Buddha For Beginners
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- 12,99 €
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- 12,99 €
Beschreibung des Verlags
Despite the widespread popularity of Buddhist practices (like meditation), there is little understanding of the complex philosophy behind Buddhism. The historical Buddha, Gautama, was a real person—a radical—who challenged the religious leaders of his day. Buddha For Beginnersintroduces the reader to the historical Buddha, to the ideas that made him change his life, and to the fascinating philosophical debates that engaged him and formed the core of Buddhism.
Buddha For Beginners compares Buddha’s philosophy with those of his contemporaries, the later Buddhist schools, and Western Philosophy. The book includes a survey, distinguishing the philosophical differences among later schools of Buddhism, such as Theravada, Madhyamaika, Tantric, Zen, and others.
Buddha For Beginners is not a book you read, it is a book you experience. It makes you stop and close your eyes. Through some magical combination of words, drawings, and intuitive wisdom, Buddha For Beginners conveys not only the facts of Buddhism, but the peace, the silence...the feel of it. It is historically accurate, spiritually challenging, and the white spaces mean as much as the words.
Stephen T. Asma, PhD, is Professor of Philosophy in the Department of Humanities, History, and Social Sciences at Columbia College Chicago, where he currently holds the titles of Distinguished Scholar and Fellow of the LAS Research Group in Mind, Science and Culture. In 2003, Dr. Asma was Visiting Professor at the Buddhist Institute in Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia. He is the author of several books including Why I Am a Buddhist (Hampton Roads, 2010), On Monsters, and The Gods Drink Whiskey. He frequently writes on topics that bridge the humanities and sciences, including articles for the Chicago Tribune, In These Times magazine, the Skeptical Inquirer, the Chronicle Review, Skepticmagazine, and Chicago Public Radio's news-magazine show "Eight-Forty-Eight".
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Revising his 1996 illustrated primer, Asma (The Gods Drink Whiskey) explores the key tenets of Buddhism in the style of a graphic novel. A sparse text punctuated by extensive illustrations some cartoonlike and others more serious and detailed describes Siddhartha Gautama's enlightenment, what the Buddha taught and how Buddhism developed as the Buddha's followers encountered various Asian cultures. Asma, a professor of philosophy at Chicago's Columbia College, argues that Buddhist ideas are "deeply misunderstood in the West," and he distinguishes these from Buddhist culture. Placing Buddhism in the context of Hindu philosophy, Asma explores the four noble truths, the eightfold path, the five aggregates, the concept of no-self and other ideas critical to this Asian religion. He liberally references specific Hindu and Buddhist scriptures and tackles such tricky subjects as how reincarnation can occur if an immortal self doesn't exist. Asma also briefly touches on the role of women as Buddhism developed. His take on which current forms hold closest to the Buddha's teachings may provoke disagreement from some practitioners. This brief, irreverent tour of Buddhism and the sometimes humorous, sometimes grotesque, illustrations won't be to all tastes; the book includes adult images.
