Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion [Paperback]

Ingrid Fischer-Schreiber (Author), Franz-Karl Ehrhard (Author), Kurt Friedrichs (Author), Michael S. Diener (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 10, 1994

With more than four thousand entries and over one hundred illustrations, this encyclopedia offers a complete survey of the four major religious traditions of Asia. It is designed not only for students and scholars but also to help general readers find their way through the thicket of unfamiliar words and concepts that are often encountered today in various fields such as the health professions, psychotherapy, the sciences, and the media. Among the subjects covered are:

   •  Important terms such as chakra, karma, koan, nirvana, tantra, Tao, and yin-yang
   •  The lives and teachings of mystics, philosophers, and masters of meditation
   •  Basic texts and scriptures
   •  Sects and schools of thought
   •  Mythological figures and events


In addition, pronunciation tables, a comprehensive bibliography, and a Ch'an/Zen Lineage Chart are provided.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Dharma, karma, yoga, Tao -- what does it all mean? Buddha, Krishna, Lao-tzu, Rinzai -- who in the heck were they? Translated from the German of four specialists in the fields of Buddhism and Taoism, Tibetan Buddhism, Hinduism and Zen, The Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion is more than just a dictionary of terms. It includes the lives of significant teachers, mystics and philosophers; entries for the basic texts and scriptures; capsules of the various sects and schools of thought; as well as mythological figures and events. Packed with information, inexpensive and printed on acid-free paper -- a bargain investment.

From Booklist

This encyclopedia purports to be "a complete survey of the teachers, traditions, and literature of Asian wisdom." With more than 4,000 entries compiled by four experts, one each for Buddhism, Taoism, Zen, and Hinduism, it is certainly as close to complete as any single-volume work covering four religions can be.

The short introduction explains the compiler's intention to give the nonscholar a readable guide to these complicated belief systems. There is a pronunciation guide to the five original languages: Pali, Sanskrit, Tibetan, Chinese, and Japanese. Entries are in alphabetical order in their most common transliteration. Each entry includes a symbol indicating its religion and a literal translation of the term followed by its definition. The numerous cross-references are indicated by an arrow preceding the term. In-depth explanations or biographies are often included in the entries in smaller print. There are many diagrams and photographs to enhance the text. Those terms that are common to two or more disciplines, but have divergent meanings, have separate entries. An extensive bibliography is divided into the four religions and subdivided by primary and secondary sources.

It seems appropriate to compare this title to the recently reviewed Historical Dictionary of Buddhism (HDB) [RBB N 1 93], which also covers Zen. The pronunciation guides are similar; the encyclopedia includes a detailed chart of pinyin to Wade-Giles transliteration. The entries in HDB are shorter, and the language is more scholarly, whereas the encyclopedia has more in-depth explanations and is easier to read. For example, in HDB the entry Shambhala is 59 words in length with no cross-references; in the encyclopedia it is 250 words with six cross-references. There is no entry in HDB for Yoga; the encyclopedia's entry is more than 200 words. The encyclopedia devotes 1 1/2 pages to Zen and includes a Ch'an/Zen lineage chart, whereas HDB has a 150-word paragraph.

On the whole, the encyclopedia is easier and more interesting to read than HDB (in spite of the smaller type) and includes illustrations. At half the price, it is the better choice for high-school and small public libraries. An academic, religious, or large public library may want both titles.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 468 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala (May 10, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0877739803
• ISBN-13: 978-0877739807
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.7 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #495,962 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A thorough reference book on Eastern spirituality., July 15, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Irvine, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion (Paperback)

An excellent source for reference or just casual reading, "The Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion" is more often than not the first book I turn to when looking for a description of anything from "Advaita" to "Zazen." More than just a collection of terms on Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism and Zen, this book covers a wide variety of teachers and esoteric wisdom. Rarely have I been stumped when looking to this tome for a word. I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in spirituality.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An helpful Reference Book at a Reasonable Price, October 27, 2000

By 

Walter O. Koenig "Amoxtli" (San Diego, California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion (Paperback)

Usually Reference Books of this type are quite expensive and are also often difficult to find. Congratulations to Shambhala Press for providing a useful book at a reasonable price. The Book concentrates on four areas: Buddhism, Hindiusm, Taoism and Zen. The first three are covered by German and Austrian Scholars, and Zen by a Japanese Scholar. The Book is a translation (by Committee) from the German, and suffers surprisingly little as a result. All entries are Alphabetical and are coded to the four categories listed above, thus making it easy to use. Within the text of the entries arrows next to trems lead readers to related entries. The entries are by necccessity brief. An extensive but incomplete Bibliography, provides much of the most important Source Material. It is an ambitious undertaking to produce a one Volume, 468 page, Reference Book of this type. I think that the Editors have succeeded in their undertaking. I hope that subsequent editions will expand on some of the more important entries and add others. I recommend this Book highly to Students and Scholars alike.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An EXCELLENT reference source...., April 28, 2000

By 

Strawman Identity - See all my reviews

This review is from: Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion (Paperback)

This is an excellent book. If you are looking for a reference source concearning the above mentioned philosophies and religions this will be a valuble resource. Its only MAJOR flaw is that it is not reader friendly. If you don't know ANYTHING about Hinduism, Taoism, Buddhism or Zen you should not buy this book. There are other books more simple yet thorough and enjoyable enough to satisfy the "beginner" on this subjet matter, such as "World Religions" by John Bowker (The only flaw of THIS book is that it is thin, rectangular and long in shape....not bookshelf freindly). If you think(being COMPLETLY honost with yourself) you know enough about the subject matter to purchace this book, then you PROBABLY are right and should get this book.