Excursions Into the Thought-World of the Pali Discourses

by Anālayo

For those who approach Buddhism as a system of mental development, this book is a reliable and accessible guide to understanding the significance of themes from the Pali discourses. Themes include grasping, right view, craving, passion, contemplation of feeling, happiness, and liberation. A rare combination of scholarly rigor and extensive meditation experience from the author provides veracity to these studies and explorations.

Genres: Buddhism, Philosophy

336 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 18, 2012

About the author

Ven. Anālayo, born in 1962, was ordained a Buddhist monk in Sri Lanka in 1995, completing his Ph.D. on satipaṭṭhāna at the University of Peradeniya in 2000. He is a contributor to the Encyclopaedia of Buddhism.

Reviews

[Ulf Wolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is rare to come across anyone with such a clear grasp of concepts and the terms that define them; especially someone who is not writing in his native tongue.

With "Excursions into the Thought-World of the Pali Discourses" Anālayo has chosen 24 key Pali Buddhist words/concepts and not only defined them clearly and brilliantly, but also shone on them the light of perspective and applicability within the early (as well as current) Buddhist teachings and practice.

This is not a quick read. You need to pay attention, very much so. I read one chapter each morning after my early sitting and with a pot of freshly brewed green tea by my side, approaching each term as if nothing in the world was more important than to understand clearly what I was reading. This approach paid off and I am a richer person/Buddhist for having done so.

I’d be hard pressed to recommend this book more highly.

[S · Rating 5 out of 5]

For scholars and practitioners, a short and succinct explanation of key terminologies in early Buddhism. I savored this book slowly, reading one chapter at a time and contemplate on it before I moved on to the next chapter. I appreciate especially the chapters on concentration, insight and liberation, the topics that not many succeeded in explaining in understandable terms. It functions as a reference book as well, worth to have it in your personal library.