This historical introduction to Buddhism presents students with an engaging exploration of the diversity of thoughts and practices of a wide segment of followers of the Buddha. It covers five main aspects of Buddhism: ritual, devotionalism, doctrine, meditation, practice, and institutional history.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
an excellent resource,
By J-C Derricault "theoretical panoptician" (New Haven, CT United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Buddhist Religions: A Historical Introduction (Religious Life in History) (Paperback)
I used an earlier edition of this book and the companion Experience of Buddhism in an introductory buddhism course in college, and found (and still find) both to be exremely useful as overviews and wide-ranging sourcebooks for information about the full spectrum of buddhist practice and thought. I'm not sure what grammatical errors the previous reviewer refers to -- perhaps peculiar to the present edition -- but I grew up to be an english teacher and recall no such dramatic flaws and logical inconsistency. As textbooks, both are definitely expensive, but actually are the best resources I can think of for an overview of the whole religion rather than one specific branch of it. (Though it is true that the writing in this particular book is a bit dry -- it is a textbook, after all).
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
best overview of the Buddhist tradition,
By
This review is from: Buddhist Religions: A Historical Introduction (Religious Life in History) (Paperback)
The one star review below was likely made by someone who read an early edition of the book - the past two editions have been an ambitious re-write by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. The result is a book whose clarity is unmatched by any other text I've come across that addresses the history of Buddhism.
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Overview,
By Vimalakirti (Chicago, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Buddhist Religions: A Historical Introduction (Religious Life in History) (Paperback)
I have taught from this book for several years, and I believe it is one of the best Buddhism survey textbooks available. The current edition is as much the work of Thanissaro Bikkhu as it is Willard Robinson. Bikkhu incorporates much of the most recent scholarship in Buddhist studies from scholars such as Gregory Schopen, Donald Lopez, etc.
There are no grammatical mistakes I am aware of in the current edition. I suspect the book's only one-star rating came from a disgruntled student. This is not a book that dumbs down the Buddhist religion, or attempts to please everyone. It uses sophisticated language and presents a definite pont of view. As such, it may not be appropriate for underclassmen at some colleges. Strong's anthology "The Experience of Buddhism" is paired by the publisher with this text, and it too is excellent.
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Inside This Book
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Citations (learn more)
37
books
cite this book:
See all 37 books citing this book
- The Origins and Development of Classical Hinduism by A.L. Basham in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Religion and Biography in China and Tibet by Benjamin Penny on page 115, and Back Matter
- The Making of Modern Burma by Thant Myint-U on page 48, and Back Matter
- Buddhism in the Public Sphere: Reorienting Global Interdependence (Routledge Critical Studies in Buddhism) by Peter D. Hershock in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- The Philosophy of Religion: A Buddhist Perspective (Oxford India Paperbacks) by Arvind Sharma in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
See all 37 books citing this book
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