Buddhism Introducing the Buddhist Experience

Buddhism: Introducing the Buddhist Experience, Third Edition, focuses on the depth of Buddhist experiences as expressed in the teachings and practices of its religious and philosophical traditions. Taking a more global and inclusive approach than any other introductory text, the book spans more than 2,500 years, offering chapters on Buddhism's origins in India; Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism; Buddhism in Southeast Asia, Tibet, China, Korea, and Japan; and the globalization of Buddhism with a focus on the United States. The volume is enhanced by substantial selections of primary text material, numerous boxed personal narratives by respected Buddhists and scholars, maps and photos, and six essays on cultural experiences of Buddhism around the world today.

Donald W. Mitchell is Professor of Philosophy at Purdue University. He is the author of The Gethsemani Encounter: A Dialogue on the Spiritual Life by Buddhist and Christian Monastics (1997).

Sarah H. Jacoby is Assistant Professor of Religion at Northwestern University. She is the coeditor of Buddhism Beyond the Monastery: Tantric Practices and their Performers in Tibet and the Himalayas (2009).

Boxes, Figures, and Maps
Preface
Pronunciation Guide
Introduction
1. THE LIFE OF GAUTAMA BUDDHA
The Early Life of Siddhartha Gautama
Birth
Youth
The Four Sights
The Great Renunciation
Spiritual Teachers
Asceticism
The Awakening of the Buddha
Enlightenment
Nirvana
The Mission of the Buddha
The Three Refuges
Important Conversions
Monasticism
Social Concern
Women's Ordination
The Rebellion of Devadatta
The Last Days of Gautama Buddha
2. THE TEACHINGS OF THE BUDDHA
The Three Characteristics
Impermanence
Dissatisfactoriness
No-Self
The Five Aggregates
Dependent Arising
Karma and Rebirth
Buddhist Cosmology
The Wheel of Life
The Four Noble Truths
The Middle Way
The First Noble Truth: Life Is Duhkha
The Second Noble Truth: The Cause of Duhkha
The Third Noble Truth: The Cessation of Duhkha
The Fourth Noble Truth: The Eightfold Path to the Cessation of Duhkha
Awakening
The Eightfold Path
Right Understanding
Right Thought
Right Speech
Right Action
Right Livelihood
Right Effort
Right Mindfulness
Right Concentration
Nirvana
3. EARLY BUDDHISM AND THE WAY OF THE ELDERS
The First Council: Three Baskets
The Sutra Pitaka
The Vinaya Pitaka
The Abhidharma Pitaka
Second and Third Councils: Many Paths
King Asoka
The Way of the Elders
Cultivating Morality
Purification and Wholesomeness
Releasement for Nirvana
Four Lower and Higher Meditations
Supernormal Abilities
Tranquility Meditation
Insight Meditation
Wisdom
Five Purifications
The Four Paths
Theravada Buddhism in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia
Sri Lanka
Southeast Asia
Theravada Monastic and Lay Experience
The Cultural Experience of Thai Buddhism Today, Mano Mettanando Laohavanich
From Childhood to Adulthood
Marriages and Funerals
Popular Buddhist Practices
Contributions of Thailand to Buddhist Culture
4. THE GREAT VEHICLE
The Mahayana Sutras
Discovering the Perfection of Wisdom
A Layperson's Sutra
Exploring Consciousness
The Lotus
The Land of Bliss
The Great Journey of the Bodhisattva
The Six Perfections
The Ten Stages
A Joyous Choice
Purity, Luminosity, and Radience
Meditation and Wisdom
Beyond Arhatship to Buddhahood
The Dharma Cloud
The Three Bodies of the Buddha
Celestial Buddhas
Celestial Bodhisattvas
5. THE DEVELOPMENT OF BUDDHIST THOUGHT IN INDIA
The Abhidharma Philosophies
The Mahayana Philosophies
The Middle Way
The Womb of the Buddha
Foundations of Consciousness
Theories of Knowledge
6. THE TIBETAN EXPERIENCES OF BUDDHISM
The Early Dissemination of Buddhism in Tibet
The Later Dissemination of Buddhism in Tibet
Tantra and Vajray?na Buddhism
Preliminary Practices
Major Schools of Tibetan Buddhism
The "Scripture and Precept" School: Kadam
The "Gray Earth" School: Sakya
The "Oral Transmission" School: Kagyu
The "Virtuous Ones" School: Geluk
The Dalai Lama
Tibet in the Past Century
New Tibetan Buddhist Movements
The Cultural Experience of Tibetan Buddhism Today, Geshe Damdul Namgyal
Daily Rituals
Circumambulation
Prayer Wheels
Prayer Flags
The Ransom of Animals
Purifications
Auspicious Days
Pilgrimage
Wandering Storytellers
The Deeper Life
7. THE CHINESE EXPERIENCES OF BUDDHISM
Translation and Inculturation
New Translations and Scholarship
Persecution and Reform
The Foundation of the Chinese Experiences of Buddhism
The Abhidhauma Schools
The Mahayana Schools
Defining the Chinese Experiences of Buddhism
The Heavenly Terrace School
The Flower-Garland School
The Pure Land School
Persecution and Decline
New Chinese Buddhist Movements
The Cultural Experience of Chinese Buddhism Today, Dedong Wei
Temple Rituals
Buddhist Festivals
Popular Buddhist Practices
Recent Developments in Popular Chinese Buddhism
Buddhism's Influence on Chinese Culture Today
8. THE KOREAN EXPERIENCES OF BUDDHISM
The Advent of Buddhism during the Three Kingdoms Period
Buddhism during the Unified Silla Dynasty: Innovation and Scholarship
Uisang
Wonhyo
The Five Buddhist Schools
Buddhism during the Koryo Dynasty: Searching for Unity
Uich'on
Chinul
The Korean Tripitaka
Repression during the Choson Dynasty
The Japanese Occupation and Recent Developments
The Cultural Experience of Korean Buddhism Today, Jongmyung Kim
Temple Rituals
Prayer and Pilgrimage
The Templestay Program
Buddhist Cultural Heritage in Korea
The Future of Popular Buddhism in Korean Culture
9. THE JAPANESE EXPERIENCES OF BUDDHISM
Prince Shotoku
The Nara Period (710-784): The Six Schools
The Kusha School
The Jojitsu School
The Ritsu School
The Sanron School
The Hosso School
The Kegon School
The Heian Period (794-1185): The Tendai and Shingon Schools
Tendai Buddhism
The Shingon School
The Kamakura Period (1185-1333): Pure Land, Zen, and Nichiren
Pure Land Buddhism
Zen Buddhism
Nichiren Buddhism
The Muromachi Period (1338-1573): Zen and Japanese Culture
The Tokugawa Period (1603-1868): Struggle and Reform
The Meiji Period (1868-1912) and Recent Developments
New Japanese Buddhist Cultural Movements
The Cultural Experience of Japanese Buddhism Today, Tomonobu Shinozaki
Buddhist Veneration of Ancestors
O-bon Festival
Popular Buddhist Practices and Holidays
The Bodhisattva Figure and Buddhist Practice Today
10. THE GLOBALIZATION OF BUDDHISM
Early European Encounters and Scholarship
Buddhism in the United States
Chinese Buddhism
Japanese Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism
Theravada Buddhism
Korean Buddhism
Vietnamese Buddhism
Buddhism in Europe
Buddhists in Canada
Buddhism in Australia and New Zealand
Buddhism in Brazil
Buddhism in Africa
Issues Facing Global Buddhisms
Ethnicity, Identity and Practice
Women, Ordination and Gender
Buddhist Ecumenism
Interreligious Dialogue
Social Engagement
Ecology and Science
Youth and the Internet
The Future of Global Buddhism
The Cultural Experience of Buddhism in America Today
Glossary of Technical Terms
Index