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Buddhisms : An Introduction by John S. Strong (2015, Trade Paperback)

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Buddhisms: An Introduction represents a novel way of presenting the whole of the Buddhist tradition in its unity and multiplicity.

About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherOneworld Publications

ISBN-101780745052

ISBN-139781780745053

eBay Product ID (ePID)208620263

Product Key Features

Book TitleBuddhisms : an Introduction

Number of Pages480 Pages

LanguageEnglish

TopicBuddhism / General (See Also Philosophy / Buddhist), Buddhism / Rituals & Practice, General

Publication Year2015

IllustratorYes

GenreReligion

AuthorJohn S. Strong

FormatTrade Paperback

Dimensions

Item Height1.3 in

Item Weight20.8 Oz

Item Length9.2 in

Item Width6 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceTrade

Dewey Edition23

Reviews"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.... Readers eager to dive into a rigorous, well-organized investigation of Buddhism's intricate 2500-year-old history will find much to reward them." --Publishers Weekly "Strong (religious studies, Bates Coll.) is well qualified to discuss Buddhism, having authored The Buddha and The Experience of Buddhism, among other titles. This substantial study is a near-comprehensive digest of the history of Buddhism in its multiple forms, from its origins in India to its variants in Thailand, Japan, and Tibet. Strong's exhaustive account is doubtless intended as a textbook, yet it is also gratifying and accessible to all readers as it includes the lives (real and legendary) of Gautama Buddha, also known as Sakyamuni, as well as discussions of early monastic communities and clear expositions of most Buddhist doctrines. The latter part of the title focuses on several variants of Buddhism and contains chronologies of the tradition throughout Asia. VERDICT Exemplary for its organization and writing, this work is likely to become the standard single-volume text on Buddhism for the student, whether within the walls of the academy or without." -- Starred Review, Library Journal "Recommended .... Strong's exhaustive study of Buddhisms is both accessible and informative. The volume's greatest strength is the vast detail and breadth of Buddhism that it manages to cover while preserving a sense of what makes Buddhism what it is across a variety of geographic and temporal ranges. The breadth of the book notwithstanding, Strong (philosophy and religion, Bates College) does well to express the personal experience of Buddhism, and it is clear that this work is the result of decades of research. He opens with the modern day temple setting before moving to the root story of the experience of Sakyamuni (the Buddha). Having provided this background, the author proceeds to explain the process of institutionalization of the tradition and the various teachings. This serves as a beautiful transition to explaining the varieties of Buddhist expression in later developments in Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions outside the Indian context. By limiting the volume's scope to the Asian context, Strong is able to focus on some key elements of the religious tradition and its development." --CHOICE Magazine , from the American Library Association, 'This substantial study is a near-comprehensive digest of the history of Buddhism in its multiple forms... Exemplary for its organization and writing, this work is likely to become the standard single-volume text on Buddhism for the student, whether within the walls of the academy or without.', 'Written with great clarity and sensitivity... this work is a welcome addition to the genre of books that survey the development of Buddhism across Asia.', 'Buddhisms: An Introduction is a Brueghalian masterpiece, which conveys the age-old religious themes in a setting of lived reality touched with hints of humour, offering intriguing perspectives on all of Buddhism's bewildering diversity. The effect is somewhat breathtaking - so much covered so apparently effortlessly.', "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.... Readers eager to dive into a rigorous, well-organized investigation of Buddhism's intricate 2500-year-old history will find much to reward them." --Publishers Weekly "Strong (religious studies, Bates Coll.) is well qualified to discuss Buddhism, having authored The Buddha and The Experience of Buddhism, among other titles. This substantial study is a near-comprehensive digest of the history of Buddhism in its multiple forms, from its origins in India to its variants in Thailand, Japan, and Tibet. Strong's exhaustive account is doubtless intended as a textbook, yet it is also gratifying and accessible to all readers as it includes the lives (real and legendary) of Gautama Buddha, also known as Sakyamuni, as well as discussions of early monastic communities and clear expositions of most Buddhist doctrines. The latter part of the title focuses on several variants of Buddhism and contains chronologies of the tradition throughout Asia. VERDICT Exemplary for its organization and writing, this work is likely to become the standard single-volume text on Buddhism for the student, whether within the walls of the academy or without." -- Starred Review, Library Journal, 'An original contribution and approach to this 2,500 year-old religion, with its precise explanations fortified by tables and information on further reading'., 'Deftly selecting material from a vast tradition, Strong guides the reader through complex topics with precision, clarity, and insight... readers eager to dive into a rigorous, well-organized investigation of Buddhism's intricate 2500-year-old history will find much to reward them.'

Dewey Decimal294.3

SynopsisBuddhisms: An Introduction presents Buddhism as a religion which is coherent yet diverse. Beginning at the modern-day temples of Lumbini, where the Buddha was born, it provides an overview of the varied aspects of the Buddhist tradition before going on to explore the life of the Buddha himself. Turning to Buddhist Doctrine, it expands the notion of the Middle Way to show how Buddhism both avoided and incorporated the extreme teachings extant in India in its time. It then uses the Middle Way to help us understand the transition to later schools of Buddhist thought. Finally, it examines the nature of Buddhist community life and its development in the very different environments of Thailand, Japan, and Tibet. Throughout, the author draws upon his own experiences, detailing personal anecdotes and insights gathered over forty years of studying Buddhism and living in Buddhist countries. Clear in its explanations, replete with tables and suggestions for further reading, it should appeal to students, and with its ways of viewing the Buddha, his teachings, and the Buddhist community through the ages, it will be of interest scholars too, Buddhism or Buddhisms? By the time they move on to Buddhism in Japan, many students who have studied its origins in India ask whether this is in fact the same religion, so different can they appear. In Buddhisms: An Introduction, Professor John S. Strong provides an overview of the Buddhist tradition in all its different forms around the world. Beginning at the modern day temples of Lumbini, where the Buddha was born, Strong takes us through the life of the Buddha and a study of Buddhist Doctrine, revealing how Buddhism has changed just as it has stayed the same. Finally, Strong examines the nature of Buddhist community life and its development today in the very different environments of Thailand, Japan, and Tibet. Enriched by the author's own insights gathered over forty years, Buddhisms never loses sight of the personal experience amidst the wide-scope of its subject. Clear in its explanations, replete with tables and suggestions for further reading, this is an essential new work that makes original contributions to the study of this 2,500 year-old religion., "Exemplary for its organization and writing, this work is likely to become the standard single-volume text on Buddhism for the student, whether within the walls of the academy or without." --Starred Review, Library Journal Buddhisms: An Introduction represents a novel way of presenting the whole of the Buddhist tradition in its unity and multiplicity. Clear in its explanations, replete with tables and suggestions for further reading, it should appeal to students, yet also be of interest to scholars for some of its ways of viewing the Buddha, his teachings, and the Buddhist community through the ages.

LC Classification NumberBQ276