Questioning the Buddha

Questioning the Buddha PDF Author: Peter Skilling
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1614294089
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 680

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Book Description
An important new book unlocking the words of the Buddha contained in the vast Tibetan canon, one of the main scriptural resources of Buddhism. In the forty-five years the Buddha spent traversing northern India, he shared his wisdom with everyone from beggar women to kings. Hundreds of his discourses, or sutras, were preserved by his followers, first orally and later in written form. Around thirteen hundred years after the Buddha’s enlightenment, the sutras were translated into the Tibetan language, where they have been preserved ever since. To date, only a fraction of these have been made available in English. Questioning the Buddha brings the reader directly into the literary treasure of the Tibetan canon with thoroughly annotated translations of twenty-five different sutras. Often these texts, many translated here in full for the first time, begin with an encounter in which someone poses a question to the Buddha. Peter Skilling, an authority on early Buddhist epigraphy, archaeology, and textual traditions, has been immersed in the Buddhist scriptures of diverse traditions for nearly half a century. In this volume, he draws on his deep and extensive research to render these ancient teachings in a fresh and precise language. His introduction is a fascinating history of the Buddhist sutras, including the transition from oral to written form, the rise of Mahayana literature, the transmission to Tibet, the development of canons, and a look at some of the pioneers of sutra study in the West. Sutras included in this volume are: Four Dharmas Not to Be Taken for Granted; The Benefits of Giving; The Exposition of Four Dharmas; The Merit of the Three Refuges; Four Dharmas Never to Be Abandoned; Advice for Bodhisatva Dharmaketu; Advice for Bodhisatva Jayamati; Sutra Comparing Bodhicitta to Gold; Bodhisatva Maitreya’s Question about the Gift of the Dharma; Four Summaries of the Dharma Spoken to the Naga King Sagara; The Stanza of Dependent Arising; The Heart Formula of Dependent Arising; Prediction of the Boy Brahmasri’s Future Buddhahood; Ksemavati’s Prediction to Future Buddhahood; The City Beggar Woman; An Old Woman’s Questions about Birth and Death; The Questions of Srimati the Brahman Woman; The Questions of the Laywoman Gangottara; Brahma Sahampati’s Question; Advice to King Prasenajit; Passage to the Next Life; Instructions for King Bimbisara; Instructions for King Udayana; Buddhas as Rare as a Grain of Golden Sand; and Predictions on the Eve of the Great Final Nirvana.

The Power of an Open Question

The Power of an Open Question PDF Author: Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
ISBN: 9780834822795
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 160

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Book Description
How do we find a resting place in a world that is complex and always changing? How do we practice spirituality beyond the limits of blind acceptance and doubt? Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel proposes that when we ask challenging questions like these, we access our deepest intelligence and most powerful insights. "When we ask a question," she suggests, "our mind is engaged yet open. The process of inquiry protects us from our tendency to reach static conclusions. Instead, we can respond to uncertainty and change with inquisitiveness and a sense of wonder." Her book guides us on a provocative, playful, and spiritually enriching journey of contemplation that could last a lifetime.

Breakfast with Buddha

Breakfast with Buddha PDF Author: Roland Merullo
Publisher: Algonquin Books
ISBN: 1565126165
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 353

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Book Description
At the behest of his sister, Otto Ringling finds himself reluctantly accompanying her guru, an enigmatic Mongolian monk, on a trip through Middle America to their childhood home, introducing his passenger to some American "fun" along the way.

What the Buddha Taught

What the Buddha Taught PDF Author: Walpola Rahula
Publisher: Open Road + Grove/Atlantic
ISBN: 0802198104
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 310

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Book Description
“A terrific introduction to the Buddha’s teachings.” —Paul Blairon, California Literary Review This indispensable volume is a lucid and faithful account of the Buddha’s teachings. “For years,” says the Journal of the Buddhist Society, “the newcomer to Buddhism has lacked a simple and reliable introduction to the complexities of the subject. Dr. Rahula’s What the Buddha Taught fills the need as only could be done by one having a firm grasp of the vast material to be sifted. It is a model of what a book should be that is addressed first of all to ‘the educated and intelligent reader.’ Authoritative and clear, logical and sober, this study is as comprehensive as it is masterly.” This edition contains a selection of illustrative texts from the Suttas and the Dhammapada (specially translated by the author), sixteen illustrations, and a bibliography, glossary, and index. “[Rahula’s] succinct, clear overview of Buddhist concepts has never been surpassed. It is the standard.” —Library Journal

The Buddha Pill

The Buddha Pill PDF Author: Miguel Farias
Publisher: Watkins Media Limited
ISBN: 1786782863
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 321

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Book Description
Millions of people meditate daily but can meditative practices really make us ‘better’ people? In The Buddha Pill, pioneering psychologists Dr Miguel Farias and Catherine Wikholm put meditation and mindfulness under the microscope. Separating fact from fiction, they reveal what scientific research – including their groundbreaking study on yoga and meditation with prisoners – tells us about the benefits and limitations of these techniques for improving our lives. As well as illuminating the potential, the authors argue that these practices may have unexpected consequences, and that peace and happiness may not always be the end result. Offering a compelling examination of research on transcendental meditation to recent brain-imaging studies on the effects of mindfulness and yoga, and with fascinating contributions from spiritual teachers and therapists, Farias and Wikholm weave together a unique story about the science and the delusions of personal change.

Buddhist Answers: For the Critical Questions

Buddhist Answers: For the Critical Questions PDF Author: Yalith Wijesurendra
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
ISBN: 1483688380
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 332

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Book Description
The Buddhist Answers contains detailed answers for the critical philosophical questions asked about Buddhism. This book is a result of extreme hard work of the author, researching into the lengthy Tripitaka, the doctrine of Lord Buddha. This book intends to establish a rational basis to the Buddhist beliefs. Lord Buddha preached in Jnanasaara Samuccaya' that, As the wise test gold by burning, cutting and rubbing it (on a piece of touchstone), so are you to accept my words after examining them and not merely out of regard to me.' The author did his level best to avoid personal opinions but to provide coherent answers by directly referring to various discourses by Lord Buddha in Tripitaka. This book can play a vital role in the international propagation of Buddhism. Buddhist missionaries can use this book as a handbook to answer the various philosophical questions which they encounter.

Buddha Taught Nonviolence, Not Pacifism

Buddha Taught Nonviolence, Not Pacifism PDF Author: Paul R. Fleischman
Publisher: Pariyatti Publishing
ISBN: 1928706223
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 59

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Book Description
In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, this thought-provoking essay explores the Buddha's teaching to find one prescription: not war, not pacifism but nonviolence.

In the Buddha's Words

In the Buddha's Words PDF Author: Bodhi
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 0861714911
Category : Literary Collections
Languages : en
Pages : 512

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Book Description
"This landmark collection is the definitive introduction to the Buddha's teachings in his own words. The American scholar monk Bhikkhu Bodhi, whose voluminous translations have won widespread acclaim, here presents selected discourses of the Buddha from the Pali Canon, the earliest record of what the Buddha taught. Divided into ten thematic chapters, In the Buddha's Words reveals the full scope of the Buddha's discourses, from family life and marriage to renunciation and the path of insight. A concise informative introduction precedes each chapter, guiding the reader toward a deeper understanding of the texts that follow." "In the Buddha's Words allows even readers unacquainted with Buddhism to grasp the significance of the Buddha's contributions to our world heritage. Taken as a whole, these texts bear eloquent testimony to the breadth and intelligence of the Buddha's teachings, and point the way to an ancient yet ever vital path. Students and seekers alike will find this systematic presentation indispensable."--BOOK JACKET.

Good Question, Good Answer

Good Question, Good Answer PDF Author: Shravasti Dhammika
Publisher:
ISBN: 9789810727161
Category : Buddhism
Languages : en
Pages : 87

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Book Description


Great Disciples of the Buddha

Great Disciples of the Buddha PDF Author: Nyanaponika (Thera)
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 0861713818
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 450

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Book Description
This book is a compilation of twenty-four life stories of the closest and most eminent of the Buddha's personal disciples.