Manual of Key Buddhist Terms LOTSAWA KAWA PALTSEG In order to understand Buddhism clearly, we need to have a good knowledge of Buddhist terminology. This text, written by an 8th century Tibetan translator named Kawa Paltseg, introduces us to a world of definitive Buddhist terminology. In addition to clearly categorizing many key Buddhist terms, the author provides comprehensive lists with commentaries of the terms through which the reader can learn about the world of Buddhism: its psychology, cosmology, philosophical outlook and other aspects.
PUBLISHER'S NOTE This book, "A Manual of Key Buddhist Terms," by an 8th century Tibetan translator, Lotsawa Kaba Paltseg, provides a lists of key Buddhist terms with useful commentaries. The text precisely deals with such topics as the nature of the person; discussion on the method by which the individual relates to the world and the consequences that follow from that; the law of dependent origination; the nature of emptiness; the path to Buddhahood from two different angles, and various qualities of beings not yet freed from cyclic existence (samsara ), etc. Prepared in an easily comprehendable way, this handy booklet will be of immense use to students and scholars of Buddhism as a ready reference. Ven. Thupten Rikey and Andrew Ruskin are to be complemented for their efforts in translating this valuable text. Gyatsho Tshering Director January 1992
Since its first publication in 1952, Buddhist Dictionary has been a trusted companion and helper in the study of Buddhist literature. The author, Nyanatiloka Thera, was qualified as few others have ever been to serve as a reliable guide through the field of Theravada Buddhist terminology and doctrine. In this book he offers authentic and lucid explanations of Pali Buddhist terms, with cross-references in English and source references as well. Amidst the welter of modern works on Buddhism, and translations differing one from the other, this book will help in identifying the doctrinal terms and in correcting misleading renderings. Not a mere word dictionary but an aid to the terminology of Theravada Buddhism. Buddhist Dictionary will be as helpful to the serious lay student as to the professional scholar.
This highly important book translates and clearly explains foundational Pali terms that are vital to a complete understanding of Buddhist philosophy and religion. It is an accurate, detailed, and authentic Buddhist dictionary of doctrinal terms from the Pali Canon and its Commentaries. It is of value for understanding the early Buddhist tradition and the Theravada tradition which grew out of it, but does not cover the later Buddhist traditions. The author, Nyanatiloka, was a German monk who compiled the book while interned in India by the British during World War II. Since then, it has been enlarged and revised-this being the third revised and enlarged edition. The main entries are listed under the Pali terms, and the English expressions commonly used are explained and included. Original Pali words are often used in Buddhist texts and remain untranslated, since writers often did not know their accurate meanings. Therefore, this book is widely known as an essential work for all serious students of Buddhism.
The Dictionary details the characteristic attributes,chronology and symbolism of over twelve thousand main and minor deities.It reflects the extraordinary cultural, literary,aesthetic and spiritual achievements of several nations of Asia over two millennia.It will help to identify the masterpieces along with the profusion of masters and divine beings around them.The last few decades have seen an exuberant flourishing of the study and popularisation of the patrimony of Buddhist art for its aesthetic magnificence.This Dictionary will add a dimension of precision and depth of perception to the visual tradition of paintings and sculptures.
Over the past century, Buddhism has come to be seen as a world religion, exceeding Christianity in longevity and, according to many, philosophical wisdom. Buddhism has also increasingly been described as strongly ethical, devoted to nonviolence, and dedicated to bringing an end to human suffering. And because it places such a strong emphasis on rational analysis, Buddhism is considered more compatible with science than the other great religions. As such, Buddhism has been embraced in the West, both as an alternative religion and as an alternative to religion. This volume provides a unique introduction to Buddhism by examining categories essential for a nuanced understanding of its traditions. Each of the fifteen essays here shows students how a fundamental term—from art to word—illuminates the practice of Buddhism, both in traditional Buddhist societies and in the realms of modernity. Apart from Buddha, the list of terms in this collection deliberately includes none that are intrinsic to the religion. Instead, the contributors explore terms that are important for many fields and that invite interdisciplinary reflection. Through incisive discussions of topics ranging from practice, power, and pedagogy to ritual, history, sex, and death, the authors offer new directions for the understanding of Buddhism, taking constructive and sometimes polemical positions in an effort both to demonstrate the shortcomings of assumptions about the religion and the potential power of revisionary approaches. Following the tradition of Critical Terms for Religious Studies, this volume is not only an invaluable resource for the classroom but one that belongs on the short list of essential books for anyone seriously interested in Buddhism and Asian religions.
"This landmark collection is the definitive introduction to the Buddha's teachings in his own words. The American scholar monk Bhikkhu Bodhi, whose voluminous translations have won widespread acclaim, here presents selected discourses of the Buddha from the Pali Canon, the earliest record of what the Buddha taught. Divided into ten thematic chapters, In the Buddha's Words reveals the full scope of the Buddha's discourses, from family life and marriage to renunciation and the path of insight. A concise informative introduction precedes each chapter, guiding the reader toward a deeper understanding of the texts that follow." "In the Buddha's Words allows even readers unacquainted with Buddhism to grasp the significance of the Buddha's contributions to our world heritage. Taken as a whole, these texts bear eloquent testimony to the breadth and intelligence of the Buddha's teachings, and point the way to an ancient yet ever vital path. Students and seekers alike will find this systematic presentation indispensable."--BOOK JACKET.
Derived from a Buddhist funerary text, this famous volume's timeless wisdom includes instructions for attaining enlightenment, preparing for the process of dying, and moving through the various stages of rebirth.
The very idea that the teachings can be mastered will arouse controversy within Buddhist circles. Even so, Ingram insists that enlightenment is an attainable goal, once our fanciful notions of it are stripped away, and we have learned to use meditation as a method for examining reality rather than an opportunity to wallow in self-absorbed mind-noise. Ingram sets out concisely the difference between concentration-based and insight (vipassana) meditation; he provides example practices; and most importantly he presents detailed maps of the states of mind we are likely to encounter, and the stages we must negotiate as we move through clearly-defined cycles of insight. Its easy to feel overawed, at first, by Ingram's assurance and ease in the higher levels of consciousness, but consistently he writes as a down-to-earth and compassionate guide, and to the practitioner willing to commit themselves this is a glittering gift of a book.In this new edition of the bestselling book, the author rearranges, revises and expands upon the original material, as well as adding new sections that bring further clarity to his ideas.
Since the Buddha did not fully explain the theory of persons that underlies his teaching, in later centuries a number of different interpretations were developed. This book presents the interpretation by the celebrated Indian Buddhist philosopher, Candrakīrti (ca. 570–650 C.E.). Candrakīrti’s fullest statement of the theory is included in his Autocommentary on the Introduction to the Middle Way (Madhyamakāvatārabhasya), which is, along with his Introduction to the Middle Way (Madhyamakāvatāra ), among the central treatises that present the Prāsavgika account of the Madhyamaka (Middle Way) philosophy. In this book, Candrakīrti’s most complete statement of his theory of persons is translated and provided with an introduction and commentary that present a careful philosophical analysis of Candrakīrti’s account of the selflessness of persons. This analysis is both philologically precise and analytically sophisticated. The book is of interest to scholars of Buddhism generally and especially to scholars of Indian Buddhist philosophy.
