The Buddhist Tradition: In India, China and Japan (Paperback)

~ William Theodore de Bary (Author) "Between the seventh and the fifth centuries B.C. the intellectual life of India was in ferment..." (more)
Key Phrases: thought like the law, private buddhas, storehouse consciousness, Fifth Patriarch, Body of Essence, Great Vehicle (more...)

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Vintage (February 12, 1972)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394716965
• ISBN-13: 978-0394716961
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #198,132 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent overview, April 24, 2000

By A Customer

This book is a very good introduction to the Buddhist tradition, historically and cross-culturally. The book incorporates excerpts from basic scriptures and major writings, in an effort to represent the mainstream of Buddhist thought. Although, as they state in the preface, there is "an enormous diversity within Buddhism and no fixed standard of orthodoxy" the editor and authors succeed in presenting the "common ground of discussion" they aim to reveal. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in beginning a study of Buddhist history, thought and culture.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars good resource, April 28, 2001

By	iain (Mesa, AZ) - See all my reviews

This book was used as a text in my university Buddhism class. It is not a detailed explanation of Buddhism but rather gives a glimpse into various traditions and important writings that have contributed to the growth of Buddhism. It quotes extensively from different sources and provides a glimpse into key points in history and from the lives of those who shaped Buddhism. Excellent book for students of Buddhism because of its informative and well-rounded approach. It may not be the best book, if read alone, for the more casual reader unfamiliar with the fundamentals of Buddhism.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Book is in fact a Reader, January 21, 2006

By	William Nathan Alexander (Cambridge, Massachusetts, Massachusetts United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is not an history of Buddhism in India, China and Japan. It is a reader broadly divided into 13 sections. These are briefly introduced by the editor. The editor's intrusions are minimal and it is rarely clear why certain "representative" passages have been chosen, and others left out. That said, I felt the book adequately covered the traditions it sought to represent. And, for a text book, it's quite inexpensive.