The Spectra of Buddhism:

Mahayana in India

Edited by Dr. James K. Powell II

Textbook Reading

Buddhism: the E-Book:

“Mahayana” pp. 150-177; “Meditation” pp. 194-201

What the Buddha Taught by Walpola Rahula Ch. 4

http://quangduc.com/English/basic/68whatbuddhataught.html

PowellPoint:

Mahayana Buddhism in India

The Insider's View:

Past Student Documentaries:

Asanga: Founder of Mahayana Yogacara Buddhism

by Cale Bakken with instructor Rev. Dr. James Kenneth Powell II., opensourcebuddhism.org
This very nice project examines the life and thought of Asanga, 3rd-4th century Indian founder of the Yogacara or "Yoga-praxis" school. We get a nice picture of the eight levels of consciousness, the mechanism of reincarnation and the nature of habitual thought patterns that bind one to the "convolution" or sansara.

Basic Doctrines of the Yogacara Philosophy of Mahayana

by Mattingly through Professor Rev. Dr. James Kenneth Powell II, opensourcebuddhism.org This nice project will inroduce the viewer to the core teachings of the Mahayana traditions' Yogacara sect. Other projects deal more specifically with the school's more subtle views, but this one gives the novice the broad overview.

Bodhisattvas: Beings of Awakening, the "Angels" of Buddhism

by Blanke through instructor James Kenneth Powell II, opensourcebuddhism.org This interesting introduction to the figure of the bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism is very informative. We hear of their origins and the nature of a number of them in this very direct video

Buddhadhatu: The Sphere of Awakening

by Jansen through Professor Rev. Dr. James Kenneth Powell II, opensourcebuddhism.org This really nice visual piece replete with much Hubble footage explains clearly the complexity of the term "dhatu" or "place for existence" if you will, and the evolution from the dhatu of this world to the dhatu of the Awakened state known as Buddha.

Buddhist Art During the Gupta Period

by Psotka through Professor Rev. Dr. James Kenneth Powell II, opensourcebuddhism.org. This art piece presents the major advances in Gupta period Buddhist art with ample visuals, depicting the changes that occurred through the Mathuran and Sarnath schools. All of this is placed in the context of history to some degree. Fine visuals and narration make it easy to understand the evolution of this third stage of Buddhist artistic evolution in India.

DesCartes and Vasubandhu: I think, therefore I am (not)?

by Manske through Professor Rev. Dr. James Kenneth Powell II, opensourcebuddhism.org This project investigates the speciously similar views on mind and consciousness held by DesCartes and the ca. 3rd Century CE Mahayana Buddhist Vasubandhu. While both systems focus on consciousness, the understanding of same is very, very different. Buddhists have been at this for a long time you know.

Manas: the "Mind" in Yogacara Perspective

by Ostlund through Professor James Kenneth Powell II, opensourcebuddhism.org This nice piece investigates that repository of the illusory ego self that inhabits the "manas" or "mind" aspect of the Yogacara 8 levels of consciousness. This is the aspect that thinks it is James Powell etc. and which is that seat of all problems! There is an erroneous old-fashioned equation of Yogacara thought with Idealist - understandable as many share this wrong notion, but well worth the viewing. Nice job.

Nagarjuna: Founder of Mahayana Buddhism

by Paul Kacynski through Professor Rev. Dr. James Kenneth Powell II, opensourcebuddhism.org Perhaps the title overstates the case, but this has been said of the great Madhyamaka scholar who, we are told, brought back the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras from Nagas, hence his name. No more influential thinker exists in Buddhism, apart from the Buddha Siddhartha himself. As he says in his introductory work, the Stanzas on the Root of the Middle Way, he is he claims, merely a commentator on the Buddha's doctrine of "no self". He extends this idea to include all phenomena and as the brilliant expositor of Mahayana tradition, is revered as an ancestor of all the Mahayana schools, from Tibet to Japan. Very nice job, offered in the first person.

Tathagatagarbha: the "Womb" and "Embryo" of Awakening

by Nick McDermott through Professor Rev. Dr. James Kenneth Powell II, opensourcebuddhism.org This excellent work runs us through really, the whole of Buddhism, but with the focus on the controversial "tathagatagarbha" or "matrix of Awakening" seemingly "within". There is no self theory in Buddhism, but for the beginner, the Buddha Matrix theory helps some gain intial insights. Excellent narration and visuals.

The Bodhisattva Manjusri, Master of Wisdom

by John Huard through Professor Rev. Dr. James K. Powell II, opensourcebuddhism.org This nice introduction to one of the most important celestial figures of Mahayana Buddhism, Manjusri, points to yet another archetypal epitome of Wisdom in Buddhist tradition. His role in the literature, art and practice stands supreme as he, along with Maitreya, symbolize Wisdom and Method, respectively.

Manovijnana in Yogacara Philosophy

by Heidt through Professor Rev. Dr. James Kenneth Powell II, opensourcebuddhism.org This special piece homes in on the "mental consciousness" - the sixth in the Buddhist hierarchy of consciousness. This level produces the "backdrop" world in which we live, processing the data from the five senses. This is the sixth, the great "mental consciousness". Madhyamaka and Theravada traditions need only this sixth to make sense of this realm. The Yogacara thinkers required two more. Exciting!

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