Dhyani Buddhas ?

[Richard Hayes]

Re: Message from Stephen Hodge dated Tue, 11 Jul 2000

> I have been having a rather heated discussion with somebody about the
> use and origins of the term "dhyani Buddha".  I have never come across
> it in any canonical Buddist texts but I believe it was a C19th
> European invention which should be discarded.

I cannot point you towards anything authoritative, but I recall having a
conversation with Greogroy Schopen about the term, and he claims that it
was a 19th century innovation of Eurpoean provenience. I have never seen
any evidence that would suggest otherwise.

What I find potentially problematic is your suggestion that the term
should therefore be discarded. Terminological innovation has been part of
the Buddhist tradition for a very long time, and I can see no reason why
it should have come to an end in the 18th century or why it should be
allowed to take place only in Asia. Needless to say, if one is teaching or
writing about classical Indian Buddhism of a particular period, then one
should be careful not to introduce anachronistic terms (such as
svaatantrika and praasangika and aagamaanusaarin and nyaayaanusaarin) into
the conversation without making it very clear that the terms were the
innovations of scholastics (who, like ourselves, were faced with coming up
with useful heuristic categories in teaching complex material to beginning
students).

--
Richard P. Hayes
Faculty of Religious Studies
McGill University
rhayes at po-box.mcgill.ca