Buddhist Scriptures (Penguin Classics) [Paperback]

Donald Lopez (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Penguin Classics | Publication Date: August 31, 2004

While Buddhism has no central text comparable to the Bible or Koran, there is a powerful body of scripture from across Asia that encompasses the dharma, or the teachings of the Buddha. In this rich anthology, eminent scholar Donald S. Lopez, Jr., brings together works from a broad historical and geographical range, and from such languages as Pali, Sanskrit, Tibetan, Chinese, and Japanese. There are tales of the Buddha's past lives, a discussion of qualities and qualifications for a monk, and an exploration of the many meanings of enlightenment. Together they provide a vivid picture of the Buddha and of the vast and profound nature of the Buddhist tradition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Donald S. Lopez, Jr., is a professor of Buddhist and Tibetan studies at the University of Michigan. His publications include The Story of Buddhism and, as editor, Buddhism in Practice.

Product Details

• Paperback: 556 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics (August 31, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 014044758X
• ISBN-13: 978-0140447583
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #23,568 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Incomplete, September 11, 2010

By 

mahacandra - See all my reviews

This review is from: Buddhist Scriptures (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

This was a very good collection of scriptures, and my own personal sort of "Buddhist Bible" - but there is one slight problem with it; it only contains scriptures from certain sects; it has none of the major (come to think of it, I do not believe any at all) texts from the Theravada sect. It does not even have the Dhammapada, one of the most important Buddhist scriptures out there.
If you have an interest in any sort of buddhism, this is an excellent book. But remember that it is not the only perspective out there.

21 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good value, April 15, 2008

By 

Quique (Zaragoza, Spain) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Buddhist Scriptures (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

It has been almost five decades since the Penguin Classics series last launched an anthology of Buddhist texts onto the market, during which time interest in the religion throughout the English-speaking world has grown to more than justify a new anthology well over twice the size of the original. That first volume was largely the work of E. Conze, working from Sanskrit, with heterogeneous scraps of translation from other languages, provided by E. M. Hare, David Snellgrove, Trevor Leggett and D. T. Suzuki, mixed in here and there.

In this new work the editor has made less of a personal contribution through translation, but has done a far superior job of orchestrating a much more balanced whole and equipping it with a reflective and highly readable introduction, which in itself provides a succinct commentary (pp. xiv-xviii) on the history of such anthologies over the years--including in its final paragraph some delightfully (and justifiably) acerbic comments on the codswallop that in all too recent times past was excerpted to represent his own area, Tibetan Buddhism. The generous list of books for further reading on pp. xlii-xlix also deserves commendation.

Inevitably the need to include translations reflecting the current state of Buddhist textual studies has all but wiped out the contribution of United Kingdom-based scholars to the enterprise, though for example the translations of K. R. Norman represent a standard of work unlikely to be matched elsewhere for some time to come, and so still find a place amongst a much longer roster of translations mostly carried out specifically for this anthology and largely undertaken on the other side of the Atlantic. One or two sacrifices have clearly been made in order to find room for such a wealth of materials, notably the exclusion of any of the finding lists cross-referencing the contents by language or by contributor that formed such a useful feature of the editor's earlier anthologies for Princeton University Press, but by and large there is very little here to complain about.

That is not the same, however, as declaring this anthology perfect. Such an ambitious enterprise is bound to entail errors, though mostly (one hopes) errors of the trivial sort that can be readily corrected in future printings.[...]

[...]drawing attention to these lapses is by no means intended to discourage any would-be purchaser: at under ten pounds a copy, one certainly gets a remarkable quantity of good, accurate translation and up-to-date introductory remarks for one's money. No one at all interested in Buddhism should hesitate for a second to make the investment.
T. H. BARRETT

25 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, June 29, 2006

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Thinking "Independent Reader" (United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Buddhist Scriptures (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

This is a very useful anthology for students of Buddhism. In addition to highly readable translations of selected ancient texts filled with descriptions and advice; it also includes many instructive fables and tales, including "Maitreya describes the Future" and "A King gives away his Head."
Of particular note is the predecessor to the biblical story of the loaves and fishes -- it is the story of how a single portion of alms fed 84,000 sravakas and 12,000 bodhisattvas, and still the food did not run out. hmmmm, sound familiar?