Author: Charles S Prebish
Publisher: Sri Satguru Publications
Year: 1995
Language: English
Pages: 420
ISBN/UPC (if available): 8170304180
Description
With a history spanning more than two and a half millennia and over 300 million adherents worldwide, Buddhism is one of humankind’s most interesting and populous religions. While a historical dictionary of Buddhism must consider the various periods, events, individuals, circumstances, texts, and concepts from which the history of Buddhism takes its shape, it must also consider the sacred sites in Buddhist geography, the festivals, rites, and rituals that configure Buddhist religious practice, the manifestation of Buddhist religiosity as witnessed in biography, art, and mythology, and the soteriological methods employed by Buddhists throughout their history.
This book provides a comprehensive framework for understanding Buddhism as a historically compelling religion. Because the study of Buddhism is a difficult task, including so many varied cultures, this volume seeks to assist the reader by providing a carefully designed pronunciation guide to Buddhist canonical languages, an overview of the Buddhist scriptures preserved in Pali, Chinese, and Tibetan, a chronology of Buddhist history and an extensive introduction to the history, doctrine, and community life of the religion. With an extremely comprehensive, topically comprehensive, topically organized bibliography, perhaps the most extensive of any book on Buddhism that not solely a Bibliography.
Contents
EDITOR’S FOREWORD, BY JON WORONOFF
PREFACE
Pronunciation Guide
The Buddhist Scriptures
Chronology of Buddhist History
Introduction
The Dictionary
Bibliography
Introduction
I. Historical Development
II. Texts in Translation and Textual
III. Religious Thought
IV. Practices, Rituals, and Popular Beliefs
V. Soteriology: Methods and Goals
VI. Biography, Ideal Types, and Mythology
VII. Sacred Places
VIII. The Social Order
IX. The Arts
ABOUT THE AUTHOR