Nicholaos JONES is professor of Philosophy at The University of Alabama in Huntsville. His research relating to Buddhism focuses mainly on metaphysics in the medieval Huayan tradition of Chinese Buddhism.
關鍵詞
esteem; generosity; gift; karma; merit; no-self
摘要
I propose an account of generous action in the Pāli Buddhist tradition, whereby generous actions are instances of giving in which the donor has esteem for the recipient of their giving. The account differs from recent Anglophone accounts of generous action. These tend to construe generous actions as instances of a donor freely offering a gift to the recipient for the sake of benefiting the recipient. Unlike the Buddhist account I propose, these accounts do not require donors to esteem their recipient. Accordingly, I also offer a partial account of esteem, whereby one esteems another only if they refrain from noticing the other’s faults and they encounter the other as someone who is superior in virtue and goodness. Taken together, the Buddhist accounts of generous action and esteem offer insight into certain ways in which different philosophical traditions tend to characterize generous action.
目次
Abstract Introduction 197 Conditions of Generous Action 198 Comparisons with Other Buddhist Accounts of Generous Action 206 The Value of Generous Action 208 Esteem and the Teaching of No-Self 211 Cross-Cultural Connections 216 Concluding Reflections 219 References 222
