Early Buddhist Teachings

Early Buddhist Teachings lucidly and elegantly explains the basic teachings of early Buddhism.

The book explains all the basic teachings of early Buddhism, from the birth of Buddhism to its final goal, the realization of nibbana. All Buddhist teachings lead to one important conclusion: the ultimate goal of Buddhism is not to have a view, but to view. What we call a view is “a perspective” or “a particular way of looking,” which means not to look at things as they actually are.

Y. Karunadasa is Professor Emeritus at the University of Kelaniya and a former director of its Graduate Institute of Pali and Buddhist Studies. He has served as a visiting professor at the University of London, the University of Toronto, and the University of Hong Kong, and as the Numata Chair at the University of Calgary. He lives in Colombo, Si Lanka.