Buddhism
A Complete Introduction
Book
Paperback/Softback
304 pages
978-0-8264-9733-8 (ISBN)
Description
"Buddhism: A Complete Introduction" is a comprehensive guide to Buddhist thought and practice that draws upon the latest scholarly research. It examines the historical and cultural roots of Buddhism in India together with its emergence as a major religious force on the Indian sub-continent. Starting with an examination of the doctrinal roots of Buddhism, John Peacock then traces the development and extension of these teachings. After an initial examination of non-Mahayana thought in India, readers will find a thorough investigation of the rise of the Mahayana, examined in the light of the earlier non-Mahayana approaches in a comparative manner. This new introduction also covers the dissemination of the Buddha's teachings into different cultural contexts, and detailed examinations of the Tantric Buddhism of Tibet, Ch'an and Zen Buddhism, Pure Land and the complex philosophies which underpin these forms of practice.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
ISBN-13
978-0-8264-9733-8 (9780826497338)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Dr. John Peacock is a research fellow at the University of Bristol concentrating on Buddhist and Indian thought and is director of the Sharpham Centre for Buddhist Studies and Contemporary Enquiry in Devon, UK. He contributes a quarterly column to The Independent in their "Faith and Reason' section, has contributed to a number of BBC Radio programmes and is the Buddhist representative on the Central Religious Advisory Committee for the BBC and Ofcom.
Content
Introduction (covering the aims, objectives and scope of the book); Chapter One: The Indian Heritage: Texts and Contexts; Part One: The Early Teachings and their Development; Chapter Two: The Life of the Buddha: Facts and Fiction (examining the mythology of the Buddha's life and what is actually known); Chapter Three: The Ending of Suffering: The Four Noble Truths and The Eightfold Path (the sickness and its overcoming); Chapter Four: The Structure and Limits of Experience: Self, Identity and Continuity (the teachings on 'not-self' and dependent arising); Chapter Five: The Ethical Way: Karma and Rebirth; Chapter Six: Early Buddhism after the Death of the Buddha (The formation of the Canon, councils, and schools); Part Two: The Growth and Development of the Mahayana; Chapter Seven: The Origins of the Mahayana: Mahayana and non-Mahayana Buddhism in India (key ideas in the Prajnaparamita literature: the bodhisattva, emptiness, skill-in-means); Chapter Eight: Buddhism in East Asia: Chinese and Japanese Buddhsim (Pure Land Schools, Ch'an, Soto and Rinzai Zen); Chapter Nine: The Tantric Buddhism of Tibet (The Four Schools of Tibetan Buddhism, the Path of Sutra, Tantra, Rdzog chen, Mahamudra); Chapter Ten: Buddhism in the West (the dissemination and adaptation of Buddhism in a Western context).