In these articles, Gregory Schopen once again displays the erudition and originality that have contributed to a major shift in the way that Indian Buddhism is perceived, understood, and studied.

The second in a series of collected essays looking at Indian Buddhism.

Buddhist Nuns, Monks, and Other Worldly Matters: Recent Papers on Monastic Buddhism in India is the fourth in a series of collected essays by one of today’s most distinguished scholars of Indian Buddhism. In these articles Gregory Schopen once again displays the erudition and originality that have contributed to a major shift in the way that Indian Buddhism is perceived, understood, and studied.

Explore the three great teachings of the Buddha with this plain-English primer • The First Turning of the Wheel: Insight into the nature of suffering—and the way out of it—from the four noble truths and the eightfold path • The Second Turning of the Wheel: Teachings on emptiness from the Heart Sutra and the Diamond Sutra • The Third Turning of the Wheel: Guidance for practitioners and teachings on awakened Buddha nature In clear language, James William Coleman, professor of sociology at the California Polytechnic State University, guides us through the ancient sutras that preserve the Buddha’s message, illuminating their meaning for today’s world and tying the Buddha’s wisdom together for us. The book concludes with chapters from two great teachers, Reb Anderson from the Zen tradition and Lama Palden from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, on how to use meditation to bring the Buddha’s wisdom into our daily lives. Table of Contents: Introduction: The Wheel of Dharma Part I: The Three Turnings of the Wheel 1. The First Turning of the Wheel: The Four Noble Truths and the Pali Canon 2. The Second Turning of the Wheel: Emptiness and the Perfection of Wisdom 3. The Third Turning of the Wheel: Untying the Knot of the Sutra of the Explanation of the Profound Secrets Part II: Turning the Wheel in the Twenty-First Century 4. Practicing the Dream 5. Tasting the Truth of the Buddha’s Words: A Zen Perspective by Reb Anderson Roshi 6. Envisioning Tara: A Vajrayana Perspective by Lama Palden Drolma 7. The Buddha’s Dream

Originating in India, Mahayana Buddhism spread across Asia, becoming the prevalent form of Buddhism in Tibet and East Asia. Over the last twenty-five years Western interest in Mahayana has increased considerably, reflected both in the quantity of scholarly material produced and in the attraction of Westerners towards Tibetan Buddhism and Zen. Paul Williams’ Mahayana Buddhism is widely regarded as the standard introduction to the field, used internationally for teaching and research and has been translated into several European and Asian languages. This new edition has been fully revised throughout in the light of the wealth of new studies and focuses on the religion’s diversity and richness. It includes much more material on China and Japan, with appropriate reference to Nepal, and for students who wish to carry their study further there is a much-expanded bibliography and extensive footnotes and cross-referencing. Everyone studying this important tradition will find Williams’ book the ideal companion to their studies.