THE BUDDHIST WAY OF LIFE ITS PHILOSOPHY AIM HISTORY This study of Buddhism deals with the early tradition, followed by a brief consideration of its historicity, and the form the religion takes in Ceylon, Burma and Thailand. Then the mainline of development, in India, China and Japan comes under survey. Limits of space prevent any reference to Tibetan and other lesser branches of the faith, but this account attempts to focus essential Buddhism in both its chief schools, the Lesser and Greater Vehicle, together with an estimate of the influence of philosophy on sect and of both on the practical affairs of history. Contents SECTION I. EARLY SOURCES 1. Getama's Heritage 2. The Pali Records SECTION II. TICE TRADITION 3. The Enlightenment 4. The Jewels, Buddha & Dharma 5_ The Third. Jecvel, Sangho SECTION III INTERPRETATION 6. The Getama of History 7. Asoka SECTION IV. EARLY DIFFERENCES 8 Councils and Sciuxds 9. The Lesser Vehicle 10. Widening Hosizaas 11. Nalanda University SECTION V WORLD RELIGION 12 The Boddhisattva 13 The Chinese Cont on 14. The Chinese Interpretation 15. Sung and After 16. The Japanese Nation 17. Japan's Interpretation SECTION VI. CONCLUDING THOUGHTS 18. East and West

"A clear, exhilarating exposition of the Buddhist way, well understood, well made, fun to read, and simple in the very best sense of the word—just as it should be!" —Peter Matthiessen, National Book Award Winner of In Paradise A fascinating volume that explains the origins, development and basic principles of the religion followed by nearly one-quarter of the people on earth.

From one of America’s most brilliant writers, a New York Times bestselling journey through psychology, philosophy, and lots of meditation to show how Buddhism holds the key to moral clarity and enduring happiness. At the heart of Buddhism is a simple claim: The reason we suffer—and the reason we make other people suffer—is that we don’t see the world clearly. At the heart of Buddhist meditative practice is a radical promise: We can learn to see the world, including ourselves, more clearly and so gain a deep and morally valid happiness. In this “sublime” (The New Yorker), pathbreaking book, Robert Wright shows how taking this promise seriously can change your life—how it can loosen the grip of anxiety, regret, and hatred, and how it can deepen your appreciation of beauty and of other people. He also shows why this transformation works, drawing on the latest in neuroscience and psychology, and armed with an acute understanding of human evolution. This book is the culmination of a personal journey that began with Wright’s landmark book on evolutionary psychology, The Moral Animal, and deepened as he immersed himself in meditative practice and conversed with some of the world’s most skilled meditators. The result is a story that is “provocative, informative and...deeply rewarding” (The New York Times Book Review), and as entertaining as it is illuminating. Written with the wit, clarity, and grace for which Wright is famous, Why Buddhism Is True lays the foundation for a spiritual life in a secular age and shows how, in a time of technological distraction and social division, we can save ourselves from ourselves, both as individuals and as a species.

"In this wide-ranging and field-changing work Steven Collins argues that the study of Theravada Buddhism needs to separated from the rather dated and stagnant field of textual history and approached both "civilizationally" and as a "practice of the self." By civilizationally, he means that instead of seeing Buddhism as a set of "original" teachings of the so-called historical Buddha from the 5th century BC to the present, it should rather be viewed as an effort by many teachers and visionaries over time to make sense of what it means to lead a worthy life. The purveyors of Buddhist philosophy did not consider themselves to be preservers of an archaic body of rules and ethical guidelines; they were designing a dynamic way of living and confronting human problems in a timeless way. Using approaches to the very idea of the self promoted by Foucault and Hadot, he compares Theravada Buddhist ways of understanding and "practicing" the self to modernist and postmodernist ideas about "philosophy as a way of life." Rather than applying positivist and historicist approaches, Buddhism should be assessed philosophically, literarily, and ethically, using its own vocabulary and rhetorical tools. Treated in this manner, Buddhist notions of the self can be applied to contemporary ideas of self-care and the promotion of human flourishing. The book covers topics such as spiritual practice, ultimate versus provisional truth, systematic versus narrative thinking, meditation versus virtue, and history versus philosophy. It is a bold and complex way of understanding the impact that Buddhist ways of knowing can have in the world today, bringing them into conversation with modern psychology, literary studies, ethics, gender and sexuality studies, and philosophy"--

The essential principles of Buddhism and the Buddhist way of life are accessible to beginners, and this clear presentation will also inspire those who have been practicing for years.

David J. Kalupahana's Buddhist Philosophy: A Historical Analysis has, since its original publication in 1976, offered an unequaled introduction to the philosophical principles and historical development of Buddhism. Now, representing the culmination of Dr. Kalupahana's thirty years of scholarly research and reflection, A History of Buddhist Philosophy builds upon and surpasses that earlier work, providing a completely reconstructed, detailed analysis of both early and later Buddhism.