Andr Bareau (19211993) was one of the foremost scholars of Buddhism of his generation. Dissatisfied with piecemeal and contradictory information on early Buddhist schools, he set out to construct a coherent and authoritative overview, which has remained

I have written this book, Buddho, so that readers will come to understand the correct meaning and use of the word “Buddho.” There are those who wrongly believe that by just reciting the word “Buddho” they are able to rid defilements and cravings (kilesa) from their minds, then expecting wisdom to arise which will enable them to realize how thing really are (the Truth). However, just reciting repetitiously the parikamma word “Buddho” does not make one reach purity of mind (citta) and gain Noble Fruitions, and Nibbana. The use of the word “Buddho” has two distinct applications in these Dhamma practices: Samatha (tranquility meditation) Vipassana (gaining wisdom) These two types of Dhamma practice, samatha and vipassana, have different purposes and ways to practice. You will know and understand those differences by reading this book. Please read with rational discernment and come to the correct understanding. Once you understand the correct meaning and use of “Buddho,” Dhamma practice will not be confusing. In your present life, if you have accumulated sufficient merit and virtue (parami), you shall reach one of the four stages of Noble Fruitions. If not, you will reincarnate in the era of the next Lord Buddha, Buddha Metteyya.” You will listen to his Dhamma, develop wisdom and see the Truth. You will reach the ultimate state of Nibbana, becoming an arahant. In the present life, consider yourself as a lucky person to become a Buddhist disciple. Do not let this good opportunity go by. Put forth great effort to practice Dhamma and strive to accumulate merit and virtue. If you miss this good opportunity in the present life, it is uncertain that you will reincarnate to become a Buddhist again as in the present life. In this life, you have responsibilities and work to do, so just keep doing them as your duty. As your special task, keep practicing Dhamma and accumulate virtue and merit, for these will go with you when you pass away from this world. It will be the benefit of life and your real treasure. Finally, my wish for you is that you gain discernment and wisdom to see the real view of the Truth in this present life. Phra Acariya Thoon Khippapanno

Renowned scholar-monk writes accessibly on some of the most contentious topics in Buddhism—guaranteed to ruffle some feathers. Armed with his rigorous examination of the canonical records, respected scholar-monk Bhikkhu Analayo explores—and sharply criticizes—four examples of what he terms “superiority conceit” in Buddhism: the androcentric tendency to prevent women from occupying leadership roles, be these as fully ordained monastics or as advanced bodhisattvas the Mahayana notion that those who don’t aspire to become bodhisattvas are inferior practitioners the Theravada belief that theirs is the most original expression of the Buddha’s teaching the Secular Buddhist claim to understand the teachings of the Buddha more accurately than traditionally practicing Buddhists Ven. Analayo challenges the scriptural basis for these conceits and points out that adhering to such notions of superiority is not, after all, conducive to practice. “It is by diminishing ego, letting go of arrogance, and abandoning conceit that one becomes a better Buddhist,” he reminds us, “no matter what tradition one may follow.” Thoroughly researched, Superiority Conceit in Buddhist Traditions provides an accessible approach to these conceits as academic subjects. Readers will find it not only challenges their own intellectual understandings but also improves their personal practice.

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.

This book brings together six essays on the origin and history of the bodhisattva ideal and the emergence of the Mahāyana. The essays approach the subject from different perspectives—from scholarly examinations of the terms in the Nikayas and Agamas to the relationship of the bodhisattva ideal and the arahant ideal within the broader context of the social environment in which Mahayana formed and further developments that lead to the formulation of the fully fledged bodhisattva path. As such, the collection provides a good overview for a wider Buddhist readership of the history of changes that eventually led to the emergence of the Mahayana. “Arahants, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas”, by Bhikkhu Bodhi“The Bodhisattva Ideal in Theravāda Theory and Practice”, by Jeffrey Samuels“Bodhi and Arahattaphala From Early Buddhism to Early Mahāyāna”, by Karel Werner“Vaidalya, Mahāyāna, and Bodhisatva in India: An Essay Towards Historical Understanding”, by Peter Skilling“The Evolution of the Bodhisattva concept in Early Buddhist Canonical Literature”, by Bhikkhu Anālayo“Orality, writing and authority in South Asian Buddhism: Visionary Literature and the Struggle for Legitimacy in the Mahāyāna”, by David McMahan

Why are there so many schools of Buddhism? Are the differences just cultural, or do they have fundamentally different visions of Dhamma? This work assesses the claims of the traditions, and takes into account to findings of modern scholarship. It pays special attention to the origins of the monastic orders. If we are to understand the differences, and sometimes tensions, between the schools of Buddhism today, we must examine more closely the forces that spurred their formation.