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Publication
Oxford University Press (1998), Edition: 1, 352 pages
Description
Buddhism is a vast and complex religious and philosophical tradition with a history that stretches over 2,500 years, and which is now followed by around 115 million people. In this introduction to the foundations of Buddhism, Rupert Gethin concentrates on the ideas and practices which constitute the common heritage of the different traditions of Buddhism (Thervada, Tibetan, and Eastern) which exist in the world today.
User reviews
LibraryThing member MyopicBookworm
This book is aimed at the university student of religion, and has a strongly academic and historical focus. There are detailed discussions about the emergence of Buddhism from ancient Indian religion, the principal doctrines shared by all schools of Buddhism, and the development of the
(I was particularly intrigued by the concept of mental life as a sequence of evancescent atomic happenings, having just read Russell Hoban's SF novel Fremder, in which a similar notion underlies "flicker", a mind-mediated system of FTL travel.)
This book certainly throws into sharp relief the highly philosophical nature of much Buddhist thought: similar discussions in Western thought are the province of secular philosophy, not of religion. It does not give, or aim to give, much sense of the spiritual life of contemporary Buddhists, and its discussion of meditation is centred on Theravadin practice, offering only a few passing comments on traditions such as Zen. MB 22-ii-2008
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philosophical traditions of Asian Buddhism. For the general reader, this can result in seriously too much information, but if you need a table of the Thirty-One Realms of Existence according to the Pali sources, a resume of the development of Abhidharma literature, or an analysis of the debates about "No Self" in the fifth-century BCE, then this is the place to come. (I was particularly intrigued by the concept of mental life as a sequence of evancescent atomic happenings, having just read Russell Hoban's SF novel Fremder, in which a similar notion underlies "flicker", a mind-mediated system of FTL travel.)
This book certainly throws into sharp relief the highly philosophical nature of much Buddhist thought: similar discussions in Western thought are the province of secular philosophy, not of religion. It does not give, or aim to give, much sense of the spiritual life of contemporary Buddhists, and its discussion of meditation is centred on Theravadin practice, offering only a few passing comments on traditions such as Zen. MB 22-ii-2008
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LibraryThing member stillatim
I've read a few books on/of Buddhism, and it's pretty clear that this is a religion not well served by the publishing industry: like Christianity, it's easy to find books on Buddhism that will try to explain how Buddhism will change your life for the better; easy to find books about foundational
Well, here's one. How does Gethin do it? In part by focusing mostly on the features of Buddhism that, in his argument at least, all the schools share; and in part by being exceptionally smart and good at writing. This is not the book for you if you want a guide to practical meditation, or just generally want religion-without-religion. If you want someone to hold your hand and guide you through the wonderful, staggering maze of Buddhist thought, on the other hand, go to it.
We get summaries and discussions of the taxonomies of meditation stages, the different philosophical questions that are inevitably thrown up by the Buddha's teaching (but what is nothingness? the mind? the self? the no-self? a Buddha?). Gethin presents many of them in a handy frame: how does one explain the idea of no longer entering the chain of re-birth? What is this "nirvana" which we enter instead? You might say "well, nirvana means you cease to exist," but that doesn't seem quite right, in no small part because it's not clear what "you" "cease" and "to exist" mean. You might also say "well, nirvana is a kind of eternal state outside rebirth," but that seems wrong too. Trying to avoid these two views is the work of millenia (just like avoiding too much unity in the Christian trinity, and avoiding the total separation of the three).
Gethin traces responses to this problem through the history of southern, eastern and northern Buddhism, and even a few pages on the unfortunate adventures of Buddhism in the west. He does it clearly, concisely, and with modesty. He's probably a bit too keen to give Buddhism a united front, and to downplay disagreements, but that's the worst I can say. Highly recommended.
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figures (Buddha himself, in this case); but, unlike Christianity, it's very hard to find books that will teach you about the history of the religion from a more or less objective perspective, without being too specialized. Well, here's one. How does Gethin do it? In part by focusing mostly on the features of Buddhism that, in his argument at least, all the schools share; and in part by being exceptionally smart and good at writing. This is not the book for you if you want a guide to practical meditation, or just generally want religion-without-religion. If you want someone to hold your hand and guide you through the wonderful, staggering maze of Buddhist thought, on the other hand, go to it.
We get summaries and discussions of the taxonomies of meditation stages, the different philosophical questions that are inevitably thrown up by the Buddha's teaching (but what is nothingness? the mind? the self? the no-self? a Buddha?). Gethin presents many of them in a handy frame: how does one explain the idea of no longer entering the chain of re-birth? What is this "nirvana" which we enter instead? You might say "well, nirvana means you cease to exist," but that doesn't seem quite right, in no small part because it's not clear what "you" "cease" and "to exist" mean. You might also say "well, nirvana is a kind of eternal state outside rebirth," but that seems wrong too. Trying to avoid these two views is the work of millenia (just like avoiding too much unity in the Christian trinity, and avoiding the total separation of the three).
Gethin traces responses to this problem through the history of southern, eastern and northern Buddhism, and even a few pages on the unfortunate adventures of Buddhism in the west. He does it clearly, concisely, and with modesty. He's probably a bit too keen to give Buddhism a united front, and to downplay disagreements, but that's the worst I can say. Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member kevn57
A college text that covers Buddhism quite throughly. Starting with the history of the Buddha, his famous sutra's. Buddhist's monks, nuns and monasteries are covered, along with with the different countries and schools of Buddhism. Interesting chapter on the Buddhist Cosmos, something I know little
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of except from wuxia movies. Closes with a chapter on the evolving Buddhism that is ongoing in the east and the west. Show Less
Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1998
Physical description
352 p.; 7.74 x 5.12 inches
ISBN
0192892231 / 9780192892232