The Buddhist Religion
By Robinson, Richard H.
Pub Date: 09/96
Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing Company
Binding: Trade Paper
ISBN: 0534207189
Our Price $36.95

Related Books: Buddhism

The Reader's Catalog
An excellent survey, with an extensive bibliography

Publisher
The most comprehensive, insightful, and up-to-date introduction to Buddhism available, this text traces the religion of Awakening from its origins to its spread throughout Asia and the world. Combining historical narrative with contextual analysis in a clear and engaging style, the authors present a full and balanced portrait of the Buddhist religion in terms of ritual, devotionalism, institutions, doctrine, and meditation practice. Of special interest are the discussions of women's contributions to the Buddhist tradition and the portraits of current religious life, both lay and monastic, drawn from all the major living Buddhist cultures of Asia. In this Fourth Edition, both Part One (the Indian development of Buddhism) and Part Two (Buddhism beyond India) have been substantially revised. Incorporated throughout the text are findings from the most recent scholarship as well as original research by the authors on Buddhism in its early, Tantric, Southeast Asian, and Western forms. Helpful citations in the text, glossary, and index highlight themes of interest in comparative religion together with cross-cultural developments in such distinctly Buddhist teachings as Karma, emptiness, and the nature of Awakening.

Table of Contents

	Foreword
	Preface
	Map: The World of Buddhism
	Abbreviations
	Introduction
1	The Buddha's Awakening	7
2	The Buddha as Teacher	30
3	The Development of Early Indian Buddhism	51
4	The Rise and Development of Mahayana Buddhism	82
5	Soteriology and Pantheon of the Mahayana	99
6	Vajrayana and Later Indian Buddhism	117
7	Buddhism in SriLanka and Southeast Asia	141
8	Buddhism in Central Asia and China	166
9	Buddhism in Korea and Vietnam	220
10	Buddhism in Japan	241
11	Buddhism in the Tibetan Cultural Area	271
12	Buddhism Comes West	297
	An Overview of the Buddhist Scriptures	311
	Pronunciation Guide	315
	Glossary	319
	Select Bibliography	326
	Index	336