The Essential Buddhadhamma The Teachings and Practice of Theravada Buddhism

An abridged translation of one of the most important books on Theravada Buddhism in recent history—authored by the esteemed Thai monk P. A. Payutto.

First published in Thailand in 1971 and since then expanded and revised multiple times, Bhikkhu P. A. Payutto’s Buddhadhamma is widely considered to be one of the most significant scholarly works on the Buddhism of the Pali canon produced in the last century. In this abridged translation, Bruce Evans presents the core of Ven. Payutto’s monumental scholarship, creating an ideal manual for anyone walking or studying the Theravada Buddhist path. Within are discussions of unparalleled sophistication on such foundational Buddhist teachings as the five khandhas, dependent arising, kamma, the noble eightfold path, spiritual friendship, wise attention, the four noble truths, the nature of enlightenment, and more.

Replete with passages from the ancient Pali suttas, Payutto frames Buddhist teachings in terms of broad existential questions that all of us face, such as “What is life?” and “How should life be lived?” Payutto’s illuminating expertise shows Theravada Buddhism to be a thorough explication of how reality unfolds according to natural processes—as well as a way of life that can yield the highest form of happiness.

BHIKKHU P. A. PAYUTTO (SOMDET PHRA BUDDHAGHOSACARIYA) is one of the world’s foremost authorities on the Pali canon and Theravada Buddhism. He entered monastic life at the age of thirteen and has since authored more than four hundred books and booklets. He has taught widely at universities in Thailand and the United States and has received numerous honors and awards, including the UNESCO Prize for Peace Education. He is the abbot of Wat Nyanavesakavan, a temple outside Bangkok, Thailand.
 
BRUCE EVANS is a translator, editor, and Theravada Buddhist practitioner. He took bhikkhu ordination under Ajahn Chah in the 1970s and lived for seventeen years as a monk in Thailand. From 1985 to 1992, he served as abbot of a remote monastery on the Thailand-Laos border. He lives in Melbourne, Australia.