The Buddha
A Beginner's Guide
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- $5.99
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- $5.99
Publisher Description
Revealing the man behind the icon.
Today the Buddha is honoured throughout the world as one of the great religious figures in the history of humankind. His greatness lies in his teachings, and in the religious community that he founded, but also in his exemplary life story. In this authoritative biography, John Strong presents that story the way Buddhists have told it - from accounts of his previous lives, and the story of his birth and upbringing, through to his enlightenment, deathbed deeds, and ongoing presence in the relics that he left behind. Along the way, he explores the roots of key Buddhist beliefs and practices, making this volume not only a useful study of the life of the Buddha, but a helpful introduction to Buddhism as a whole.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Acknowledging that many introductions to Buddhism are already available, Strong focuses on three themes in this substantial survey: Buddhism as a "middle way," the efforts adherents have made to "overcome the Buddha's absence," and the importance of place. Strong, professor of religion at Bates College, uses the "three refuges" (Buddha, dharma, and samgha) to organize his exploration of the religion's earliest developments and later Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions, keeping in mind the question, "Is there one or are there many Buddhisms?" Deftly selecting material from a vast tradition, Strong guides the reader through complex topics with precision, clarity, and insight, aided by tables presenting more abstruse information. Particularly cogent are his analyses of long-debated subjects such as karma, non-self, and approaches to enlightenment (practice/study, gradual/sudden). He includes topics related to women in Buddhism throughout. This introduction's primary shortcoming is its unevenness: Strong sometimes delves into too much detail for his intended audience, and his examples of current Buddhist practice outside Asia are too cursory to be instructive. Nevertheless, readers eager to dive into a rigorous, well-organized investigation of Buddhism's intricate 2500-year-old history will find much to reward them.
