Papers by Pranshu Samdarshi
Publication Division of India, Govt of India , 2024
भरत मुनि के नाट्य शास्त्र के रस सिद्धांत से प्रेरणा लेते हुए हम इस बात पर विचार कर सकते हैं कि कल... more भरत मुनि के नाट्य शास्त्र के रस सिद्धांत से प्रेरणा लेते हुए हम इस बात पर विचार कर सकते हैं कि कला चाहे वह दृश्य हो या प्रदर्शन, लोक हो या शास्त्रीय केवल सौंदर्य की दृष्टि से आकर्षक चीजों को गढ़ने या उनकी सराहना करने से ही संबंधित नहीं है। यह हमारी अन्तरात्मा से गहन रूप से जुड़ने और अवर्णनीय को व्यक्त करने का एक साधन है।
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PUBLICATIONS DIVISION, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, 2023
This is a Forward written for a titled book titled 'Resurrecting Durbal Indian Art Forms'. This b... more This is a Forward written for a titled book titled 'Resurrecting Durbal Indian Art Forms'. This book is written by Maneesha Agrawal MVG with a purpose to inspire and inform its readers about those performing art forms of India that today stand on the verge of getting lost.
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Publications Division, Govt of India, 2023
PHILOSOPHICAL NATURE OF INDIAN MUSIC is published in Yojana Classics. Edited by Shuchita Chaturve... more PHILOSOPHICAL NATURE OF INDIAN MUSIC is published in Yojana Classics. Edited by Shuchita Chaturvedi, and published by Publications Division, Govt of India, Yojana Classics is a collectible series on various thematic areas, crafted from select works published in the popular development monthly since 1957. This book takes its readers On an enriching journey of the art, Culture & heritage of India.
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Yojana, 2024
As we navigate the transition of folk art into the digital realm, we are also confronting the cha... more As we navigate the transition of folk art into the digital realm, we are also confronting the challenges at the juncture where technology and cultural heritage intersect.
We need to ensure that the digital adaptations remain true to the cultural roots and heritage of these art forms. By striking a well-thought-out balance between innovation and preservation, we can ensure that folk art forms thrive in the digital age without sacrificing their essence.
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Amrita University, 2020
The study of Buddhist tantric traditions must not be divorced from their context and practic oth... more The study of Buddhist tantric traditions must not be divorced from their context and practic otherwise, gross misconceptions are bound to
persist in academia.
BY DR. PRANSHU SAMDARSHI
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Routledge, 2019
Most of the studies on the Buddhist tantra have identified tantric mandalas, either as representa... more Most of the studies on the Buddhist tantra have identified tantric mandalas, either as representations of Indian feudal polity, or the sacred transcendental illustrations. The aim of this chapter is to exemplify the manner in which the Buddhist tantra appropriate the non-intrinsic nature of space of mandalas and use them as a tangible and schematic plan for constructing a localised imaginary space and shape their spatial configurations. This notion of non-intrinsic nature of space of mandala is derived from the doctrine of Emptiness, the central doctrine of Mahayana Buddhism, which allows for conceiving this localised space as a microcosmic reality that interplays with the macrocosmic world. Within the framework of the Buddhist highest yoga-tantra, a mandala is conceptualised as a tool that governs the duel-layered cosmic interplay of the subjective and objective worlds, and provides a cogent means for analogical correspondence between the planes of epistemological and ontological reality. This chapter delineates the course of actualisation of such correspondence wherein the tantric deities are placed or visualised as spatial signifiers. On epistemological level, the schematic representations of tantric mandalas are meant for contemplative internalised practice aiming for soteriological goals. On an ontological level, such schema of mandalas has been used as the architectural basis for construction of the temples, stupas, monastic establishments and rock-cut caves across the Indian subcontinent, Central Asia, Tibet, China, Mongolia, Japan, and South-East Asia, around the 7th through 13th centuries, when the tantric Buddhism was in its ascendancy.
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Publication Division, India, 2020
Philosophical Nature of Indian Music: This article is about the diversity and the interconnectivi... more Philosophical Nature of Indian Music: This article is about the diversity and the interconnectivity between various forms of classical music spread across the Indian subcontinent. It has been published in the August 2020 issue of Yojana , a monthly journal devoted to the socio-economic issues of India, published by Publication Division, India.
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Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Delhi, Delhi, 2018
Our present understanding of Buddhist tantra, which has been handed down to us through the univer... more Our present understanding of Buddhist tantra, which has been handed down to us through the university courses, expresses several pathetic fallacies about its doctrines. These fallacies exist mostly because of the prevalent ignorance about insider's perspective on Buddhists tantra. It is not by just scholarly speculations and assumptions − ignoring the rhetoric presented by the tradition itself − we can hope to understand the erudite hermeneutics and sophisticated tenets of Buddhism. At the most, a superficial grasp of Buddhist doctrine has been achieved in the past research conducted in the field of Buddhist Studies. Generally, these studies have approached Buddhism with non-committal and frivolous objectivity. This paper aims to raise some crucial issues related to the colonial interpretation of the scholastic doctrines of Mahayana and Tantra systems of Buddhism and its present-day socio-religious implications. It discusses at length how the problematic periodization of Buddhist tantric texts and the frivolous interpretation of practices of tantra have crept into the academia, first through the Orientalist scholars and later on by their Indian adherents, who approached to it either with ulterior motives or with their outsiders’ version of onlooker scholarship. It must be noted that the all-embracing nature of Buddhism has always allowed different world-views under its overarching canopy. We need to recognize that it has never been a question of Buddhist schools competing with one another or with other philosophical systems; rather they convey different orders of world-view based on the practitioners’ capacity and aspirations. Further, it is absurd to contemplate the legends and fables of the tantric treatise that are set in the environs of the Buddha’s teachings as mere “literature”. As Ananda K. Coomaraswamy has pointed out, “the Dhamma cannot be understood apart from its application.”
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अपनी माटी ई-पत्रिका (Apni Maati E-Journal), 2017
आधुनिक हिंदी साहित्य की विधिवत शुरूआत 19वीं शताब्दी के उत्तरार्ध से हुई है और लगभग यही समय भारत म... more आधुनिक हिंदी साहित्य की विधिवत शुरूआत 19वीं शताब्दी के उत्तरार्ध से हुई है और लगभग यही समय भारत में लुप्तप्राय बौद्ध धर्म के पुनर्जागरण-काल का भी है। इस समय जेम्स प्रिंसेप और अलेक्जेन्डर कनिंघम जैसे पुरातत्वविदों और मैक्समूलर जैसे उदभट संस्कृत विद्वानों के सत्प्रयास से बौद्ध धर्म के तीर्थस्थलों, स्मारकों व पाली एवं संस्कृत बौद्ध साहित्य का पुनरुद्धार हुआ। भारत में भी बौद्ध धर्म के इस पुनर्जागरण का श्रेय कुछ हद तक पाश्चात्य-जगत को जाता है जिसने इसमें रूचि ली और बौद्ध धर्म से सम्बन्धित स्थलों व साहित्य का परिष्कार किया। बौद्ध धर्म के इस पुनर्जागरण ने हिंदी जान-मानस को भी प्रभावित किया। ईश्वरवाद और आत्मवाद के अनिच्छुक इस धर्म दर्शन के समन्वयवादी रूप ने आधुनिक हिंदी साहित्य को एक नयी स्फूर्ति और चेतना दी लेकिन फिर भी एक बात स्पष्ट है कि आरंभिक दौर के आधुनिक हिंदी युग के कवि और रचनाकार भले ही अपनी रचनाओं की पृष्ठभूमि के रूप में कुछ प्रेरणा ली हो पर उनकी रचनाओं पर बौद्ध दर्शन के मूलभूत दार्शनिक सिद्धान्तों का प्रभाव अत्यंत अल्प था और जो कुछ भी दार्शनिक पृष्ठभूमि इनके रचनाओं में परिलक्षित हुई वह बौद्ध धर्म के तुलना में बौद्ध दर्शन से कुछ हद तक साम्यता रखने वाले औपनिषदिक दर्शन के अधिक निकट थी। संभवतः उनमें से अधिकांश बौद्ध धर्म के सैद्धांतिक स्वरूप से उस स्तर पर परिचित नहीं हो पाये थे जिस स्तर पर आज हुआ जा सकता है।
वर्तमान समय में बौद्ध धर्म-दर्शन पर उपलब्ध ग्रंथों से हिंदी साहित्य धारा से को एक नई गति मिली है, फिर भी इस तथ्य को नकारा नहीं जा सकता कि यह धारा वर्तमान राजनीतिक प्रभाव से अछूती रही है।बौद्ध दर्शन के मूल स्वर की उपेक्षा कर यह साहित्य-धारा बुध्द के दर्शन के बुनियादी सामाजिक व मानवीय सैद्धांतिक मूल्यों को नकारती रही है। बुद्ध को मतवाद व पंथवाद की संकीर्णता में बांधकर उनकी देशना के दार्शनिक पक्ष को नजरअंदाज कर, प्रायःउन्हें भौतिकवादी समाज सुधारक के रूप में प्रस्तुत किया जा रहा है। बुद्ध के दर्शनका सम्यक अध्ययन जीवन-दर्शन मूलतः आत्ममुक्ति के उदघोष का है।वह भौतिकवाद ओर संसार से पलायन, इन दोनों अतियों को नकार कर मध्यम-मार्ग का उपदेश है। यह दर्शन मानव को आत्मग्राही दृष्टि ओर आत्मकेंद्रितता से मुक्त कर,उसे परार्थ हित में समर्पित कर,जीवन को एक नया अर्थ देने का है । बौद्ध धर्म के इस पक्ष की ओर अभी हिंदी साहित्कारों की दृष्टि सामान्यतः नहीं गयी है।
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Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, The National University of Singapore, 2018
This book is a result of an exhibition at the Asian Civilisations Museum in
Singapore, On the Na... more This book is a result of an exhibition at the Asian Civilisations Museum in
Singapore, On the Nalanda trail, which was accompanied by a conference focused
on ‘Interaction and Practice’. The essays in this book attempt to offer some new
insights into the patterns of exchange and text–image correlations between the
Nalanda tradition and the arts and artefacts of Southeast Asia. This volume has ten
essays. Each essay is well argued in its particular sociopolitical, art historical or archi-
tectural context; nonetheless, the intellectual tradition of Nalanda itself and its ancient
connections with Southeast Asia are not adequately dealt with. . Nevertheless, looking at the paucity of the materials available on Buddhist arts in this region, this volume is going to be a significant addition to the resources available on Southeast Asian art history.
Samdarshi, Pranshu. “Asia. Nalanda Srivijaya and beyond: Re-Exploring Buddhist Art in Asia Edited by Gauri Parimoo Krishnan Singapore: Asian Civilisations Museum, 2017. Pp. 296. Maps, Plates, Notes, Bibliography, Index.” Journal of Southeast Asian Studies 49, no. 2 (2018): 323–25. doi:10.1017/S0022463418000024.
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Although Anamika Roy’s Sixty-four Yoginis is a meticulously researched book, its effect is somewh... more Although Anamika Roy’s Sixty-four Yoginis is a meticulously researched book, its effect is somewhat mitigated by a similar display of scholarly repetition or redundancy. One of the main themes of this book, which recur in several chapters, is the positing of cultic and tribal origins of Yoginis.
Readers of historical literature are familiar with this rhetoric of tribal origin, which has been redeployed and reinforced for the religious traditions that were esoteric in nature and were not part of popular religion. Once a religious practice is concluded to have a tribal origin, it can easily be designated as cultic, marginal and sometimes also superstitious. Thus, such religious traditions become exotic, primitive, and, therefore, rather non-intriguing to academics. Academics, thereafter, just have to construct a paradigmatic sociopolitical context within which associated motifs of deities and rituals can be appropriated.
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The Delhi University Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, Feb 14, 2014
Tantra has been integral part of several ancient Indic–religious traditions. Its roots are very o... more Tantra has been integral part of several ancient Indic–religious traditions. Its roots are very old, presumably as old as the Mohenjodaro civilization. All of the tantra traditions had a live engagement with the feminine divine. Like other religions in India, Buddhism too has an affiliation with female divinities. The Vajrayāna tradition especially is pervaded with a diverse range of feminine imagery. In Buddhist tantra the symbolism of tantric goddesses and their practices is backed by profound philosophical doctrines. However, unlike other religious tradition, the non–theistic framework of Buddhism does not consider the intrinsic existence of tantric goddesses and their appearance and practices are meant to serve the purpose of transcending all sorts of dualistic thoughts for attaining enlightenment.
This paper inquires into the evolution of tantra in different religious traditions in general, and in Buddhism in particular. The focal point of the discussion is the practices of goddesses in Buddhist tantra. The interaction and influence of other religious traditions on Buddhism too is pointed out. On the one hand this paper explores textual sources for explaining abstract appearances and unusual practices associated with tantric goddesses and on the other, the functional aspects of tantric goddesses in ancient religious settings. The neo–orientalist interpretation of tantra as given by Western scholars is examined to point out their misinterpretations of tantric symbols and rituals. After documenting some of the diverse traditions of goddesses within tantric cults, this paper makes an effort to find harmony between the overlapping layers of popular belief– and the profound philosophy of Buddhist tantrism.
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दिव्य-शक्ति के स्त्री रूप की आराधना विभिन्न धर्मों का एक अभिन्न अंग रहा है. भारतीय उपमहाद्वीप वि... more दिव्य-शक्ति के स्त्री रूप की आराधना विभिन्न धर्मों का एक अभिन्न अंग रहा है. भारतीय उपमहाद्वीप विकसित विभिन्न धार्मिक संप्रदायों तथा लोगों के सामाजिक जीवन में भी देवी-पूजा का प्रमुख स्थान रहा है. अन्य भारतीय धर्मों की तरह बौद्ध धर्म के विभिन्न संप्रदायों मे प्रज्ञा के रूप में स्त्री- देवता के उपासना प्रचलित रही है. बौद्ध धर्म में बुद्धत्व सहित उच्यतम आध्यात्मिक आदर्शों एवं लक्ष्यों की अभिव्यक्ति स्त्री-देवता के रूप मे भी निरूपित हुई है.
भारत में बौद्ध धर्म के परवर्ती काल में जब बौद्ध-तंत्र की धारा का प्रकटीकरण हुआ तब बुद्धत्व की अवधारणा एक व्यक्ति विशेष के रूप में न होकर वर्ण-लिंग से परे, एक चैतन्य जाग्रत सत्ता के मानवकृत स्वरुप में निरुपित हुई. इसी क्रम में विभिन्न स्त्री-देवताओं के साधना परंपरा का विकास हुआ. पारमार्थिक सत्य और प्रज्ञा रूप में अभिव्यक्त ये तांत्रिक देवियाँ बौद्ध आदर्शों एवं उच्यतम धार्मिक लक्ष्य को निरुपित करती हैं.
ध्यातव्य है कि शाक्त-शैव तंत्र और बौद्ध तंत्र में परमार्थ-सत्य की अवधारणा एक सामान नहीं होने से बौद्ध तंत्रों की अपनी विशिष्ट परम्परा रही है. अनात्म एवं शून्यता के सिद्धांतो की पृष्ठभूमि पर आधारित बौद्ध तंत्र में वर्णित बौद्ध देवीयों की प्रतीकात्मकता परमार्थ और संवृति की एकात्मकता पर केन्द्रित हैं तथा बौद्ध तंत्र के साधन-सिद्धांत परार्थ-हित को अपना लक्ष्य स्थापित करते हैं.
इस शोध में तांत्रिक बौद्ध परंपरा के विभिन्न ग्रंथों में उल्लेखित तांत्रिक देवियों की उपासना एवं ध्यान-परंपरा के एतिहासिक विकास का क्रम-बद्ध सर्वेक्षण किया गया है. औपनिवेशिक-काल के और वर्तमान इतिहासकारो के द्वारा की गयी तंत्र-सम्बंधित असंगत व्याख्याओं की समालोचना की गयी है, साथ हीं तथा नेपाल और तिब्बत में प्रचलित बौद्ध देवीयों के तांत्रिक परंपराओं का साधानमाला तथा निष्पन्नयोगावली इत्यादि तंत्र ग्रंथों के आधार पर एक शोधपूर्ण अध्ययन प्रस्तुत किया गया है.
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Teaching Documents by Pranshu Samdarshi
Unique Doctrines of Mahayana Buddhism
This is a presentation made (ppt slides) for an introductory class - Unique Doctrines of Mahayana... more This is a presentation made (ppt slides) for an introductory class - Unique Doctrines of Mahayana Buddhism
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3-credit course on Himalayan Buddhist Art and Architecture offered by Sikkim Central University, 2018
This is a 3 Credit Certificate Course offered by Sikkim Central University, conducted at Namgyal ... more This is a 3 Credit Certificate Course offered by Sikkim Central University, conducted at Namgyal Institute of Tibetology, Gangtok, Sikkim, India. This course is designed to give exposure the students to analyze a wide range of artistic creations of Himalayan region of India, Nepal and Tibet by illustrating the influence and integration of scholastic traditions of Buddhism. A part of the course is to study the salient features of Buddhist philosophy and its impact on Himalayan art and culture; the Buddhist ritual practices and their interconnection with visual and performing arts and, the influence of tantric mandala on the development of Buddhist architecture. The course also points to the significance of the conservation of Himalayan Buddhist heritage.
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Conference Presentations by Pranshu Samdarshi
Tibet House , 2023
The aim of this paper is to elucidate the discussions of the Buddhists exegetical texts where th... more The aim of this paper is to elucidate the discussions of the Buddhists exegetical texts where the
question of the causes and conditions for the formation of specific-nature of phenomenal reality
are discussed. These texts invariably agree that reality does not exist the way it appears to us.
It is only because of our habituated ignorance (Snk. avidyā) we grasp at the things having their
intrinsic self (Snk. svabhāva) that eventually lead to all sorts of afflictions and suffering. Such
self-grasping (Snk. ātma-grāha) over the things that occur for a specific mode of existing reality. In
this specific mode, the reality is objectively existent – the way it is mistakenly perceived by the
observer. Buddhist texts posit that it is the thought-constructs (Snk. vikalpa), when aligned with
the notion of selfhood along with subtle mental imprints and then these compositions cause the
formation of an objective external world. This observed objective-reality is specific to species
and it comes into existence when the putative and particular sensory inputs are assembled
Together.
One may find some parallels between these discussions of Buddhist texts with the theory of
decoherence in Quantum mechanics that address one of the most persistent and unsolved
problems of theoretical physics to relate the quantum and classical worlds with each other. The
role of observer’s consciousness in the mechanism of the selection of one particular result out of
different associated probability distribution alternatives, which occurs during the transition stage
of Quantum to Classical state, is also discussed in this paper.
On a similar line, the way Decoherence tries to explain how within quantum theory, the
macroscopic objects seem to possess their familiar classical properties, Buddhist philosophers
posit that it is our own Karmic disposition that causes the formation of specific modes of
ontological reality perceived by specific species. It explains, for example, the consequence of the
interaction of the epistemological or subjective reality with the corresponding ontological
existence why the phenomenal reality appears in particular form and in a localised form.
Keywords: Buddhism, Quantum physics, Interdependency, determinism, decoherence, emptiness.
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Papers by Pranshu Samdarshi
We need to ensure that the digital adaptations remain true to the cultural roots and heritage of these art forms. By striking a well-thought-out balance between innovation and preservation, we can ensure that folk art forms thrive in the digital age without sacrificing their essence.
persist in academia.
BY DR. PRANSHU SAMDARSHI
वर्तमान समय में बौद्ध धर्म-दर्शन पर उपलब्ध ग्रंथों से हिंदी साहित्य धारा से को एक नई गति मिली है, फिर भी इस तथ्य को नकारा नहीं जा सकता कि यह धारा वर्तमान राजनीतिक प्रभाव से अछूती रही है।बौद्ध दर्शन के मूल स्वर की उपेक्षा कर यह साहित्य-धारा बुध्द के दर्शन के बुनियादी सामाजिक व मानवीय सैद्धांतिक मूल्यों को नकारती रही है। बुद्ध को मतवाद व पंथवाद की संकीर्णता में बांधकर उनकी देशना के दार्शनिक पक्ष को नजरअंदाज कर, प्रायःउन्हें भौतिकवादी समाज सुधारक के रूप में प्रस्तुत किया जा रहा है। बुद्ध के दर्शनका सम्यक अध्ययन जीवन-दर्शन मूलतः आत्ममुक्ति के उदघोष का है।वह भौतिकवाद ओर संसार से पलायन, इन दोनों अतियों को नकार कर मध्यम-मार्ग का उपदेश है। यह दर्शन मानव को आत्मग्राही दृष्टि ओर आत्मकेंद्रितता से मुक्त कर,उसे परार्थ हित में समर्पित कर,जीवन को एक नया अर्थ देने का है । बौद्ध धर्म के इस पक्ष की ओर अभी हिंदी साहित्कारों की दृष्टि सामान्यतः नहीं गयी है।
Singapore, On the Nalanda trail, which was accompanied by a conference focused
on ‘Interaction and Practice’. The essays in this book attempt to offer some new
insights into the patterns of exchange and text–image correlations between the
Nalanda tradition and the arts and artefacts of Southeast Asia. This volume has ten
essays. Each essay is well argued in its particular sociopolitical, art historical or archi-
tectural context; nonetheless, the intellectual tradition of Nalanda itself and its ancient
connections with Southeast Asia are not adequately dealt with. . Nevertheless, looking at the paucity of the materials available on Buddhist arts in this region, this volume is going to be a significant addition to the resources available on Southeast Asian art history.
Samdarshi, Pranshu. “Asia. Nalanda Srivijaya and beyond: Re-Exploring Buddhist Art in Asia Edited by Gauri Parimoo Krishnan Singapore: Asian Civilisations Museum, 2017. Pp. 296. Maps, Plates, Notes, Bibliography, Index.” Journal of Southeast Asian Studies 49, no. 2 (2018): 323–25. doi:10.1017/S0022463418000024.
Readers of historical literature are familiar with this rhetoric of tribal origin, which has been redeployed and reinforced for the religious traditions that were esoteric in nature and were not part of popular religion. Once a religious practice is concluded to have a tribal origin, it can easily be designated as cultic, marginal and sometimes also superstitious. Thus, such religious traditions become exotic, primitive, and, therefore, rather non-intriguing to academics. Academics, thereafter, just have to construct a paradigmatic sociopolitical context within which associated motifs of deities and rituals can be appropriated.
This paper inquires into the evolution of tantra in different religious traditions in general, and in Buddhism in particular. The focal point of the discussion is the practices of goddesses in Buddhist tantra. The interaction and influence of other religious traditions on Buddhism too is pointed out. On the one hand this paper explores textual sources for explaining abstract appearances and unusual practices associated with tantric goddesses and on the other, the functional aspects of tantric goddesses in ancient religious settings. The neo–orientalist interpretation of tantra as given by Western scholars is examined to point out their misinterpretations of tantric symbols and rituals. After documenting some of the diverse traditions of goddesses within tantric cults, this paper makes an effort to find harmony between the overlapping layers of popular belief– and the profound philosophy of Buddhist tantrism.
भारत में बौद्ध धर्म के परवर्ती काल में जब बौद्ध-तंत्र की धारा का प्रकटीकरण हुआ तब बुद्धत्व की अवधारणा एक व्यक्ति विशेष के रूप में न होकर वर्ण-लिंग से परे, एक चैतन्य जाग्रत सत्ता के मानवकृत स्वरुप में निरुपित हुई. इसी क्रम में विभिन्न स्त्री-देवताओं के साधना परंपरा का विकास हुआ. पारमार्थिक सत्य और प्रज्ञा रूप में अभिव्यक्त ये तांत्रिक देवियाँ बौद्ध आदर्शों एवं उच्यतम धार्मिक लक्ष्य को निरुपित करती हैं.
ध्यातव्य है कि शाक्त-शैव तंत्र और बौद्ध तंत्र में परमार्थ-सत्य की अवधारणा एक सामान नहीं होने से बौद्ध तंत्रों की अपनी विशिष्ट परम्परा रही है. अनात्म एवं शून्यता के सिद्धांतो की पृष्ठभूमि पर आधारित बौद्ध तंत्र में वर्णित बौद्ध देवीयों की प्रतीकात्मकता परमार्थ और संवृति की एकात्मकता पर केन्द्रित हैं तथा बौद्ध तंत्र के साधन-सिद्धांत परार्थ-हित को अपना लक्ष्य स्थापित करते हैं.
इस शोध में तांत्रिक बौद्ध परंपरा के विभिन्न ग्रंथों में उल्लेखित तांत्रिक देवियों की उपासना एवं ध्यान-परंपरा के एतिहासिक विकास का क्रम-बद्ध सर्वेक्षण किया गया है. औपनिवेशिक-काल के और वर्तमान इतिहासकारो के द्वारा की गयी तंत्र-सम्बंधित असंगत व्याख्याओं की समालोचना की गयी है, साथ हीं तथा नेपाल और तिब्बत में प्रचलित बौद्ध देवीयों के तांत्रिक परंपराओं का साधानमाला तथा निष्पन्नयोगावली इत्यादि तंत्र ग्रंथों के आधार पर एक शोधपूर्ण अध्ययन प्रस्तुत किया गया है.
Teaching Documents by Pranshu Samdarshi
Conference Presentations by Pranshu Samdarshi
question of the causes and conditions for the formation of specific-nature of phenomenal reality
are discussed. These texts invariably agree that reality does not exist the way it appears to us.
It is only because of our habituated ignorance (Snk. avidyā) we grasp at the things having their
intrinsic self (Snk. svabhāva) that eventually lead to all sorts of afflictions and suffering. Such
self-grasping (Snk. ātma-grāha) over the things that occur for a specific mode of existing reality. In
this specific mode, the reality is objectively existent – the way it is mistakenly perceived by the
observer. Buddhist texts posit that it is the thought-constructs (Snk. vikalpa), when aligned with
the notion of selfhood along with subtle mental imprints and then these compositions cause the
formation of an objective external world. This observed objective-reality is specific to species
and it comes into existence when the putative and particular sensory inputs are assembled
Together.
One may find some parallels between these discussions of Buddhist texts with the theory of
decoherence in Quantum mechanics that address one of the most persistent and unsolved
problems of theoretical physics to relate the quantum and classical worlds with each other. The
role of observer’s consciousness in the mechanism of the selection of one particular result out of
different associated probability distribution alternatives, which occurs during the transition stage
of Quantum to Classical state, is also discussed in this paper.
On a similar line, the way Decoherence tries to explain how within quantum theory, the
macroscopic objects seem to possess their familiar classical properties, Buddhist philosophers
posit that it is our own Karmic disposition that causes the formation of specific modes of
ontological reality perceived by specific species. It explains, for example, the consequence of the
interaction of the epistemological or subjective reality with the corresponding ontological
existence why the phenomenal reality appears in particular form and in a localised form.
Keywords: Buddhism, Quantum physics, Interdependency, determinism, decoherence, emptiness.
We need to ensure that the digital adaptations remain true to the cultural roots and heritage of these art forms. By striking a well-thought-out balance between innovation and preservation, we can ensure that folk art forms thrive in the digital age without sacrificing their essence.
persist in academia.
BY DR. PRANSHU SAMDARSHI
वर्तमान समय में बौद्ध धर्म-दर्शन पर उपलब्ध ग्रंथों से हिंदी साहित्य धारा से को एक नई गति मिली है, फिर भी इस तथ्य को नकारा नहीं जा सकता कि यह धारा वर्तमान राजनीतिक प्रभाव से अछूती रही है।बौद्ध दर्शन के मूल स्वर की उपेक्षा कर यह साहित्य-धारा बुध्द के दर्शन के बुनियादी सामाजिक व मानवीय सैद्धांतिक मूल्यों को नकारती रही है। बुद्ध को मतवाद व पंथवाद की संकीर्णता में बांधकर उनकी देशना के दार्शनिक पक्ष को नजरअंदाज कर, प्रायःउन्हें भौतिकवादी समाज सुधारक के रूप में प्रस्तुत किया जा रहा है। बुद्ध के दर्शनका सम्यक अध्ययन जीवन-दर्शन मूलतः आत्ममुक्ति के उदघोष का है।वह भौतिकवाद ओर संसार से पलायन, इन दोनों अतियों को नकार कर मध्यम-मार्ग का उपदेश है। यह दर्शन मानव को आत्मग्राही दृष्टि ओर आत्मकेंद्रितता से मुक्त कर,उसे परार्थ हित में समर्पित कर,जीवन को एक नया अर्थ देने का है । बौद्ध धर्म के इस पक्ष की ओर अभी हिंदी साहित्कारों की दृष्टि सामान्यतः नहीं गयी है।
Singapore, On the Nalanda trail, which was accompanied by a conference focused
on ‘Interaction and Practice’. The essays in this book attempt to offer some new
insights into the patterns of exchange and text–image correlations between the
Nalanda tradition and the arts and artefacts of Southeast Asia. This volume has ten
essays. Each essay is well argued in its particular sociopolitical, art historical or archi-
tectural context; nonetheless, the intellectual tradition of Nalanda itself and its ancient
connections with Southeast Asia are not adequately dealt with. . Nevertheless, looking at the paucity of the materials available on Buddhist arts in this region, this volume is going to be a significant addition to the resources available on Southeast Asian art history.
Samdarshi, Pranshu. “Asia. Nalanda Srivijaya and beyond: Re-Exploring Buddhist Art in Asia Edited by Gauri Parimoo Krishnan Singapore: Asian Civilisations Museum, 2017. Pp. 296. Maps, Plates, Notes, Bibliography, Index.” Journal of Southeast Asian Studies 49, no. 2 (2018): 323–25. doi:10.1017/S0022463418000024.
Readers of historical literature are familiar with this rhetoric of tribal origin, which has been redeployed and reinforced for the religious traditions that were esoteric in nature and were not part of popular religion. Once a religious practice is concluded to have a tribal origin, it can easily be designated as cultic, marginal and sometimes also superstitious. Thus, such religious traditions become exotic, primitive, and, therefore, rather non-intriguing to academics. Academics, thereafter, just have to construct a paradigmatic sociopolitical context within which associated motifs of deities and rituals can be appropriated.
This paper inquires into the evolution of tantra in different religious traditions in general, and in Buddhism in particular. The focal point of the discussion is the practices of goddesses in Buddhist tantra. The interaction and influence of other religious traditions on Buddhism too is pointed out. On the one hand this paper explores textual sources for explaining abstract appearances and unusual practices associated with tantric goddesses and on the other, the functional aspects of tantric goddesses in ancient religious settings. The neo–orientalist interpretation of tantra as given by Western scholars is examined to point out their misinterpretations of tantric symbols and rituals. After documenting some of the diverse traditions of goddesses within tantric cults, this paper makes an effort to find harmony between the overlapping layers of popular belief– and the profound philosophy of Buddhist tantrism.
भारत में बौद्ध धर्म के परवर्ती काल में जब बौद्ध-तंत्र की धारा का प्रकटीकरण हुआ तब बुद्धत्व की अवधारणा एक व्यक्ति विशेष के रूप में न होकर वर्ण-लिंग से परे, एक चैतन्य जाग्रत सत्ता के मानवकृत स्वरुप में निरुपित हुई. इसी क्रम में विभिन्न स्त्री-देवताओं के साधना परंपरा का विकास हुआ. पारमार्थिक सत्य और प्रज्ञा रूप में अभिव्यक्त ये तांत्रिक देवियाँ बौद्ध आदर्शों एवं उच्यतम धार्मिक लक्ष्य को निरुपित करती हैं.
ध्यातव्य है कि शाक्त-शैव तंत्र और बौद्ध तंत्र में परमार्थ-सत्य की अवधारणा एक सामान नहीं होने से बौद्ध तंत्रों की अपनी विशिष्ट परम्परा रही है. अनात्म एवं शून्यता के सिद्धांतो की पृष्ठभूमि पर आधारित बौद्ध तंत्र में वर्णित बौद्ध देवीयों की प्रतीकात्मकता परमार्थ और संवृति की एकात्मकता पर केन्द्रित हैं तथा बौद्ध तंत्र के साधन-सिद्धांत परार्थ-हित को अपना लक्ष्य स्थापित करते हैं.
इस शोध में तांत्रिक बौद्ध परंपरा के विभिन्न ग्रंथों में उल्लेखित तांत्रिक देवियों की उपासना एवं ध्यान-परंपरा के एतिहासिक विकास का क्रम-बद्ध सर्वेक्षण किया गया है. औपनिवेशिक-काल के और वर्तमान इतिहासकारो के द्वारा की गयी तंत्र-सम्बंधित असंगत व्याख्याओं की समालोचना की गयी है, साथ हीं तथा नेपाल और तिब्बत में प्रचलित बौद्ध देवीयों के तांत्रिक परंपराओं का साधानमाला तथा निष्पन्नयोगावली इत्यादि तंत्र ग्रंथों के आधार पर एक शोधपूर्ण अध्ययन प्रस्तुत किया गया है.
question of the causes and conditions for the formation of specific-nature of phenomenal reality
are discussed. These texts invariably agree that reality does not exist the way it appears to us.
It is only because of our habituated ignorance (Snk. avidyā) we grasp at the things having their
intrinsic self (Snk. svabhāva) that eventually lead to all sorts of afflictions and suffering. Such
self-grasping (Snk. ātma-grāha) over the things that occur for a specific mode of existing reality. In
this specific mode, the reality is objectively existent – the way it is mistakenly perceived by the
observer. Buddhist texts posit that it is the thought-constructs (Snk. vikalpa), when aligned with
the notion of selfhood along with subtle mental imprints and then these compositions cause the
formation of an objective external world. This observed objective-reality is specific to species
and it comes into existence when the putative and particular sensory inputs are assembled
Together.
One may find some parallels between these discussions of Buddhist texts with the theory of
decoherence in Quantum mechanics that address one of the most persistent and unsolved
problems of theoretical physics to relate the quantum and classical worlds with each other. The
role of observer’s consciousness in the mechanism of the selection of one particular result out of
different associated probability distribution alternatives, which occurs during the transition stage
of Quantum to Classical state, is also discussed in this paper.
On a similar line, the way Decoherence tries to explain how within quantum theory, the
macroscopic objects seem to possess their familiar classical properties, Buddhist philosophers
posit that it is our own Karmic disposition that causes the formation of specific modes of
ontological reality perceived by specific species. It explains, for example, the consequence of the
interaction of the epistemological or subjective reality with the corresponding ontological
existence why the phenomenal reality appears in particular form and in a localised form.
Keywords: Buddhism, Quantum physics, Interdependency, determinism, decoherence, emptiness.