Mahayana Myths and Stories

Mahayana Myths and Stories
Author: Sangharakshita
Publisher: Windhorse Publications
Total Pages: 597
Release: 2017-03-20
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1909314900

Sangharakshita introduces us to the wonderful world of three of the best-loved Mahayana sutras - a world from which we emerge with treasures in the form of teachings and advice that are a great support in how to live our lives in the everyday world. From the transcendental critique of religion and the means of unification offered by the Vimalakirti-nirdesa to the light shed on economics, ecology and politics by the Sutra of Golden Light, these commentaries offer a unique and deeply meaningful perspective on the value of human existence.

Skilful Means

Skilful Means
Author: Michael Pye
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 222
Release: 2004-08-02
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1134380631

Skilful means' is the key principle of Mahayana, one of the great Buddhist traditions. I illuminates a core working philosophy essential for any complete understanding of Buddhism.

Nagarjuna in Context

Nagarjuna in Context
Author: Joseph Walser
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Total Pages: 384
Release: 2005-05-11
Genre: History
ISBN: 0231506236

Joseph Walser provides the first examination of Nagarjuna's life and writings in the context of the religious and monastic debates of the second century CE. Walser explores how Nagarjuna secured the canonical authority of Mahayana teachings and considers his use of rhetoric to ensure the transmission of his writings by Buddhist monks. Drawing on close textual analysis of Nagarjuna's writings and other Buddhist and non-Buddhist sources, Walser offers an original contribution to the understanding of Nagarjuna and the early history of Buddhism.

The Buddhist Viṣṇu

The Buddhist Viṣṇu
Author: John Clifford Holt
Publisher: Motilal Banarsidass Publishe
Total Pages: 460
Release: 2008
Genre: Buddhism
ISBN: 9788120832695

John Holt's groundbreaking study examines the assimilation, transformation, and subordination of the Hindu deity Visnu within the contexts of Sri Lankan history and Sinhala Buddhist religious culture. Holt argues that political agendas and social forces, as much as doctrinal concerns, have shaped the shifting patterns of the veneration of Visnu in Sri Lanka. Holt begins with a comparative look at the assimilation of the Buddha in Hinduism. He then explores the role and rationale of medieval Sinhala kings in assimilating Visnu into Sinhala Buddhism. Offering analyses of texts, many of which have never before been translated into English, Holt considers the development of Visnu in Buddhist literature and the changing practices of deity veneration. Shifting to the present, Holt describes the efforts of contemporary Buddhist monks in Sri Lanka to discourage the veneration of Visnu, suggesting that many are motivated by a reactionary fear that their culture and society will soon be overrun by the influences and practices of Hindus, Muslims, and Christians.

Women in Buddhism

Women in Buddhism
Author: Diana Y. Paul
Publisher: Univ of California Press
Total Pages: 366
Release: 1985-04-23
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9780520054288

"In seeking to explore the interrelationships between, and mutual influence of, varieties of sexual stereotypes and religious views of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition, Women in Buddhism succeeds in drawing our attention to matters of philosophical importance. Paul examines the 'image' of women which arise in a number of Buddhist texts associated with Mahayana and finds that, while ideally the tradition purports to be egalitarian, in actual practice it often betrayed a strong misogynist prejudice. Sanskrit and Chinese texts are organized by theme and type, progressing from those which treat the traditionally orthodox and negative to those which set forth a positive consideration of soteriological paths for women. . . . In Women in Buddhism, Diana Paul may be forcing our consideration of the problem of female enlightenment. Thus the main purport and accomplishment of her scholarship is revolutionary."—Philosophy East and West

Dr Ambedkar and the Revival of Buddhism I

Dr Ambedkar and the Revival of Buddhism I
Author: Sangharakshita
Publisher: Windhorse Publications
Total Pages: 842
Release: 2016-09-15
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1909314803

One of the most far-reaching of Sangharakshita's contributions to modern Buddhism was giving shape to the Buddhist conversion movement begun by the great Indian statesman and reformer, Dr B.R. Ambedkar. The first part tells the story of how Ambedkar overcame the suffering and struggle of his early years to become the shaper of the Indian constitution and the leader of his people to a new life. The second part is a collection of 36 talks from Sangharakshita's tour of the Buddhist communities in India in 1981-2.

A New Buddhist Movement II

A New Buddhist Movement II
Author: Sangharakshita
Publisher: Windhorse Publications
Total Pages: 773
Release: 2022-08-18
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1911407805

This illuminating collection of previously unpublished talks traces the development of Sangharakshita’s presentation of the Dharma in the West from 1965 to 2011. Drawing on a wide range of sources, from the Pāli canon and The Tibetan Book of the Dead to Beowulf and William Wordsworth, there are many intriguing perspectives.

Dr Ambedkar and the Revival of Buddhism II

Dr Ambedkar and the Revival of Buddhism II
Author: Sangharakshita
Publisher: Windhorse Publications
Total Pages: 737
Release: 2021-06-09
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1911407090

This companion to volume 9 continues the story of Dr B.R. Ambedkar and his role in the revival of Buddhism in India. It includes a celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of Dr Ambedkar’s conversion to Buddhism, a commentary on Dr Ambedkar’s article ‘Buddha and the Future of His Religion’, articles on the mass conversion in 1956, an account of Sangharakshita’s visit to Nagpur at the time of Dr Ambedkar’s death, and notes from some of the hundreds of talks Sangharakshita gave in India during the next few years, as well as later talks he gave both in India and in the West.

Three Jewels II

Three Jewels II
Author: Sangharakshita
Publisher: Windhorse Publications
Total Pages: 685
Release: 2017-03-15
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1909314811

For Buddhists everywhere, the Three Jewels - the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha - are at the heart of daily life and practice. But how can we make our engagement with these precious ideals practical and real? In this volume - the companion volume to the forthcoming Three Jewels I, in which the nature of going for Refuge to the Three Jewels is explored - are gathered three much loved books, Who is the Buddha?, What is the Dharma? and What is the Sangha?

Chinese Mythology A to Z

Chinese Mythology A to Z
Author: Jeremy Roberts
Publisher: Infobase Publishing
Total Pages: 160
Release: 2004-01-01
Genre: Electronic books
ISBN: 1438119909