Buddhist Texts Through the Ages

Buddhist Texts Through the Ages

Author: Edward Conze

Publisher: Open Road Media

Published: 2014-12-02

Total Pages: 422

ISBN-13: 1497675839

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The renowned scholar and translator presents an enlightening anthology of Buddhist writings that trace the development of Buddhism across the centuries. Edward Conze was one of the most important Buddhist scholars of the twentieth century, producing numerous influential translations of his own. In Buddhist Texts Through the Ages, Conze presents one of the most comprehensive anthologies of Buddhist writing ever published. The evolution of Buddhist philosophy and theology is represented through a wealth of original texts, all newly translated for this volume. Covering the breadth of Buddhist traditions, this volume incudes works translated from Pali, Sanskrit, Chinese, Tibetan, and Japanese. An ideal companion to Conze’s essential text, Buddhism, this edition also includes a glossary of English and foreign terms.


The Authenticity of the Early Buddhist Texts

The Authenticity of the Early Buddhist Texts

Author: Bhikkhu Sujato

Publisher: Buddhist Publication Society

Published: 2014-12-01

Total Pages: 189

ISBN-13: 955240410X

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Are there any authentic Buddhist texts? If so, what are they? These are questions of tremendous spiritual and historical interest, about which there is a range of opinions that often appear to be irreconcilable. Traditionalists insist that the texts were “spoken by the Buddha” in the most literal of senses, while sceptics assert that we cannot know anything about the Buddha for certain, and further, that the notion of authenticity is irrelevant or pernicious. Most academic scholars of early Buddhism cautiously affirm that it is possible that the early Buddhist texts as contained in the Sutta and Vinaya Pitaka contain some authentic sayings of the Buddha. A sympathetic assessment of relevant evidence by the authors of this book shows that this is a drastic understatement and that it is very likely that the bulk of the sayings in the texts that are attributed to the Buddha were actually spoken by him. Rarely has the question of authenticity of the Buddhist texts been systematically investigated. Seeing the lack of an easily accessible summary of the evidence, the authors assembled this survey.


Popular Buddhist Texts from Nepal

Popular Buddhist Texts from Nepal

Author: Todd T. Lewis

Publisher: SUNY Press

Published: 2000-09-14

Total Pages: 260

ISBN-13: 9780791446119

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Drawing on textual and anthropological research, this book demonstrates how popular ritual texts and stories have shaped the religion and culture of the only surviving Mahayana Buddhist society, the Newars of Kathmandu.


The Jewel Ornament of Liberation

The Jewel Ornament of Liberation

Author: Gampopa

Publisher: Shambhala

Published: 1998-01-01

Total Pages: 621

ISBN-13: 1559398728

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A masterwork of Tibetan Buddhism—providing the complete foundation for study and practice—from beginning to Buddhahood. Includes teachings on Buddha-nature, finding the spiritual master, impermanence, karma, cultivation of bodhicitta, development of the six perfections, the ten bodhisattva bhumis, Buddhahood, and the activities of the Buddha.


The Buddha Speaks

The Buddha Speaks

Author: Anne Bancroft

Publisher: Shambhala Publications

Published: 2010-12-28

Total Pages: 169

ISBN-13: 0834821826

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Here is the core of the Buddha’s teaching in his own words, as it was memorized word-for-word by his disciples and written down two hundred years after his death. These selections from the Buddhist scriptures deal with the search for truth, the way of contemplation, life and death, living in community, and many other topics, serving as an excellent small introduction to the Buddha’s teaching. Whether addressed to monks and nuns, householders, outcastes, or thieves, the Buddha’s teachings are characterized by one main concern: conveying the reality of our bondage to suffering—and the supremely good news that liberation is possible. It is a concern as relevant for people today as it was for the people of north India a millennium and a half ago.


Miracles of Book and Body

Miracles of Book and Body

Author: Charlotte Eubanks

Publisher: Univ of California Press

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 0520265610

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"This is an exciting exploration of the world of Buddhist attitudes towards religious texts, from Indian scriptures to Japanese medieval tales. Its emphasis on discursive strategies—how Buddhist texts function and what they expect of their readers/users (especially, the connection between books, their content, and their readers' bodies)—is a welcome new perspective."—Fabio Rambelli, author of Buddhist Materiality "Miracles of Book and Body is fluidly written and engaging. This book brings the reader to an awareness of the range and foci of medieval 'popular' readings of sutra literature, and Eubanks provides an important perspective to interpreting these narratives that is original and stimulating."—Thomas W. Hare, author of Zeami: Performance Notes "Charlotte Eubanks' sophisticated, insightful and readable study of the physicalities of sutra texts and sutra recitation makes sense of some of the strangest phenomena in medieval Japan. By disentangling the literal and metaphorical meanings in Buddhist setsuwa, Eubanks explains such things as how memorizing a text is an embodiment thereof, how texts can become sentient beings, and why the scroll is an appropriate format for recording dharma. Her work is both important and engaging."—Margaret H. Childs, University of Kansas "Drawing on an impressive range of Mahayana scriptures and medieval Japanese didactic tales, Eubanks unpacks recurrent tropes correlating text and flesh to reveal surprising connections among the literary, material, and ritual dimensions of Buddhist textual culture. Elegantly written and theoretically astute, this volume will be welcomed not only by specialists in Buddhist literature but also by readers interested in broader issues of text-based religious practice."—Jacqueline Stone, author of Original Enlightenment and the Transformation of Medieval Japanese Buddhism


Buddhist Literature of Ancient Gandhara

Buddhist Literature of Ancient Gandhara

Author: Salomon Richard

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2018-04-17

Total Pages: 479

ISBN-13: 1614291853

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Discover the fascinating history of a long-hidden Buddhist culture at a historic crossroads. In the years following Alexander the Great’s conquest of the East, a series of empires rose up along the Silk Road. In what is now northern Pakistan, the civilizations in the region called Gandhara became increasingly important centers for the development of Buddhism, reaching their apex under King Kaniska of the Kusanas in the second century CE. Gandhara has long been known for its Greek-Indian synthesis in architecture and statuary, but until about twenty years ago, almost nothing was known about its literature. The insights provided by manuscripts unearthed over the last few decades show that Gandhara was indeed a vital link in the early development of Buddhism, instrumental in both the transmission of Buddhism to China and the rise of the Mahayana tradition. The Buddhist Literature of Ancient Gandhara surveys what we know about Gandhara and its Buddhism, and it also provides translations of a dozen different short texts, from similes and stories to treatises on time and reality.