The Buddha before Buddhism

The Buddha before Buddhism PDF Author: Gil Fronsdal
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
ISBN: 0834840421
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 160

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Book Description
In the tradition of the best-selling Dhammapada: a translation with commentary of one of the earliest of the surviving Buddhist texts, which reveals the teachings to be remarkably simple and free of religious trappings. One of the earliest of all Buddhist texts, the Atthakavagga, or "Book of Eights," is a remarkable document, not only because it comes from the earliest strain of the literature--before the Buddha, as the title suggests, came to be thought of as a "Buddhist"--but also because its approach to awakening is so simple and free of adherence to any kind of ideology. Instead the Atthakavaggapoints to a direct and simple approach for attaining peace without requiring the adherence to doctrine. The value of the teachings it contains is not in the profundity of their philosophy or in their authority as scripture; rather, the value is found in the results they bring to those who live by them. Instead of doctrines to be believed, the Book of Eights describes means or practices for realizing peace. Gil Fronsdal's rigorous translation with commentary reveals the text to be of interest not only to Buddhists, but also to the ever-growing demographic of spiritual-but-not-religious, who seek a spiritual life outside the structures of religion.

The Buddha before Buddhism

The Buddha before Buddhism PDF Author: Gil Fronsdal
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
ISBN: 0834840421
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 160

Get Book

Book Description
In the tradition of the best-selling Dhammapada: a translation with commentary of one of the earliest of the surviving Buddhist texts, which reveals the teachings to be remarkably simple and free of religious trappings. One of the earliest of all Buddhist texts, the Atthakavagga, or "Book of Eights," is a remarkable document, not only because it comes from the earliest strain of the literature--before the Buddha, as the title suggests, came to be thought of as a "Buddhist"--but also because its approach to awakening is so simple and free of adherence to any kind of ideology. Instead the Atthakavaggapoints to a direct and simple approach for attaining peace without requiring the adherence to doctrine. The value of the teachings it contains is not in the profundity of their philosophy or in their authority as scripture; rather, the value is found in the results they bring to those who live by them. Instead of doctrines to be believed, the Book of Eights describes means or practices for realizing peace. Gil Fronsdal's rigorous translation with commentary reveals the text to be of interest not only to Buddhists, but also to the ever-growing demographic of spiritual-but-not-religious, who seek a spiritual life outside the structures of religion.

The Buddha before Buddhism

The Buddha before Buddhism PDF Author: Gil Fronsdal
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
ISBN: 1611803241
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 193

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Book Description
This easy-to-understand translation of one of the earliest surviving Buddhist texts offers a pathway to awakening that is simple, straightforward, and free of religious doctrine One of the earliest of all Buddhist texts, the Atthakavagga, or “Book of Eights,” is a remarkable document, not only because it comes from the earliest strain of the literature—before the Buddha, as the title suggests, came to be thought of as a “Buddhist”—but also because its approach to awakening is so simple and free of adherence to any kind of ideology. Instead the Atthakavagga points to a direct and simple approach for attaining peace without requiring the adherence to doctrine. The value of the teachings it contains is not in the profundity of their philosophy or in their authority as scripture; rather, the value is found in the results they bring to those who live by them. Instead of doctrines to be believed, the “Book of Eights” describes means or practices for realizing peace. Gil Fronsdal’s rigorous translation with commentary reveals the text to be of interest not only to Buddhists, but also to the ever-growing demographic of spiritual-but-not-religious, who seek a spiritual life outside the structures of religion.

The Buddha before Buddhism

The Buddha before Buddhism PDF Author: Gil Fronsdal
Publisher: Jaico Publishing House
ISBN: 938686729X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 192

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Book Description
WISDOM FROM THE EARLY TEACHINGS Don’t chase the past Or long for the future. The past is left behind; The future is not yet reached. For one who knows, who has no agitation, There is no karmic accumulation. —from ‘The Discourse on Being Violent’, The Book of Eights Gil Fronsdal’s The Buddha before Buddhism is an elegant translation of Buddhist poems from the Atthakavagga or The Book of Eights, which is believed to be part of the Buddha’s first teachings. In this anthology, reality is not divided into a conditioned, worldly realm and an unconditioned, transcendent realm far removed from ordinary human life, which is a deviation from the usual Buddhist texts. Instead, the teachings point to peace that can be found in this life, in this world. This collection of 16 poems points to a direct and simple approach for attaining peace without requiring an adherence to any specific ideology. In contrast to later Buddhist teachings that are predicated on the belief in rebirth, this book’s central theme is the joy that comes from recognizing and letting go of attachment to the illusory views that create suffering. Gil Fronsdal is co-teacher at the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, California. He received his PhD. in religious studies from Stanford University. He has published a highly praised translation of the Dhammapada, as well as two other books: The Issue at Hand and A Monastery Within.

Early Buddhist Theory of Knowledge

Early Buddhist Theory of Knowledge PDF Author: K N Jayatilleke
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134542879
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 525

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Book Description
The author of this volume, an accomplished philologist, historian and philosopher, analyzes the relevant earlier and later texts and traces the epistemological foundations of Pali canonical thought from the Vedic period onwards. Originally published in 1963, it sheds new light on later developments and elucidates from the Indian point of view some of the basic problems of the conflict between metaphysics and logical and linguistic analysis.

Early Buddhism: A New Approach

Early Buddhism: A New Approach PDF Author: Sue Hamilton-Blyth
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136843000
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 252

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Book Description
New interpretations of the central teachings of early Buddhism, mainly the relationship between identity and perception in early Buddhism.

Sons of the Buddha

Sons of the Buddha PDF Author: Kamala Tiyavanich
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 0861715365
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 306

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Book Description
A preacher must have common sense, knowing how to turn everyday life experience into Dharma lessons, and assess an audience to maximize communications with them. "Sons of the Buddha" shows how three boys evolved into remarkable exponents of this ideal. Filled with lively anecdotes and illustrations, and brimming with local color, the book shows how each worked successfully to change moral attitudes and Dharma practices, restore Buddhism's social dimension, bridge the divide between laypeople and monastics, and champion tolerance toward other religions.

Behold the Buddha

Behold the Buddha PDF Author: James C. Dobbins
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
ISBN: 0824879996
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 288

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Book Description
Images of the Buddha are everywhere—not just in temples but also in museums and homes and online—but what these images mean largely depends on the background and circumstance of those viewing them. In Behold the Buddha, James Dobbins invites readers to imagine how premodern Japanese Buddhists understood and experienced icons in temple settings long before the advent of museums and the internet. Although widely portrayed in the last century as visual emblems of great religious truths or as exquisite works of Asian art, Buddhist images were traditionally treated as the very embodiment of the Buddha, his palpable presence among people. Hence, Buddhists approached them as living entities in their own right—that is, as awakened icons with whom they could interact religiously. Dobbins begins by reflecting on art museums, where many non-Buddhists first encounter images of the Buddha, before outlining the complex Western response to them in previous centuries. He next elucidates images as visual representations of the story of the Buddha’s life followed by an overview of the physical attributes and symbolic gestures found in Buddhist iconography. A variety of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and other divinities commonly depicted in Japanese Buddhism is introduced, and their “living” quality discussed in the context of traditional temples and Buddhist rituals. Finally, other religious objects in Japanese Buddhism—relics, scriptures, inscriptions, portraits of masters, and sacred sites—are explained using the Buddhist icon as a model. Dobbins concludes by contemplating art museums further as potential sites for discerning the religious character of Buddhist images. Those interested in Buddhism generally who would like to learn more about its rich iconography—whether encountered in temples or museums—will find much in this concise, well-illustrated volume to help them “behold the Buddha.”

The Historical Buddha

The Historical Buddha PDF Author: Hans Wolfgang Schumann
Publisher: Motilal Banarsidass Publ.
ISBN: 9788120818170
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 306

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Book Description
No man has had a greater inflience on the spiritual development of his people than Siddartha Gautama. Born in India in the sixth century BC into a nation hungry for spiritual experience, he developed a religious and moral teaching that, to this day, brings comfort and peace to all who practise it. This comprehensive biography examines the social, religious and political conditions that gave rise to Buddhism as we now know it.

The Concept of the Buddha

The Concept of the Buddha PDF Author: Guang Xing
Publisher: Psychology Press
ISBN: 041533344X
Category : Buddha (The concept).
Languages : en
Pages : 270

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Book Description
Guang Xing gives an analysis of one of the fundamental Mahayana Buddhist teachings, namely the three bodies of the Buddha (the trikaya Theory), which is considered the foundation of Mahayana philosophy. He examines how and why the philosophical concept of three bodies was formed, particularly the Sambhogakaya, which is the Buddha to be worshipped by all Mayahanists. Written in an accessible way, this work is an outstanding research text for students and scholars of Mayahana Buddhism and anyone interested in Buddhist philosophy.

The Buddha and the Bard

The Buddha and the Bard PDF Author: Lauren Shufran
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN:
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 200

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Book Description
What does Shakespeare have to teach us about mindfulness? What Eastern spiritual views about death, love, and presence are reflected in the writings of The Bard? The Buddha and the Bard reveals the surprising connections between the 2,500-year-old spiritual leader and the most compelling writer of all time. “Shufran’s compelling juxtapositions will encourage the reader to ask the deepest questions of themselves while delighting in the play of resonances across a cultural and historical divide.” – YOGA Magazine Shakespeare understood and represented the human condition better than any writer of his time. As for the Buddha, he saw how to liberate us from that condition. Author Lauren Shufran explores the fascinating interplay of Western drama and Eastern philosophy by pairing quotes from Shakespeare with the tenets of an Eastern spiritual practice, sparking a compelling dialogue between the two. There’s a remarkable interchange of echoes between Shakespeare’s conception of “the inward man” and Buddhist approaches to recognizing, honoring, and working with our humanness as we play out our roles on the “stage” of our lives. The Buddha and the Bard synthesizes literature and scripture, embodied drama and transcendent practice, to shape a multifaceted lyric that we can apply as mindful practice in our own lives. Shufran’s compelling juxtapositions will encourage the reader to ask the deepest questions of themselves while delighting in the play of resonances across a cultural and historical divide.