Author: Sangharakshita
Publisher: Motilal Banarsidass
Year: 2006
Language: English
Pages: 245
ISBN/UPC (if available): 8120829476
Description
The Three Jewels are living symbols, objects of commitment and devotion in the life of every Buddhist.
The Buddha Jewel: symbol of Enlightenment, particularly as embodied in Siddhartha Gautama, the man who discovered the path to human perfection. The Dharma Jewel: symbol of the path itself, the teachings and practices that help each individual towards Enlightenment.
The Sangha Jewel: symbol of the fellowship enjoyed by those whose lives are based on the quest for Enlightenment. To understand the Three Jewels is to understand the central ideal and principles of Buddhism. To have some insight into them is to touch its very heart.
It astonishes that, although there have appeared in print numerous accounts of the life and teachings of the Buddha, both popular and scholarly, not a single work of importance has been dedicated to the Three Jewels as such. The present work, originally written as a series of articles for the Oriya Encyclopedia, is designed to remedy this deficiency.
Contents
Preface
Part One: THE BUDDHA
1. Life and records
2. The Bodhisattva career
3. The Life
4. The Legends
5. Philosophical Interpretations
Part Two: THE DHARMA
6. Approaches to Buddhism
7. The essence of the Dharma
8. Doctrinal Formulas
9. Cosmology
10. The Wheel of Life
11. The Nature of Existence
12. The Human Situation
13. The Stages of the Path
14. The Goal
15. The Assembly of the Noble
16. The Glorious Company of bodhisattvas
17. The Monastic order
18. The Place of the Laity
19. Popular Buddhism
Notes and References
Index