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A clear, elegant clarification of the basic teachings of early Buddhism, ideal for both general readers and scholars. Discover the birth of Buddhism and the essentials of Buddhist teachings with this clear, comprehensive explanation of early Buddhism’s key doctrines. You’ll come away with: insight into the beginning of Buddhism and the significance of its core beliefs—dependent arising, non-self, moral life, the diagnosis of the human condition, the critique of theoretical views, and the nature of Nibbana; a lucid understanding of the Buddha’s challenge to the concept of the subject as a self-entity and the reality of both the subject and object, perceiver and perceived, as a dynamic process; a grasp of early Buddhist teachings as representing a middle position (equally aloof from spiritual eternalism and materialist annihilation) and a middle path (equally aloof from self-mortification and sensual indulgence); and the experience of the Buddha’s teachings on attaining liberation as comprehensible, sensible, and something we can make part of our own practice.
A fluent English explanation of the Theravada Buddhist analysis of matter for serious students of Buddhist thought. In The Buddhist Analysis of Matter, renowned scholar Y. Karunadasa interprets the Buddhist view of matter as presented in Theravada Buddhism, based on the Abhidhamma. His comprehensive work draws on both the earlier period containing the seven manuals of the Abhidhamma Pitaka and the later period containing Abhidhammic commentaries, sub-commentaries, and such compendiums as the Abhidhammatthasangaha of Acariya Anuruddha. In order to bring the subject into a wider perspective, and for more precision, Karunadasa considers the (non-Theravada) Vaibhasika and Sautrantika schools of ...
A lucid explanation of the basic contours of the Theravada Abhidamma system for serious students of Buddhist thought. The renowned Sri Lankan scholar Y. Karunadasa examines Abhidhamma perspectives on the nature of phenomenal existence. He begins with a discussion of dhamma theory, which describes the bare phenomena that form the world of experience. He then explains the Abhidhamma view that only dhammas are real, and that anything other than these basic phenomena are conceptual constructs. This, he argues, is Abhidhamma’s answer to common-sense realism—the mistaken view that the world as it appears to us is ultimately real. Among the other topics discussed are the theory of double truth ...
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Meditation is an essential part of the Buddhist way of life and Buddhist meditation practices cannot be explained apart from the fundamental doctrines of Buddhism. Buddhaghosa, the author of the Visuddhimagga (The Path of Purification), gave elaborate expositions of these fundamental doctrines. As such his work has served not only as a manual of meditation but also as the standard work on Theravada Buddhism as a whole. No other school of Buddhism has handed down to us a work of such importance. Therefore the Visuddhimagga occupies a unique position in the field of Buddhism in particular and the religious literature of the world in general. What is to the advantage of the scholar is sometimes to the disadvantage of the layman. While going through the elaborate explanations of a certain topic in the Visuddhimagga, one is liable to lose its thread and become confused. This book gives a clear outline of the system and its essential points so that the details can be understood without much difficulty.
Esta coleção de escritos -- as explicações de Goenkaji sobre o ensinamento do Buda, os versos das escrituras do Buda, histórias poéticas de monges e de monjas do tempo do Buda, relatos de amigos meditadores – nasce da aceitação da verdade sobre o sofrimento. Contém exemplos inspiradores de pessoas que adquiriram força e degustaram a liberdade por meio de sua prática, e demonstra, de forma convincente, a eficácia do Caminho, a saída do sofrimento.
The Pali word mettā; is a multi-significant term meaning loving-kindness, friendliness, goodwill, etc. If these qualities of mettā are sufficiently cultivated through mettābhāvanā the meditation on universal love the result is the acquisition of a tremendous inner power which preserves, protects and heals both oneself and others. The present booklet aims at exploring the various facets of mettā both in theory and in practice. The examination of the doctrinal and ethical side of mettā will proceed through a study of the popular Karaniyametta Sutta, the Buddha s Discourse of Universal Love and several other short texts. The explanation of the meditation on universal love will give practical directions for developing this type of contemplation as set forth in the main meditation texts of the Theravada Buddhist tradition.
Renowned for the beauty and simplicity of his teachings, Ajahn Chah was Thailand's best-known meditation teacher. His charisma and wisdom influenced many American and European seekers, and helped shape the American Vipassana community. This collection brings together for the first time Ajahn Chah's most powerful teachings, including those on meditation, liberation from suffering, calming the mind, enlightenment and the 'living dhamma'. Most of these talks have previously only been available in limited, private editions and the publication of Food for the Heart therefore represents a momentous occasion: the hugely increased accessibility of his words and wisdom. Western teachers such as Ram Dass and Jack Kornfield have extolled Chah's teachings for years and now readers can experience them directly in this book.
The Work of Kings is a stunning new look at the turbulent modern history and sociology of the Sri Lankan Buddhist Monkhood and its effects upon contemporary society. Using never-before translated Sinhalese documents and extensive interviews with monks, Sri Lankan anthropologist H.L. Seneviratne unravels the inner workings of this New Buddhism and the ideology on which it is based. Beginning with Anagarika Dharmapala's "rationalization" of Buddhism in the early twentieth century, which called for monks to take on a more activist role in the community, Seneviratne shows how the monks have gradually revised their role to include involvement in political and economic spheres. The altruistic, morally pure monks of Dharamapala's dreams have become, Seneviratne trenchantly argues, self-centered and arrogant, concealing self-aggrandizement behind a façade of "social service." A compelling call for reform and a forceful analysis, The Work of Kings is essential to anthropologists, historians of religion, and those interested in colonialism, nationalism, and postcolonial politics.
Drawing on early Vedic sutras and Pali texts as well as archaeological and epigraphical material, this book provides a thorough analysis of the rituals and social customs surrounding death in the Theravada tradition of Sri Lanka.