12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
great summary of Theravada and Mahayana differences, November 30, 1998
By A Customer
This review is from: The Teachings of the Compassionate Buddha (Mentor) (Paperback)
hey, i'm the first reviewer! ahem, imho, this book helps buddhists to understand the reasons for the Mahayana 'split' from the Theravada tradition. This is the best brief popular-level discussion of this i have seen yet. prof Burtt divides the book evenly into selections from Theravada and Mahayana and has an essay in the middle on the causes and motivations for the split. Someone familiar with Theravadan sources looking for an introduction to Mahayana sources would benefit from this book, as well as vice versa. Too often, contemporary Buddhist books tend to blur the distinction and beginners cant be sure which tradition references come from. Anyway, many key selections are included in this book, from the Dhammapada to the Lotus Sutra. It would make a nice source book for group study, as well as being a good source for devotional study. namaste!
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
~"What the world thinks of as life is really death"~, April 14, 2001
This review is from: The Teachings of the Compassionate Buddha (Mentor) (Paperback)
This is a comprehensive primer on Buddhist thought. Simple, but informative. Burtt begins with an excellent synopsis on the nature of religion and religious thought in general. It covers the two main branches of Buddhism- Hinayana (or Theravada) and Mahayana. It seems to be that the Theravadins are the followers of more conventional Buddhism with an orthodox canon, whereas the Mahaynas are more universal in their ideas and use later basic writings.Using the Tathagata's words, other things are argued e.g. taking on the life of a monk. The parables are very helfpful, and the one sticking to me most is the one about the acceptance of death. (mustard seed) There is less coverage pertaining to the Theravada school. These ideas of the Mahayanans I find more attracted to, except in some work from the later centuries where they start to argue for things like subjective idealism. The Mahayana religious ideal I do advocate however [pp. 124] 'The central idea in Buddhist teaching is the gospel of universal salvation based on the idea of the fundamental oneness of all beings."
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Helpful introduction to Buddhism, September 14, 2008
This review is from: The Teachings of the Compassionate Buddha (Mentor) (Paperback)
Edwin A. Burtt has edited this volume, including some of the key passages from Buddhist thinking, and provided a strong introduction, placing Buddhism in a larger context. Among concepts noted in the Introduction: Brahman (Page 17: "Out of Brahman come all things; to Brahman all things return"), "atman" (Page 17: "The soul or self"), karma, dharma (Page 19: ". . .the way that man should follow in order to fulfill his true nature and carry out his moral and social responsibilities"), and so on.
On to the primary sources on Buddhism. . . . One, "The Four Noble Truths." The editor summarizes the essence:
1. Existence is unhappiness;
2. Unhappiness is caused by selfish craving;
3. Selfish craving can be destroyed;
4. It can be destroyed by following the eightfold path. . . ."
Some thoughts on "The Wise Man" from "The Way of Truth," an important document. The lines speak for themselves:
"As a solid rock is not shaken by the wind, wise people waver not amidst blame and praise"
Or, from the same document, "The Thousands":
"If one man conquer in battle a thousand times a thousand men, and if another conquer himself, he is the greatest of conquerors."
Or, an item from "Punishment":
"He who, seeking his own happiness, does not punish beings who also long for happiness, will find happiness after death."
And on it goes. The volume does a nice job of providing some of the primary sources of Buddhism, allowing the reader to get a sense of this orientation. If interested, this is not a bad starting point for those who want to get a sense of Buddhism. I believe that I purchased this as an undergraduate student many years ago, and I have held onto this across a multitude of moves since then.
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