The Institute of South Asian, Tibetan and Buddhist Studies at the University of Vienna is pleased to invite applications for one PhD grant in Buddhist Translation.
Category Archives: Sanskrit Philosophy
Pāñcarātra and Vedānta: a long and complicated relation
Why do we find Pāñcarātra first refuted by Vedānta scholars and then defended by other Vedāntins? What happened between the two groups? And what was at stake with Pāñcarātra?
Yoshimizu, apūrva and a new reading of the Mīmāṃsā schools
There are various differences among the Bhāṭṭa and the Prābhākara schools of Pūrva Mīmāṃsā, respectively founded by Kumārila Bhaṭṭa and Prabhākara Miśra, who possibly lived around the 7th c. AD, but one of the most striking and telling ones is that regarding the concept of apūrva.
Mystical perception, God’s intellectual intuition and normal people’s sense-perception
Is mystical perception (aka yogipratyakṣa) a kind of perception? Can we go without it, if we want to ground religious beliefs?
पदनित्यत्वं वेदनित्यत्वं च
किमर्थम् पदानित्यत्वं निषेद्धव्यम् ?
मीमांसकास् “शब्दो नित्य एव” इति मन्यन्ते । यथा वयं वृद्धव्यवहारे शब्दार्थसम्बन्धानधिगच्छामः, तथा भूते काले वृद्धाः अपि −इत्यनादिरेव शब्दप्रयोग इति ।
Sanderson is always an incredibly fascinating speaker. In this conference he discusses the dialectics of Śaivism and “orthodox Hinduism”: It is not only the case that Śaiva authors tried to be accepted as “orthodox Hindūs” and “orthodox Hindūs” tried to block them. By contrast, on both sides there were trends towards assimilation and resistance to these trends.
(Full disclosure: I have discussed a similar case of a complex dialectical relationship —this time between Pāñcarātra Vaiṣṇava theology and “orthodox Hindūism”— in an article to be published in the proceedings of IIGRS 4).
The Yoga in Transformation Conference 1 (Maas and Wujastyk)
This conference aimed at bridging the gap between yoga practicioners and yoga researchers, providing the former “convenient access to information on high-level research”. Did it really fulfil this task?
More than one cause at once: Veṅkaṭanātha on sacrifices and other causes UPDATED
What if one offers a Citrā sacrifices, but does not obtain the promised cattle? And what if one after the sacrifice does obtain some cattle, but only because one has received it as a gift?
Index Buddhicus at Brill looking for researchers
Brill Academic Publishers is looking for two to four indexers for its new classified bibliography for Buddhist Studies edited in close collaboration with the Center for Religious Studies (CERES), Ruhr University Bochum, Germany.
It is intended that the Index Buddhicus will be the main academic bibliographical reference in the field of Buddhist studies. It will consist of classified bibliographical records for monographs, reviews, chapters in edited volumes, journal articles, reference works, electronic resources, and whatever else is thought relevant in Western language secondary literature.
Supervisor: Richard Mahoney
Workspace: Ruhr University of Bochum, Germany
Requirements:
MA (or higher)-level knowledge of Buddhist studies
The indexers will be appointed on a project basis, but in the longer term a fixed position within the framework of the project is possible. Initial duration: 12 months. Salary is an hourly basis ranging from E 15–E 18. Indexing a sample of articles will be part of the selection procedure.
Official start: December 2013 or January 2014
Deadline for applications: October the 22nd.
Further details are available here:
http://www.ceres.rub.de/en/news/all/en-20131002-job-index-buddhicus/
Please direct all enquires to Prof. Sven Bretfeld, Ruhr University Bochum, Universitaetsstr. 150, FNO 01/176, 44780 Bochum.
sven.bretfeld[at]rub.de
Does God have a body? And in which sense? Have a look at the whole problem, from the point of view of Western philosophy, but with an answer inspired by Vedānta Deśika in this post of mine.