Mahayana Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations

by Williams; Paul

• ISBN13: 9780415356534
• ISBN10: 0415356539
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2008-08-29
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Originating in India, Mahayana Buddhism spread across Asia, becoming the prevalent form of Buddhism in Tibet and East Asia. Over the last twenty-five years Western interest in Mahayana has increased considerably, reflected both in the quantity of scholarly material produced and in the attraction of Westerners towards Tibetan Buddhism and Zen. Paul Williams " Mahayana Buddhismis widely regarded as the standard introduction to the field, used internationally for teaching and research and has been translated into several European and Asian languages. This new edition has been fully revised throughout in the light of the wealth of new studies and focuses on the religion "s diversity and richness. It includes much more material on China and Japan, with appropriate reference to Nepal, and for students who wish to carry their study further there is a much-expanded bibliography and extensive footnotes and cross-referencing. Everyone studying this important tradition will find Williams " book the ideal companion to their studies.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 1
The Perfection of Wisdom (Prajnaparamita) Sutras	p. 45
Madhyamika	p. 63
Yogacara	p. 84
The Tathagatagarbha	p. 103
Huayan - the Flower Garland tradition	p. 129
The Saddharmapundarika (Lotus) Sutra and it's influences	p. 149
On the bodies of the Buddha	p. 172
The path of the Bodhisattva	p. 187
Trust, self-abandonment and devotion: the cults of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas	p. 209
Notes	p. 267
References	p. 389
Index of Names	p. 422
Index of Subjects	p. 430
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