1999 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
The Origin and Transition of the Ideas of Equality and Discrimination in Buddhism, Focusing on the Mahayana Mahaparinirvanasutra
| Project/Area Number |
09610018
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
印度哲学(含仏教学)
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| Research Institution | HOKKAIDO UNIVERSITY |
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Principal Investigator |
FUJII Kyoko Hokkaido Univ., Fac. of letters., Prof., 文学部, 教授 (70238525)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
NUMATA Ichiro Hokkaido Univ., Fac. Of letters., Assistant, 文学部, 助手 (20261258)
YOSHIMIZU Kiyotaka Hokkaido Univ., Fac. Of letters., Assoc. Prof., 文学部, 助教授 (20271835)
HOSODA Noriaki Hokkaido Univ., Fac. Of letters., Assoc. Prof., 文学部, 助教授 (00181503)
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| Project Period (FY) |
1997 – 1999
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| Keywords | icchantika / panca-gotrani / Mahaparinirvanasutra / buddha-dhatu / tathagata-garbha / eka-yana / Chih-I / Chi-tsang |
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| Research Abstract |
Mahayana Mahaparinirvanasutra asserts that all sentient beings possess buddha-dhatu. Yet the sutra makes one exception to this otherwise universal rule: the icchantika. The existence of this category of beings as the object of discrimination runs contrary to the spirit of Buddhism, which as a rule recognizes the fundamental equality of all beings. I traced the process of change in the concept of icchantika within Indian Buddhism. Furthermore, by examining relevant works of representative Chinese Buddhist thinkers, I investigated the problem of how the icchantika were interpreted in Chinese Buddhism. As a result of this inquiry, it became clear that the icchantika had already transformed into a purely conceptual existence within Indian Buddhism, and was accepted as such from the beginning in Chinese Buddhism.
As head of the research team, I have presented one part of the results of the research at the XII th Conference of The International Association of Buddhist Studies held in Lausanne, Aug. 23-28, 1999. In addition to this, I have presented the findings of this research at several other Conferences in Japan, and also published these findings as articles in various journals.
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