Dr. John Canti, senior editor at 84000, will join host Joie Chen in conversation on "The Buddha in the God Realms."
The Buddha is said to have passed his seventh rainy season retreat in one of the god realms, the Heaven of the Thirty-Three (Trayastriṃśa), teaching his mother Māyādevī who had been reborn there, along with a large assembly of monks and celestial beings. The event, which is celebrated on Lhabab Düchen, marks the Buddha’s long-awaited, public and demonstrative return from the god realms back to the human world. He returned to Saṃkāśya, descending down a staircase made by the gods out of precious materials and accompanied by Brahmā, Śakra, and many gods, to be greeted by a great crowd of his human followers. Joie and John’s conversation traces the story, its canonical sources, and what it tells us about the Buddha’s activities for non-human as well as human beings and the many interactions between the gods and the Buddha’s teachings as recorded not only in the canonical scriptures, but also in Buddhist tradition and arts.
Key Moments:
[5:00] The Buddha’s descent from the god realm. Where did he go and what was he doing there?
[24:52] Where in the Buddhist canon do we find the accounts of the Buddha descending from the god realm?
[36:52] What makes his descent from the god realm as important as an event like the first time the Buddha gives teachings?
[39:22] John shows an image and describes the Buddha’s descent back down to the human realm, walking and sometimes floating down a “triple staircase” that was built by the gods using precious metals. The event is treated like a spectacle with a lot of fanfare.
[50:00] Sometimes the gods seem almost like bodhisattvas and sometimes they seem like worldly kings. How should we understand them in the context of Buddhism?
[57:46] As a bodhisattva in Tuṣita heaven, the Buddha preaches the Dharma to gods before choosing to descend to the human realm as Prince Siddhartha. What’s the significance of this decision?
[1:12:15] Q&A - In the Vows of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra, the Buddha travels to Trāyastriṃśa Heaven to expound the Dharma to his mother. Is this event similar to Lhabab Duchen? Also, is Lhabab Duchen more of a Vajrayana or Mahayana celebration?
[1:18:27] Instead of viewing the text as a singular historical event, are there greater narrative truths it conveys?
84000 texts mentioned in the talk:
1) The Chapter on the Finer Points of Discipline (Vinayakṣudrakavastu, Toh 6) – translation forthcoming.
2) The Hundred Exemplary Tales, of Pūrṇa and Others (Avadanaśataka, Toh 343 ), story 86 – translation forthcoming.
3) The Play in Full (Lalitavistara, Toh 95), see 7.85 (https://84000.co/translation/toh95#UT...) and chapter 25 (https://84000.co/translation/toh95#UT...)
4) The Hundred Deeds (Karmaśataka, Toh 340), 2.141 (https://84000.co/translation/toh340#U...) , 6.208 (https://84000.co/translation/toh340#U...) , 10.2––10.86 (https://84000.co/translation/toh340#U....
5) The Chapter on Medicines (Bhaiṣajyavastu, Toh 1, ch. 6), 9.1526 (https://84000.co/translation/toh1-6#U...)
6) The Application of Mindfulness of the Sacred Dharma (Saddharmasmṛtyupasthāna, Toh 287), for its detailed descriptions of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three in chapter 4B (https://84000.co/translation/toh287#U...)
Details
Date: Saturday, November 9
Time: 3pm Paris |10pm SGT | 9am EST | 6am PST
Duration: 1.5 hours
Simultaneous Chinese interpretation will be available.
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Dr. John Canti was a founding member of 84000’s executive committee and editorial team and is now senior editor.
