What the Buddha Taught - Softcover

Rahula, Walpola

4.18

11,651 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0394178270 ISBN 13: 9780394178271

Publisher: Random House Inc, 1981

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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.

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Review:

Beneath the enormous umbrella of Buddhism, there is a diverse galaxy of customs and beliefs, but there is also a kernel of truth that every sect holds dear. Rahula Walpola, scholar and monk, discovers this foundation of Buddhism for us first through straightforward explication, never skipping over a point that has yet to be substantiated, then through translations from key scriptures. Logical and focused, these are the essentials of Buddhism; know them first, then move comfortably on to other Buddhist works.

About the Author:

The Venerable Dr Walpola Sri Rahula was a Buddhist monk and scholar. He received a traditional training and education in his native Sri Lanka before studying at the University of Calcutta and the Sorbonne. He held a chair at Northwestern University, Illinois, and was the Vice-Chancellor of Vidyodaya University, Colombo. He is widely regarded as one of the most qualified and enlightened scholars of the Buddhist tradition, with a deep knowledge of the original texts.

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