Buddhist life and practice Books
Equinox Publishing Ltd Listening to Shin Buddhism: Starting Points of
Book SynopsisIn the early twentieth century The Eastern Buddhist not only shared in pioneering presentations of Buddhism to the west but invited interaction with non-Japanese authors. This interactive process increased dramatically in the post-war period, when dialogue between Buddhist and Christian thought began to take off in earnest. Significant here was the philosophical Buddhism of the frequently cited Kyoto School, a tradition of thought and teaching named after Kyoto University where it was largely based. At the same time these debates and dialogues brought in not only Zen voices but also thinkers from the Shin Buddhist tradition. Both of these orientations are reflected here. While the contributions stem mainly from the fifties, sixties and seventies, they have significantly influenced subsequent Buddhist-Christian dialogue. It was still a time of exciting mutual discovery. Anybody wishing to enter into this process of dialogue and exchange will therefore find it of great interest and value to approach it by considering the ideas and insights presented here. Because of the wealth of materials the selection has been spread across two volumes in the series Eastern Buddhist Voices and the present volume includes contributions from the earlier part of the period (Interactions with Japanese Buddhism includes contributions from the later part).Table of ContentsGeneral Introduction Part I Early Interactions The Buddhist Doctrine of Vicarious Suffering (1927) Kaneko, Daiei Mahayana Buddhism and Japanese Culture (1931) Yamabe, Shugaku The Idea and the Man (a response to Yamabe Shugaku) (1932) C.A.F. Rhys Davids A Rejoinder to Mrs. Rhys Davids' Comment (1932) Yamabe, Shugaku Editorial from 1934 Anonymous Editorial from 1949 Anonymous Part II Two Presenters of Shin Buddhism Shin Religion as I Believe it (1951) Kaneko, Daiei The Meaning of Salvation in the Doctrine of Pure Land Buddhism (1965) Kaneko, Daiei Goodness and Naturalness (1951) Kanamatsu, Kenryo Part III Three Western Responses to Shin Buddhism The Concept of Grace in Paul, Shinran and Luther (1976) Buri, Fritz Nembutsu as Remembrance (1977) Pallis, Marco Shinran's Way in the Modern World (1978) Bloom, Alfred Part IV Broadening Perspectives for Shin Buddhism Freedom and Necessity in Shinran's Concept of Karma (1986) Ueda, Yoshifumi The concept of the Pure Land in the Teaching of Nagarjuna (1966) Yamaguchi, Susumu The Mahayana Structure of Shinran's Thought (1984) Ueda, Yoshifumi Shinran and Contemporary Thought (1980) Takeuchi, Yoshinori Part V A Dialogue of Shin Buddhism and Zen Buddhism Shinran's World: A Dialogue of Shin Buddhism and Zen Buddhism (1961: published in three parts in 1985, 1986 and 1988) Nishitani, Keiji (moderator) with Suzuki Daisetsu, Kaneko Daiei and Soga Ryojin Synoptic list of text titles Character List for Historical Persons Full details of original publication A Note on The Eastern Buddhist
£76.50
Equinox Publishing Ltd Listening to Shin Buddhism: Starting Points of
Book SynopsisIn the early twentieth century The Eastern Buddhist not only shared in pioneering presentations of Buddhism to the west but invited interaction with non-Japanese authors. This interactive process increased dramatically in the post-war period, when dialogue between Buddhist and Christian thought began to take off in earnest. Significant here was the philosophical Buddhism of the frequently cited Kyoto School, a tradition of thought and teaching named after Kyoto University where it was largely based. At the same time these debates and dialogues brought in not only Zen voices but also thinkers from the Shin Buddhist tradition. Both of these orientations are reflected here. While the contributions stem mainly from the fifties, sixties and seventies, they have significantly influenced subsequent Buddhist-Christian dialogue. It was still a time of exciting mutual discovery. Anybody wishing to enter into this process of dialogue and exchange will therefore find it of great interest and value to approach it by considering the ideas and insights presented here. Because of the wealth of materials the selection has been spread across two volumes in the series Eastern Buddhist Voices and the present volume includes contributions from the earlier part of the period (Interactions with Japanese Buddhism includes contributions from the later part).Table of ContentsGeneral Introduction Part I Early Interactions The Buddhist Doctrine of Vicarious Suffering (1927) Kaneko, Daiei Mahayana Buddhism and Japanese Culture (1931) Yamabe, Shugaku The Idea and the Man (a response to Yamabe Shugaku) (1932) C.A.F. Rhys Davids A Rejoinder to Mrs. Rhys Davids' Comment (1932) Yamabe, Shugaku Editorial from 1934 Anonymous Editorial from 1949 Anonymous Part II Two Presenters of Shin Buddhism Shin Religion as I Believe it (1951) Kaneko, Daiei The Meaning of Salvation in the Doctrine of Pure Land Buddhism (1965) Kaneko, Daiei Goodness and Naturalness (1951) Kanamatsu, Kenryo Part III Three Western Responses to Shin Buddhism The Concept of Grace in Paul, Shinran and Luther (1976) Buri, Fritz Nembutsu as Remembrance (1977) Pallis, Marco Shinran's Way in the Modern World (1978) Bloom, Alfred Part IV Broadening Perspectives for Shin Buddhism Freedom and Necessity in Shinran's Concept of Karma (1986) Ueda, Yoshifumi The concept of the Pure Land in the Teaching of Nagarjuna (1966) Yamaguchi, Susumu The Mahayana Structure of Shinran's Thought (1984) Ueda, Yoshifumi Shinran and Contemporary Thought (1980) Takeuchi, Yoshinori Part V A Dialogue of Shin Buddhism and Zen Buddhism Shinran's World: A Dialogue of Shin Buddhism and Zen Buddhism (1961: published in three parts in 1985, 1986 and 1988) Nishitani, Keiji (moderator) with Suzuki Daisetsu, Kaneko Daiei and Soga Ryojin Synoptic list of text titles Character List for Historical Persons Full details of original publication A Note on The Eastern Buddhist
£28.50
Equinox Publishing Ltd Interactions with Japanese Buddhism: Explorations
Book SynopsisIn the early twentieth century, The Eastern Buddhist journal pioneered the presentation of Buddhism to the west and encouraged the west's engagement in interpretation. This interactive process increased dramatically in the post-war period, when dialogue between Buddhist and Christian thought began to take off in earnest. These debates and dialogues brought in voices with a Zen orientation, influenced in part by the philosophical Buddhism of the Kyoto School. Also to be heard however were contributions from the Pure Land and the Shin Buddhist traditions, which also have a strong tradition in the city. The book brings together a wide range of authors who have significantly influenced subsequent Buddhist-Christian dialogue and the interaction between east and west.Table of ContentsGeneral Introduction PART I: FLASHBACK TO SOME EARLY EXCHANGES 1. Buddhism and Moral World Order, Kiba, Ryohon 2. On Zen Buddhism, Otto, Rudolf 3. Dengyo Daishi and German Theology, Petzold, Bruno 4. The Unity of Buddhism, Pratt, James Bissett 5. Shinran's Concept of Buddhist History, Soga, Ryojin PART II: THINKING ABOUT ZEN BUDDHISM IN THE SIXTIES 6. Zen: Its Meaning for Modern Civilization, Hisamatsu, Shin'ichi 7. The Awakening of Self in Buddhism, Nishitani, Keiji 8. Introducing Martin Heidegger, Nishitani, Keiji 9. Home: The Seven Hundredth Anniversary of the Town of Messkirch, Heidegger, Martin 10. Zen and Compassion, Abe, Masao PART III: RESPONSES TO SUZUKI DAISETSU 11. The Stone Bridge of Joshu, Kondo Akihisa 12. The Enlightened Thought, Kobori Sohaku 13. The "Mind-less" Scholar, Watts, Alan 14. Memories of Dr. D. T. Suzuki, Fromm, Erich 15. A Personal Tribute, Conze, Edward 16. Zen and Philology: On Ui Hakuju and Suzuki Daisetsu, Ueda, Yoshifumi 17. D.T. Suzuki and Pure land Buddhism, Bando, Shojun PART IV: THINKING ABOUT THE PURE LAND 18. The Concept of the Pure Land, Kaneko, Daiei 19. The Pure Land of Beauty, Yanagi, Soetsu APPENDICES Synoptic List of Text Titles Character List for Historical Persons Original publication details A note on The Eastern Buddhist Index
£67.50
Windhorse Publications The Purpose and Practice of Buddhist Meditation
Book SynopsisCan metta take me all the way to Enlightenment? How much meditation is good for you? Why visualize an Enlightened being? Can you tell if meditation is changing you? All of these questions and very many more are tackled in this substantial compilation of Sangharakshita's teachings on meditation. First published in 2012, this volume draws from previously published works and from the unpublished transcripts of seminars on a wide range of Buddhist texts, from the Pali canon to the songs of Milarepa. The dialogue form is a reminder that teaching is a communication, a creative meeting between the depth and breadth of Sangharakshita's knowledge and experience and the willingness of students to ask the kinds of questions any meditator would like to ask if they had the chance (or the nerve). Discussions reveal how Sangharakshita learned the practices on which his system of meditation - 'an organic, living system' - is based and how that system has evolved over the years. Amid much curiosity about dhyana and Insight, and explorations of how to deal with fear or distraction, doubt, drowsiness or desire, topics also include such matters as whether it's good to meditate in the open air and whether to include your least favourite politician in your metta bhavana. To this edition some extra material on 'just sitting' and the guru yoga has been added. Whether dipped into, consulted on a specific subject or read from cover to cover, the collection offers practical, inspiring and encouraging advice for new and experienced meditators alike. It is deeply imbued with the Buddhist vision of the role of meditation in the quest for Enlightenment.
£29.95
Windhorse Publications Crossing the Stream: India Writings I
Book SynopsisSangharakshita's arrival in India in 1944 marked the beginning of a period of prodigious literary and intellectual output. This was the base from which he would begin his life's work for the future of Buddhism. The essays gathered here, first published in journals such as Stepping Stones, The Maha Bodhi and The Middle Way, were written between 1944 and 1964. Ranging from The Unity of Buddhism, written in London at the age of only 18, to the panoramic A Bird's Eye View of Indian Buddhism, published on his return from India, all that distinguishes Sangharakshita's thought as teacher, synthesizer and translator is already evident here. We see the unity underlying all Buddhist schools, the inspiring ideal of the Bodhisattva, and the certainty that the Dharma is urgently needed in the modern world. This volume contains the previously published collections Crossing the Stream and Early Writings, plus other articles long since out of print. In the groundbreaking Ordination and Initiation in the Three Yanas (1959), Sangharakshita first comes close to recognizing Going for Refuge as the unifying factor in all of Buddhism. In Krishna's Flute (1944), the mind of the philosopher combines with the poet, and in A Visit to a Tibetan Monastery (1946), Sangharakshita the insightful traveller appears, seen later in his memoirs and travel letters. All the essays are fully annotated, and those previously published in Early Writings come with a detailed commentary and extensive introduction by Kalyanaprabha. A foreword by Nagabodhi introduces the collection. The insights and ideas expressed in these brief passages are as illuminating, as stimulating and as indispensable as anything Sangharakshita was ever to produce.
£28.45
Windhorse Publications A New Buddhist Movement II
Book SynopsisThis illuminating collection of previously unpublished talks traces the development of Sangharakshita's presentation of the Dharma in the West from 1965 to 2011. It includes some of his characteristic teachings in their earliest forms (the levels of Going for Refuge to the Three Jewels, for example), and makes other talks accessible for the first time in published form. We see the unfolding of the Buddhist movement he founded, from Sangharakshita's talks before the movement began, his early teachings that foreshadow aspects of its nature, and then its beginnings in a basement in 1960s London. Other talks cover development of the sangha over the years, and Sangharakshita's reflections on what would help it develop in the years to come. Drawing on a wide range of sources, from the Pali canon and The Tibetan Book of the Dead to Beowulf and William Wordsworth, there are many intriguing perspectives: an exploration of Buddhist psychology, the histories of great teachers like Padmasambhava and Atisa, reflections on going forth, creativity, the demons around and within us, the role of the will in the spiritual life, and much more. The final talks in the volume, given towards the end of Sangharakshita's life, are more personal, and they include reflections on dreams, old age and rebirth.
£28.45
Windhorse Publications A New Buddhist Movement II
Book SynopsisThis illuminating collection of previously unpublished talks traces the development of Sangharakshita's presentation of the Dharma in the West from 1965 to 2011. It includes some of his characteristic teachings in their earliest forms (the levels of Going for Refuge to the Three Jewels, for example), and makes other talks accessible for the first time in published form. We see the unfolding of the Buddhist movement he founded, from Sangharakshita's talks before the movement began, his early teachings that foreshadow aspects of its nature, and then its beginnings in a basement in 1960s London. Other talks cover development of the sangha over the years, and Sangharakshita's reflections on what would help it develop in the years to come. Drawing on a wide range of sources, from the Pali canon and The Tibetan Book of the Dead to Beowulf and William Wordsworth, there are many intriguing perspectives: an exploration of Buddhist psychology, the histories of great teachers like Padmasambhava and Atisa, reflections on going forth, creativity, the demons around and within us, the role of the will in the spiritual life, and much more. The final talks in the volume, given towards the end of Sangharakshita's life, are more personal, and they include reflections on dreams, old age and rebirth.
£18.95
Windhorse Publications Through Buddhist Eyes
Book SynopsisThrough Buddhist Eyes continues Sangharakshita's five volumes of memoirs. Covering journeys across five continents and two decades, this volume is made up of nineteen travel letters and one talk. They are Sangharakshita's heartfelt communications to the growing membership of the new Buddhist movement he founded: the Triratna Buddhist Order. The journey begins with Sangharakshita's return to India in 1979 after an absence of twelve years. There, the vision of Buddhism he longed to see in the land of the Buddha's birth was already coming to fruition in the movement initiated by Dr Ambedkar. It was to remain a constant theme throughout his subsequent thought and writing. The growing network of friendships, teams and communities that make up this pioneering Buddhist movement then come alive in a late twentieth-century world of airports and motorways, of Beat poets, vegetarian pizzas, counter-culture and visionary social activism. But the travel letters also have a deeper significance; these are, above all, spiritual communications. Whether awed by works of artistic brilliance or enveloped in moods of contemplation, Sangharakshita responds with a combination of keen observation and an ever-present imaginative engagement. Sangharakshita delights in culture, in art and particularly in literature in his letters. This volume supplements the accounts of his adventures with over 800 endnotes detailing the lives and achievements of artists, poets, writers, musicians, philosophers and members of the Triratna Buddhist Order that he references, plus twenty maps and illustrations. Part reflection, part travelogue, part chronicle of a vibrant new spiritual movement, Through Buddhist Eyes opens a window on the inner life and the outer world of Urgyen Sangharakshita, one of the greatest Buddhist teachers of the twentieth century.
£28.45
Windhorse Publications Through Buddhist Eyes
Book SynopsisThrough Buddhist Eyes continues Sangharakshita's five volumes of memoirs. Covering journeys across five continents and two decades, this volume is made up of nineteen travel letters and one talk. They are Sangharakshita's heartfelt communications to the growing membership of the new Buddhist movement he founded: the Triratna Buddhist Order. The journey begins with Sangharakshita's return to India in 1979 after an absence of twelve years. There, the vision of Buddhism he longed to see in the land of the Buddha's birth was already coming to fruition in the movement initiated by Dr Ambedkar. It was to remain a constant theme throughout his subsequent thought and writing. The growing network of friendships, teams and communities that make up this pioneering Buddhist movement then come alive in a late twentieth-century world of airports and motorways, of Beat poets, vegetarian pizzas, counter-culture and visionary social activism. But the travel letters also have a deeper significance; these are, above all, spiritual communications. Whether awed by works of artistic brilliance or enveloped in moods of contemplation, Sangharakshita responds with a combination of keen observation and an ever-present imaginative engagement. Sangharakshita delights in culture, in art and particularly in literature in his letters. This volume supplements the accounts of his adventures with over 800 endnotes detailing the lives and achievements of artists, poets, writers, musicians, philosophers and members of the Triratna Buddhist Order that he references, plus twenty maps and illustrations. Part reflection, part travelogue, part chronicle of a vibrant new spiritual movement, Through Buddhist Eyes opens a window on the inner life and the outer world of Urgyen Sangharakshita, one of the greatest Buddhist teachers of the twentieth century.
£18.95
Windhorse Publications Aphorisms, the Arts, and Late Writings
Book SynopsisThis multi-faceted volume includes a collection of aphorisms, a selection of teachings on Buddhism and the arts, and two collections of late writings. The aphorisms, from the first phase of Sangharakshita's teaching in the West, and first selected for publication in 1979 and 1998, are by turns uncompromising, provocative, witty, self-evident, gnomic and plain common sense, though responses will surely vary from reader to reader, mood to mood. The sequence on the arts sheds light on one of Sangharakshita's most distinctive perspectives on the Dharma, from The Religion of Art, which was one of his earliest works on the subject, to articles and interviews published over many years. Full of poetry and grace, they shine with the author's love of the subject and make a convincing case for the closeness of the relationship between Buddhism and the arts. The late writings cover an astonishingly wide range of themes, from his childhood memories to the lucid reflections of Sangharakshita's old age. Those written in the last weeks of his life include subjects as diverse as Einstein's 3-sphere, the relationship between Buddhism and Islam, and the symbolism of rainbows.
£28.45
Windhorse Publications Aphorisms, the Arts, and Late Writings
Book SynopsisThis multi-faceted volume includes a collection of aphorisms, a selection of teachings on Buddhism and the arts, and two collections of late writings. The aphorisms, from the first phase of Sangharakshita's teaching in the West, and first selected for publication in 1979 and 1998, are by turns uncompromising, provocative, witty, self-evident, gnomic and plain common sense, though responses will surely vary from reader to reader, mood to mood. The sequence on the arts sheds light on one of Sangharakshita's most distinctive perspectives on the Dharma, from The Religion of Art, which was one of his earliest works on the subject, to articles and interviews published over many years. Full of poetry and grace, they shine with the author's love of the subject and make a convincing case for the closeness of the relationship between Buddhism and the arts. The late writings cover an astonishingly wide range of themes, from his childhood memories to the lucid reflections of Sangharakshita's old age. Those written in the last weeks of his life include subjects as diverse as Einstein's 3-sphere, the relationship between Buddhism and Islam, and the symbolism of rainbows.
£18.95
Columbia University Press Readings of Santidevas Guide to Bodhisattva
Book SynopsisŚāntideva’s eighth-century work the Guide to Bodhisattva Practice (Bodhicaryāvatāra) is one of the crucial texts of the Buddhist ethical and philosophical tradition. This book serves as a companion to this Indian Buddhist classic, illuminating the Guide’s many philosophical, literary, ritual, and ethical dimensions.Trade ReviewHighly recommended. * Choice *This is an exceptional collection which not only provides a useful teaching tool for the classroom, but also makes significant conceptual advances to our understanding of the Guide. I warmly recommend it for any serious student of Śāntideva’s thought. -- Stephen Harris * Journal of Buddhist Ethics *[A] rich volume. -- Amy Paris Langenberg * Reading Religion *For more than a thousand years Śāntideva's Guide to Bodhisattva Practice has been a profound source of inspiration for Tibetan Buddhists. It was one of the six basic texts of Atiśa’s Kadam tradition. When teaching it to me, Khunu Lama Rinpoché told me that no other book explains the awakening mind of bodhicitta, the essence of the Buddha’s teachings, as effectively as this. Śāntideva describes how a self-centered attitude gives rise to disturbing emotions like anger and fear, but also how they can be countered by altruism and warm-heartedness. He shows how we can tackle our mental afflictions and achieve peace of mind, something that can be of benefit to everyone. The Guide is a book I read, I teach, and keep with me. The readings presented in this volume make clear how much of Śāntideva's advice can be of interest and benefit to readers today. -- His Holiness the Dalai LamaThis volume offers its readers valuable insights into the multifaceted literary gem that is the Guide by bringing to bear the expertise of some of the most prominent scholars in Buddhist Studies. Overall, the results serve as an excellent introduction to the multidimensional textual history of the Guide, argue convincingly for the continued importance of the text in the world today, and demonstrate the value of higher literary criticism for Buddhist Studies. * Religions of South Asia *This book is an inspirational introduction to be read along with the text itself. * Religious Studies Review *Anyone familiar with Western ethical thinking, but not with the Indian Buddhist tradition or with Śāntideva’s remarkable text, will have much to learn from the connections made in this volume between these distinct ways of thinking about ethics. -- Peter Singer, author of The Most Good You Can Do: How Effective Altruism Is Changing Ideas About Living EthicallyŚāntideva's Guide is a poem, a liturgy, a meditation manual, a phenomenology of mind, a moral psychology, an explication of the distinctive Buddhist virtues, and an invitation to the Mahāyāna way of life. Gold and Duckworth’s volume is a set of essays by brilliant contemporary philosophers and religious studies scholars that provides deep and sensitive readings of this great text. Śāntideva comes alive for the twenty-first century in these pages. -- Owen Flanagan, James B. Duke Professor of Philosophy, Duke UniversityŚāntideva's Guide to Bodhisattva Practice has inspired Buddhist scholars and practitioners for more than a millennium. Dozens of commentaries have been written—and continue to be written—on this great work. In the last two decades European and American scholars have seriously engaged Śāntideva's work and its commentaries from many different perspectives, exploring its philological, ethical, metaphysical, and ritual dimensions, and analyzing the role it has played in Buddhist self-cultivation. This marvelous collection of essays, written by the very best Śāntideva scholars in the world, provides readers with a much-needed overview of state-of-the-art scholarship on the Guide. Sophisticated yet concise and accessible, this book is an indispensable resource for those of us who have pondered—or lost ourselves in—Śāntideva's beautiful poem. -- José Ignacio Cabezón, Dalai Lama Professor of Tibetan Buddhism and Cultural Studies, University of California, Santa BarbaraThe essays contain the richness of classical Buddhist writing and showcase the latest trends in Buddhist studies. This is an excellent volume, and a rare one at that. -- Jacob P. Dalton, author of The Gathering of Intentions: A History of a Tibetan TantraTable of ContentsA Note to the ReaderAcknowledgmentsIntroduction. Participatory Authorship and Communal Interpretation: The Bodhicaryāvatāra as a “World Classic,” by Jonathan C. Gold1. Śāntideva: The Author and His Project, by Paul Harrison2. Reason and Knowledge on the Path: A Protreptic Reading of the Guide, by Amber Carpenter3. On Learning to Overhear the “Vanishing Poet,” by Sonam Kachru4. An Intoxication of Mouse Venom: Reading the Guide, Chapter 9, by Matthew T. Kapstein5. Seeing from All Sides, by Janet Gyatso6. Bodies and Embodiment in the Bodhicaryāvatāra, by Reiko Ohnuma7. Ritual Structure and Material Culture in the Guide to Bodhisattva Practice, by Eric Huntington8. Bodhicaryāvatāra and Tibetan Mind Training (Lojong), by Thupten Jinpa9. Taming Śāntideva: Tsongkhapa’s Use of the Bodhicaryāvatāra, by Roger Jackson10. The Middle Way of the Bodhisattva, by Douglas S. Duckworth11. Seeing Sentient Beings: Śāntideva’s Moral Phenomenology, by Jay L. Garfield12. Śāntideva’s Ethics of Impartial Compassion, by Charles Goodman13. Śāntideva and the Moral Psychology of Fear, by Bronwyn Finnigan14. Innate Human Connectivity and Śāntideva’s Cultivation of Compassion, by John DunneAppendix 1: A Guide to Guide Translations: Advice for Students and InstructorsAppendix 2: Index of Guide Verses CitedBibliographyContributorsIndex
£75.00
Columbia University Press Readings of Santidevas Guide to Bodhisattva
Book SynopsisŚāntideva’s eighth-century work the Guide to Bodhisattva Practice (Bodhicaryāvatāra) is one of the crucial texts of the Buddhist ethical and philosophical tradition. This book serves as a companion to this Indian Buddhist classic, illuminating the Guide’s many philosophical, literary, ritual, and ethical dimensions.Trade ReviewHighly recommended. * Choice *This is an exceptional collection which not only provides a useful teaching tool for the classroom, but also makes significant conceptual advances to our understanding of the Guide. I warmly recommend it for any serious student of Śāntideva’s thought. -- Stephen Harris * Journal of Buddhist Ethics *[A] rich volume. -- Amy Paris Langenberg * Reading Religion *For more than a thousand years Śāntideva's Guide to Bodhisattva Practice has been a profound source of inspiration for Tibetan Buddhists. It was one of the six basic texts of Atiśa’s Kadam tradition. When teaching it to me, Khunu Lama Rinpoché told me that no other book explains the awakening mind of bodhicitta, the essence of the Buddha’s teachings, as effectively as this. Śāntideva describes how a self-centered attitude gives rise to disturbing emotions like anger and fear, but also how they can be countered by altruism and warm-heartedness. He shows how we can tackle our mental afflictions and achieve peace of mind, something that can be of benefit to everyone. The Guide is a book I read, I teach, and keep with me. The readings presented in this volume make clear how much of Śāntideva's advice can be of interest and benefit to readers today. -- His Holiness the Dalai LamaThis volume offers its readers valuable insights into the multifaceted literary gem that is the Guide by bringing to bear the expertise of some of the most prominent scholars in Buddhist Studies. Overall, the results serve as an excellent introduction to the multidimensional textual history of the Guide, argue convincingly for the continued importance of the text in the world today, and demonstrate the value of higher literary criticism for Buddhist Studies. * Religions of South Asia *This book is an inspirational introduction to be read along with the text itself. * Religious Studies Review *Anyone familiar with Western ethical thinking, but not with the Indian Buddhist tradition or with Śāntideva’s remarkable text, will have much to learn from the connections made in this volume between these distinct ways of thinking about ethics. -- Peter Singer, author of The Most Good You Can Do: How Effective Altruism Is Changing Ideas About Living EthicallyŚāntideva's Guide is a poem, a liturgy, a meditation manual, a phenomenology of mind, a moral psychology, an explication of the distinctive Buddhist virtues, and an invitation to the Mahāyāna way of life. Gold and Duckworth’s volume is a set of essays by brilliant contemporary philosophers and religious studies scholars that provides deep and sensitive readings of this great text. Śāntideva comes alive for the twenty-first century in these pages. -- Owen Flanagan, James B. Duke Professor of Philosophy, Duke UniversityŚāntideva's Guide to Bodhisattva Practice has inspired Buddhist scholars and practitioners for more than a millennium. Dozens of commentaries have been written—and continue to be written—on this great work. In the last two decades European and American scholars have seriously engaged Śāntideva's work and its commentaries from many different perspectives, exploring its philological, ethical, metaphysical, and ritual dimensions, and analyzing the role it has played in Buddhist self-cultivation. This marvelous collection of essays, written by the very best Śāntideva scholars in the world, provides readers with a much-needed overview of state-of-the-art scholarship on the Guide. Sophisticated yet concise and accessible, this book is an indispensable resource for those of us who have pondered—or lost ourselves in—Śāntideva's beautiful poem. -- José Ignacio Cabezón, Dalai Lama Professor of Tibetan Buddhism and Cultural Studies, University of California, Santa BarbaraThe essays contain the richness of classical Buddhist writing and showcase the latest trends in Buddhist studies. This is an excellent volume, and a rare one at that. -- Jacob P. Dalton, author of The Gathering of Intentions: A History of a Tibetan TantraTable of ContentsA Note to the ReaderAcknowledgmentsIntroduction. Participatory Authorship and Communal Interpretation: The Bodhicaryāvatāra as a “World Classic,” by Jonathan C. Gold1. Śāntideva: The Author and His Project, by Paul Harrison2. Reason and Knowledge on the Path: A Protreptic Reading of the Guide, by Amber Carpenter3. On Learning to Overhear the “Vanishing Poet,” by Sonam Kachru4. An Intoxication of Mouse Venom: Reading the Guide, Chapter 9, by Matthew T. Kapstein5. Seeing from All Sides, by Janet Gyatso6. Bodies and Embodiment in the Bodhicaryāvatāra, by Reiko Ohnuma7. Ritual Structure and Material Culture in the Guide to Bodhisattva Practice, by Eric Huntington8. Bodhicaryāvatāra and Tibetan Mind Training (Lojong), by Thupten Jinpa9. Taming Śāntideva: Tsongkhapa’s Use of the Bodhicaryāvatāra, by Roger Jackson10. The Middle Way of the Bodhisattva, by Douglas S. Duckworth11. Seeing Sentient Beings: Śāntideva’s Moral Phenomenology, by Jay L. Garfield12. Śāntideva’s Ethics of Impartial Compassion, by Charles Goodman13. Śāntideva and the Moral Psychology of Fear, by Bronwyn Finnigan14. Innate Human Connectivity and Śāntideva’s Cultivation of Compassion, by John DunneAppendix 1: A Guide to Guide Translations: Advice for Students and InstructorsAppendix 2: Index of Guide Verses CitedBibliographyContributorsIndex
£23.75
University of Washington Press Pure Land in the Making
Book SynopsisContemplates the role of Buddhist temples in the nurturing of immigrant communitiesSince the 1970s, tens of thousands of Vietnamese immigrants have settled in Louisiana, Florida, and other Gulf Coast states, rebuilding lives that were upended by the wars in Indochina. For many, their faith has been an essential source of community and hope. But how have their experiences as migrants influenced their religious practices and interpretations of Buddhist tenets? And how has organized religion shaped their understanding of what it means to be Vietnamese in the United States?This ethnographic study follows the monks and lay members of temples in the Gulf Coast region who practice Pure Land Buddhism, which is prevalent in East Asia but in the United States is less familiar than forms such as Zen. By treating the temple as a site to be made and remade, Vietnamese Americans have developed approaches that sometimes contradict fundamental Buddhist principles of nonattachment. This book considers Trade Review"Truitt’s ethnography provides a necessary gap in research regarding Vietnamese Buddhism in America," * Journal of the American Academy of Religion *"[T]he book provides a comprehensive account of this hitherto untold story of Vietnamese Buddhism in the U.S." * PoLAR: Political & Legal Anthropology Review *
£110.48
University of Washington Press Pure Land in the Making
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Truitt’s ethnography provides a necessary gap in research regarding Vietnamese Buddhism in America," * Journal of the American Academy of Religion *"[T]he book provides a comprehensive account of this hitherto untold story of Vietnamese Buddhism in the U.S." * PoLAR: Political & Legal Anthropology Review *
£33.98
University of Washington Press Religious Tourism in Northern Thailand
Book SynopsisCross-cultural dialogues in sacred space cultivate awareness of self and othersTemples are everywhere in Chiang Mai, filled with tourists as well as saffron-robed monks of all ages. The monks participate in daily urban life here as elsewhere in Thailand, where Buddhism is promoted, protected, and valued as a tourist attraction. Yet this mountain city offers more than a fleeting, commodified tourist experience, as the encounters between foreign visitors and Buddhist monks can have long-lasting effects on both parties. These religious contacts take place where economic motives, missionary zeal, and opportunities for cultural exchange coincide. Brooke Schedneck incorporates fieldwork and interviews with student monks and tourists to examine the innovative ways that Thai Buddhist temples offer foreign visitors spaces for religious instruction and popular in-person Monk Chat sessions in which tourists ask questions about Buddhism. Religious Tourism in Northern Thailand also considers how Trade Review"The results of the long-term fieldwork presented within this volume is invaluable: Schedneck has offered a truly commendable window into not only the relationship ofreligion and tourism in Chiang Mai, but more broadly into Thai Buddhist monastic culture." * Religious Studies Review *"Brooke Schedneck writes terrific books. Her latest offering... proves religious tourism and cultural exchange programmes to be worthy of serious scholarly attention." * Journal of Contemporary Religion *"With Schedneck’s expertise in religious studies and drawing from her own encounters with Buddhism in Chiang Mai, the book offers a refreshingly honest perspective on the subject...Moreover, the lucid writing style of the author makes the book easy to follow and thus useful to readers with some interest in Chiang Mai." * SOJOURN: Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia *"[Schedneck] has crafted an extremely novel and insightful perspective on the creation of Buddhism’s continuing global influence." * H-Net *"Brooke Schedneck's monograph is a timely publication, providing rich descriptions of 'modern' Thai Buddhism, temple spaces, and monk behavior in a changing Thailand." * Tourism Geographies: An International Journal of Tourism Space, Place and Environment *
£110.48
University of Washington Press Temples in the Cliffside
Book SynopsisWinner of the 2023 IPPY Gold Religion Nonfiction category, sponsored by the Independent Publisher Book Award Centuries of monumental sculpture, embedded in the landscapeAt sixty-two meters the Leshan Buddha in southwest China is the world's tallest premodern statue. Carved out of a riverside cliff in the eighth century, it has evolved from a religious center to a UNESCO World Heritage Site and popular tourist destination. But this Buddha does not stand alone: Sichuan is home to many cave temples with such monumental sculptures, part of a centuries-long tradition of art-making intricately tied to how local inhabitants made use of their natural resources with purpose and creativity. These examples of art embedded in nature have altered landscapes and have influenced the behaviors, values, and worldviews of users through multiple cycles of revival, restoration, and recreation. As hybrid spaces that are at once natural and artificial, they embody the interaction of art and the environmenTrade Review"[A] very inspiring contribution to our understanding of ecological art history from the perspective of Asian art. It should be read by anyone who is interested in the interrelationships among Buddhist studies, art history, and environmental humanities." * H-Environment *"Sonya Lee’s Temples in the Cliffside is a welcome addition to studies of the religious cliff sculpture of southwestern China." * Journal of Chinese History *"[A] truly multidisciplinary work of scholarship that examines Buddhist art from intertwined technical, environmental, religious, historical, aesthetic, economic, and political perspectives...Temples in the Cliffside innovatively locates religious art within its historical, political, and natural landscapes to show how people have managed their relationships to nature, and nonhuman entities in general, in different contexts. At a time when floods will likely wash the Great Buddha’s feet more and more frequently, thinking about art holistically and ecologically is particularly urgent." * CAA Reviews *"Sonya Lee's superbly researched work has paid attention to the aesthetic and historical content of the monuments, but has also updated it by framing the events in the context of environment and sustainability which are very much part of our present time. This most original approach will inspire a younger generation of art historians. Lastly, her uncommon familiarity with all matters related to conservation and restoration have contributed to this groundbreaking book." * Studies in Chinese Religions *
£78.14
University of Washington Press Gandharan Buddhist Reliquaries
Book SynopsisClarifies the significance and function of reliquaries from excavations of Gandharan monastery sites around modern Peshawar
£78.14
Yale University Press American Dharma Buddhism Beyond Modernity
Book SynopsisThis illuminating account of contemporary American Buddhism shows the remarkable ways the tradition has changed over the past generation The past couple of decades have witnessed Buddhist communities both continuing the modernization of Buddhism and questioning some of its limitations. In this fascinating portrait of a rapidly changing religious landscape, Ann Gleig illuminates the aspirations and struggles of younger North American Buddhists during a period she identifies as a distinct stage in the assimilation of Buddhism to the West. She observes both the emergence of new innovative forms of deinstitutionalized Buddhism that blur the boundaries between the religious and secular, and a revalorization of traditional elements of Buddhism, such as ethics and community, that were discarded in the modernization process. Based on extensive ethnographic and textual research, the book ranges from mindfulness debates in the Vipassana network to the sex scandals in American Zen, while explTrade Review"In this engaging and thoughtful study, Ann Gleig asks challenging and important questions about the limits of modern Buddhism and the future of the tradition in the United States."—Scott A. Mitchell, author of Buddhism in America: Global Religion, Local Contexts“Gleig's highly insightful examination of contemporary Euro-American Buddhism problematizes the prevailing framework of Buddhism modernism, revealing a postmodern complexity in which the familiar dichotomies of natal/convert, modern/traditional, secular/religious are no longer relevant.”—Richard K. Payne, Institute of Buddhist Studies “This landmark work skillfully allows the very particular voices of contemporary American Buddhism to speak while highlighting the larger historical and theoretical contexts. This is an indispensable book for anyone hoping to understand the current contours of Buddhism in North America.”—David McMahan, Franklin & Marshall College “In this thoughtful, nuanced book, Ann Gleig illuminates the profound shifts that have created America’s post-modern Buddhist scene. This is essential reading for those seeking to understand the self-consciously intersectional, communal, and identarian developments in contemporary American Buddhism, as well as in the wider secularized spiritual culture in the United States.”—Erik Braun, University of Virginia“This is an exciting and perceptive book. Ann Gleig convincingly shows how twenty-first century American Buddhism continues and contests foundational modernist attributes, producing post-modern developments in an ever richer and more complex Buddhist subculture.”—Jeff Wilson, author of Mindful America
£30.88
Harvard University, Asia Center Karma and Punishment
Book SynopsisA groundbreaking study of prison religion, Karma and Punishment introduces a form of chaplaincy rooted in the Buddhist concept of doctrinal admonition. Through research and fieldwork, Adam Lyons uncovers a dimension of Buddhist modernism that developed as Japan's religious organizations carved out a niche as defenders of society by fighting crime.Trade ReviewIn this meticulously researched, thoughtfully composed book, Adam J. Lyons examines the relation between religion and the state in Japan through the lens of prison chaplaincy…An important contribution to a lively conversation among scholars of Japanese religions around the entanglements between religion and other spheres of social life. -- Melissa Anne-Marie Curley * Journal of the American Academy of Religion *Lyons’ book is a must-read for scholars of religion and law who want to understand the modern history of Japan’s church-state relationship as it plays out in the domain of crime and punishment…Now that Lyons has ably laid the groundwork, future scholars of religion in Japan will certainly want to explore additional dimensions of this fascinating topic. -- Jessica Starling * Religious Studies Review *This book offers a valuable and fascinating case study through which to analyze religion-state relations in modern Japan…Lyons’ honest and beautifully written account of the conflicts prison chaplains feel gives this superb and field-defining history of prison chaplaincy in Japan more than just academic heft. -- Timothy Benedict * Contemporary Japan *[Karma and Punishment] not only makes a major contribution towards filling a gap within the broader debates regarding crime and punishment, but it also makes a compelling and fascinating argument about the role of religion in the establishment of the modern prison and probation system and its continuing influence on public perceptions of justice. This is a fascinating story…Impressive and original…A must-read for anyone who is interested in these topics. -- Jason Danely * International Institute for Asian Studies *This volume provides a comprehensive perspective on Japanese prison chaplaincy and the dynamic relationship between religions and the state. It is a must-read for scholars of Japanese religions. -- Marzia Alteno * Religious Studies Review *
£42.46
University of Hawai'i Press Right Thoughts at the Last Moment Buddhism and Deathbed Practices in Early Medieval Japan Studies in East Asian Buddhism
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£999.99
University of Hawai'i Press Burning for the Buddha
Book SynopsisOffers the first book-length study of the theory and practice of “abandoning the body”(self-immolation) in Chinese Buddhism. This book examines the hagiographical accounts of all those who made offerings of their own bodies and places them in historical, social, cultural, and doctrinal context.Trade ReviewA carefully documented and beautifully written account of the history of a set of somatic practices that has been a part of Chinese Buddhism for some fifteen hundred years yet heretofore received scant attention in the scholarly literature. . . . Benn has done an excellent job of presenting a stimulating and wide-ranging set of issues about a subject that in less capable and sensitive hands might have strayed toward the sensational or macabre. This book deserves to be on the bookshelf of all students of Chinese Buddhism and is highly recommended as a classroom tool."" - Journal of Chinese Religions; ""Benn has written a short, elegant, and provocative history of Buddhist self-immmolation in China from the fifth to the early twentieth century."" - Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies; ""Benn’s study is admirably well written and well researched—for both style and content, it deserves to stand among the major contributions to Buddhist studies of recent decades. . . . This book is an enjoyable read, suitable for students and scholars alike."" - Journal of Asian Studies; ""A fine and well-organized book in which James Benn introduces the reader to an interesting topic. . . . For Buddhist studies, Benn has done an excellent job describing a facet of Chinese Buddhist life that has hitherto been neglected in academic accounts of Buddhism and that modernist emic descriptions of Buddhism are unlikely to emphasize in the foreseeable future. The value of Burning for the Buddha for the study of religion at large is obvious."" - Journal of Religion; ""Burning for the Buddha presents a wealth of engaging material and should be stimulating reading for those interested in religious ideas of the body. It is, of course, an essential book for students of Chinese Buddhism, one of the very few thus far to provide a multi-faceted, historical view of a specific practice."" - Journal of the Academy of Religion; ""A compelling and thoroughly researched study of self-immolation among Chinese Mahayana Buddhists. . . . Highly recommended."" - Choice; ""Benn explores one of the most striking customs in the history of Chinese Buddhism, showing that, far from a marginal act by disturbed deviants, self-immolation was a carefully considered, mainstream practice. This is a subject with implications for scholars interested in the sinification of Buddhism and the history of Buddhist asceticism, but also for scholars with interests beyond Buddhism, since it has immediate bearing on the history of suicide and attitudes towards the body in China."" - John Kieschnick, University of Bristol; ""At a time when scholars of religion are paying increasing attention to notions of the body, James Benn has produced a masterpiece on the practice of self-immolation in Chinese Buddhism. This wonderfully written and thoroughly researched book will remain the authoritative treatment of the subject for generations to come. Proceeding roughly chronologically, Benn moves from the earliest biographies containing accounts of eminent monks burning themselves, through the locus classicus for the justification of the practice (the Lotus Sutra), to more neglected materials of medieval and late medieval times, right up to the twentieth century. Along the way, he treats us to insightful discussions of the many changing social, political, ethical, ideological, and ritual contexts of the practice. This book makes it clear that Burning for the Buddha—something that was once considered to be an exceptional and anomalous act carried out by a few monks—was, in fact, a well-established and well-recognized practice that endured longer than most other aspects of Chinese Buddhism."" —John Strong, Bates College
£16.96
University of Hawai'i Press Inscribing Death
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£51.00
University of Hawai'i Press Chinese Pure Land Buddhism Understanding a
Book SynopsisProvides a comprehensive overview of Chinese Pure Land Buddhism. Chinese Pure Land Buddhism has previously received very little attention from western scholars. Charles B. Jones examines the reasons for the lack of scholarly attention and why the few past treatments of the topic missed many of its distinctive features.
£65.25
University of Hawai'i Press Monastic Education in Korea Teaching Monks about Buddhism in the Modern Age Contemporary Buddhism
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£60.00
University of Hawai'i Press Shinra Myjin and Buddhist Networks of the East
Book SynopsisOffers a transnational account of the deity Shinra Myjin, the god of Silla worshipped in medieval Japanese Buddhism. Sujung Kim challenges the long-held understanding of Shinra Myjin as a protective deity of the Tendai Jimon school, showing how its worship emerged and developed in the complex networks of the East Asian Mediterranean.
£22.36
University of Hawai'i Press Tianxia in Comparative Perspectives
Book SynopsisTianxia all-under-Heaven' - in everyday Chinese parlance simply means the world'. But tianxia is also a geopolitical term found in canonical writings that has a deeper historical and philosophical significance. This volume contextualizes the tianxia vision within a variety of strategies drawn from a broad spectrum of cultures and peoples.
£51.00
Cornell University Press Battling the Buddha of Love
Book SynopsisBattling the Buddha of Love is a work of advocacy anthropology that explores the controversial plans and practices of the Maitreya Project, a transnational Buddhist organization, as it sought to build the world''s tallest statue as a multi-million-dollar gift to India. Hoping to forcibly acquire 750 acres of occupied land for the statue park in the Kushinagar area of Uttar Pradesh, the Buddhist statue planners ran into obstacle after obstacle, including a full-scale grassroots resistance movement of Indian farmers working to Save the Land.Falcone sheds light on the aspirations, values, and practices of both the Buddhists who worked to construct the statue, as well as the Indian farmer-activists who tirelessly protested against the Maitreya Project. Because the majority of the supporters of the Maitreya Project statue are converts to Tibetan Buddhism, individuals Falcone terms non-heritage practitioners, she focuses on the spectacular collision of cultural values betweeTrade ReviewFalcone draws on fieldwork and her own personal engagement with the resistance to describe the struggle over the creation of what would have been the largest-ever Buddha image. * Buddhadharma: The Practitioner's Quarterly *Falcone's advocacy does not compromise the rigor or balance of her analysis. She draws on more than a decade of site observation and personal interviews to produce nuanced ethnographies of the various groups as they struggle with the unintended consequences of Buddhism's globalization.... It will be a valuable resource for serious scholars of contemporary Buddhism and for those studying Buddhism and anthropology. * Choice *As the title of this absorbing book Battling the Buddha of Love: A Cultural Biography of the Greatest Statue Never Built aptly describes, this lucid ethnography by Jessica Falcone explores the transnational life of a globalizing Tibetan Buddhist organization. * Reading Religion *This book is a fruitful intellectual effort that challenges the stereotypical narration of protests... The end notes are extremely illuminative. The strength of the work is the rigor shown by the author in the blending of religious studies, history, social and cultural anthropology, and interviews with people, both members of the FPMT and farmers. * H- Net (H-Diplo) *Dr. Falcone offers compelling insights into the concepts of temporality and futurity, grassroots activism in the face of a transnational organization, and the ethics of engaged anthropological practice. * New Books in Anthropology *The book opens the eyes of the readers as blind devotion blocks the critical mind and compassion, and can be lost in unrealistic, pink thinking. I highly reccomend it. * Buddhismus Aktuell *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Meditation/DHYANA: Focusing on the Maitreya Project Part One: The Transnational Buddhist Statue-Makers 1. Community/SANGHA: FPMT's Transnational Buddhists 2. The Teachings/DHARMA: Religious Practice in a Global Buddhist Institution 3. The Statue/MURTI: Planning a Colossal Maitreya 4. The Relics/SARIRA: Worship and Fundraising with the Relic Tour 5. Aspirations/ASHA: Hope, the Future Tense, and Making (Up) Progress on the Maitreya Project Part Two: The Kushinagari Resistance 6. Holy Place/TIRTHA: Living in the Place of the Buddha's Death 7. Steadfastness/ADITTHANA: Indian Farmers Resist the Buddha of Love 8. Loving-Kindness/MAITRI: Contested Notions of Ethics, Values, and Progress 9. Compassion/KARUNA: Reflections on Engaged Anthropology Conclusion: Faith/SHRADDHA: Guru Devotion, Authority, and Belief in the Shadow of the Maitreya Project Epilogue: Rebirth/SAMSARA: The Future of the Maitreya Project
£19.94
Cornell University Press Rituals of Care
Book SynopsisAulino''s work is a strong contribution to the study of aging in the field of medical anthropology specifically because of the focus on the embodied performativity of care evident in her research practice and analysis. Rituals of Care is an excellent book, which offers a thoughtful approach to everyday care in Thailand. ? Anthropology & AgingEnd-of-life issues are increasingly central to discussions within medical anthropology, the anthropology of political action, and the study of Buddhist philosophy and practice. Felicity Aulino''s Rituals of Care speaks directly to these important anthropological and existential conversations. Against the backdrop of global population aging and increased attention to care for the elderly, both personal and professional, Aulino challenges common presumptions about the universal nature of caring. The way she examines particular sets of emotional and practical ways of being with people, and their sTrade ReviewThis book should be read by all students of Thai culture who have an interest in the everyday life, religious practices and socio-political conditions surrounding people's everyday lives. It also makes a remarkable contribution to the understanding of care, as well as to the emerging field of the anthropology of morality. * South East Asia Research *Rituals of Care is a complex, compelling empirical and conceptual work that engages deeply with questions of caregiving and volunteerism in the Theravada Buddhist context of Thai society. The book is highly recommended for researchers on Theravada Buddhism, caregiving, volunteerism, medical and political anthropology, as well as scholars of Thai society and culture more generally. * Pacific Affairs *Aulino's work is a strong contribution to the study of aging in the field of medical anthropology specifically because of the focus on the embodied performativity of care evident in her research practice and analysis. Rituals of Care is an excellent book, which offers a thoughtful approach to everyday care in Thailand. * Anthropology & Aging *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. The Karma of Care: Ordinary Actions and Their Consequences 2. The Conditioning of Care: Intention, Emotion, and Restraint 3. The Subjects of Care: Perceiving the Social Body 4. The Civic Landscape of Care: Merit and the Spirit of Volunteering for Elders 5. The Violence of Care: Pity and Compassion, Patronage and Repression Conclusion: On Unending Care: Rituals for Making Things So
£97.20
Cornell University Press Roaming Free Like a Deer
Book SynopsisBy exploring lived ecological experiences across seven Buddhist worlds from ancient India to the contemporary West, Roaming Free Like a Deer provides a comprehensive, critical, and innovative examination of the theories, practices, and real-world results of Buddhist environmental ethics. Daniel Capper clarifies crucial contours of Buddhist vegetarianism or meat eating, nature mysticism, and cultural speculations about spirituality in nonhuman animals. Buddhist environmental ethics often are touted as useful weapons in the fight against climate change. However, two formidable but often overlooked problems with this perspective exist. First, much of the literature on Buddhist environmental ethics uncritically embraces Buddhist ideals without examining the real-world impacts of those ideals, thereby sometimes ignoring difficulties in terms of practical applications. Moreover, for some understandable but still troublesome reasons, Buddhists from differTable of ContentsIntroduction 1. Some Methods in Buddhist Environmental Ethics 2. The Buddha's Nature 3. The Clever Bee of Sri Lanka 4. Beautiful Thai Buffaloes 5. Eating the Enlightened Plants of China 6. Japanese Water Buddhas 7. Releasing Animals in Tibet 8. Natural Persons in the West Conclusion
£97.20
Cornell University Press Roaming Free Like a Deer
Book SynopsisBy exploring lived ecological experiences across seven Buddhist worlds from ancient India to the contemporary West, Roaming Free Like a Deer provides a comprehensive, critical, and innovative examination of the theories, practices, and real-world results of Buddhist environmental ethics. Daniel Capper clarifies crucial contours of Buddhist vegetarianism or meat eating, nature mysticism, and cultural speculations about spirituality in nonhuman animals. Buddhist environmental ethics often are touted as useful weapons in the fight against climate change. However, two formidable but often overlooked problems with this perspective exist. First, much of the literature on Buddhist environmental ethics uncritically embraces Buddhist ideals without examining the real-world impacts of those ideals, thereby sometimes ignoring difficulties in terms of practical applications. Moreover, for some understandable but still troublesome reasons, Buddhists from differTable of ContentsIntroduction 1. Some Methods in Buddhist Environmental Ethics 2. The Buddha's Nature 3. The Clever Bee of Sri Lanka 4. Beautiful Thai Buffaloes 5. Eating the Enlightened Plants of China 6. Japanese Water Buddhas 7. Releasing Animals in Tibet 8. Natural Persons in the West Conclusion
£26.59
Watkins Media Limited In Praise of Ageing: Awakening to Old Age with
Book Synopsis“In this moving and tender meditation on the process of growing old, Carmel Shalev reveals ageing as a new beginning rather than a shameful ending of life.” – Stephen Batchelor In Praise of Ageing invites you to meet the challenges of growing old with an open mind and offers the possibility of ageing with grace, understanding, wisdom and joy. It weaves the author’s personal experiences of her own and her parents’ ageing with comments on contemporary social attitudes to ageing, and ancient Buddhist wisdom that accepts growing older as a natural process. All phenomena appear, fade and disappear. So, too, our lives proceed from birth to death. Ageing, indeed, has its hardships. Yet we have a choice in how to relate to our experiences – with animosity or friendliness. This book affirms that it is in our own hands to shape our place in the world and find meaning as elders with love, compassion, joy and equanimity.Trade ReviewCarmel's finely crafted book will help you grow old without fear, enjoy your final days on earth with wonder and humility, and inspire you to assume the role of an elder with dignity. A beautiful book bringing clarity, wisdom and a compassionate view on ageing, recruiting the huge insightful resource of the Buddhist teachings to a period of life that is often full of suffering and neglect. This unique confirmation of old age gives a new lease of life to those whose seek hope rather than despair, integrity rather iniquity and and potency rather than dependency. To those interested in ageing but new to Buddhism her clear sighted, realistic and wise perspectives will form a refreshing and through provoking perspective.
£10.99
Numata Center for Buddhist Translation & Research. On Meaning and Mantras: Essays in Honor of Frits
Book SynopsisThe late Johan Frederik (known as Frits) Staal (November 3, 1930–February 19, 2012), was born in Amsterdam and said of his home country, “There was no religion there.” While his academic interests included philosophy, Staal’s education focused on the study of mathematics, physics, astronomy, and logic. His approach to the study of Vedic religion and ritual was informed by this background, expressed in his assertion that he was not interested in the humanities but in the human sciences. Staal’s studies led him to India, where he completed a dissertation, “Advaita and Neoplatonism: A Critical Study in Comparative Philosophy,” at the University of Madras. In this period he also pursued research on South Indian Vedic recitation, which culminated in the publication of his first book, Nambudiri Veda Recitation. This laid the groundwork for his massive study of the agnicayana ritual conducted in Kerala in 1975, and the 1983 publication of his two-volume Agni: The Vedic Ritual of the Fire Altar. Staal’s research and writings had a wide-ranging influence on many different academic fields, including Vedic studies, Sanskrit studies, linguistics, and ritual studies. In addition to his academic contributions in those fields, he was a founding member of the Department of South and Southeast Asian Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. He also contributed to the founding of the Group in Buddhist Studies, which from its advent was intended to balance South and East Asian languages and cultures. This reflects Staal’s methodological concern that East Asian Buddhism must be connected to Indian studies, and that Indian studies must also include Buddhism. He said of the Buddha that he “was either India’s greatest son or one of two the other being Panini” (“There is No Religion There,” in Jon R. Stone, ed., The Craft of Religious Studies).This collection brings together 32 contributions by personal friends and leading figures in the fields of Vedic, Sanskrit, Indian and ritual studies honoring the life and work of the late Frits Staal. The essays compiled here are by Greg Bailey, Dipak Bhattacharya, Kamaleswar Bhattacharya, Philo Bregstein, Johannes Bronkhorst, Jean Michel Delire, Madhav M. Deshpande, Silvia D’Intino, Finnian M. M. Gerety, Robert Goldman, Sally J. Sutherland Goldman, Phyliss Granoff, Stephanie W. Jamison, Joanna Jurewicz, P. Pratap Kumar, Jeffery D. Long, Thennilapuram Mahadevan, Boris Oguibénine, Carl Olson, André Padoux, Sudalaimuthu Palaniappan, Asko Parpola, Richard K. Payne, Alessandra Petrocchi, Peter M. Scharf, Arvind Sharma, Frederick M. Smith, Romila Thapar, George Thompson, Laurens van Krevelen, Michael Witzel, Hiram Woodward.
£999.99
NUS Press Wayward Distractions: Ornament, Emotion, Zombies and the Study of Buddhism in Thailand
Book SynopsisA collection of essays engaging with Buddhism in Thailand and the virtues of distraction and variety within the materialist turn in studies of religion.In Thailand, Buddhism is deeply integrated into national institutions and ideologies, making it tempting to think of Buddhism in Thailand as a textual, institutional, cultural, and conceptual whole. At the same time, religious expression in the country reflects anything but a single order. Often gaudy, cacophonous, variegated, and jumbled, diversity and apparent contradiction abound. A more open engagement with Buddhism in Thailand requires a willingness to be distracted, to step away from received hierarchies and follow the intriguing detail in the ornate design, the odd textual reference, and to prefer "thin description" over a search for meaning. Justin McDaniel's well-known book-length writings in Buddhist and Theravada studies cannot be fully understood without taking into account his shorter writings, what he calls his wayward distractions. Collected together for the first time, these essays cover subjects ranging from ornamental art to marriage and emotion, the role of Hinduism, neglected gender and ethnic diversity, Buddhist inflections in contemporary art practice, and the boundaries between the living, dead, and undead. These writings will be of importance to students of Theravada and Thailand, of religion in Southeast Asia and more generally, of the materialist turn in studies of religion.Trade Review“This work is a treasure for any fan of McDaniel’s outstanding work on Thailand. A selection of ten articles published between 2000 and now, this first volume shows the diversity of his work and his efforts to challenge limiting understandings of Buddhism in Thailand. . . . An extremely helpful book for beginner and experienced scholars of Thai studies and Thai Buddhism.” * The Review *"[Wayward Distractions] showcases McDaniel's diverse interests and deep knowledge of the featured Buddhist topics. McDaniel draws on his wide experiences, including teaching at a school in Thailand and time spent as an ordained monk in the northeast near the border with Laos during his fieldwork. As a result, he gained deep knowledge and insight on Thai and Lao lifeways, languages, Buddhism and its rituals (including meditation, and chanting in Pali)." * Journal of Southeast Asian Studies *“This book presents complex topics and methods of analysis, but it does so in a storytelling style that makes it accessible to a broad range of readers—from the general reader who seeks knowledge and enjoyment and is prompted to observe or question familiar things around them, to scholars and students of Thai Buddhism, Thai literature, Thai culture, and ethnography and folklore. They will not only gain new perspectives and explanations on Thai literature and Buddhist culture but also observe the methods of study, questioning, analysis, and synthesis that come from literature review, field data collection, comparison with other cultures, leading to new interpretations and critical thinking skills.” * Southeast Asian Studies *Table of Contents Introduction: Cajoleries, Non-Human Ontology and the Importance of Thin Description in the Study of Thai Buddhist Stuff Ethnicity and the galactic polity: Ideas and actualities in the history of Bangkok Creative Engagement: the Sujavanna Wua Luang and its Contribution to Buddhist Literature Beautifully Buddhist and Betrothed: Marriage and Buddhism as described in the Jatakas The Bird in the Corner of the Painting: Problems with the Use of Buddhist Texts to Study Buddhist Ornamental Art in Thailand The Material Turn: An Introduction to Thai Sources for the Study of Buddhist Amulets Strolling through Temporary Temples: Modern Buddhist Art Installations in Thailand This Hindu Holy Man is a Thai Buddhist Encountering Corpses: Notes on Zombies and the Living Dead in Buddhist Southeast Asia Buddhist 'nuns' (mae chi) and the teaching of Pali in contemporary Thailand Works Cited
£23.76
ISEAS Wider Bagan: Ancient and Living Buddhist
Book SynopsisWider Bagan: Ancient and Living Buddhist Traditions is the first book to define the area outside the renowned Buddhist capital where vestiges of Bagan era cultural traditions can be found. From nearly six hundred attributes inventoried in Wider Bagan, thematic and geographical analysis of the Wider Bagan data reveals a related but different trajectory from that of the capital. The Sasan? of the court was honoured, and though its economy profited many places across Wider Bagan, local resilience was foremost. While the capital and Wider Bagan existed in relation to each other, their aims and narratives differed. Much has been written about Bagan, but little attention on the ground has been devoted to areas beyond the capital. These places have stories to tell—ones of the past and of the present—that are narrated in this book.
£39.95
Editorial Kairos El Sutra del Corazón
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£13.62
Editorial Kairos Nechung, El Oráculo del Dalai Lama
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£16.37
Editorial Sirio La Meditacion Budista
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£12.10
Obelisco 108 Perlas de Sabiduria del Dalai Lama
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£12.99
Editorial Kairos El Libro del Mindfulness
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£17.74
Taylor & Francis Ltd Posthuman Buddhism and the Digital Self
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£128.25
Taylor & Francis Ltd Introduction to Buddhist Meditation
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£128.25
Taylor & Francis Ltd Introduction to Buddhist Meditation
Book SynopsisThis lively introduction to Buddhist meditation offers students and practitioners alike a deeper understanding of what meditation is and its purpose and place in the context of different Buddhist schools. The historical background and geographical spread of Buddhist meditation is explored alongside an examination of the development of meditative practices. Chapters cover basic meditative practice, types of meditation, meditation in different regions, meditation and doctrine, and the role of chanting within meditation. Although not a practical guide, Introduction to Buddhist Meditation outlines the procedures associated with Buddhist practices and suggests appropriate activities, useful both for students and interested Buddhists. Vivid quotations from Buddhist texts and carefully selected photographs and diagrams help the reader engage fully with this fascinating subject.Thoroughly revised throughout, this new edition also features a glossary and key, making it ideal reading for students approaching the topic of Buddhist meditation for the first time.
£35.99
Taylor & Francis Buddhism and Gandhara
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£43.69
Taylor & Francis Ltd Yungang Art History Archaeology Liturgy
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£39.99
Taylor & Francis Chan Buddhism in Ritual Context RoutledgeCurzon Studies in Asian Religions
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£128.25
Taylor & Francis Buddhist Thought and Applied Psychological Research
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£175.75
Taylor & Francis Buddhist Nuns in Taiwan and Sri Lanka A Critique of the Feminist Perspective Routledge Critical Studies in Buddhism
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£137.75
