Talk:Śāsana

Adding References to this Article
User:Leo Rivers, apparently a new editor, made some good contributions to this article. Leo's content could use some citation help, adding citations or verifying/completing the one cite. I have added a References section to the article and placed the one existing, incomplete cite into a standard inline citation style. I also moved Leo Rivers' message about the citation from visible inline article content, to here:
 *  [ the source for the first sentence in this article is: A Dictionary of Buddhism (Oxford Paperback Reference), Damien Keown, Oxford]

-Dekyi 11:57, 2 March 2012 (UTC)

Faith not being a part of Buddhism isn't the same as faith being a part of the Path to enlightenment.
Faith or saddhā was often praised by the Buddha as being a friend on the path to enlightenment — provided it is mindful, wise faith not blind faith, say, unquestioning or clinging to a belief in this or that supernatural being. I don't know what Buddhists may or may not think but that's what the Buddha taught according to the canonical texts. Faith should be placed in the teaching — the sangha, the dhamma, the triumph of a sammasambuddha in this very world.

c.f. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saddhā —Preceding unsigned comment added by 59.101.184.19 (talk) 15:08, 22 March 2010 (UTC)

Śāsana as 500 years of teaching being actively transmitted. Second Śāsana as being the second period of the most recent Buddha's teaching.
This term as I understand it (I'm not in any way a scholar or expert) refers to periods of time where the teaching is being transmitted and practised by many people. Two Śāsanas for each Sammasambuddha and in this world they each last 2500 years flourishing particularly for the first 500 years of each 2500 year period. We are now a few decades into the beginning of the second Śāsana. If people are not coming out of suffering by eradicating kilesa then the teaching of the Buddha is not being practised. It is a practical teaching not just some philosophical treatise for intellectual engagement. It is said in the canonical texts that after the second sasana the teaching will be lost (while the philosophical treatise used for intellectual engagement and religious rights and rituals will continue). —Preceding unsigned comment added by 59.101.184.19 (talk) 15:20, 22 March 2010 (UTC)