The Hidden Mahāyāna: Original Texts on the Bodhisattva’s Adaption of the Teachings to the Audience

14 August 2023

A Workshop with Prof. Dr. Achim Bayer (Kanazawa Seiryo University)

This event took place on Monday, 14 Aug 2023, 2:30–4:00 pm, at Alsterterrasse 1, Room 117

In various sūtras and śāstras of Mahāyāna Buddhism, the bodhisattva teacher is advised to adapt the teachings to the audience. Doctrines such as emptiness (śūnyatā) were not meant to be taught to audiences who would be confused or offended by such instruction. For contemporary researchers, this didactic approach forms a major obstacle in understanding the śāstras of Mahāyāna Buddhism. The doctrinal tenets stated in some passages of a given treatise are not necessarily the author’s own conviction but may belong to a preliminary level of instruction. In this brief workshop, we will read passages from various original texts in which bodhisattvas are advised about this peculiar teaching method. The passages to be read are preserved in Sanskrit, Tibetan, and Chinese, and basic knowledge of at least one of these languages is greatly appreciated.