Sir is it not evidence enough that almost every scholar jumped aboard the later dates and then the scholar who is supporting the latest date immediately found support from senior scholars like Witzel of Harvard.Ben wrote:Yet another assertion made without evidence.Ajatashatru wrote:The problem is the Westerners who support the traditional chronology don't find much support, they don't get grants, etc.
Dating the Buddha
- Ajatashatru
- Posts: 32
- Joined: Thu Jul 11, 2013 8:35 pm
Re: Dating the Buddha
Re: Dating the Buddha
...who has written a book.I am influenced by the Hindu thinker Rajiv Malhotra...
Reading these entries might clarify the foundational point of view being expressed by the OP.
- "And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting oneself one protects others? By the pursuit, development, and cultivation of the four establishments of mindfulness. It is in such a way that by protecting oneself one protects others.
"And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting others one protects oneself? By patience, harmlessness, goodwill, and sympathy. It is in such a way that by protecting others one protects oneself.
- Sedaka Sutta [SN 47.19]
Re: Dating the Buddha
It doesn't matter.clw_uk wrote:I would also like to add, why would it matter in, relation to dhamma, when the Buddha was born?
"Dhammā=Ideas. This is the clue to much of the Buddha's teaching." ~ Ven. Ñanavira, Commonplace Book
Re: Dating the Buddha
Well, it does help to circumscribe the possible length of time between the Buddha's teaching career and Asoka's missions, which helps to define the shape of the period within which the Nikayas formed up. In relation to the Dhamma which these texts indicate, this knowledge can be significant.pulga wrote:It doesn't matter.clw_uk wrote:I would also like to add, why would it matter in, relation to dhamma, when the Buddha was born?
- "And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting oneself one protects others? By the pursuit, development, and cultivation of the four establishments of mindfulness. It is in such a way that by protecting oneself one protects others.
"And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting others one protects oneself? By patience, harmlessness, goodwill, and sympathy. It is in such a way that by protecting others one protects oneself.
- Sedaka Sutta [SN 47.19]
Re: Dating the Buddha
Do you really believe you'll ever arrive at any apodictic conclusion in the matter? The whole topic reminds me what the Buddha was trying to convey in the Brahmajalasutta: all historical theories, be they speculations about the past, the present, or the future, are a net of views derived from phassa.daverupa wrote: Well, it does help to circumscribe the possible length of time between the Buddha's teaching career and Asoka's missions, which helps to define the shape of the period within which the Nikayas formed up. In relation to the Dhamma which these texts indicate, this knowledge can be significant.
"Dhammā=Ideas. This is the clue to much of the Buddha's teaching." ~ Ven. Ñanavira, Commonplace Book
- Ajatashatru
- Posts: 32
- Joined: Thu Jul 11, 2013 8:35 pm
Re: Dating the Buddha
daverupa wrote:...who has written a book.I am influenced by the Hindu thinker Rajiv Malhotra...
Reading these entries might clarify the foundational point of view being expressed by the OP.
Thanks for the link, I would like some of our senior members to read the article and see what they think.
Re: Dating the Buddha
There's no need to set the bar so high.pulga wrote:Do you really believe you'll ever arrive at any apodictic conclusion in the matter?
- "And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting oneself one protects others? By the pursuit, development, and cultivation of the four establishments of mindfulness. It is in such a way that by protecting oneself one protects others.
"And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting others one protects oneself? By patience, harmlessness, goodwill, and sympathy. It is in such a way that by protecting others one protects oneself.
- Sedaka Sutta [SN 47.19]
Re: Dating the Buddha
pulga wrote:Do you really believe you'll ever arrive at any apodictic conclusion in the matter? The whole topic reminds me what the Buddha was trying to convey in the Brahmajalasutta: all historical theories, be they speculations about the past, the present, or the future, are a net of views derived from phassa.daverupa wrote: Well, it does help to circumscribe the possible length of time between the Buddha's teaching career and Asoka's missions, which helps to define the shape of the period within which the Nikayas formed up. In relation to the Dhamma which these texts indicate, this knowledge can be significant.
“Knowing that this body is just like foam,
understanding it has the nature of a mirage,
cutting off Māra’s flower-tipped arrows,
one should go beyond the King of Death’s sight.”
understanding it has the nature of a mirage,
cutting off Māra’s flower-tipped arrows,
one should go beyond the King of Death’s sight.”
Re: Dating the Buddha
Bechert edited a large 3 volume work which was a collection of papers on the dating of the historical Buddha. There are papers looking at the date from many different traditions and angles. One was by Gombrich in which he went through the Pali commentaries and worked out based on rough ages and life expectancies how long ago the Buddha would have died from a certain date in the Mahavamsa. Another was based on doctrinal developments - how long would it take for the teachings to develop, another on the archeaological evidence, another on the Chinese dotted record, another on the Tibetan tradition, chinese tradition etc etc. Great book
BTW, Bechert died around 2008
BTW, Bechert died around 2008
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