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Introducing Buddhism by Keown, Damien, Prebish, Charles S. [Routledge,2010] (Paperback) 2nd Edition
Introducing Buddhism by Keown, Damien, Prebish, Charles S.. Published by Routledge,2010, Paperback 2nd Edition
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First published December 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 17, 2024
In truth, I'm still working through this one (nonchronologically, according to my ever-changing topical and personal interests) since I recently went through Andrew Skilton's wonderful introduction to Buddhism's historical development. This time, I've been dipping in and out of the Four Noble Truths and Eightfood Paths (where I've found the descriptions and translations of terms very helpful and inspired, such as rendering the typical term "desire" as "craving" to give a closer sense of the original Sanskrit, which only had this sort of pejorative sense and hardly castigated desire as such).
From there, I've been exploring the different schools of thought within the Theravada and Mahayana traditions, various forms of meditation in each, and will get into some of the fascinatingly modern ethical and ecological questions raised elsewhere when I feel satisfied with my main preoccupations, which really lie in the richness of the schools and their (sometimes complicated) conceptual and practical teachings.
But, thankfully, the text is so well written, explained, and organized that it is a genuinely rewarding and even enjoyable process to make my way through it, even taking pretty much any starting point. I expect it's got to be the gold standard for less sectarian or personality-driven works on Buddhism and one that can meet the needs of diverse students and practitioners alike.
From there, I've been exploring the different schools of thought within the Theravada and Mahayana traditions, various forms of meditation in each, and will get into some of the fascinatingly modern ethical and ecological questions raised elsewhere when I feel satisfied with my main preoccupations, which really lie in the richness of the schools and their (sometimes complicated) conceptual and practical teachings.
But, thankfully, the text is so well written, explained, and organized that it is a genuinely rewarding and even enjoyable process to make my way through it, even taking pretty much any starting point. I expect it's got to be the gold standard for less sectarian or personality-driven works on Buddhism and one that can meet the needs of diverse students and practitioners alike.
November 28, 2015
As usual, I want to state that I am still very impressed with Routledge's "World Religions" series, and this book just added to that. The book starts with the development of Buddhism in India, then talks about the development in other countries. It discusses in particular The Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha, as well as focusing a chapter on meditation in various traditions as well as on Mahyana Buddhism and one on Tibetan Buddhism especially. South(-East) and East Asian traditions also get their own chapters. I do admit to struggling some to keep up with all the vocabulary and technical terms, but I view that as a fault of my own rather than of the presenters, and I'm sure a more thorough re-read will do nothing but help me grasp it better. Or use of a teacher.
The second section of the book is where I find the major problems of it. The author's talk about Western Buddhism, and rightfully distinguish it as a separate entity compared to "Traditional Buddhism". However, their chapter put me more of in the mindset that it was more a conglomeration of all previous traditions instead of a complete revamping, which is what is actually happening with Bachelor's "Secular Buddhism". They also didn't really showcase the differences between the type of Buddhism generally found in the West (Think "Buddhism is a philosophy, not a religion" and other such false statements that are more influenced by Western Romanticism). The next chapter talked about "(Socially) Engaged Buddhism", and, while it did mention that there are debates about whether it can be called Buddhism or not, the author's seemed very praising of it, and often left an impression that they fully supported the cause and calling it Buddhism, whether it's a good continuation of the religion or not. However, that section also contained a final chapter on Buddhist Studies in the West, detailing some of the early names as well as some of the issues that face Buddhist studies today, specifically mentioning things such as class, gender, and technology.
Overall, the book was very informative, and, while I disagree with how the author's presented certain chapters, I do recognize that they were necessary because of how prevalent Western Buddhism and Engaged Buddhism are when you search for Buddhism (assuming you're a Western reader, as I feel most will be). And, the bibliography at the end of each chapter is, as always, very nice for finding further information on specific topics of interest. I would recommend it as a good introduction for anyone interested in learning about Buddhism, though I would caution them about the Western Buddhism and the Engaged Buddhism selections, and to realize that both are a deviation from what came before and influenced by Western beliefs and conceptions (especially Batchelor's godless Buddhism, despite the Pure Land traditions, putting one's faith in the Buddha, etc.)
The second section of the book is where I find the major problems of it. The author's talk about Western Buddhism, and rightfully distinguish it as a separate entity compared to "Traditional Buddhism". However, their chapter put me more of in the mindset that it was more a conglomeration of all previous traditions instead of a complete revamping, which is what is actually happening with Bachelor's "Secular Buddhism". They also didn't really showcase the differences between the type of Buddhism generally found in the West (Think "Buddhism is a philosophy, not a religion" and other such false statements that are more influenced by Western Romanticism). The next chapter talked about "(Socially) Engaged Buddhism", and, while it did mention that there are debates about whether it can be called Buddhism or not, the author's seemed very praising of it, and often left an impression that they fully supported the cause and calling it Buddhism, whether it's a good continuation of the religion or not. However, that section also contained a final chapter on Buddhist Studies in the West, detailing some of the early names as well as some of the issues that face Buddhist studies today, specifically mentioning things such as class, gender, and technology.
Overall, the book was very informative, and, while I disagree with how the author's presented certain chapters, I do recognize that they were necessary because of how prevalent Western Buddhism and Engaged Buddhism are when you search for Buddhism (assuming you're a Western reader, as I feel most will be). And, the bibliography at the end of each chapter is, as always, very nice for finding further information on specific topics of interest. I would recommend it as a good introduction for anyone interested in learning about Buddhism, though I would caution them about the Western Buddhism and the Engaged Buddhism selections, and to realize that both are a deviation from what came before and influenced by Western beliefs and conceptions (especially Batchelor's godless Buddhism, despite the Pure Land traditions, putting one's faith in the Buddha, etc.)
August 12, 2016
fantastic book on buddhism. covers history from before its inception to where its heading in the future. core doctrine, important figures, etc etc etc. a great introductory book to buddhism
January 26, 2025
Prebish and Keown introduce Buddhism in great detail, narrating the expositions and literature behind contemporary beliefs of the religion. They highlight nuances of Buddhism and draws comparisons to Judeo-Christian conceptions of the world. In Buddhism time is cyclic and the realms of the world is a representation of rebirths. Christian beliefs place God and the Heavens above and Hell below, while Buddhists believe in a system of Bhavacakra. Beings migrate through the six realms of rebirth in this depiction of the Wheel of Life and their reincarnation is determined by karmic state of the spirits previous life. The authors also talk about the western perspectives of Buddhism and its struggle for emergence and popularism in the West. Buddhism is multi-faceted with sub sectors similar to Christianity. Birthed from a social movement composed of wanderers, Buddhism’s proclamation lies in nirvana.
December 29, 2023
I read this book in preparation for my trip to Southeast Asia for cultural context. The book is a bit dense but introduces different aspects of Buddhism very well. During my trip I visited a lot of temples and participated in some monk chats and I felt that the book really helped me to understand what is going on.
March 3, 2020
Multifaceted, expansive as a mandala of buddhist studies.
April 16, 2020
A very solid introduction to the tradition. Was assigned it as a student back when it was new. It's still probably the best book on the market.
November 2, 2013
Great book to learn about Buddhism for the first time! Includes extensive history and succinct explanation of Buddhist belief systems. Read as a prerec to my 300 level Buddhism course.
May 1, 2017
Buddhism Elective Class textbook.
So fun to learn about a religion from the scholarly approach. I connected to a lot in this book because I was able to read the history and beliefs of Buddhism and draw my own interpretations and opinions. This book was very thorough, well written, and an approachable introduction to the religion.
Loved the basic beliefs of being a better, more spiritual person. Especially appreciated that there's no one deity to be revered and no one religious text. Lots of cosmology and ecology beliefs that I identified with too. Buddhists can also belong to multiple "schools" unlike many other religions.
So fun to learn about a religion from the scholarly approach. I connected to a lot in this book because I was able to read the history and beliefs of Buddhism and draw my own interpretations and opinions. This book was very thorough, well written, and an approachable introduction to the religion.
Loved the basic beliefs of being a better, more spiritual person. Especially appreciated that there's no one deity to be revered and no one religious text. Lots of cosmology and ecology beliefs that I identified with too. Buddhists can also belong to multiple "schools" unlike many other religions.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews