Buddhism in Practice [Hardcover]

Donald S. Lopez (Author, Editor), Donald S. Lopez (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 8121508320 | ISBN-13: 978-8121508322 | Publication Date: September 15, 1998

This anthology illustrates the vast scope of Buddhist practice in Asia, past and present, by presenting a selection of forty-eight translated texts including hagiographies, monastic rules, pilgrimage songs, apocryphal sutras, and didactic tales from India, China, Japan, Korea, Tibet, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Burma. Most of these pieces have never before been translated into a Western language, and each is preceded by a substantial introduction by its translator. Together they are designed to do nothing less than reshape the way in which Buddhism is understood.

These unusual sources provide the reader with a sense of the remarkable diversity of the practices of persons who over the course of 2,500 years have been identified, by themselves or by others, as Buddhists. In this rich variety there are often contradictions, such that the practices of one Buddhist community might seem strange or unfamiliar to another. At the same time, however, there is evidence here of many continuities among the practices of Buddhist cultures widely separated by both history and topography. From "A Hymn of Praise to the Buddha's Good Qualities" through "On Becoming a Buddhist Wizard" to "Death-Bed Testimonials of the Pure Land Faithful," the selections here are an ideal introduction to Buddhism and a source of new insights for scholars.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Buddhism in Practice . . . constitute[s] a benchmark of where Buddhist studies has been, and where it is going. By endeavoring to break the circularity of the knowledge process, by which we recognize as 'Buddhist' only what we already think of as Buddhist, Lopez has opened a new course for a self-reflexive Buddhology. --Review

These selections consistently reveal new vistas on the Buddhist landscape or illuminate old views from new angles.
(John S. Strong, Bates College ) --John S. Strong, Bates College

Review

These selections consistently reveal new vistas on the Buddhist landscape or illuminate old views from new angles.
(John S. Strong, Bates College ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 624 pages
• Publisher: Munshiram Manoharlal (September 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 8121508320
• ISBN-13: 978-8121508322
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,119,905 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Definitely worth buying, but it's not the whole picture, April 2, 2002

By 

Gregory Malivuk (Michigan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Buddhism in Practice (Paperback)

This book lives up to its title in that it is an excellent introduction to the ways Buddhism is actually practiced. However, readers looking for an introduction to Buddhist philosophy should start somewhere else. Lopez seems to take for granted that readers know about the basic precepts of Buddhism, and spends his time in this book expounding on how different sects put those precepts into practice.

If someone reads this before developing a familiarity with the beautiful philosophical side of Buddhism, he or she runs the risk of coming away dissilusioned and thinking that Buddhism is too steeped in religiosity and obsession with ritual to have much philosophical merit.