Sacred Books of the East [Hardcover]

F. Max Muller (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0700706003 | ISBN-13: 978-0700706006 | Publication Date: February 23, 2000 | Edition: New edition

These subsets of the Sacred Books of the East series include translations of all the most important works of the seven non-Christian religions which have exercised a profound influence on the civilizations of the continent of Asia. The Vedic Brahmanic System claims 21 volumes, Buddhism 10, and Jainism 2; 8 volumes comprise Sacred Books of the Parsees; 2 volumes represent Islam; and 6 the two main indigenous systems of China. The works were translated by twenty leading authorities in their respective fields.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 396 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; New edition edition (February 23, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0700706003
• ISBN-13: 978-0700706006
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.7 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,260,970 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Pathbreaking Translation Of Eastern Religious Texts, June 11, 2000

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BookBug "LG" (India) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sacred Books of the East (Hardcover)

Professor F Max Muller was a doyen amongst the 18th century intellectuals whose open-mindedness and quest for knowledge led to the availability of many Eastern Religious texts and philosophy in translated form to Western intellectual and other interested sources. The Sacred Books of the East Series is a set of several volumes translating original materials related to Indian,Chinese, Tibetan and other religions. It was completed under the direction and coordination of Professor Max Muller but the translations themselves are the products of several luminaries. What is conspicuous about this series is the painstaking effort taken to cull and collate different versions/editions of the original (untranslated texts)and translate them in a manner which seeks to faithfully portray the real spirit of the religious ideas, concepts, practices and philosophies that were embodied therein. An enormous amount of scholarship and commitment have gone into these translations. The result is a series of books that can be treasured for generations to come, which one can dip into and get absorbed in for hours at a time and which immeasurably exalts the spirit! Amongst the first books in this series that this review read was that pertaining to the translation of the Buddhist Suttas which conveys the sermons and religious teachings as well as the life and movements of The Great Buddha and are the primary sources of the Buddhist doctrine and philosophy. No person who has read this book can fail to be struck by the vast difference between the Buddhism as taught by its founder and what is most often practised today. Gotama (the Buddha) emphasised the concepts of right living, right thinking and right meditation. Here was a religion free from prejudice and superstition, bare of dogmatic rules and rituals and characterised by an uncompromising inflexible adherence to Truth! The Mahaparinibbana Sutta which deals with the last period of the Buddha's life and his last sermons and teachings is an unforgettable and immeasurably moving part of the book which draws one to read it again and again. It and other suttas have been translated by Professor Rhys Davids one of the foremost Indologists of his time. To summarise, despite the steep price of this series, it is something no serious student or lover of Eastern religions should be without.