Historical Dictionary of Buddhism (Historical Dictionaries of Religions, Philosophies, and Movements, No. 1) [Hardcover]

Charles S. Prebish (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0810826984 | ISBN-13: 978-0810826984 | Publication Date: June 1993 | Edition: 1st

Provides a comprehensive framework for understanding Buddhism as a historically compelling religion. ...Prebish, a well-known scholar of Buddhism, shows excellent judgement in his selection and treatment of entries... exceptionally valuable... --CHOICE

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Prebish (religious studies, Pennsylvania State Univ.), the author of numerous titles on Buddhism, narrows his dictionary topics to significant persons, places, texts, events, doctrines, practices, and movements within the Buddhist tradition. While he focuses on monastic and sectarian traditions, his concise introduction includes Buddha's life, the foothold of Buddhism in India, and its spread via Emperor Asoka's missionaries. Overviews of the Pali, Chinese, and Tibetan canons augment his chronology and extensive bibliography. Capitalized headings can't reproduce every diacritical, but entries do. Referring readers from commonly spelled Tibetan terms to the transliterated headings would have been helpful, since they often begin with silent letters. In addition, there are a few debatable facts. For instance, Prebish states that Tsongkhapa was the uncle of the first Dalai Lama, though his real uncle was Geshe Choshe. Still, Prebish's coverage of over 2000 years of Buddhism, within a small, serviceable dictionary, is worthy of recommendation.
- Dara Eklund, Los Angeles P.L.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

The history of humankind is inextricably linked to religion. That Buddhism is one of the oldest active religions makes it the perfect subject for the first volume in this series, Historical Dictionaries of Religions, Philosophies, and Movements, published by Scarecrow. The book is divided into three parts: a lengthy introduction, the dictionary itself, and an extensive bibliography.

The introductory material includes a pronunciation guide, a list of Buddhist scriptures from its various branches, a chronology of Buddhist history, and a map. The pronunciation guide clarifies the differences between Sanskrit and Pali, Chinese, Tibetan, and Japanese languages and their transliteration into English. The list of Buddhist scriptures is divided into the canons of the various cultures and branches of Buddhism. The five-page chronology covers the growth of Buddhism by century from 6 B.C. to the twentieth century. The author's introduction opens with a biography of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, then expounds upon the information in the chronology and the scripture lists.

The dictionary itself has approximately 700 entries, each at least a paragraph in length; some take a whole page. Cross-references are noted parenthetically at the end of an entry in capital letters. Entries include westerners significant in Buddhism, such as Edward Conze and Caroline Rhys-Davids, as well as such Eastern Buddhists as the Dalai Lama and Nichiren; definitions of Buddhist terms and ideas: and important historical events such as the various councils and eras (e.g., T'ang Dynasty).

The bibliography contains almost 1,000 entries. These are arranged by subject: Historical Development; Texts in Translation; Religious Thought; Practices; Soteriology; Biography and Mythology; Sacred Places; The Social Order; and The Arts. Each category is subdivided by geographic area or idea. The vast majority are English titles; a few are in European languages.

Prebish is a respected scholar of Buddhism and the history of early India. He has given us a remarkable reference tool that will be useful to both the religious and historical researcher and should be in most public and academic libraries.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 387 pages
• Publisher: Scarecrow Press; 1st edition (June 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810826984
• ISBN-13: 978-0810826984
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,016,627 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Charles Prebish came to Utah State University in January 2007 following more than thirty-five years on the faculty of the Pennsylvania State University. During his tenure at Utah State University, he was the first holder of the Charles Redd Endowed Chair in Religious Studies and served as Director of the Religious Studies Program. During his career, Dr. Prebish published more than twenty books and nearly one hundred scholarly articles and chapters. His books Buddhist Monastic Discipline (1975) and Luminous Passage: The Practice and Study of Buddhism in America (1999) are considered classic volumes in Buddhist Studies. Dr. Prebish remains the leading pioneer in the establishment of the study of Western Buddhism as a sub-discipline in Buddhist Studies. In 1993 he held the Visiting Numata Chair in Buddhist Studies at the University of Calgary, and in 1997 was awarded a Rockefeller Foundation National Humanities Fellowship for research at the University of Toronto. Dr. Prebish has been an officer in the International Association of Buddhist Studies, and was co-founder of the Buddhism Section of the American Academy of Religion. In 1994, he co-founded the Journal of Buddhist Ethics, which was the first online peer-reviewed journal in the field of Buddhist Studies; and in 1996, co-founded the Routledge "Critical Studies in Buddhism" series. He has also served as editor of the Journal of Global Buddhism and Critical Review of Books in Religion. In 2005, he was honored with a "festschrift" volume by his colleagues titled Buddhist Studies from India to America: Essays in Honor of Charles S. Prebish. Dr. Prebish retired from Utah State University on December 31, 2010, and was awarded emeritus status. He currently resides in State College, Pennsylvania.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Cozy Hardbound Buddhism Reference, February 15, 2006

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This review is from: Historical Dictionary of Buddhism (Historical Dictionaries of Religions, Philosophies, and Movements, No. 1) (Hardcover)

From Abhayagiri to Zendo, a great way to find dictionary-style definitions and explanations of Buddhist terms quickly and easily. Charles S. Prebish is a good compiler and author. Very complete bibliography. Suitable quick reference tool for academics. The hardcover edition is a sturdy way to enjoy this handy reference.

There are other far more inclusive dictionaries out there, but for a handy nice hardcover volume to keep by the reading chair this is worth the money for Buddhism students and practitioners, especially for a beginning reader of the sutras and issues of Buddhism. You will find that more than one dictionary is typically needed anyway. For a more inclusive buddhist dictionary, you might also consider Christmas Humpries Popular Dictionary of Buddhism or the Oxford Dictionary of Buddhism (roughly titled).