We know mostly about Mani from The Dead Sea Scrolls, the Enochan
literature and the writings of Augustine of Hippo, who claimed to have
been a dualistic Manichaen for ten years. The radical dualism of
Manichaeism is evident in many Gnostic sects but mainly in the
Paulicans, Bogomils and the Cathars.
So, the dualism of Gnoticisim has been pretty much established.
Manichaeism is based on the doctrine that the entire world of material
bodies are all constructions of Satan. Numerous themes in the religious
beliefs of Mani were derived from Buddhist influences when Mani lived in
Buddhist Ghandara. Yin and Yang are complimentary forces rather than
opposing forces which, when taken together in various proportions, turn
into a whole. It's not complicated.
According to Foltz, Taoism is also based on Yin Yang and many Buddhist
elements have been incorporated into Taoism, such as supporting
monesterys, monks, vegetarianism, and adopting the Buddhist doctrine of
emptiness. Taoism in turn influenced the Buddhist Chan school and
Japanese Zen school.
Work cited:
'Religions of the Silk Road'
Richard Foltz
Palgrave Macmillan, 2010
p. 71
Read more:
Subject: The Silk Road
Newsgroups: alt.meditation.transcendental
Author: Willytex
Date: March 10, 2004
http://tinyurl.com/yjs4uv4
Subject: Foreign Devils on the Silk Road!
Author: Willytex
Newsgroups: alt.meditation.transcendental, alt.religion.gnostic
Date: February 6, 2005
http://tinyurl.com/yb2275p
On 11/3/2013 4:10 PM, [email protected] wrote:
Re "The Gnostic prophet Mani taught radical dualist cosmology; a
struggle between the opposing forces of good and evil, spiritual light
versus the material world darkness. Humans are composed of two
opposing elements in a battle for power. There is a soul, but it is
influenced by elements of both good and evil. Manichaeism is similar
to the dualistic Bogomils, Paulicians, and Cathars. It's not
complicated. Adepts in China and the Far East would probably relate to
this with their own notions of Yin and Yang.":
The Yin and Yang "concepts" point to a Tao that includes the
opposites. Imagining that one side of a pair of opposites could gain
the upper hand over the other would be a vulgar error.
As the little we know about Manichaeism and similar "dualist"
religions/philosophies comes to us from hostile sources isn't it
possible that these beliefs weren't as dualist as they've been painted
but perhaps also had the idea of a Transcendence that reconciled the
positive and negative aspects of life?
---In [email protected], <punditster@...> wrote:
So, let's review what we know about the prophet Mani.
The Gnostic prophet Mani taught radical dualist cosmology; a struggle
between the opposing forces of good and evil, spiritual light versus
the material world darkness. Humans are composed of two opposing
elements in a battle for power. There is a soul, but it is influenced
by elements of both good and evil. Manichaeism is similar to the
dualistic Bogomils, Paulicians, and Cathars. It's not complicated.
Adepts in China and the Far East would probably relate to this with
their own notions of Yin and Yang, which is probably derived from the
Indian Sankhya, a radical dualism, and later tantra- a theory of
polarity which posits male and female energies.
The name 'Mani' is Sanskrit. Mani traveled and lived in India for
several years, visiting Buddhist lands such as Bamiyan in
Afghanistan, so it is not surprising that Buddhist influences would be
apparent. Mani apparently adopted his theory of the reincarnation
(transmigration of souls) from the Buddhists. Mani's sect structure
was apparently based on the Buddhist Sangha, that is, Arhants and the
lay follower community.
On 11/2/2013 11:31 AM, emptybill@... <mailto:emptybill@...> wrote:
No wonder the Near-Eastern realm got so mixed up. *//*
It seems that as Manichean ideology spread to the East it
incorporated Buddhist concepts along the way in a effort to show the
superiority of the "Religion of Light." Mani lived during the third
century of the current era. Mani used the epitaph "Buddha of Light"
and identified himself as Maitreya. He and his followers specifically
borrowed from early Pure Land Sutras and Nagarjuna's Madhyamaka
philosophy. As it entered the region of Gandhara and spread to China
it used the Buddhist Hinayana tradition to support its views of
"matter, the body and the world."
MANICHAEAN VIEWS OF BUDDHISM
*/David A. Scott /*
*//*
*/Christ Church College /**/of /**/Higher Education/*
