Buddhism: What Everyone Needs to Know

Description

Buddhism is one of the oldest and largest of the world's religions. But it is also a tradition that has proven to have enormous contemporary relevance. Founded by Siddhartha Gautama, who came to be called the Buddha, the religion has spread from its origins in northeast India, across Asia, and eventually to the West, taking on new forms at each step of the way. Buddhism: What Everyone Needs to Know offers readers a brief, authoritative guide to one of the world's most diverse religious traditions in a reader-friendly question-and-answer format. Dale Wright covers the origins and early history of Buddhism, the diversity of types of Buddhism throughout history, and the status of contemporary Buddhism. This is a go-to book for anyone seeking a basic understanding of the origins, history, teachings, and practices of Buddhism. cover Buddhism Copyright Contents Introduction 1. Origins and Early History 1.1. When and where did Buddhism begin? 1.2. What was the religious and cultural setting in which Buddhism was born? 1.3. Who was the Buddha? 1.4. To what extent is this traditional story about the life of the Buddha historically accurate? 1.5. What do the various names and titles of the Buddha mean, and how do they reflect the early Buddhists’ understanding of the Buddha? 1.6. What kind of life did the Buddha live, and why did he call it the Middle Path? 1.7. Who were the early disciples of the Buddha, and what kinds of lives did they live? 1.8. How did early Buddhists conceive of themselves as a community, or sangha? 1.9. What was the role of women in the early Buddhist community? 1.10. What were the rules that governed the lives of monks and nuns? 1.11. What was the relationship between members of the monastic community and lay Buddhists? 1.12. What kinds of religious involvement were available to the lay community? 1.13. How did early Buddhists align themselves with the northern Indian social system, especially the early stages of the Indian caste system? 1.14. What are the sacred texts of Buddhism? 1.15. What issues do the early Buddhist sutras address, and how were these texts used in practice? 1.16. What was the relationship between Buddhism and other Indian religious traditions in this early period? 1.17. When and how did the Buddha die? 1.18. What happened to the Buddhist community following the death of the Buddha? 2. Buddhist Diversity 2.1. How and when did Buddhism spread beyond its origins in northeastern India? 2.2. What are the primary sectarian divisions within Buddhism, and how did they develop? 2.3. What are the distinguishing characteristics of Buddhism in the Southeast Asian cultures of Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia, and how are these Buddhist cultures linked to Buddhist traditions in Sri Lanka? 2.4. What are Mahayana sutras, and how are they different from earlier texts associated with the Buddha? 2.5. How many sutras are there, and to what extent do Buddhists read them? 2.6. Among these many Buddhist sutras, which ones are most important to read to get a good sense of Buddhist sacred texts? 2.7. Besides the sutras, are there other Buddhist texts that have been equally influential in the development of Buddhism? 2.8. Why and how is the Silk Road significant in Buddhist history? 2.9. How was Buddhism introduced and assimilated into an already established and sophisticated Chinese culture? 2.10. What are the most distinctive features of Buddhism in China, Vietnam, Korea, and Japan? 2.11. How did Buddhism take hold in Tibet and Mongolia, and how did these cultures develop their own unique Buddhist style? 2.12. What is Tantric Buddhism, and how has it developed as a unique form of Buddhism? 2.13. What is Zen Buddhism? 2.14. Why did Buddhism disappear from India after being disseminated virtually everywhere else in Asia? 2.15. How has Buddhism been shaped by contact with the West? 2.16. How did Western Buddhism emerge, and how is it related to Asian Buddhism? 3. Buddhist Teachings 3.1. Do Buddhists believe in God? 3.2. What are the Four Noble Truths? 3.3. Does the emphasis on human suffering make Buddhism pessimistic? 3.4. What other teachings about the causes of suffering are important in Buddhism? 3.5. What are the delusions that Buddhists regard as detrimental to life? 3.6. How do Buddhists understand the impermanence of all things? 3.7. What does dependent arising mean, and what role does it play in Buddhist thought and practice? 3.8. What does the Buddhist teaching of no-​soul or no-​self mean? 3.9. If there is no self or no soul, what then am I? How do Buddhists understand being a person? 3.10. How do Buddhists understand death and the possibility of an afterlife? 3.11. What is the Buddhist understanding of karma? 3.12. How is karma related to the Buddhist idea of rebirth or reincarnation, and how is this afterlife thought to work? 3.13. What role do karma and rebirth play in Buddhist moral culture? 3.14. What is the Buddhist view of the larger cosmos? 3.15. Does faith play a role in Buddhism? And if so, what? 3.16. What further teachings distinguish Mahayana Buddhism from earlier traditions of Buddhism? 3.17. What is the Mahayana bodhisattva ideal, and how does it differ from the image of the Buddhist saint in earlier Theravada Buddhist traditions? 3.18. What is the Mahayana Buddhist teaching of emptiness, and how it is related to the bodhisattva’s quest for wisdom and compassion? 3.19. How did the Buddhist understanding of the Buddha evolve? 3.20. What elements of teaching are distinct to the Tantric tradition? 3.21. What are the basic teachings of devotional Buddhism? 3.22. What are the primary teachings of Zen Buddhism, and what role do they play in Zen practice? 3.23. What are the primary rules, virtues, and vices in Buddhist morality? 3.24. What is Buddhist enlightenment? Is that what nirvana means? 4. Buddhist Practices 4.1. What is the relationship between Buddhist teachings and the practice of Buddhism? 4.2. How is Buddhist practice related to karma and the goal of enlightenment? 4.3. What aspects of life are thought to be affected by Buddhist practice? 4.4. What is Buddhist meditation? 4.5. What are the primary forms or styles of Buddhist meditation? 4.6. What do Buddhist practitioners do in meditation? 4.7. Why is bodily posture considered important in the practice of meditation? 4.8. Is prayer an important practice in Buddhism? 4.9. What practices of moral self-​cultivation play a significant role in Buddhism? 4.10. Are there recognizable stages along the path of Buddhist practice? 4.11. Are there ascetic practices that are important for Buddhists? 4.12. What role does ritual play in Buddhist practice? 4.13. How do scripture and reading function in Buddhist practice? 4.14. Are artistic images of the Buddha important in settings of Buddhist practice? 4.15. Do sacred sites and pilgrimages have a function in Buddhist practice? 4.16. Is art or music employed in Buddhist practice? 4.17. What role do priests, gurus, or other religious professionals play for Buddhist practitioners? 4.18. How is Tantric practice distinct from earlier forms of Buddhist practice? 4.19. How has Zen practice developed in its own distinct way? 4.20. Do Buddhists try to win converts? 5. Contemporary Global Buddhism 5.1. Is Buddhism a religion, and if so in what sense? 5.2. Why is Buddhism currently of interest around the world? 5.3. How does Buddhism compare to other major world religions in terms of its age and number of participants? 5.4. How does Buddhism relate to government and politics? 5.5. What is the relationship between Buddhism and modern science, and why is this connection so frequently emphasized today? 5.6. Isn’t there a conflict between basic Buddhist values and the character of modern capitalism? 5.7. What is the relationship between Buddhism and modern psychology? 5.8. What is secular Buddhism, and how has Buddhism adjusted to the overall secular character of contemporary global society? 5.9. Who is the Dalai Lama? 5.10. Who are the other most widely known or important Buddhist leaders? 5.11. What positions have Buddhist leaders taken on issues of violence, war, and peace? 5.12. What can we learn from Buddhism about nature and the environment? What are ecoBuddhism and Green Buddhism? 5.13. After having virtually disappeared from its country of origin, has Buddhism been revived in modern India? 5.14. How have Buddhists responded to the easing of restrictions on religion in China? 5.15. How have Buddhist humanitarian organizations and women’s leadership in them begun to transform East Asian Buddhism? 5.16. What is the status of Buddhism in Tibet? What about Tibetan Buddhism in exile? 5.17. How does Buddhism deal with controversial issues like divorce, abortion, and suicide? 5.18. What holidays and festivals are celebrated by modern Buddhists, and are there modern pilgrimages that Buddhists consider important? 5.19. How have the roles of women in Buddhism changed in contemporary cultures, both in Asia and in the temples and meditation centers of Western Buddhism? 5.20. How is the contemporary practice of mindfulness in secular settings such as schools and hospitals related to Buddhist traditions of meditation? 5.21. What are the future prospects for Buddhism? Suggestions for Further Reading Index