The Foundations of Buddhism

The Foundations of

'sUDDHlSM

Rupert Gethin

The 0 PUS series provides concise

and original introductions to a

wide range of subjects.

'The Buddhist way of meditation,

compassion and non-injury to

sentient beings is a deeply

attractive philosophy. This book

is the best available introduction.'

Andrew Linzey,

Mansfield College, Ox/Q.,rd

Caver photo by Jean· Louis Nou.

OXFORD·

UNIVERSITY PRESS

http://www.oup.com

OPUS

'A hundred miles or so from the place

of the Buddha's birth, pilgrims to the

shrine of the primordial Buddha

Svayambhbnii.tha in Nepal turn the

countless prayer wheels as they

approach the great stii.pa; in the hall of

a monastery situated amidst the rice

fields of Korea a group of monks sits

silently in meditation; at Aukana in Sri

Lanka a woman dressed in white

carefully places an open lotus bud at

the feet of the giant standing Buddha

and raises her joined palms to her

forehead.'

Buddhism is a vast and complex

religious and philosophical tradition

with a history that stretches back over

2,500 years. In this book, Rupert Gethin

investigates the common threads

connecting diverse traditions of

Buddhist thought and practice: the ~tory

of the Buddha, the scriptural tradition of

his teachings, the four 'noble truths',

monastic and lay ways of life, karma and

rebirth, ethics, meditation, and

philosophy. While concentrating on the

formative phase of Buddhism in India,

he also considers the ways in which these

foundations have shaped the

development of Buddhism beyond India

and into the twentieth century.

ISBN 0-19~289223-1

9 780192 89~232 >