Review
"Buddhism" is very complex: doctrine, schools, stories, symbols, cultures, deeds. One aim of this study is to elucidate this complexity and reflect on mainstream Theravaadin perspectives, beginning with an analysis of keywords, problems of translation, use of terms, and the dominance of English keywords. It goes on to examine methodological questions, comparative analysis, critical questions about rebirth, no-self, kamma, concluding with chapters on comparative ethics, and extensive indices and bibliography. "He interrogates the primary texts, probes the earliest traditions related to Theravaada Buddhism, returning time and again to key questions. While doing so he reminds us that words matter, and that their meaning is to be discerned in a particular language, in a particular historical context. He leads us to reflect on etymologies, and on the range of meaning held by key English and Paali words....That journey takes us through dictionaries and modern scholarship, East and West." -Michael Desjardins, Professor, Dept of Religion and Culture, Wilfrid Laurier University"
