Authors: Huston Smith, Philip Novak
ISBN-13: 9780060730673, ISBN-10: 0060730676
Format: Paperback
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Date Published: December 2004
Edition: First HarperCollins Paperback Edition
Huston Smith is internationally known and revered as the premier teacher of world religions. He is the focus of a five-part PBS television series with Bill Moyers and has taught at Washington University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Syracuse University, and the University of California at Berkeley. The recipient of twelve honorary degrees, Smith's fifteen books include his bestselling The World's Religions, Why Religion Matters, and his autobiography, Tales of Wonder.
The world's premier authority on religious traditions and his premier successor present a concise and timely guide to the history, teachings, and practice of Buddhism.
Bookshelves abound with introductions to Buddhism, many written by luminaries and spiritual giants of the faith. But this primer co-written by Smith, whose magnum opus The World's Religions has sold more than two million copies, is distinguished by its gentlemanly erudition and thoughtful attention to Buddhist diversity. The book's first half is an expanded and updated version of the Buddhism sections of The World's Religions and was penned by Smith. Special attention is given to Theravada Buddhism, which "was overshadowed by Mahayana" in the original version; one chapter provides a helpful side-by-side chart illuminating the basic differences between the traditions, while the next features an in-depth discussion of Theravada's influence in South Asia and its emphasis on insight meditation. The primer's all-new second half-written by Smith's former doctoral student Novak-presents the story of Buddhism in the West, discussing its multifaceted presence in the United States. While Novak devotes time to the rise of Buddhism in Germany, England and France, it is clear that he finds the "New Buddhism" of America, with its emphasis on lay involvement, social engagement and the cross-pollination between Buddhist traditions, to be the source of the most exciting contemporary innovations. Smith's helpful afterword gauges the rising importance of Pure Land Buddhism in America, though this vital information should have merited a full chapter. Novak and Smith's collaboration is a fine contribution to the admittedly crowded corpus of introductions to Buddhism: the strokes are broad, the writing style engaging and the chapters short and accessible. (Apr.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Foreword | ||
Acknowledgments | ||
Pt. I | The Wheel of the Dharma | 1 |
1 | The Man Who Woke Up | 3 |
2 | The Silent Sage | 14 |
3 | The Rebel Saint | 21 |
4 | The Four Noble Truths | 31 |
5 | The Eightfold Path | 38 |
6 | Other Core Buddhist Concepts: Nirvana, Anatta, the Three Marks of Existence, Dependent Arising, and Emptiness | 50 |
7 | Theravada and Mahayana: The Great Divide | 63 |
8 | Vipassana: The Theravadin Way of Insight | 74 |
9 | Zen Buddhism: The Secret of the Flower | 88 |
10 | Tibetan Buddhism: The Diamond Thunderbolt | 105 |
11 | The Image of the Crossing | 112 |
12 | The Confluence of Buddhism and Hinduism in India | 117 |
Pt. II | The Wheel Rolls West | 121 |
13 | The New Migration | 123 |
14 | America the Buddha Full | 136 |
15 | Adaptations: The New Buddhism | 143 |
16 | America Starts Meditating I: The Ways of Zen | 150 |
17 | America Starts Meditating II: Tibetan Buddhism in Exile | 161 |
18 | America Starts Meditating III: The Vipassana Movement | 172 |
Afterword: The Flowering of Faith: Buddhism's Pure Land Tradition | 185 | |
Notes | 199 | |
Suggestions for Further Reading: An Annotated Guide | 220 | |
Index | 231 |