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Buddhisms: An Introduction by [Strong, John S.]

Buddhisms: An Introduction Kindle Edition

by John S. Strong (Author)

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Buddhisms: An Introduction represents a novel way of presenting the whole of the Buddhist tradition in its unity and multiplicity. Clear in its explanations, replete with tables and suggestions for further reading, it should appeal to students, yet also be of interest to scholars for some of its ways of viewing the Buddha, his teachings, and the Buddhist community through the ages.

The volume begins with an overview-introduction to the many aspects of Buddhism by surveying the modern-day temples that exist in Lumbini, the Buddha’s birthplace. It then recounts not only the story of the Buddha’s life, but the ways in which subsequent Buddhist traditions sought to overcome the absence of the Buddha, after his death. Turning to Buddhist Doctrine, it expands the notion of the Middle Way to depict the manner in which Buddhism both avoided or incorporated the extreme teachings extant in India in its time. It then goes on to show how the theme of the Middle Way also helps us understand the transition to later schools of Buddhist thought. Finally, it examines the establishment and nature of Buddhist community life before going on to show its development in the very different environments of Thailand, Japan, and Tibet.

Throughout, the author does not hesitate to lace his explanations with personal anecdotes and insights gathered during over forty years of studying Buddhism and travelling and living in Buddhist countries.

Length: 496 pages	Word Wise: Enabled	Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled
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Product details

File Size: 38719 KB
Print Length: 496 pages
Publisher: Oneworld Publications (July 20, 2015)
Publication Date: July 20, 2015
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
Language: English
ASIN: B00YQD9PSU
Text-to-Speech: Enabled

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Word Wise: Enabled
Lending: Not Enabled
Screen Reader: Supported

Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #144,618 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #291 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Religion & Spirituality > Buddhism
- #1016 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > Eastern > Buddhism
- #44993 in Books > Religion & Spirituality

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Amazon Customer

Worth buying.

July 23, 2016

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Good solid introduction to the subject. I checked it out of my local library twice, then bought it.

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David S.

Well written introduction to a very complex phenomenon. I ...

April 21, 2017

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Well written introduction to a very complex phenomenon. I have very little knowledge of the subject and this author provides context as well as clear explanations of the important concepts; he places Buddhism in its Indian environment and shows how it expanded and developed in other societies.

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John

Excellent Introduction and Resource for Review

May 7, 2017

Verified Purchase

The title is apt because it highlights the variety within Buddhism - in fact Buddhisms. If I has been converted to Christianity by missionaries from the (imaginary) Church of the South Side Agrobaptists of the Middle Range of the Big Wide", I'd be quite shocked when I furthered my my studies at the Harvard Divinity School. Who knew that there was such a variety of Christianity/s across time and space? For example, Strong's well notated section on Karma was enlightening (pun intendend). So many ways to think about how one thing leads to another.

It's easy to forget that many of us come to Buddhism through through Buddhist missionaries of certain persuasions. This scholarly book respectfully extends and informs varied perspectives within the Buddhist traditions.

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Meow Tomcat

Wonderful book, Buddhism in the plural

May 28, 2018

This is not a how-to-do-it book. The varieties of Buddhism are deftly explained, the main schools and the practices in many Buddhist countries. The conventional view is that “the three refuges” or “the triple gem” unites all schools under the banner of Buddhism. This book, however, outlines various interpretations of the Buddha, the Dharma and the Samgha. The author is our guide and immerses the reader in technical terms, but fear not because they are gently explained. Plenty of detail bolsters the author's theme and where else would one find the eleven epithets for the historic Buddha? Brilliantly explained and argued, this is a wonderful book for the serious student, 450 pages, bibliography (39 pages) and index. Paperback can lie flat.

Book summary: (1) Historic Buddha, what we know and do not know (2) how we continue to venerate the Buddha eg relics, pilgrimages, images (3) Dharma and the Middle Way (4) Four Noble Truths (5) Samgha and role of laypersons (6) divisions with the community (7) Mahayana view of Buddha from India, East Asia and Tibet (8) Mahayana view of Dharma (9) Bodhisattva path (10) illustrating 3 types of Buddhism, Thai, Japanese and Tibetan (11) presence of Buddhist traditions in the West.

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monkeyben27

A comprehensive overview of a complex and diverse religion

July 1, 2018

Among the Eastern religions Buddhism personally interests me the most, and this book attracted me because I have been been acquainted with some of the basics of Buddhism and wanted a meatier overview of the differences between different branches of the religion. For this reason I believe "Introduction" is a misleading because the topics covered in this book are more complex and better suited for a student who has some education in Buddhism rather than someone going in cold. Perhaps "Overview" would have been a better subtitle.

Regarding content, what I do appreciate about this book is its commitment to the diversity of Buddhism. The opening chapter introduces us to the major pilgrimage site of Lumbini in Nepal, where Buddha was born. The irony is that while this site brings together Buddhists from all over the world, Lumbini contains a complex of buildings and monastic communities that are divided based on region and sect. A central canal divides the site, and on one side of the canal are the Mahayana traditions while on the other side are the Theravada traditions. To me this opening chapter is an ingenious way of tangibly showing readers the divisions in Buddhism and helping them understand that Buddhism is not a monolithic religion.

Other portions of the book that I really enjoyed were the chapters on overcoming the Buddha's absence and Mahayana doctrinal developments. Chapter 3 is about the absence of the Buddha after he died and how Buddhists dealt with this loss by making substitutes for Buddha: sutras, relics, images, anticipation of the next eon's Buddha, and of course the content of the Dharma. I believe that this theme of searching (perhaps even compensating) for Buddha's absence is very profound because it shows that Buddhists saw the potency of their religious path as being intrinsically tied to the presence of and devotion to their founder. Even though Buddha was gone into the bliss of nirvana, he must still be here somehow, teaching and guiding and abiding. The sense of longing is palpable to me and captures the paradox of how we process the loss of a loved one. We know the departed cannot be fully here, and yet we still desire and experience modes of presence.

Chapter 9 is about Mahayana doctrinal developments and I like this chapter because it shows me how wild the Mahayana can be! Whether it is Nagarjuna's hard-earned philosophical conclusion that nirvana and samsara have no distinction, the assertion that the buddha nature of all beings forms an eternal "self", or the Lotus Sutra's famous description of expedient means, some Mahayana teachings and branches seem so far from the ancient Indian intellectual context of early Buddhism that I wondered if I was even studying the same religion anymore. These stark differences raise the question of how continuity between a religion's beginnings and new developments are maintained. Mahayana teachings are clearly not exactly identical to early Buddhism, and yet Mahayana devotees will state that their doctrine simply IS what Buddha taught. The interplay between the old and the new and how the new somehow both preserves and alters the old is one of the fascinating paradoxes of a religion that spreads to places and times far beyond its original context.

I would recommend this book to students who want a clear and substantial sense of the content of Buddhist intellectual traditions.

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Amazon Customer

Don't purchase if you aren't already introduced to Buddhism -- misleading title

September 24, 2016

In depth review on key subjects of the Buddhist religion and philosophy.

This book, however, is not an introduction to Buddhism. Not suitable for a first time learner of the subject.

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