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[English Version] umfaßt die heutigen kontinentalen Staaten Myanmar (Birma), Thailand, Laos, Kambodscha, Vietnam, Singapur sowie die insularen Staaten Indonesien, Brunei, Osttimor und die Philippinen. Malaysias Territorium umfaßt sowohl den kontinentalen wie den insularen Bereich (s. Karte Asien). Die Bevölkerung betrug i.J. 2000 ca.522 Mio. Davon waren 27,2% Buddhisten, 2% Hindus, 26,8% Muslime, 21,4% Christen (14,7% Katholiken) und 22,6% Sonstige. Ethnisch, sprachlich, kulturell und rel. ist S. außerordentlich vielfältig. Die heutige sprachliche Situ…

[German Version] (Sep 17, 1864, Colombo as Don David Hevāvitharana [also: Hewavitarne] – Apr 29, 1933, Benares as Siri Devamitta Dharmapāla) was a …

[German Version] (Sanskrit: euphemistic trans. “small vehicle”; originally used pejoratively by the adherents of Mahāyāna in the sense of “lesser vehicle”) designates a number of sometimes quite disparate early Buddhist orientations (Buddhism: I, 6). Bareau (1964) proposed adopting the objectively more correct designation “Early Buddhism/Old Buddhism.” The path to salvation (Redemption/Soteriology: IX) is often considered the unifying element, which is sometimes qualified as selfish: The arhat who strives only for personal salvation is supposed to be the main…

[German Version] comprises the modern continental countries Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Singapore, together with the island states of Indonesia, Brunei, East Timor, and the Philippines. The territory of Malaysia comprises both continental and insular regions (see the map at Asia). In the year 2000, the population was about 522 million; 27.2% were Buddhists, 2% Hindus, 26.8% Muslims, 21.4% Christians (14.7% Catholics), and 22.6% other. South-East Asia is extraordinarily varied – ethnically, linguistically, culturally, and religiously. The linguistic situation today on the continent is roughly as follows: in Myanmar the dominant language is Burmese, a member of the Sino-Tibetan language family; Thai, the official language of Thailand, and Laotian belong to the same family; (Standard) Khmer is the official language of Cambodia, belonging to the Mon-Khmer f…

[German Version] was the third ruler of the Indian Maurya dynasty and ruled approximately 270-230 bce. A bloody campaign against Kālinga is claimed to have contributed to the change in his disposition. Subsequently, he promoted Buddhism, according to Buddhist sources. That he himself became a Buddhist is not undisputed. Apart from the Buddhist Saṃgha he supported other religious groups (Jainas [Jainism], Ājīvikas, Brahmin). A vigorous Buddhist expansion occurred during his reign. According to Singhalese tradition, his son(?) Mahendra did missionary work in Śri Laṅka. The mission work in Myanmar, Kashmir, and other territories is also associated with Aśoka. The spread of Buddhist centers of pilgrimage and monasteries is allegedly the result of his work (in legendary form, the new dissemination of Buddha relics). Measures such as the restriction of sacrifices (animal sacrifice) or the slaughter and hunting of animals promoted Buddhist tendencies (Ahimsā). While Aśoka cannot be considered a "Buddhist" ruler, Glasenapp's statement, "under Aśok…

[German Version] I. Religious Studies – II. Systematic Theology I. Religious Studies In the religious studies context, gifts are usually not understood in terms of a present, and such an idea is ¶ based on a misunderstanding (M. Douglas, preface to Mauss, VII). Each gift is one part within a system of reciprocities between those giving and those receiving at the time. Participants in this system may belong to various levels: closer or more distant groups or individuals among the living of varying generations, the dead (ancest…

[German Version] I. Religious Studies – II. Christianity – III. Buddhism…

[German Version] I. Religious Studies – II. Christianity – III. The Religions of India – IV. Buddhism…

[German Version] I. Religious Studies – II. Philosophy of Religion – III. Christian Theology – IV. Buddhism I. Re…

[German Version] I. Terminology – II. Religious Studies – III. Church History – IV. Buddhism – V. India I. Terminology Monasticism…

[German Version] I. Comparative Religion – II. Christianity – III. Buddhism – IV. Monastic Law I. Comparative Religion The term monastery (or cloister) derives from the Christian tradition, where it denotes the living and working quarters, relatively secluded from the outside world, of a monastic community leading some type of ascetic life (Asceticism; see II below). In the broader context of other religions, the term is also tied to the context of monasticism. When certain social structures in non-Christian reli…

[German Version] I. Geopolitical Considerations, Concept – II. History of Religions – III. Modern Asian Religions outside Asia – IV. Christianity I. Geopolitical Considerations, Concept …

[English Version] I. Zum Begriff: Religionssoziologie und Religionswissenschaft R. oder Soziologie der Rel. beschäftigt sich mit den sozialen Aspekten und Ausformungen der Rel. Dazu gehören offensichtlich die rel. Institu…

[English Version] I. Religiös-kulturelle Zeitschriften In der 2. Hälfte des 19.Jh. erlebte das deutschsprachige Zeitschriftenwesen einen großen Aufschwung. Für 1890 waren 3203, für 1900 bereits 5231 und für 1914 6689 Einzeltitel erfaßt. Die Z. wurde zum Leitmedium in Wiss. und Kultur. In der Theol. stieg ihr Anteil an den Gesamterscheinungen zw. 1800 und 1908 von 8,3 auf 26,5%. Zw. Fachzeitschriften und Gemeindeblätter schob sich im Zuge der Differenzierung der Zeitschriftenprofile der Typus der rel…

[German Version] I. History of Religion – II. Missiology I. History of Religion 1. The Buddha and his Teaching. Although the biographical dates of the historical Buddha are uncertain, scholars generally put them at 563–483 bce. The Buddha understood his own teaching as a path to redemption, i.e., to liberation from the wretched cycle of rebirths. This teaching (Dharma) is often expressed in a medical…

[German Version] I. Terminology All the major concepts in soteriology have biblical roots. Of central importance today is the notion of reconciliation (II), whic…

[German Version] I. Religio-Cultural Journals – II. Journals of Religious Studies – III. Christianity – IV. Judaism – V. Islam I. Religio-Cultural Journals During the second half of the 19th century, the publication of German-language journals experienced a tremendous upsurge. While the year 1890 saw the publication of 3,203 individual titles, the number had grown to 5,231 by the year 1900 and to 6,689 by 1914. Journals became the preferred medium in academia and culture. In the field of theology, the proportion …

[German Version] I. Terminology The sociology of religion studies religion’s social aspects and manifestations, clearly including religious institutions, organizations, and social groups. It also studies more situational forms, less clearly defined, such as gatherings, ceremonies, and collective rituals (e.g. processions [Rite and ritual]). In an extended sense, characteristic of the German-language tradition since M. Weber, religious sociology deals with all social or socialized behavior focused on…

[German Version] I. Religious Studies 1. General Suffering is a concept that needs to be approached constructively in comparative religious study as it takes fundamental negative human experiences to a comparative level. On this interpretive level, suffering is understood as one of the fundamental experiences of human life. What people experience as suffering depends on their particular interpretation of the world and hence on their religious system for interpreting the world. The point at which religi…