Buddhism: Its Essence and Development

Buddhism is an eastern form of spirituality. Its doctrine, in its basic assumptions, is identical with many other teachings all over the world, teachings which may be called 'mystical'. The present book, which was the first comprehensive work on buddhism in english, represents author's lectures delivered at st. Peter's hall, oxford, and covers the whole range of buddhist thought. Contents preface/arthur waley introduction : 1. Budhism as a religion 2. Budhism as a philosophy 3. Self-extinction 4. 'Radical pessimism' 5. Immortality 6. Survival value i. Common ground : 1. The flavour of dharma 2. The documents 3. The buddha is buddhism atheistic? 4. The four holy truths 5. Cosmology 0 ii. Monastic buddhism : 1. The samgha 2. Poverty 3. Celibacy 4. Inoffensiveness 5. Main currents of monastic thought iii. Popular buddhism : 1. The place of the laity 2. Temporal power 3. The services of the samgha 4. The influence of the laity iv. The old wisdom school : 1. Sevts 2. Sariputra 3. Arhats 4. Practices 5. Moral discipline 6. Trance 7. Wisdom 8. Decline v. The mahayana, and the new wisdom school : 1. The mahasanghikas 2. Hinayana and mahayana 3. Literary development 4. Bodhisattvas 5. Emptiness 6. Salvation 7. Parallels vi. Buddhism of faith and devotion : 1. The reception of bhakti 2. Literary history 3. The agent of salvation 4. The aims of the faithful 5. Methods 6. Self-extinction and faith vii. The yogacarins : 1. Wisdom and trance 2. Literary history 3. "mind-only" 4. "store-consciousness" 5. Further doctrines viii. The tantra, or magical buddhism : 1. The problem of the tantra 2. History of the tantra 3. Tantric practices 4. Tantric philosophy 5. Tantric mythology 6. Left-handed tantra 7. The control of the body ix. Non-indian developments : 1.survey 2. Ch'an 3. Amidism 4. Rnyin-ma-pa 5. European buddhism list of quotations