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Buddhist Meditation in Central Asia
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Buddhist Meditation in Central Asia

A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444). This special issue belongs to the section "Religions and Humanities/Philosophies".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 December 2024 | Viewed by 1917

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Nobuyoshi Yamabe

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Letters, Arts and Sciences, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, WASEDA University, Tokyo 169-8050, Japan
Interests: history of arts / Chinese philosophy; Indian philosophy and Buddhist philosophy
Dr. Henry Albery

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Languages and Cultures, Faculty of Arts and Philosophy, Ghent University, 9000 Gent, Belgium
Interests: Indic Buddhism; Buddhism in South Asia; Buddhist narrative; monastic legal codes; Central Asian meditation traditions

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The importance of Central Asia (for the purpose of this Special Issue, I refer to the area corresponding to the present-day Xinjiang) in Buddhist transmission has often been indicated. This area was also significant for the transmission and development of Buddhist meditation and visualization. One of the key texts in this context is the so-called Yogalehrbuch, a Sanskrit visualization text whose manuscripts were found in Qizil and elsewhere in Central Asia. The fragmentary manuscripts were reassembled, edited, and translated into German by Dieter Schlingloff in 1964. This is a curious text that includes many peculiar images. It is also crucial as an anchor for assessing the textual nature of several Chinese meditation texts, including the Guanfo sanmei hai jing (Sūtra on the Ocean-Like Samādhi of the Visualization of the Buddha), whose geographical origin is often unclear.

Despite its textual and possibly art-historical significance, however, the “Yogalehrbuch” has not been utilized widely in the academic community, perhaps because its full translation is available only in German. Nevertheless, recently there has been renewed interest in this and other cognate texts among young scholars. In this Special Issue, I would like to welcome the submission of papers from scholars working in the field that shed new light on the meditative practice in Central Asia. The scope of this Special Issue includes, but is not limited to, the following:

Comparative studies of the Sanskrit and Chinese meditation texts;

Doctrinal background of the meditation texts;

The relationship between the Śrāvakayāna and the Bodhisattvayāna in meditative contexts;

Textual history of the relevant meditation texts;

Meditative practice observable in local language texts;

Visionary images depicted in texts and art;

Inscriptions and manuscripts relevant to meditation;

Rock-cut and surface monasteries as the location for meditation.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200-300 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the Guest Editors, Prof. Dr. Nobuyoshi Yamabe ([email protected]), Dr. Henry Albery (), or to the Assistant Editor of Religions, Ms. Margaret Liu ([email protected]). Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the special issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Nobuyoshi Yamabe
Dr. Henry Albery
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 592 KiB  
Article
Ānāpānasmṛti in the Yogalehrbuch: Its Structure and Visualization
by Takako Abe
Religions 2024, 15(10), 1209; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15101209 - 4 Oct 2024
Viewed by 561
Abstract
The Yogalehrbuch is said to have been established in Central Asia and to have a similar terminology to the Sarvāstivāda. However, the exact background of the relation is yet unknown. This paper discusses two points. First, I examine the structure of ānāpānasmṛti and [...] Read more.
The Yogalehrbuch is said to have been established in Central Asia and to have a similar terminology to the Sarvāstivāda. However, the exact background of the relation is yet unknown. This paper discusses two points. First, I examine the structure of ānāpānasmṛti and how the meditative images relate to the descriptions of Abhidharmic texts. The results show that the Yogalehrbuch adopts the steps of the Sarvāstivāda but does not reflect a highly systematized doctrine. The second is a comparison of its unique meditative images (oil, abhiṣeka, the Buddhas of the past, and Maitreya) with two meditation manuals, the Secret Essentials and the Methods of Curing, and two early esoteric sūtras. The results show that the abhiṣeka in the Yogalehrbuch is close to the two meditation manuals, while it represents more the life of Śākyamuni, which is also found in esoteric Buddhism, rather than the healing of illness. However, the Methods of Curing refers to a dhāraṇī similar to those found in two esoteric sūtras. The two sūtras use abhiṣeka as the name of dhāraṇīs, not as meditative images. From the above, it is hypothesized that the Yogalehrbuch was established within a background in which elements of early esoteric Buddhism could be found but had not yet seen the development of dhāraṇīs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Buddhist Meditation in Central Asia)
25 pages, 42137 KiB  
Article
Kucha and Termez—Caves for Mindful Pacing and Seated Meditation
by Giuseppe Vignato and Xiaonan Li
Religions 2024, 15(8), 1003; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15081003 - 17 Aug 2024
Viewed by 741
Abstract
In this paper, by comparing the archaeological remains of meditation caves in Kucha and Termez and by referring to Buddhist literature, we aim at gaining a better understanding of how meditation was practiced in both regions. In Kucha and Termez the arid climate [...] Read more.
In this paper, by comparing the archaeological remains of meditation caves in Kucha and Termez and by referring to Buddhist literature, we aim at gaining a better understanding of how meditation was practiced in both regions. In Kucha and Termez the arid climate shifted between extreme summer heat and extreme winter cold, making the caves ideal choices for meditation. In Kucha, various types of meditation caves have been recorded. These include small cells for seated meditation, single corridors, and corridors that intersect to form a cross or an inverted U plan. The latter type is associated with a residence and a courtyard, which show many similarities with the complexes located in the mounds south and west of the monastery of Kara Tepe. Two possible uses of the corridor-shaped caves have been proposed based on various factors, such as the distance of the caves from the surface monastery, the similarity of the type, the presence of a courtyard in front of the caves, and the existence of a cell where a person could repose. Buddhist accounts remark on the importance of mindful pacing (Skt. caṅkrama; Chi. jingxing 經行) along with sitting meditation in the daily practice of bhikṣus. According to descriptions in the vinaya, we can infer the possibility of having several types of pathways for mindful pacing, besides the most common straight path. Note also that various ancient records of Buddhist monks mention monuments associated with mindful pacing. Drawing on both architectural remains of the investigated areas and textual evidence, we suggest that the carved corridors, both single and intersecting, might have been specifically designed for mindful pacing. In the better-preserved complexes, the length of the courtyard’s sides corresponds with that of the corridors. While the courtyard could have been utilized for various activities, the similarity in size between corridors and the courtyard hints at its potential use for mindful pacing in mild weather. Furthermore, because the Kara Tepe monastery could accommodate less than fifteen monks, the presence of several meditation complexes, each consisting of four intersecting corridors and a small cell, implies that these units were intended for a monk to live in seclusion for a period. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Buddhist Meditation in Central Asia)
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