Eastern Religion

Beginning in the nineteenth century and continuing to the present day, both Buddhists and admirers of Buddhism have proclaimed the compatibility of Buddhism and science. Their assertions have ranged from modest claims about the efficacy of meditation for mental health to grander declarations that the Buddha himself anticipated the theories of relativity, quantum physics and the big bang more than two millennia ago.
In Buddhism and Science, Donald S. Lopez Jr. is less interested in evaluating the accuracy of such claims than in exploring how and why these two seemingly disparate modes of understanding the inner and outer universe have been so persistently linked. Lopez opens with an account of the rise and fall of Mount Meru, the great peak that stands at the center of the flat earth of Buddhist cosmography-and which was interpreted anew once it proved incompatible with modern geography. From there, he analyzes the way in which Buddhist concepts of spiritual nobility were enlisted to support the notorious science of race in the nineteenth century. Bringing the story to the present, Lopez explores the Dalai Lama's interest in scientific discoveries, as well as the implications of research on meditation for neuroscience. Lopez argues that by presenting an ancient Asian tradition as compatible with-and even anticipating-scientific discoveries, European enthusiasts and Asian elites have sidestepped the debates on the relevance of religion in the modern world that began in the nineteenth century and still flare today. As new discoveries continue to reshape our understanding of mind and matter, Buddhism and Science will be indispensable reading for those fascinated by religion, science, and their often vexed relation.

"He has opened the stately grounds of scholarship to the public so that nothing of value and interest shall be missed. His readers are given an opportunity to understand something that has hitherto been only a mystery." -- The Times (London) Literary Supplement
"It would be hard to find a study of any religion which is at once so correct, scholarly, short, lucid, and readable." -- The Manchester Guardian
Based on a series of Oxford lectures delivered by a leading Buddhist scholar, this classic guide covers the entire range of Buddhist thought, including spirituality, doctrine, and basic assumptions.
An expert on the subject who converted to Buddhism in the course of his studies. Dr. Conze introduces Buddhism as both religion and philosophy, and discusses its common ground with other faiths throughout the world. He contrasts monastic and popular Buddhism and defines old and new schools of thought, discussing sects and their practices, moral wisdom, and literary history. Other subjects include the Yogacarins; the Tantra, or magical Buddhism; and developments in the faith beyond India.
The first comprehensive English-language book on Buddhism, this volume offers a concise approach to the complexities of Buddhist thought. A preface by a distinguished scholar of Oriental literature, Arthur Waley, appears in this edition.

A wide selection of readings from Pali, Sanskrit, Chinese, Tibetan, and modern sources inteded to provide the reader with a foundation in classical Buddhist thought.

A modern introduction to traditional Buddhist psychology

This practical overview of Buddhist psychology outlines step-by-step methods for examining the source of our habitual tendencies and hangups. In order to truly free ourselves from perpetuating patterns of suffering, the Buddha offered a clear system for understanding our psychological dispositions, processes, fixations, and challenges--a system known as the Abhidharma. This tradition has been studied by Buddhists for over two millennia.

Professor Steven Goodman has taught on the Abhidharma in both universities and Buddhist retreats for over twenty years, making these traditional teachings accessible for a modern readership for the first time. Goodman explains how becoming aware of our mental patterns can liberate us from cycles of emotional pain and shows how the Abhidharma can be applied to meditation practice through exercises of observation and reflection. This is the go-to manual for anyone interested in the world of Buddhist psychology.

In this important book, Edward Conze discusses Indian Buddhist philosophy in three phases. The first deals with Archaic Buddhism, the question of "original" doctrine, and the basic tenets common to all Buddhist sects. The second and third consider the two main schools of early Buddhism: Hinayana or "scholastic" Buddhism, and Mahayana, the more metaphysical school of thought. Conze carefully and clearly explains the development of the fundamental ideas of Buddhism in India and in what form each sect adopted them. He looks at doctinal disputes, literary sources, Buddhist logic, Nirvana, ideas of self, and other areas, thus providing the reader with a useful guide to the history and philosophy of Buddhism. Buddhist Thought in India is essential for those who wish to expand their knowledge of Eastern thought. Students and scholars of philosophy, religion, South Asian studies, and other fields will find it an invaluable resource.

Popular Hinduism is shaped, above all, by worship of a multitude of powerful divine beings--a superabundance indicated by the proverbial total of 330 million gods and goddesses. The fluid relationship between these beings and humans is a central theme of this rich and accessible study of popular Hinduism in the context of the society of contemporary India. Lucidly organized and skillfully written, The Camphor Flame brings clarity to an immensely complicated subject. C. J. Fuller combines ethnographic case studies with comparative anthropological analysis, and draws on textual and historical scholarship as well. The book begins with an analysis of namaskara--the graceful gesture with which Hindus greet and show respect to gods and goddesses and to social superiors in the human world. Hierarchy is at the heart of Hinduism and Indian society, and Fuller examines the many contexts in which unequal relationships between deities and people, and among people themselves, are expressed--or denied--in popular religion. Throughout he proposes new ways of looking at many aspects of popular Hinduism and society in India, such as the relationship between worship and sacrifice, the importance of kingship even at the local level, the place of devotionalism in popular religion, the ritual power of goddesses and women, the connection between alternative explanations of misfortune, and the common basis of rituals that range from the most complicated to the simple showing of a single camphor flame to a god or goddess.

Explores the narratives and dialogues of the Upanisads and shows that these literary elements are central to an understanding of Upanishadic philosophy.

This groundbreaking book is an elegant exploration of the Upanisads, often considered the fountainhead of the rich, varied philosophical tradition in India. The Upaniṣads, in addition to their philosophical content, have a number of sections that contain narratives and dialogues-a literary dimension largely ignored by the Indian philosophical tradition, as well as by modern scholars. Brian Black draws attention to these literary elements and demonstrates that they are fundamental to understanding the philosophical claims of the text.

Focusing on the Upanisadic notion of the self (ātman), the book is organized into four main sections that feature a lesson taught by a brahmin teacher to a brahmin student, debates between brahmins, discussions between brahmins and kings, and conversations between brahmins and women. These dialogical situations feature dramatic elements that bring attention to both the participants and the social contexts of Upanisadic philosophy, characterizing philosophy as something achieved through discussion and debate. In addition to making a number of innovative arguments, the author also guides the reader through these profound and engaging texts, offering ways of reading the Upaniṣads that make them more understandable and accessible.

Sima Qian's writings have influenced the Chinese for over 2,000 years and still serve as a fiscal source of historical information about China.

Sima Qian's vast Records of the Historian is the first comprehensive history of China and has exerted an immense influence both upon our understanding of the Chinese past and also upon the style and structure of subsequent Chinese historiography. In addition to his contribution as a historian, Sima Qian is a highly significant literary figure whose writings are among the most elegant and powerful from the ancient world.

Durrant's study approaches Sima Qian's work from a literary perspective and demonstrates the relationship between Sima's narrative of the past and his narrative of his own life. That life was a fascinating and complex one. Enjoined by his father to complete a comprehensive history of China, Sima Qian subsequently offended the great Emperor Wu and was sentenced to castration. Rather than take the "noble path" of suicide, he suffered this traumatic punishment and lived on to fulfill his father's injunction-but not without emotional scars, scars that influenced his portrayal of the Chinese past. In fact, the great Han historian's account of the Chinese past, this study argues, is as much his story as it is history.

This is the first in-depth guide to Buddhism in North America, introducing the many facets of Buddhist practice andd belief, highlighting the unique development of Buddhism in the West, as well as offering detailed listings to over a thousand meditation centers. The book is divided into four parts, the first three representing the major Buddhist traditions that have taken root in America: "Theravada, The Path of Insight"; "Mahayana, The Path of Comapssion"; and "Vajrayana, The Path of Devotion." The fourth part covers nonsectarian groups. Each part begins with several essays by leading Buddhist teachers, scholars, and long-time students to introduce the philosophy and practices of that particular school. Then follow listings of hundreds of centers and meditation groups identified with that tradition, with brief descriptions of each center's facilities, the schedule of regular practices and special retreats, information about teacher lineages, and full contact information. The listings are enhanced by over a hundred photographs of the centers and their teachers, as well as by sidebars highlighting their unique features, practices, and events.

The Complete Book of Five Rings is an authoritative version of Musashi's classic The Book of Five Rings, translated and annotated by a modern martial arts master, Kenji Tokitsu. Tokitsu has spent most of his life researching the legendary samurai swordsman and his works, and in this book he illuminates this seminal text, along with several other works by Musashi. These include "The Mirror of the Way of Strategy," which Musashi wrote when he was in his twenties; "Thirty-five Instructions on Strategy," and "Forty-two Instructions on Strategy," which were precursors to The Book of Five Rings; and "The Way to Be Followed Alone," which Musashi wrote just days before his death. Read together, these five texts give readers an unusually detailed, nuanced view of Musashi's ideas on swordsmanship, strategy, and self-cultivation.

Tokitsu puts all these writings into historical and philosophical context and makes them accessible and relevant to today's readers and martial arts students. Tokitsu understands Musashi's writings--and Musashi as a martial artist--unusually well and is able to provide a rare insight into the man and his historical contribution.

This new and revised edition provides a comprehensive dictionary of Indian philosophical terms. Terms are provided in both devanagari and roman transliteration along with their English translations.

Containing over 500 new listings of frequently used religious terms and numerous etymological derivations, this new and revised edition of A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy provides a comprehensive dictionary of Indian philosophical terms in both devanagari and roman transliteration along with an English translation. It offers special meanings of words used as technical terms within particular philosophical systems and contains the meanings of terms fundamental to epistemology, metaphysics, and practical teaching of heterodox and orthodox schools of Indian philosophy.

Cross-referencing is provided and charts are included that offer information regarding relationships, categories, and sourcebooks relevant to individual schools.

The Chinese ethical tradition has often been thought to oppose Western views of the self--as autonomous and possessed of individual rights--with views that emphasize the centrality of relationship and community to the self. The essays in this collection discuss the validity of that contrast as it concerns Confucianism, the single most influential Chinese school of thought. (Alasdair MacIntyre, who has significantly articulated the need for dialogue across traditions, contributes a concluding essay of commentary.)

This book presents a concise, balanced overview of China's oldest and most revered philosophy. In clear, straightforward language, Paul R. Goldin explores how Confucianism was conceived and molded by its earliest masters, discusses its main tenets, and considers its history and relevance for the modern world. Goldin guides readers through the philosophies of the three major classical Confucians--Confucius, Mencius, and Xunzi--as well as two short anonymous treatises, the "Great Learning" and the "Classic of Filial Piety." He also discusses some of the main Neo-Confucian philosophers and outlines transformations Confucianism has undergone in the past century.

Thich Nhat Hanh shares heartfelt moments in his own development -- drinking the clear water of a hermit's well; becoming a monk to practice for his generation, society, and the world, and falling in love. "Cultivating the Mind of Love-interweaves these themes with an examination of Buddhist texts.