Buddhism Books

Book SynopsisThis Volume [XVIII]: Numbers 248 to 264 By Various:, Nanamoli Thera, Carlo Gragnani, Bhikkhu Bodhi, M. O C. Walshe, Hellmuth Hecker, N. K. G. Mendis, L.S. Dewaraja, Bhikkhu Khantipalo, Bhikkhu Sobin S. Namto, Heinz Bechert

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Book SynopsisAll of Us: Beset by Birth Decay and Death. This booklet contains transcriptions of talks by the Buddhist nun Ayya Khema. It is for all people who seek liberation from suffering and desire true happiness.

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Book SynopsisA collection of Wheel Publications discussing various aspects of the Buddha's teaching, including similes, Abhidhamma philosophy, wisdom, the Buddha's last days, and the life of Anagarika Dharmapala.

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Book SynopsisThis book contains fourteen numbers of the renowned Wheel Publication series, dealing with various aspects of the Buddhaâs teaching.

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Book SynopsisThe book explores the origins and development of the Community of Buddhist Nuns founded by the Buddha in the 5th century BCE. It delves into their way of life, practices, and pursuit of Nibbana through poverty, chastity, and obedience as outlined in the Pali canon texts.

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Book SynopsisWheel Publication 231: The Essentials of Buddha Dhamma in Meditative Practice Sayagyi Thray Sithu U Ba Khin 232 43: The Value of Buddhism for the Modern World Dr. Howard L. Parsons 234 46: The Miracle of Being Awake Thich Nhat Hanh

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Book SynopsisThis book contains thirty one numbers of the renowned Bodhi Leaf Publication series, dealing with various aspects of the Buddha's teaching. Bodhi Leaves 91: Buddha-Bush Bhikkhu Khantipalo

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Book SynopsisThis book contains thirty two numbers of the renowned Bodhi Leaves series, dealing with various aspects of the Buddha's teaching.

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Book SynopsisThis book is part of the Wheel Publication series and covers various teachings of the Buddha. Topics include welfare, Dhamma, insight, feelings, Paccekabuddha, and the Noble Eightfold Path by different authors like Vidagama Maitreya, Mahasi Sayadaw, Susan Elbaum Jootla, Nyanaponika Thera, Ria Kloppenborg, and Bhikkhu Bodhi.

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Book SynopsisThis book contains sixteen numbers of the renowned Wheel Publication series, dealing with various aspects of the Buddha's teachings, that would be helpful to the laymen as well as followers.

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Book SynopsisGateway to the Temple is a valuable manual on Tibetan Buddhist monastic culture and art, covering temple building and mural decoration. Originally written in the 1960s, it has been updated and enhanced by Vajra Books, bringing attention to a forgotten masterpiece.

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Book SynopsisIn January 2020 to celebrate Yongdzin Lopon Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche 95th's birthday.

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Book SynopsisThe heritage of the Bon tradition is rich in texts that transmit the teachings of the path of renunciation, transformation and liberation.

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Book SynopsisZen master Thich Nhat Hanh, bestselling author of Peace Is Every Step and one of the most respected and celebrated religious leaders in the world, delivers a powerful path to happiness through mastering life's most important skill.In this precise and practical guide, Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh reveals how to listen mindfully and express your fullest and most authentic self. With examples from his work with couples, families, and international conflicts, The Art of Communicating helps us move beyond the perils and frustrations of misrepresentation and misunderstanding to learn the listening and speaking skills that will forever change how we experience and impact the world.A portion of the proceeds from your book purchase supports Thich Nhat Hanh's peace work and mindfulness teachings around the world. For more information on how you can help, visit www.thichnhathanhfoundation.org.

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Book SynopsisIn troubled times, there is an urgency to understand ourselves and our world. We have so many questions, and they tug at us night and day, consciously and unconsciously. In this important volume Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh——one of the most revered spiritual leaders in the world today——reveals an art of living in mindfulness that helps us answer life’s deepest questions and experience the happiness and freedom we desire. Thich Nhat Hanh presents, for the first time, seven transformative meditations that open up new perspectives on our lives, our relationships and our interconnectedness with the world around us. Based on the last full talks before his sudden hospitalization, and drawing on intimate examples from his own life, Thich Nhat Hanh shows us how these seven meditations can free us to live a happy, peaceful and active life, and face aging and dying with curiosity and joy and without fear.Containing the essence of the Buddha’s teachings and Thich Nhat Hanh’s poignant, timeless, and clarifying prose, The Art of Living provides a spiritual dimension to our lives. This is not an effort to escape life or to dwell in a place of bliss outside of this world. Instead, this path will allow us to discover where we come from and where we are going. And most of all, it will generate happiness, understanding, and love, so we can live deeply in each moment of our life, right where we are. 

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Book SynopsisThe bestselling author of Self-Compassion follows up her groundbreaking book with new ideas that expand our notion of self-kindness and its capacity to transform our lives, showing women how to balance tender self-acceptance with fierce action to claim their power and change the world.Kristin Neff changed how we talk about self-care with her enormously popular first book, Self-Compassion. Now, ten years and many studies later, she expands her body of work to explore a brand-new take on self-compassion. Although kindness and self-acceptance allow us to be with ourselves as we are, in all our glorious imperfection, the desire to alleviate suffering at the heart of this mindset isn''t always gentle, sometimes it''s fierce. We must also act courageously in order to protect ourselves from harm and injustice, say no to others so we can meet our own needs, and motivate necessary change in ourselves and society. Gender roles demand that women be soft and nurturing, not angry or powerful. But like yin and yang, the energies of fierce and tender self-compassion must be balanced for wholeness and wellbeing. Drawing on a wealth of research, her personal life story and empirically supported practices, Neff demonstrates how women can use fierce and tender self-compassion to succeed in the workplace, engage in caregiving without burning out, be authentic in relationships, and end the silence around sexual harassment and abuse. Most women intuitively recognize fierceness as part of their true nature, but have been discouraged from developing it. Women must reclaim their power in order to create a healthier society and find lasting happiness. This wise, caring, and enlightening book, now in paperback, shows women how to reclaim balance within themselves, so they can help restore balance in the world.

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Book SynopsisZen and the art of falling in love . . .At once practical, playful, and spiritually sound, this book is about creating a new love story in your life. Drawing from Christian, Buddhist, Sufi and other spiritual traditions, If the Buddha Dated shows how to find a partner without losing yourself. Kasl, a practicing psychotherapist, workshop leader, and Reiki healer for thirty years, offers practical wisdom on using the path to love as a means of awakening.If the Buddha Dated teaches that when you stay loyal to your spiritual journey, you will bring curiosity, fascination, and a light heart to the dating process.

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Book SynopsisSiddartha by Hesse is a profound moral allegory blending Eastern and Western spiritual traditions. It follows a Brahmin's quest for truth, navigating through decadence, love, wealth, and wisdom. Penguin Classics' new translation offers readers a timeless exploration of humanity's search for meaning.

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Book SynopsisThe first complete translation of a classic Buddhist text on the journey through living and dyingGraced with opening words by His Holiness The Dalai Lama, the Penguin Deluxe Edition of The Tibetan Book of the Dead is immaculately rendered in an English both graceful and precise. Translated with the close support of leading contemporary masters and hailed as “a tremendous accomplishment,” this book faithfully presents the insights and intentions of the original work. It includes one of the most detailed and compelling descriptions of the after-death state in world literature, practices that can transform our experience of daily life, guidance on helping those who are dying, and an inspirational perspective on coping with bereavement. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the b

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Book SynopsisThis is a book for scholars of Western philosophy who wish to engage with Buddhist philosophy, or who simply want to extend their philosophical horizons. It is also a book for scholars of Buddhist studies who want to see how Buddhist theory articulates with contemporary philosophy.Trade ReviewGarfield's book is a thought provoking and illuminating engagement with (mainly Mahayana) Buddhist thought. The chapters on metaphysics, the self, epistemology and ethics are the most interesting ones ... Another asset of the book is that it moves beyond a mere scholarly discussion of (the history of) Buddhist ideas. Chances are high we will see more books engaging with non-Western thought in the future. Garfield's book is a good example of successfully doing this. This book has been much needed, even if many have not realized the need. Writing from a position of deep engagement with Buddhism and philosophy, Garfield (philosophy, Yale, Smith, and elsewhere) does an excellent job explicating central Buddhist concepts and relating them to Western contemporary and historical philosophical concepts and problems ... Clearly, the book is rich in terms of breadth ... Garfield does an excellent job of balancing rigor, breadth, and depth while bringing together two very different traditions. And he is careful to engage a variety of Buddhist perspectives ... Highly recommended. Choice Engaging Buddhism is the most impressive, insightful, informative, and accessible book I've ever read on Buddhist philosophy ... [It]is one of the most signi?cant contributions to the Western reception of and engagement with Buddhist philosophy. This book is a must read for Western philosophers, but also for Buddhist philosophers who attempt to engage Western philosophy, as this blueprint is bi-directional. Rick Repetti, Science, Religion & Culture His valuable new book admirably serves its purpose of helping analytic philosophers understand some of what Buddhists have written about the very questions they study. In fact, Engaging Buddhism goes further, giving strong reasons to believe that contemporary physicalist philosophers of mind could strengthen their positions in important ways by drawing on Buddhist thought and that analytic philosophers more generally can find valuable insights in the Buddhist tradition. This book has many strengths. The writing is crisp, technically precise, yet elegant and engagingaGarfield has done a wonderful service in producing this impressive and intriguing book, which is always interesting and often enjoyable to read and which can open up new philosophical prospects equally well for both long-standing and newly minted students of Buddhist thought. Charles Goodman, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews Online Garfield engages with a wide range of thinkers such as Hume, Kant, and Heidegger, in order to show the relevance of Buddhist thought to the history of philosophy itself. By engaging complex Buddhist thoughts in terms of dialogues relevant to contemporary western philosophy, Garfield takes the initial steps necessary to broaden philosophys global understanding in order to make cross-cultural philosophical study a reality. Graduate Faculty Philosophy Journal The arguments in Engaging Buddhism are primarily directed toward professional scholars of Western philosophy, but the implications of Garfield's work are far-reaching. His concise presentations of Buddhist views on topics such as interdependence, emptiness, and the mind are useful for any student or practitioner of Buddhism who wishes to understand such topics more deeply and in a broader context. Garfield's discussion of emptiness in the third chapter is particularly useful for the student of Buddhism. Constance Kassor, Buddhadharma: The Practitioner's QuarterlyTable of ContentsAcknowledgements ; Preface ; 1. What is Buddhist Philosophy? ; 2. The Metaphysical Perspective I: Interdependence and Impermanence ; 3. The Metaphysical Perspective II: Emptiness ; 4. The Self ; 5. Consciousness ; 6. Phenomenology ; 7. Epistemology ; 8. Logic and the Philosophy of Language ; 9. Ethics ; 10. Methodological Postscript ; References ; Index

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Book SynopsisFor many Westerners, the most appealing teachings of the Buddhist tradition pertain to ethics. Buddhist ethical views have much in common with certain modern ethical theories, and contain many insights relevant to contemporary moral problems. In Consequences of Compassion, Charles Goodman illuminates the relationship between Buddhism and Western ethical theories. Buddhist texts offer an interesting approach to the demands of morality and a powerful critique of what we would identify as the concept of free will-a critique which leads to a hard determinist view of human action. But rather than being a threat to morality, this view supports Buddhist values of compassion, nonviolence and forgiveness, and leads to a more humane approach to the justification of punishment. Drawing on Buddhist religious values, Goodman argues against the death penalty and mandatory minimum sentences.Every version of Buddhist ethics, says Goodman, takes the welfare of sentient beings to be the only source of mTable of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. Fundamental Buddhist Teachings ; 2. Main Features of Some Western Ethical Theories ; 3. Theravada Ethics as a Rule-Consequentialism ; 4. Mahayana Ethics before Santideva ; 5. Santideva and After ; 6. Transcending Ethics ; 7. Buddhist Ethics and the Demands of Consequentialism ; 8. Buddhism on Moral Responsibility ; 9. Punishment ; 10. Objections and Replies ; 11. A Buddhism Response to Kant ; Conclusion ; Notes ; Bibliography ; Index

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Book SynopsisThe Kalacakratantra is the latest and most comprehensive Buddhist Tantra that is available in its original Sanskrit. This will be the first thorough academic work to be published on this Tantra. The Kalacakratantra''s five chapters are classified into three categories: Outer, Inner, and Other Kalacakratantra. The present work concentrates on the Inner Kalacakratantra, which deals with the nature of a human being. It focuses particularly on the second chapter of the Kalacakratantra, called ''The Chapter on the Individual''. Noting that this crucial chapter is closely related to the other chapters of this Tantra, however, Wallace discusses its topics in their relationship to the larger concepts of the Kalacakratantra''s view of the individual which is shown to be inseparable from its view of the universe, discussed in the first chapter. Similarly, the understanding of the person becomes clear only when examined in the light of the tantric yoga practices described in the third, fourth, anTrade ReviewThis book, which is the first scholarly overview of the Kalacakra to appear in a Western language, is an essential source not only for scholars of the Vajrayana, but for any scholar of Buddhism. Though written at the highest scholarly level, it is very readable, making it also an ideal source for pratitioners who wish to extend their knowledge of the Kalacakra system. Buddhist Studies ReviewWallace's immaculate work is outstanding not only in providing a broad outlook on the Buddhist context of the themes she explores, but also where the discussion takes her into other religious traditions. * Buddhist Studies Review *Ground-breaking research on the Kalacakra tradition ... Wallace's in-depth acquaintance with the Kalacakra literature and the Vimalaprabha in particular is reflected throughout the work in the detailed and illuminating cross-referencing which she provides. * Buddhist Studies Review *

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Book SynopsisRoger Jackson provides accurate, accessible translations of three classics of medieval Indian Buddhist mysticism: the couplet-treasuries of the great tantric masters Saraha, Kanha, and Tilopa. Since their composition around 1000 CE, these poems have exerted a powerful influence on spiritual life, as well as poetry and song, in India, Nepal, and Tibet. Jackson''s fresh translations allow the poetry to shine through, capturing the sense and spirit of the poems in the original. Jackson offers a thorough introduction that deftly summarizes the latest scholarship, situating the poems in their historical context and making them accessible not only to scholars but also to students and practitioners.

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Book SynopsisEarly European histories of India frequently reflected colonialist agendas. The idea that Indian society had declined from an earlier Golden Age helped justify the colonial presence. It was said, for example, that modern Buddhism had fallen away from its original identity as a purely rational philosophy that arose in the mythical 5th-century BCE Golden Age unsullied by the religious and cultural practices that surrounded it. In this book Robert DeCaroli seeks to place the formation of Buddhism in its appropriate social and political contexts. It is necessary, he says, to acknowledge that the monks and nuns who embodied early Buddhist ideals shared many beliefs held by the communities in which they were raised. In becoming members of the monastic society these individuals did not abandon their beliefs in the efficacy and the dangers represented by minor deities and spirits of the dead. Their new faith, however, gave them revolutionary new mechanisms with which to engage those supernaturTrade ReviewThis is a bold little book that pushes around some very big problems, and it does what it says it will do: it reopens the question of the relationship between what we call Buddhism and the world of 'spirits' that appears always to have surrounded it. * Gregory Schopen, Professor, Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, UCLA *

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Book SynopsisIn this book, David McMahan offers the first comprehensive attempt to chart the development of modern Buddhism. His position is critical but empathetic: while he presents modern Buddhism as a construction of numerous parties with varying interests, he does not reduce it to a mistake, a misrepresentation, or a fabrication. Rather, he presents modern Buddhism as a complex historical process constituted by a variety of responses - sometimes trivial, often profound - to some of the most important concerns of the modern era.Trade ReviewMcMahan's investigation is a valuable and welcome addition to studies of Victorian-era Buddhism, Buddhism and colonialism, Engaged Buddhism, and Buddhism in America. * Anne M. Blackburn, Journal of the American Academy of Religion *David McMahan has developed a creative and richly suggestive historical synthesis. ... McMahan's investigation is a valuable and welcome addition to studies of Victorian-era Buddhism, Buddhism and colonialism, Engaged Buddhism, and Buddhism in America. * Anne M. Blackburn, Journal of the American Academy of Religion *Table of Contents1. Introduction: Buddhism and Modernity ; 2. The Spectrum of Tradition and Modernism ; 3. Buddhism and the Discourses of Modernity ; 4. Modernity and the Discourse of Scientific Buddhism ; 5 ; 6. A Brief History of Interdependence ; 7. Meditation and Modernity ; 8. Mindfulness, Literature, and the Affirmation of the World ; 9. From Modern to Postmodern?

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Book SynopsisAs a religion concerned with eternal salvation, Zen is based on and grew out of a Buddhist worldview very different from the currently prevalent scientific materialism. Indeed, says Taigen Dan Leighton, Zen cannot be fully understood outside of a worldview that sees reality itself as a vital, ephemeral agent of awareness and healing. In this book, Leighton explicates that worldview through the writings of the Zen master Eihei Dogen (1200-1253), considered the founder of the Japanese Soto Zen tradition, which is now spreading in many places in the West. Broader awareness of Dogen''s worldview and its implications, says Leighton, is helpful for a modern understanding of Zen and Mahayana praxis, and is relevant to contemporary environmental and ethical concerns.Trade Review"Leighton's clear, articulate prose renders Dogen's writings alive, accessible, and relevant to life in the twenty-first century."-Philosophy East and WestTable of ContentsI. THE PIVOTAL LOTUS STORY AND DOGEN'S WORLDVIEW ; II. . Hermeneutics and Discourse Styles in Study of the Lotus Sutra and Dogen ; III. . Selected East Asian Interpretations of the Story ; IV. . Dogen's Interpretations of this Lotus Sutra Story ; V. . Dogen's View of Earth, Space, and Time Seen in Mahayana Context ; AFTERWORD: IMPLICATIONS OF DOGEN'S MAHAYANA WORLDVIEW

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Book SynopsisThe Indian philosopher Acharya Nagarjuna (c. 150-250 CE) was the founder of the Madhyamaka (Middle Path) school of Mahayana Buddhism and arguably the most influential Buddhist thinker after Buddha himself. Indeed, in the Tibetan and East Asian traditions, Nagarjuna is often referred to as the ''second Buddha.'' His primary contribution to Buddhist thought lies is in the further development of the concept of sunyata or ''emptiness.'' For Nagarjuna, all phenomena are without any svabhaba, literally ''own-nature'' or ''self-nature'', and thus without any underlying essence. In this book, Jan Westerhoff offers a systematic account of Nagarjuna''s philosophical position. He reads Nagarjuna in his own philosophical context, but he does not hesitate to show that the issues of Indian and Tibetan Buddhist philosophy have at least family resemblances to issues in European philosophy.Trade ReviewOf course the book should be read by anyone seriously interested in Indian and Buddhist philosophy. But those who do metaphysics would do well to consider the challenges that Nagarjuna's arguments represent. They may find that they have reason to thank Westerhoff for making these arguments accessible to non-specialists. * Mark Siderits, Mind *Table of ContentsACKNOWLEDGEMENTS; ABBREVIATIONS; BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Book SynopsisHans Penner takes a new look at the classic stories of the life of the Buddha. In the first part of the book, he presents a full account of these stories, drawn from various texts of Theravada Buddhism, the Buddhism of South and Southeast Asia. Penner allots one chapter to each of the major milestones in Buddha''s life, with titles such as: Birth and Early Life, Flight from the Palace, Enlightenment and Liberation, Last Watch and Funeral. In the process, he brings to the fore dimensions of the myth that have been largely ignored by western scholarship. In Part II, Penner offers his own original interpretations of the legends. He takes issue with Max Weber''s assertion that Buddhism is an other-worldly ascetic religion, a point of view that remains dominant in the received tradition and in most contemporary studies of Buddhism. His central thesis is that the householder is a necessary element in Buddhism and that the giving of gifts, which creates merit and presupposes the doctrine of kTrade ReviewPenner succeeds in presenting the Buddha's story in a way that involves the reader viscerally. * Buddhadharma *Table of ContentsPART I; INTRODUCTION TO PART I; PART II; INTRODUCTION TO PART II; NOTES; BIBLIOGRAPHY; INDEX

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Book SynopsisRitual is one of the most pervasive religious phenomena in the Tibetan cultural world. Despite its ubiquity and importance to Tibetan cultural life, however, only in recent years has Tibetan ritual been given the attention it deserves. This is the first scholarly collection to focus on this important subject. Unique in its historical, geographical and disciplinary breadth, this book brings together eleven essays by an international cast of scholars working on ritual texts, institutions and practices in the greater Tibetan cultural world - Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, and Mongolia. While most of the chapters focus on Buddhism, two deal with ritual in Tibet''s indigenous Bon religion. All of the essays are original to this volume. An extensive introduction by the editor provides a broad overview of Tibetan ritual and contextualizes the chapters within the field of Buddhist and Tibetan studies. The book should find use in advanced undergraduate courses and graduate seminars on Tibetan religion. Trade ReviewPresents an excellent collection of essays that show how ritual is an integral part of everyday life in Tibet. * Buddhadharma *Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION - JOSE IGNACIO CABEZON; BIBLIOGRAPHY; INDEX

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Book SynopsisThe doctrine of the two truths - a conventional truth and an ultimate truth - is central to Buddhist metaphysics and epistemology. The two truths (or two realities), the distinction between them, and the relation between them is understood variously in different Buddhist schools; it is of special importance to the Madhyamaka school. One theory is articulated with particular force by Nagarjuna (2nd C CE) who famously claims that the two truths are identical to one another and yet distinct. One of the most influential interpretations of Nagarjuna''s difficult doctrine derives from the commentary of Candrakarti (6th C CE). In view of its special soteriological role, much attention has been devoted to explaining the nature of the ultimate truth; less, however, has been paid to understanding the nature of conventional truth, which is often described as deceptive, illusion, or truth for fools. But because of the close relation between the two truths in Madhyamaka, conventional truth also demTrade Reviewa high-quality, engaging work, which is accessible to undergraduates and of interest to specialists. The Cowherds are to be commended for having provided a home on the range for anyonereally, anyoneinterested to understand a philosophically significant, Buddhist approach to the nature of truth. * Jonathan C. Gold, SOPHIA *Table of ContentsACKNOWLEDGMENTS; PREFACE; GUY NEWLAND AND TOM J F TILLEMANS; JAY L GARFIELD; SONAM THAKCHOE; GUY MARTIN NEWLAND; JAY L GARFIELD AND SONAM THAKCHOE; GEORGES DREYFUS; GEORGES DREYFUS AND JAY L GARFIELD; GRAHAM PRIEST, MARK SIDERITS AND TOM J F TILLEMANS; TOM J F TILLEMANS; MARK SIDERITS; BRONWYN FINNIGAN AND KOJI TANAKA; JAN WESTERHOFF; GRAHAM PRIEST; BRONWYN FINNIGAN AND KOJI TANAKA; REFERENCES AND ABBREVIATIONS; INDEX

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Book SynopsisHere is a lucid, accessible, and inspiring guide to the six perfections--Buddhist teachings about six dimensions of human character that require perfecting: generosity, morality, tolerance, energy, meditation, and wisdom. Drawing on the Diamond Sutra, the Large Sutra on Perfect Wisdom, and other essential Mahayana texts, Dale Wright shows how these teachings were understood and practiced in classical Mahayana Buddhism and how they can be adapted to contemporary life in a global society. What would the perfection of generosity look like today, for example? What would it mean to give with neither ulterior motives nor naiveté? Devoting a separate chapter to each of the six perfections, Wright combines sophisticated analysis with real-life applications. Buddhists have always stressed self-cultivation, the uniquely human freedom that opens the possibility of shaping the kind of life we will live and the kind of person we will become. For those interested in ideals of human character and praTrade ReviewDale S. Wright has written a compelling account of one of the world's most ancient - and still-vibrant - models of moral development. The Six Perfections broadens psychology's vision of human excellence. * Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. The Perfection of Generosity ; 2. The Perfection of Morality ; 3. The Perfection of Tolerance ; 4. The Perfection of Energy ; 5. The Perfection of Meditation ; 6. The Perfection of Wisdom ; Conclusion ; Acknowledgments ; Notes ; References

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Book SynopsisThis is a book about religious conceptions of trees within the cultural world of tree worship at the tree shrines of northern India. Sacred trees have been worshipped for millennia in India and today tree worship continues there among all segments of society. In the past, tree worship was regarded by many Western anthropologists and scholars of religion as a prime example of childish animism or decadent ''''popular religion.'''' More recently this aspect of world religious cultures is almost completely ignored in the theoretical concerns of the day. David Haberman hopes to demonstrate that by seriously investigating the world of Indian tree worship, we can learn much about not only this prominent feature of the landscape of South Asian religion, but also something about the cultural construction of nature as well as religion overall. The title People Trees relates to the content of this book in at least six ways. First, although other sacred trees are examined, the pipal-arguably the mTrade Reviewengaging and accessible ... Haberman's book brings attention to an important yet understudied aspect of Hindu religious experience, providing a wealth of ethnographic detail, along with compelling theoretical reflections on the limits of concepts such as animism and anthropomorphism ... Recommended. * R.C. Rinehart, CHOICE *The book provides rich insights * Deepa Idnani, South Asia Research *Haberman's People Trees is an excellent piece of scholarship * Harrison King, Religion *This is a positive book. * Joshua Nash, Journal of Hindu Studies *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements ; Note on Translation and Transliteration ; Introduction ; Chapter 1: Root Issues ; Chapter 2: Tree Worship in India ; Chapter 3: King of Trees ; Chapter 4: Abode of Ghosts and Saturn ; Chapter 5: Faces of the Goddess ; Chapter 6: Trees of Immortality ; Chapter 7: Arboreal Reflections ; Glossary ; Bibliography ; Index ; Notes

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Book SynopsisPamela D. Winfield offers a fascinating juxtaposition and comparison of the thoughts of two pre-modern Japanese Buddhist masters on the role of imagery in the enlightenment experience. Kukai (774-835) believed that real and imagined forms were indispensable to his new esoteric Mikkyo method for ''''becoming a Buddha in this very body'''' (sokushin jobutsu), yet he deconstructed the significance of such imagery in his poetic and doctrinal works. Conversely, Dogen (1200-1253) believed that ''''just sitting'''' in Zen meditation without any visual props or mental elaborations could lead one to realize that ''''this very mind is Buddha'''' (sokushin zebutsu), but he too privileged select Zen icons as worthy of veneration. In considering the nuanced views of Kukai and Dogen, Icons and Iconoclasm in Japanese Buddhism updates previous comparisons of their oeuvres and engages their texts and images together for the first time in two decades. Winfield liberates them from sectarian scholarship, Trade ReviewAmbitious and scholarly... Winfield guides the reader with apparent ease... Icons and Iconoclasm feels like the start of a much broader discussion, not just of art in a conventional sense but also of how we might create, interpret, and inhabit ritual space. * Buddhadharma: The Practioner's Quarterly *Delightfully instantiates the converging trajectories of art history and Buddhist studies. At this intersection, each is more deeply informed by the other, and both are enriched. Winfield's study not only demonstrates the benefits of this conjunction of fields, but shows that no longer can Buddhist studies ignore art history, nor can art history remain uninformed by Buddhist thought. * Richard K. Payne, Dean and Yehan Numata Professor of Japanese Buddhist Studies, Institute of Buddhist Studies *Pamela Winfield has written a very interesting and exciting book examining two major Japanese Buddhist thinkers. By focusing on the visual elements in their works in addition to the prominent texts of these giants, Winfield establishes a creative and constructive contrast between Kukai's 'unitive model' stressing non-dual union between the practitioner and ultimate reality and Dogen's 'purgative process' that highlights the individual's own experience of casting aside all distractions. * Steven Heine, editor of Dogen: Textual and Historical Studies *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; Chapter One: The Art of Enlightenment ; Chapter Two: Mikkyo Space, Zen Time ; Chapter Three: Kukai on the Art of the Ultimate ; Chapter Four: Dogen on the Art of Engaging ; Chapter Five: Concluding Remarks ; Notes ; Glossary ; Bibliography ; Index

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Book SynopsisAn Archaeological History of Indian Buddhism is a comprehensive survey of Indian Buddhism from its origins in the 6th century BCE, through its ascendance in the 1st millennium CE, and its eventual decline in mainland South Asia by the mid-2nd millennium CE. Weaving together studies of archaeological remains, architecture, iconography, inscriptions, and Buddhist historical sources, this book uncovers the quotidian concerns and practices of Buddhist monks and nuns (the sangha), and their lay adherents--concerns and practices often obscured in studies of Buddhism premised largely, if not exclusively, on Buddhist texts. At the heart of Indian Buddhism lies a persistent social contradiction between the desire for individual asceticism versus the need to maintain a coherent community of Buddhists. Before the early 1st millennium CE, the sangha relied heavily on the patronage of kings, guilds, and ordinary Buddhists to support themselves. During this period, the sangha emphasized the communalTrade Reviewprovide[s] a fascinating complement to prior understandings of the development, ascendance, and eventual decline of this major world religion in India. Lars Fogelin's clear and informative book will appeal to scholars and enthusiasts alike, and it is a prime exemplar for archaeological studies of long-term religious change. * Current World Archaeology *this book provides a useful overview of the development of Indian Buddhism from an archaeological perspective * Robin Coningham, Antiquity *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements ; Chapter 1 - Introduction ; Chapter 2 - The Material of Religion ; Chapter 3 - From the Buddha to Ashoka: c. 600 - 200 BCE ; Chapter 4 - The Sangha and the Laity: c. 200 BCE - 200 CE ; Chapter 5 - The Beginnings of Mahayana Buddhism, Buddha Images, and Monastic Isolation: c. 100 - 600 CE ; Chapter 6 - Lay Buddhism and Religious Syncretism in the First Millennium CE ; Chapter 7 - The Consolidation and Collapse of Monastic Buddhism: c. 600 - 1400 CE ; Conclusion ; Bibliography

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Book SynopsisNaked Seeing investigates visionary yogas in the Tibetan Bön and Buddhist traditions: practices in which a meditator spends long periods of time in a dark room or gazing at the open sky, with the goal of experiencing luminous visions. The book examines these practices in two major esoteric traditions, known as the Wheel of Time (Kalacakra) and the Great Perfection (Dzogchen). As both of these traditions began experimenting with sensory deprivation, they found that immersion in darkness or light resulted in unusual experiences of seeing, and those experiences could then be used as gateways to pursuing some of the classic Buddhist questions about appearances, emptiness, and the nature of reality. This book presents the intellectual and literary histories of these practices, and also explores the meditative techniques and physiology that underlie their distinctive visionary experiences.The book contains complete English translations of three major Tibetan texts on visionary practice. ThesTrade ReviewNaked Seeing is a veritable tour de force of previously under and unexplored Tibetan textual material from the so-called Tibetan Renaissance period... This work is perhaps the first of its kind to explore Tibetan Buddhist practices that employ the act of seeing, looking, staring, or even not-seeing anything at all. * Berthe Jansen, University of Leiden *This superb study brings to light some of the most esoteric and innovative contemplative practices ever to emerge within Asian religions. In clear and engaging terms, Hatchell explores how the visionary techniques of the Kālacakra and Great Perfection traditions work to undo our deeply engrained psychophysical habits and open us to new ways of seeing. The result is a study that will appeal not only to scholars and practitioners of Tibetan Buddhism, but to anyone interested in the phenomenology of sensory perception. * Jacob P. Dalton, UC Berkeley *Table of ContentsTable of Contents ; Preface ; Introduction ; Part One: Seeing Literature ; Chapter 1: Yumo's Lamp Illuminating Emptiness ; Chapter 2: The Tantra of the Blazing Lamps ; Chapter 3: Advice on the Six Lamps ; Part Two: Views ; Chapter 4: Seeing Emptiness ; Chapter 5: Seeing Light ; Chapter 6: Seeing Through Sexuality ; Part Three: Seeing Sources ; Translation 1: Yumo Mikyo Dorje's The Lamp Illuminating Emptiness ; Translation 2: The Tantra of the Blazing Lamps ; Translation 3a: Advice on the Six Lamps ; Translation 3b: Drugyalwa's Commentary on the Intended Meaning of the Six Lamps ; Bibliography and Abbreviations ; Notes ; Index

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Book SynopsisWith great spiritual insight and unparalleled scholarship, Dr. Taitetsu Unno—the foremost authority in the United States on Shin or Pure Land Buddhism—introduces us to the most popular form of Buddhism in Japan. Unique among the various practices of Buddhism, this new form of spiritual practice is certain to enrich the growing practice of Buddhism in the United States, which is already quite familiar with Zen and Tibetan traditions. River of Fire, River of Water is an introduction to the practice of Pure Land Buddhism for readers with or without prior experience with it. The Pure Land tradition dates back to the sixth century c.e., when Buddhism was first introduced in Japan. Unlike Zen, its counterpart which flourished in remote monasteries, the Pure Land tradition was the form of Buddhism practiced by common people. Consequently, its practice is harmonious with the workings of daily life, making it easily adaptable for seekers today. Despite the diff

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