A Short History of Buddhism [Paperback]

Edward Conze (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1993

Tracing all the key aspects of 2500 years of Buddhist history - Hinayana, Mahayana, Tantra and Zen - this book provides an introduction to the development of Buddhism from the time of the Buddha to the present day. The author also wrote "Thirty Years of Buddhist Studies".

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Oneworld Pubns Ltd; 2nd edition (October 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1851680667
• ISBN-13: 978-1851680665
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,991,576 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Best Book for Understanding Buddhism in a Hurry, October 5, 2000

By 

Renee Thorpe (Karangasem, Bali) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Short History of Buddhism (Paperback)

Conze has not been dethroned as foremost authority on the history of Buddhism, and this book is a good starting point for any study in Buddhism, Buddhist art, or general Asian Studies.

This readable, meaty, short book will clue you in on who Gautama was, but concentrate mainly on how his teachings have spawned several types of Buddhism, mainly the three catagories of Tantric, Mahayana, and Theravada Buddhism. But many small schisms are mentioned, making it a rather complete history of the religion for such a small book. Geographical and scholarly paths are generally traced, showing a good overview of this religion's spread. It's well organized and a good read.

My only dislike is that not enough text is dedicated to an exploration of the life of Gautama (Conze gives about 2 pages only), including his many attempts at enlightenment and the final long confrontation of all his past lives. Possibly this omission is made so as not to bring in too much religious doctrine (this is, after all, a history OF the religion), but I found the lack of coverage annoying and puzzling.