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Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Non-Christian religions > Religions of Indic & Oriental origin > Buddhism > General
Nishida Kitaro (1870-1945) is considered Japan's greatest modern
philosopher. As the founder of the Kyoto School, he initiated a
rigorous philosophical engagement with Western philosophy,
including the work of Karl Marx. Bradley Kaye explores the
political aspects of Nishida's thought, placing his work in
connection with Marxism and Zen. Developing concepts of
self-awareness, Basho, dialectical materialism, circulation, will,
nothingness, and the state. Nishida's thought offers an ethics of
personal will that radical awakening that offers clarity in a
seemingly hopeless world.
"This book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open
programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com. This
book examines the trajectory and development of the Japanese
religious movement Agonshu and its charismatic founder Kiriyama
Seiyu. Based on field research spanning 30 years, it examines
Agonshu from when it first captured attention in the 1980s with its
spectacular rituals and use of media technologies, through its
period of stagnation to its response to the death of its founder in
2016. The authors discuss the significance of charismatic
leadership, the 'democratisation' of practice and the demands made
by movements such as Agonshu on members, while examining how the
movement became increasingly focused on revisionist nationalism and
issues of Japanese identity. In examining the dilemma that
religions commonly face on the deaths of charismatic founders,
Erica Baffelli and Ian Reader look at Agonshu's response to
Kiriyama's death, looking at how and why it has transformed a human
founder into a figure of worship. By examining Agonshu in the wider
context, the authors critically examine the concept of 'new
religions'. They draw attention to the importance of understanding
the trajectories of 'new' religions and how they can become 'old'
even within their first generation.
Defining Buddhism(s): A Reader explores the multiple ways in which
Buddhisms have been defined and constructed by Buddhists and
scholars. In recent decades, scholars have become increasingly
aware of their own role in the process of constructing the Buddhist
communities that they represent- a process in which multiple
representations of Buddhism (hence Buddhisms) compete with and
complement one another. The essays in this reader, written by
leaders in the field of Buddhist studies, consider a broad range of
inquiries and concerns, methods and approaches that contribute to
understanding and learning from constructions of Buddhisms,
illuminating the challenges and dilemmas involved in defining
historical, social, and political contexts. These different
perspectives also demonstrate that definitions of Buddhism have
always been contested. As an anthology, this volume also
participates in the process of construction, developing a framework
in which recent scholarship on Buddhisms can be productively
related and interpreted. conversation to emerge, as the
investigations and debates raised in each piece are considered in
relation to one another. The volume and section introductions
highlight the ways in which the essays included represent the
contested aspects of constructed Buddhisms: historical contexts are
never singular and there is never a solitary agent engaged in
shaping them. These diverse reconstructions of Buddhism derive from
the recognition that we have much to learn from, as well as about,
Buddhists.
From his many births to his deathbed deeds, this authoritative
biography unites the Buddha of history with the Buddha of legend in
a bid to reveal the lasting spiritual relevance at the heart of the
Buddhist tradition. Acclaimed scholar John Strong examines not only
the historical texts, but also the supernatural accounts that
surround this great religious figure, uncovering the roots of many
Buddhist beliefs and practices. Accompanied by helpful charts and
tables, and drawing on a vast array of primary sources, the text
also features such key topics as: biographical accounts from all
the Buddhist schools, an analysis of the Buddha's enlightenment,
the life of the Buddha as depicted by Buddhist art and rituals, and
the relics of Siddhartha Gautama, and how they continue his story,
even after his lifetime.
"Nature deficit disorder" has become an increasingly challenging
problem in our hyper modern world. In "Awake in the Wild," Mark
Coleman shows seekers how to remedy this widespread malady by
reconnecting with nature through Buddhism. Each short (two to three
pages) chapter includes a concrete nature meditation relating to
such topics as Attuning to the Natural World, Reflecting the
Rhythms of Nature, Walking with Compassion, Releasing the Inner
Noise, Freeing the Animal Within, Coming into the Peace of Wild
Things, Weathering the Storms of Life, and more. Incorporating
anecdotes from the author's many nature retreats, Buddhist wisdom
and teachings, important nature writings by others, and nature
itself, the book invites readers to participate in, not just
observe, nature; develop a loving connection with the earth as a
form of environmental activism; decrease urban alienation through
experiencing nature; embody nature's peaceful presence; and connect
with ancient spiritual wisdom through nature meditations.
Yogacara is an influential school of Buddhist philosophy and
psychology that stems from the early Indian Mahayana Buddhist
tradition. The Yogacara view is based on the fundamental truth that
there is nothing in the realm of human experience that is not
interpreted by and dependent upon the mind.
Yogacara Buddhism was unable to sustain the same level of
popularity as other Buddhist schools in India, Tibet, and East
Asia, but its teachings on the nature of consciousness profoundly
impacted the successive developments of Buddhism. Yogacara served
as the basis for the development of the doctrines of karma and
liberation in many other schools.
In this refreshingly accessible study, Tagawa Shun'ei makes sense
of Yogacara's subtleties and complexities with insight and clarity.
He shows us that Yogacara masters comprehend and express everyday
experiences that we all take for granted, yet struggle to explain.
Eloquent and approachable, "Living Yogacara" deepens the reader's
understanding of the development of Buddhism's interpretation of
the human psyche.
Explores the multiple ways in which Buddhisms have been defined and
constructed by Buddhists and scholars. Scholars have become
increasingly aware of their own role in the process of constructing
the Buddhist communities that they represent - a process in which
multiple representations of Buddhism compete with and complement
one another. The essays in this reader, written by leaders in the
field of Buddhist studies, consider a broad range of inquiries and
concerns, methods and approaches that contribute to understanding
and learning from constructions of Buddhisms, illuminating the
challenges and dilemmas involved in defining historical, social,
and political contexts. These different perspectives also
demonstrate that definitions of Buddhism have always been
contested. As an anthology, this volume also participates in the
process of construction, developing a framework in which recent
scholarship on Buddhisms can be productively related and
interpreted.
This volume, which introduces the sequence of Complete Works
volumes that include Sangharakshita's commentaries on a range of
traditional Buddhist texts, begins with The Eternal Legacy, an
introduction to the canonical literature of Buddhism, which
succinctly and with great feeling gives the context for the
commentaries to follow. Next comes Sangharakshita's talk 'The Glory
of the Literary World', which considers how the Buddhist canon is
to be approached, in a broad consideration of the literary
traditions of both East and West. This is followed by an
introduction to one of the earliest works of the Pali canon, the
Udana, newly edited from a 1975 seminar for this Complete Works
volume under the title Buddhism before Buddhism. Here we trace the
Buddha's life from the period just after his Enlightenment to the
time of his approaching death, and Sangharakshita (studying the
text with members of what was in 1975 a very young Buddhist
movement) draws out the newness and freshness of the Buddha's
vision - so new, indeed, that words could scarcely be found to
express it. And this volume concludes fittingly with Wisdom Beyond
Words, Sangharakshita's much-loved commentary on several Perfection
of Wisdom texts, another way of seeing how, in Asvaghosa's words,
'We use words to get free of words until we reach the pure wordless
essence.'
Sangharakshita read the Diamond Sutra for the first time the summer
he turned seventeen. It seemed to awaken him to something whose
existence he had forgotten, and he joyfully embraced those profound
teachings 'with an unqualified acceptance'. This experience decided
the whole future direction of his life.In this first volume of
memoirs he describes how, from a working-class childhood in the
London suburb of Tooting, he came, a twenty-four-year-old Buddhist
novice monk, to Kalimpong in the eastern Himalayas. Sangharakshita
paints a vivid picture of the people, the places and the
experiences that shaped his life: his childhood, his army days, and
the gurus he met during his years as a wandering ascetic staying in
the caves and ashrams of India. He moves between the ordinary and
the extraordinary, from the mundane to the sublime; his narrative
takes in the psychological and aesthetic, the philosophical and
spiritual. His experiences are both universal - love and loss,
comedy and tragedy - and unique to what is an exceptional life.
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The Bodhicaryavatara
(Paperback)
Santideva; Translated by Kate Crosby, Andrew Skilton; Edited by Paul Williams
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R293
R273
Discovery Miles 2 730
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Written in India in the early eighth century AD, Santideva's
Bodhicaryavatara became one of the most popular accounts of the
Buddhist's spiritual path. The Bodhicaryavatara takes as its
subject the profound desire to become a Buddha and save all beings
from suffering. The person who enacts such a desire is a
Bodhisattva. Santideva not only sets out what the Bodhisattva must
do and become, he also invokes the intense feelings of aspiration
which underlie such a commitment, using language which has inspired
Buddhists in their religious life from his time to the present.
Important as a manual of training among Mahayana Buddhists,
especially in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, the Bodhicaryavatara
continues to be used as the basis for teaching by modern Buddhist
teachers. This is a new translation from the original language,
with detailed annotations explaining allusions and technical
references. The Introduction sets Santideva's work in context, and
for the first time explain its structure. ABOUT THE SERIES: For
over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the
widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable
volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the
most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features,
including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful
notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further
study, and much more.
Peter Adamson and Jonardon Ganeri present a lively introduction to
one of the world's richest intellectual traditions: the philosophy
of classical India. They begin with the earliest extant literature,
the Vedas, and the explanatory works that these inspired, known as
Upanisads. They also discuss other famous texts of classical Vedic
culture, especially the Mahabharata and its most notable section,
the Bhagavad-Gita, alongside the rise of Buddhism and Jainism. In
this opening section, Adamson and Ganeri emphasize the way that
philosophy was practiced as a form of life in search of liberation
from suffering. Next, the pair move on to the explosion of
philosophical speculation devoted to foundational texts called
'sutras,' discussing such traditions as the logical and
epistemological Nyaya school, the monism of Advaita Vedanta, and
the spiritual discipline of Yoga. In the final section of the book,
they chart further developments within Buddhism, highlighting
Nagarjuna's radical critique of 'non-dependent' concepts and the
no-self philosophy of mind found in authors like Dignaga, and
within Jainism, focusing especially on its 'standpoint'
epistemology. Unlike other introductions that cover the main
schools and positions in classical Indian philosophy, Adamson and
Ganeri's lively guide also pays attention to philosophical themes
such as non-violence, political authority, and the status of women,
while considering textual traditions typically left out of
overviews of Indian thought, like the Carvaka school, Tantra, and
aesthetic theory as well. Adamson and Ganeri conclude by focusing
on the much-debated question of whether Indian philosophy may have
influenced ancient Greek philosophy and, from there, evaluate the
impact that this area of philosophy had on later Western thought.
A shorter and less technical treatment of its subject than the
author's acclaimed Buddhism As Philosophy (second edition, Hackett,
2021), Mark Siderits's The Buddha's Teachings As Philosophy
explores three different systems of thought that arose from core
claims of the Buddha. By detailing and critically examining key
arguments made by the Buddha and developed by later Buddhist
philosophers, Siderits investigates the Buddha's teachings as
philosophy: a set of claims-in this case, claims about the nature
of the world and our place in it-supported by rational
argumentation and, here, developed with a variety of systematic
results. The Buddha's Teachings As Philosophy will be especially
useful to students of philosophy, religious studies, and
comparative religion-to anyone, in fact, encountering Buddhist
philosophy for the first time.
Although Christians have well-developed responses to other
religions, the counterpart scholarship from Buddhists has thus far
lagged behind. Breaking new ground, Buddhist Inclusivism analyzes
the currently favored position towards religious others,
inclusivism, in Buddhist traditions. Kristin Beise Kiblinger
presents examples of inclusivism from a wide range of Buddhist
contexts and periods, from Pali texts to the Dalai Lama's recent
works. After constructing and defending a preferred, alternative
form of Buddhist inclusivism, she evaluates the thought of
particular contemporary Buddhists such as Thich Nhat Hanh and Masao
Abe in light of her ideal position. This book offers a more
systematic treatment of Buddhist inclusivism than has yet been
provided either by scholars or by Buddhist leaders.
Buddhism, one increasingly hears, is an 'eco-friendly' religion. It
is often said that this is because it promotes an 'ecological' view
of things, one stressing the essential unity of human beings and
the natural world. Buddhism, Virtue and Environment presents a
different view. While agreeing that Buddhism is, in many important
respects, in tune with environmental concerns, Cooper and James
argue that what makes it 'green' is its view of human life. The
true connection between the religion and environmental thought is
to be found in Buddhist accounts of the virtues - those traits,
such as compassion, equanimity and humility, that characterise the
life of a spiritually enlightened individual. Central chapters of
this book examine these virtues and their implications for
environmental attitudes and practice. Buddhism, Virtue and
Environment will be of interest not only to students and teachers
of Buddhism and environmental ethics, but to those more generally
engaged with moral philosophy. Written in a clear and accessible
style, this book presents an original conception of Buddhist
environmental thought. The authors also contribute to the wider
debate on the place of ethics in Buddhist teachings and practices,
and to debates within 'virtue ethics' on the relations between
human well-being and environmental concern.
Massmarket edition of this spiritual guide to making the most of
life, through bad times as well as good, from bestselling author
Pema Choedroen. This accessible book has been on the US bestseller
lists consistently for four years now. In The Wisdom of No Escape,
bestselling author Pema Choedroen shows us the profound value of
our situation of 'no exit' from the ups and downs of life. This
book is about saying yes to life in all its manifestations - about
making friends with ourselves and our world and embracing the
potent mixture of joy, suffering, brilliance, and confusion that
characterizes the human experience. It urges us to wake up
wholeheartedly to everything and to use the abundant, richly
textured fabric of everyday life as our primary spiritual teacher
and guide.
Buddhism is essentially a teaching about liberation - from
suffering, ignorance, selfishness and continued rebirth. Knowledge
of 'the way things really are' is thought by many Buddhists to be
vital in bringing about this emancipation. This book is a
philosophical study of the notion of liberating knowledge as it
occurs in a range of Buddhist sources. Buddhism, Knowledge and
Liberation assesses the common Buddhist idea that knowledge of the
three characteristics of existence (impermanence, not-self and
suffering) is the key to liberation. It argues that this claim must
be seen in the context of the Buddhist path and training as a
whole. Detailed attention is also given to anti-realist, sceptical
and mystical strands within the Buddhist tradition, all of which
make distinctive claims about liberating knowledge and the nature
of reality. David Burton seeks to uncover various problematic
assumptions which underpin the Buddhist worldview. Sensitive to the
wide diversity of philosophical perspectives and interpretations
that Buddhism has engendered, this book makes a serious
contribution to critical and philosophically aware engagement with
Buddhist thought. Written in an accessible style, it will be of
value to those interested in Buddhist Studies and broader issues in
comparative philosophy and religion.
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