influences 149
**{{i|''Nichiren Shōnin and his tradition''|165}}
A note on Tiantai (Tendai) 161
*{{i|'''8 On the bodies of the Buddha'''|'''172'''}}
Nichiren ShDnin and his tradition 165
**{{i|''Prolegomenon to the Mahāyāna''|172}}
8 On the bodies of the Buddha 172
**{{i|''The bodies of the Buddha and the philosophy of emptiness''|176}}
Prolegomenon to the MahAyAna 172
**{{i|''Yogācāra – the system develops''|179}}
The bodies of the Buddha and the philosophy of emptiness 176
**{{i|''A note on the dGe lugs schema of the Buddha's bodies''|182}}
YogAcAra – the system develops 179
**{{i|''A final note: the 'nonabiding nirvāṇa' and the lifespan of the Buddha''|185}}
A note on the dGe lugs schema of the Buddha’s bodies 182
*{{i|'''9 The path of the Bodhisattva'''|187}}
A final note: the ‘nonabiding nirvAUa’ and the lifespan of the Buddha 185
**{{i|''Buddhism reaches Tibet''|187}}
 
**{{i|''The eighth-century debates''|191}}
9 The path of the Bodhisattva 187
**{{i|''Compassion and the Bodhicitta''|194}}
Buddhism reaches Tibet 187
**{{i|''Bodhisattva stages, paths and perfections''|200}}
The eighth-century debates 191
*{{i|'''10 Trust, self-abandonment and devotion: the cults of Buddhas<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;and Bodhisattvas'''|'''209'''}}
Compassion and the Bodhicitta 194
**{{i|Buddhānusmṛti – ''recollection of the Buddha''|209}}
Bodhisattva stages, paths and perfections 200
**{{i|''The'' pratyutpanna samādhi ''and Huiyuan''|212}}
10 Trust, self-abandonment and devotion: the cults of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas 209
**{{i|''The notion of a Buddha Field'' (buddhakṣetra)|214}}
Buddhanusmvti – recollection of the Buddha 209
**{{i|''Some Bodhisattvas''|218}}
The pratyutpanna samadhi and Huiyuan 212
***{{i|''Maitreya''|218}}
The notion of a Buddha Field (buddhakwetra) 214
***{{i|''Avalokiteśvara''|221}}
Some Bodhisattvas 218
***{{i|''Tārā''|225}}
Maitreya 218
***{{i|''Mañjuśrī''|226}}
AvalokiteZvara 221
***{{i|''Kṣitigarbha''|229}}
TArA 225
**{{i|Some Buddhas|231}}
MañjuZrC 226
***{{i|''Akṣobhya''|231}}
KWitigarbha 229
***{{i|''Bhaiṣajyaguru''|234}}
Some Buddhas 231
***{{i|''Amitābha/Amitāyus''|238}}
AkWobhya 231
****{{i|''The Amitābha sūtras''|238}}
BhaiWajyaguru 234
****{{i|''Amitābha’s Pure Land in China''|243}}
AmitAbha/AmitAyus 238
****{{i|''Hōnen Shōnin (1133–1212)''|254}}
The AmitAbha sEtras 238
****{{i|''Shinran Shōnin (1173–1262)''|259}}
AmitAbha’s Pure Land in China 243
**{{i|''Notes''|267}}
HDnen ShDnin (1133–1212) 254
**{{i|''References''|389}}
Shinran ShDnin (1173–1262) 259
**{{i|''Index of names''|422}}
Notes 267
**{{i|''Index of subjects''|430}}
References 389
|PublisherLogo=File:Routledge logo.png
Index of names 422
|StopPersonRedirects=No
Index of subjects 430
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Latest revision as of 16:57, 29 June 2023



Mahāyāna Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations
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Originating in India, Mahayana Buddhism spread across Asia, becoming the prevalent form of Buddhism in Tibet and East Asia. Over the last twenty-five years Western interest in Mahayana has increased considerably, reflected both in the quantity of scholarly material produced and in the attraction of Westerners towards Tibetan Buddhism and Zen.

Paul Williams’ Mahayana Buddhism is widely regarded as the standard introduction to the field, used internationally for teaching and research and has been translated into several European and Asian languages. This new edition has been fully revised throughout in the light of the wealth of new studies and focuses on the religion’s diversity and richness. It includes much more material on China and Japan, with appropriate reference to Nepal, and for students who wish to carry their study further there is a much-expanded bibliography and extensive footnotes and cross-referencing. Everyone studying this important tradition will find Williams’ book the ideal companion to their studies. (Source: Routledge)

Citation Williams, Paul. Mahayana Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations. 2nd ed. Library of Religious Beliefs and Practices. New York: Routledge, 2009. https://archive.org/details/mahayanabuddhismthedoctrinalfoundationspaulwilliamsroutledgeseealtruismandreality_202003_445_W/mode/2up.


    • Preface and acknowledgementsx
  • 1 Introduction1
    • Buddhism: doctrinal diversity and (relative) moral unity1
    • The Indian background7
    • Factors that may have contributed to change12
    • Abhidharma15
    • Mahāsāṃghikas and the Lokottaravāda18
    • The origins of the Mahāyāna, and the laity21
    • Mahāyāna before 'Mahāyāna' – the Ajitasenavyākaraṇanirdeśa Sūtra27
    • On the origins of the Mahāyāna – some more sūtras30
    • The justification of the Mahāyāna sutras38
  • 2 The Perfection of Wisdom (Prajñāpāramitā) Sūtras 45
    • On the Mahāyāna sūtras45
    • The origins and development of the Prajñāpāramitā literature47
    • Wisdom (prajña) and its perfection49
    • Absence of Self – the extensive perspective51
    • The Bodhisattva55
  • 3 Mādhyamika63
    • Nāgārjuna and Āryadeva63
    • The development of the Mādhyamika tradition in India65
    • Emptiness and intrinsic existence – the incompatible rivals68
    • A brief note on Mādhyamika method71
    • Three Mādhyamika critiques72
      • On causation73
      • On the Self74
      • On nirvāṇa75
    • The two truths76
    • Meditation and emptiness – an impressionistic outline79
    • A final note – Mādhyamika in China and East Asia81
  • 4 Yogācāra84
    • Background84
    • The Yogācāra tradition – scholars and texts86
    • The three natures (trisvabhava)88
    • Mind92
    • Substratum consciousness, consciousness and immaculate consciousness97
    • Yet more disputes within the Yogācāra tradition100
  • 5 The Tathāgatagarbha103
    • Some Tathāgatagarbha Sūtras104
    • The Tathāgatagarbha in the Ratnagotravibhāga109
    • Tibet – the gzhan stong and rang stong dispute112
    • The Dasheng qixinlun (Ta-sheng ch’i-hsin lun) and the
         Tathagatagarbha in East Asia      115
    • Dōgen on the Buddha-nature119
    • A note on some contemporary issues: Critical Buddhism and a debate on
         not-Self in Thai Buddhism      122
    • Critical Buddhism122
    • Not-Self in contemporary Thai Buddhism125
  • 6 Huayan – the Flower Garland tradition129
    • Buddhism in China129
    • The Avataṃsaka Sūtra132
    • The Huayan tradition in China138
    • Huayan thought – Fazang’s 'Treatise on the Golden Lion' 141
    • A note on some aspects of Huayan practice144
    • The Avataṃsaka Sūtra and Vairocana in Buddhist art146
  • 7 The Saddharmapuṇḍarīka (Lotus) Sūtra and its influences149
    • A note on Tiantai (Tendai)161
    • Nichiren Shōnin and his tradition165
  • 8 On the bodies of the Buddha172
    • Prolegomenon to the Mahāyāna172
    • The bodies of the Buddha and the philosophy of emptiness176
    • Yogācāra – the system develops179
    • A note on the dGe lugs schema of the Buddha's bodies182
    • A final note: the 'nonabiding nirvāṇa' and the lifespan of the Buddha185
  • 9 The path of the Bodhisattva187
    • Buddhism reaches Tibet187
    • The eighth-century debates191
    • Compassion and the Bodhicitta194
    • Bodhisattva stages, paths and perfections200
  • 10 Trust, self-abandonment and devotion: the cults of Buddhas
         and Bodhisattvas    209
    • Buddhānusmṛti – recollection of the Buddha209
    • The pratyutpanna samādhi and Huiyuan212
    • The notion of a Buddha Field (buddhakṣetra)214
    • Some Bodhisattvas218
      • Maitreya218
      • Avalokiteśvara221
      • Tārā225
      • Mañjuśrī226
      • Kṣitigarbha229
    • Some Buddhas231
      • Akṣobhya231
      • Bhaiṣajyaguru234
      • Amitābha/Amitāyus238
        • The Amitābha sūtras238
        • Amitābha’s Pure Land in China243
        • Hōnen Shōnin (1133–1212)254
        • Shinran Shōnin (1173–1262)259
    • Notes267
    • References389
    • Index of names422
    • Index of subjects430

Mahāyāna - Mahāyāna, or the Great Vehicle, refers to the system of Buddhist thought and practice which developed around the beginning of Common Era, focusing on the pursuit of the state of full enlightenment of the Buddha through the realization of the wisdom of emptiness and the cultivation of compassion. Skt. महायान Tib. ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོ། Ch. 大乘

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abhidharma - Abhidharma generally refers to the corpus of Buddhist texts which deals with the typological, phenomenological, metaphysical, and epistemological presentation of Buddhist concepts and teachings. The abhidharma teachings present a meta-knowledge of Buddhist sūtras through analytical and systemic schemas and are said to focus on developing wisdom among the three principles of training. The Abhidharma is presented alongside Sūtra and Vinaya as one of the three baskets of the teachings of the Buddha. Skt. अभिधर्म Tib. ཆོས་མངོན་པ། Ch. 阿毗达磨

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sūtra - Sūtras mainly refer to the discourses delivered by the Buddha and his disciples, and the Sūtra corpus is one of the three main sets of teachings which form the Buddhist canon. Skt. सूत्र Tib. མདོ། Ch. 佛经

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Prajñāpāramitā - A class of Mahāyāna sūtras which represents some of the earliest known literature of this genre of Buddhism. There are around forty texts associated with this category, though the most widespread is the exceedingly brief Prajñāpāramitāhṛdayasūtra, popularly known as the Heart Sūtra. This class of literature is typically associated with the second turning of the dharma wheel and especially with the teachings on emptiness (śūnyatā). As such, these texts were the primary scriptural source for the philosophy of the Madhyamaka school. Skt. प्रज्ञापारमिता Tib. ཤེས་རབ་ཀྱི་ཕ་རོལ་ཏུ་ཕྱིན་པ་,ཤེར་ཕྱིན་ Ch. 般若波羅蜜多

Go to the page with the definition of 'Perfection of Wisdom'

Prajñāpāramitā - A class of Mahāyāna sūtras which represents some of the earliest known literature of this genre of Buddhism. There are around forty texts associated with this category, though the most widespread is the exceedingly brief Prajñāpāramitāhṛdayasūtra, popularly known as the Heart Sūtra. This class of literature is typically associated with the second turning of the dharma wheel and especially with the teachings on emptiness (śūnyatā). As such, these texts were the primary scriptural source for the philosophy of the Madhyamaka school. Skt. प्रज्ञापारमिता Tib. ཤེས་རབ་ཀྱི་ཕ་རོལ་ཏུ་ཕྱིན་པ་,ཤེར་ཕྱིན་ Ch. 般若波羅蜜多

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Bodhisattva - A person who seeks enlightenment for the sake of others. In Mahāyāna Buddhism, a Bodhisattva is a compassionate being who is training on the path to Buddhahood and aspires to eliminate the suffering of all beings and take all sentient beings to the state of enlightenment. The Mahāyāna sūtras including those on buddha-nature generally have Bodhisattvas as the main audience or interlocutors for the Buddha's discourses. Skt. बोधिसत्त्व Tib. བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ། Ch. 菩薩

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śūnyatā - The state of being empty of an innate nature due to a lack of independently existing characteristics. Skt. शून्यता Tib. སྟོང་པ་ཉིད་ Ch. 空,空門

Go to the page with the definition of 'emptiness'

Yogācāra - Along with Madhyamaka, it was one of the two major philosophical schools of Mahāyāna Buddhism. Founded by Asaṅga and Vasubandhu around the fourth century CE, many of its central tenets have roots in the Saṃdhinirmocanasūtra and the so-called third turning of the dharma wheel (see tridharmacakrapravartana). Skt. योगाचार Tib. རྣལ་འབྱོར་སྤྱོད་པ་ Ch. 瑜伽行派

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tathāgatagarbha - Buddha-nature, literally the "womb/essence of those who have gone (to suchness)." Skt. तथागतगर्भ Tib. དེ་བཞིན་གཤེགས་པའི་སྙིང་པོ་ Ch. 如来藏

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These are the root verses of the Uttaratantra attributed to Maitreya by the Tibetan tradition.

Go to the page with the definition of 'Ratnagotravibhāga'

bodhicitta - The altruistic thought to seek enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. It is said to have two aspects: compassion aimed at sentient beings and their problems and the wisdom of enlightenment as the solution. Skt. बोधिचित्त Tib. བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས། Ch. 菩提心

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