The Foundations of Buddhism

Contents

List of Tables and Figure xii

List of Maps xiii

A Note on Buddhist Languages xvii

INTRODUCTION I

I. THE BUDDHA: THE STORY OF THE AWAKENED ONE 7

The historical Buddha 7

The legend of the Buddha r

The nature of a buddha 27

2. THE WORD OF THE BUDDHA: BUDDHIST SCRIPTURES
   AND ScHOOLS 35
   Dharma: texts, practice, and realization 35
   The first recitation of scriptures 39
   · SUtra and Abhidharma 45
   The origin of the ancient Buddhist schools 49
   The Mahayana sUtras 56

3· FouR TRUTHS: THE DISEASE, THE CAUSE, THE CuRE,

THE MEDICINE 59

The orientation of the Buddha's teaching 59

The disease of suffering 6o

The origin of suffering: attachment, aversion, and delusion 68

The cessation of suffering: nirvaQ.a 74

The way leading to the cessation of suffering 79

4· THE BuDDHIST CoMMUNITY: MoNKS, NuNs,

AND LAY FOLLOWERS 85

The Buddha's followers and the origin of the

Buddhist order 85