Lecture by Ryoei Tyler, 2013

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DGA
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Lecture by Ryoei Tyler, 2013

Post by DGA »

I scanned a hard copy of a lecture given by Ryoei Tyler at a symposium I attended in 2013. You can find it here.



What do you notice in it?
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Seishin
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Re: Lecture by Ryoei Tyler, 2013

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Wonderful, thanks for this :twothumbsup:
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Re: Lecture by Ryoei Tyler, 2013

Post by Caoimhghín »

DGA wrote: Mon Nov 19, 2018 3:38 pm What do you notice in it?
Environmentalism? :shrug: What were you thinking would be noticed?

I'll second the thank you for putting it up all the same though, it is a nice blurb.
Then, the monks uttered this gāthā:

These bodies are like foam.
Them being frail, who can rejoice in them?
The Buddha attained the vajra-body.
Still, it becomes inconstant and ruined.
The many Buddhas are vajra-entities.
All are also subject to inconstancy.
Quickly ended, like melting snow --
how could things be different?

The Buddha passed into parinirvāṇa afterward.
(T1.27b10 Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra DĀ 2)
DGA
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Re: Lecture by Ryoei Tyler, 2013

Post by DGA »

Coëmgenu wrote: Tue Nov 20, 2018 4:22 pm
DGA wrote: Mon Nov 19, 2018 3:38 pm What do you notice in it?
Environmentalism? :shrug: What were you thinking would be noticed?

I'll second the thank you for putting it up all the same though, it is a nice blurb.
The transition from environmental sentiment to the Gauss-Bonnet Theorem, by way of an adaptation of B Ziporyn's local/global coherence/incoherence dialectic, is noteworthy.
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Re: Lecture by Ryoei Tyler, 2013

Post by Caoimhghín »

DGA wrote: Tue Nov 20, 2018 4:34 pm
Coëmgenu wrote: Tue Nov 20, 2018 4:22 pm
DGA wrote: Mon Nov 19, 2018 3:38 pm What do you notice in it?
Environmentalism? :shrug: What were you thinking would be noticed?

I'll second the thank you for putting it up all the same though, it is a nice blurb.
The transition from environmental sentiment to the Gauss-Bonnet Theorem, by way of an adaptation of B Ziporyn's local/global coherence/incoherence dialectic, is noteworthy.
:good: I have to read more Ziporyn. And more "real" Tiāntāi. The two just sort of flow seamlessly into one another for me, which is no good.
Then, the monks uttered this gāthā:

These bodies are like foam.
Them being frail, who can rejoice in them?
The Buddha attained the vajra-body.
Still, it becomes inconstant and ruined.
The many Buddhas are vajra-entities.
All are also subject to inconstancy.
Quickly ended, like melting snow --
how could things be different?

The Buddha passed into parinirvāṇa afterward.
(T1.27b10 Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra DĀ 2)
DGA
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Re: Lecture by Ryoei Tyler, 2013

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Coëmgenu wrote: Tue Nov 20, 2018 4:58 pm
DGA wrote: Tue Nov 20, 2018 4:34 pm The transition from environmental sentiment to the Gauss-Bonnet Theorem, by way of an adaptation of B Ziporyn's local/global coherence/incoherence dialectic, is noteworthy.
:good: I have to read more Ziporyn. And more "real" Tiāntāi. The two just sort of flow seamlessly into one another for me, which is no good.
Ziporyn's books as far as I have plumbed them are interesting to a certain kind of academic perspective; they're original philosophy (and a few novels), and not really representative of any extant Buddhist tradition. It is significant that he refers to his thinking as "Neo-TianTai," not TianTai or Tendai. The very small handful of Tendai people I know who have also read Ziporyn's work find it, in the words of one, "useless." YMMV.
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Re: Lecture by Ryoei Tyler, 2013

Post by Caoimhghín »

DGA wrote: Tue Nov 20, 2018 5:05 pm
Coëmgenu wrote: Tue Nov 20, 2018 4:58 pm
DGA wrote: Tue Nov 20, 2018 4:34 pm The transition from environmental sentiment to the Gauss-Bonnet Theorem, by way of an adaptation of B Ziporyn's local/global coherence/incoherence dialectic, is noteworthy.
:good: I have to read more Ziporyn. And more "real" Tiāntāi. The two just sort of flow seamlessly into one another for me, which is no good.
Ziporyn's books as far as I have plumbed them are interesting to a certain kind of academic perspective; they're original philosophy (and a few novels), and not really representative of any extant Buddhist tradition. It is significant that he refers to his thinking as "Neo-TianTai," not TianTai or Tendai. The very small handful of Tendai people I know who have also read Ziporyn's work find it, in the words of one, "useless." YMMV.
Do you actually know anything about the Gauss-Bonnet Theorem? I certainly don't, which is why I think that transition went far over my head.

Also, are you sure he is adapting Ziporyn specifically? I have only read Evil And/Or/As the Good and small sections of Being and Ambiguity.

The connection between maths and peoples, it seems like the standard academic fare. Saying words for the sake of the words, connections for the sake of connections, not to talk-down Reverend Tyler, or Rev Ryoei, whichever he goes by. Topography and geometry are different but related, like people and the environment.

Ziporyn seems like a good excuse for a rapid transition whenever you need one, because everything is relevant in the worldview I seem to get from him, there seems to be no such thing as irrelevance or a lack of significant relation, in general, in "NeoTianTai" philosophy.

But Ziporyn also IMO doesn't just pull "NeoTianTai" out of his hat. He is a guy reading scriptures like any other guy. He's drawing conclusions like any other guy. Lots of people read Pāli scriptures and determine that the Buddha didn't teach rebirth, for instance, so Ziporyn could have a far worse handle on his source material.
Then, the monks uttered this gāthā:

These bodies are like foam.
Them being frail, who can rejoice in them?
The Buddha attained the vajra-body.
Still, it becomes inconstant and ruined.
The many Buddhas are vajra-entities.
All are also subject to inconstancy.
Quickly ended, like melting snow --
how could things be different?

The Buddha passed into parinirvāṇa afterward.
(T1.27b10 Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra DĀ 2)
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Seishin
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Re: Lecture by Ryoei Tyler, 2013

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Sadly I haven't the intelligence nor the vocab to understand Ziporyn. I haven't read this article yet, but from the sounds of it, I may not understand it either. Ah well. :toilet:
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Re: Lecture by Ryoei Tyler, 2013

Post by DGA »

Seishin wrote: Tue Nov 20, 2018 5:49 pm Sadly I haven't the intelligence nor the vocab to understand Ziporyn. I haven't read this article yet, but from the sounds of it, I may not understand it either. Ah well. :toilet:
I know you to be a sincere and committed practitioner, with plenty of intelligence. Please remember that this lecture was given to a mixed audience of Tendai priests and laypeople. Imagine coming to a lecture on Tendai Buddhism internationally, and learning about environmental crises, shravakayana teachings as the solution to that, and a geometry theorem. It was quite a performance.
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Re: Lecture by Ryoei Tyler, 2013

Post by DGA »

Coëmgenu wrote: Tue Nov 20, 2018 5:39 pm
Do you actually know anything about the Gauss-Bonnet Theorem? I certainly don't, which is why I think that transition went far over my head.

Also, are you sure he is adapting Ziporyn specifically? I have only read Evil And/Or/As the Good and small sections of Being and Ambiguity.

The connection between maths and peoples, it seems like the standard academic fare. Saying words for the sake of the words, connections for the sake of connections, not to talk-down Reverend Tyler, or Rev Ryoei, whichever he goes by. Topography and geometry are different but related, like people and the environment.

Ziporyn seems like a good excuse for a rapid transition whenever you need one, because everything is relevant in the worldview I seem to get from him, there seems to be no such thing as irrelevance or a lack of significant relation, in general, in "NeoTianTai" philosophy.

But Ziporyn also IMO doesn't just pull "NeoTianTai" out of his hat. He is a guy reading scriptures like any other guy. He's drawing conclusions like any other guy. Lots of people read Pāli scriptures and determine that the Buddha didn't teach rebirth, for instance, so Ziporyn could have a far worse handle on his source material.
Beyond distinguishing triangles from rhombuses or whatever, I know nothing about geometry. Luckily, geometry is not a prerequisite to understand Mahayana Buddhism.

I don't know if she's intentionally adapting Ziporyn. I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt on that, or maybe being presumptuous? I see local and global and coherence, and that's where my mind goes.

I agree that Ziporyn's free to draw his own conclusions regarding the contents of anything he reads or translates, like any other person. That's what I was getting at by describing his work as "original philosophy." It's his work, and stands on its own merits (or not). My point is that it's important not to confuse Ziporyn's thinking with traditional TienTai or Tendai.
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Re: Lecture by Ryoei Tyler, 2013

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Paul Swanson Vol 3 T'ien-Tai's Mo-Ho Chih-Kuan: Clear Serenity, Quiet Insight
p. 1998
Glossary: inter-inclusiveness of the ten realms: ..
Frn. les dix mondes qui se contiennent mutuellement
Def. the ten destinies from hell to buddhahood all interpenetrate each other and all include the other nine. see also: three thousand realms in a single thought.
Dr. Tyler graduated from the University of California with a Ph.D. in Pure Mathematics...She received a Honzan Tokudo (本山得度) ordination at Enryakuji (延暦寺), which is the principle temple of Tendaisyu in Shiga Japan. Her shiso (師僧) teacher is Archbishop Ryokan Ara (大僧正荒了寛) of Tendaisyu Hawaii Betsuin. Dr. Tyler has fully completed the Shidoke-Gyo (四度加行) with a teaching certificate at the Hieizan Gyoin (比叡山行院) training center on Mt. Hiei (比叡山) in Japan.

She has the title of Grand Ajari and in addition, the title of Overseas Missionary (海外開教師) issued by Handa Koujyun Ozasu-sama, and Morikawa Kouei Ozasu-sama respectively. (Ozasu-sama is the principle priest of Enryakuji). She is also the Chief Overseas Missionary of Tendaisyu Hawaii Betsuin, and in that capacity, she is helping to propagate Tendai Buddhism outside of Japan. (大阿闍梨
https://www.tendai-usa.org/rev-dr-ryoei ... ead-priest
gassho
Rory
Namu Kanzeon Bosatsu
Chih-I:
The Tai-ching states "the women in the realms of Mara, Sakra and Brahma all neither abandoned ( their old) bodies nor received (new) bodies. They all received buddhahood with their current bodies (genshin)" Thus these verses state that the dharma nature is like a great ocean. No right or wrong is preached (within it) Ordinary people and sages are equal, without superiority or inferiority
Paul, Groner "The Lotus Sutra in Japanese Culture"eds. Tanabe p. 58
https://www.tendai-usa.org/
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Re: Lecture by Ryoei Tyler, 2013

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Sung-Bae Park Buddhism and Sudden Enlightenment p. 110
Chapter Fourteen
Faith and Enlightenment in the Hua-yen Sutra
Hua-yen Buddhism is based on the idea of dharmadhatu* (Chinese: fa chieh), or the "dharma realm." In the dharma realm, there is li shih wu-ai, or "unobstructed mutual penetration between phenomena and noumena," and shih shih wu-ai, or "unobstructed mutual penetration between phenomena and phenomena." The formula Li shih wu-ai means that each dharma contains the totality, whereas shih shih wu-ai means that all dharmas mutually contain each other. All dharmas interpenetrate because they arise through pratityasamutpada*>, or "dependent origination." Since each dharma arises through pratityasamutpada*, it has no svabhava*, or "self-nature,'' and therefore mixes through and through with every other dharma. As a result of pratityasamutpada* in the dharma realm of mutual penetration, "all is in one" and "one is in all." Even though all dharmas penetrate each other mutually without obstruction, they still function separately and remain exactly as they are.
The Hua-yen dharma realm is often illustrated by the "jewel net of Indra." Here, the universe is likened to a net wherein each intersection has a jewel that reflects the totality (establishing li shih wu-ai) as well as all the other jewels (establishing shih shih wu-ai) from its own viewpoint in the net. There is thus a mutual reflection among all dharmas in the universe, so that one mirrors all and all mirror one.2
gassho
Rory
Namu Kanzeon Bosatsu
Chih-I:
The Tai-ching states "the women in the realms of Mara, Sakra and Brahma all neither abandoned ( their old) bodies nor received (new) bodies. They all received buddhahood with their current bodies (genshin)" Thus these verses state that the dharma nature is like a great ocean. No right or wrong is preached (within it) Ordinary people and sages are equal, without superiority or inferiority
Paul, Groner "The Lotus Sutra in Japanese Culture"eds. Tanabe p. 58
https://www.tendai-usa.org/
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Re: Lecture by Ryoei Tyler, 2013

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I raised the Gauss-Bonnet question with a mathmetician/physicist here at work, he gave me a basic primer on what it does and why we care. Essentially it, among a number of other mathmatical propositions, permit a precise description of shape in various dimensions; for example, from a topological standpoint a coffee mug without a handle is viewed as a sphere with the top poked in, but it is a profoundly different topology than a mug with a handle, as is a mug with 2 handles. The propositions handle a variety of problems relating to curvature of surfaces and how geometries are expressed in different dimensional spaces, there are well-specified relationships between these things.

That said, the theory does not posit a particular relationship between humanity and environment. I think it is speculative to cite Gauss-Bonnet to support such an assertion. The former can be mathmatically demonstrated, but that doesn't mean the latter is equally so.
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Re: Lecture by Ryoei Tyler, 2013

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DGA wrote: Tue Nov 20, 2018 4:34 pm
Coëmgenu wrote: Tue Nov 20, 2018 4:22 pm
DGA wrote: Mon Nov 19, 2018 3:38 pm What do you notice in it?
Environmentalism? :shrug: What were you thinking would be noticed?

I'll second the thank you for putting it up all the same though, it is a nice blurb.
The transition from environmental sentiment to the Gauss-Bonnet Theorem, by way of an adaptation of B Ziporyn's local/global coherence/incoherence dialectic, is noteworthy.
She's talking about local meaning and global meaning and how they relate. If she's referencing any ideas it is the radical contextuality of the Lotus Sutra.

There's no local coherence global incoherence angle here.
There is no suffering to be severed. Ignorance and klesas are indivisible from bodhi. There is no cause of suffering to be abandoned. Since extremes and the false are the Middle and genuine, there is no path to be practiced. Samsara is nirvana. No severance achieved. No suffering nor its cause. No path, no end. There is no transcendent realm; there is only the one true aspect. There is nothing separate from the true aspect.
-Guanding, Perfect and Sudden Contemplation,
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Re: Lecture by Ryoei Tyler, 2013

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Queequeg wrote: Wed Nov 21, 2018 2:12 pm On the subject of environmentalism, it seems to me, the conventional observation that what we do individually has a real connection to the (in this case, literally) global circumstance is a critical expedient - until we intuitively understand that our personal conduct and choices impacts the planetary climate, its unlikely we are going to take the actions necessary to ameliorate the looming disasters.
I think drawing connections between local and global with respect to humanity and environment is not in contention, only the applicability of topographical mathmatics to the idea.
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Re: Lecture by Ryoei Tyler, 2013

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Re: Lecture by Ryoei Tyler, 2013

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Mod Note: Reopening the thread. Any debate over Zhiyi's doctrines should be kept to the new thread in Open Dharma.
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