VINAYA: An entry from Macmillan Reference USA's <i>Encyclopedia of Buddhism</i>

by Gregory Schopen

The “Encyclopedia of Buddhism” provides a comprehensive overview of one of Asia's most important religious and social forces, describing the Buddhist worldview, basic teachings and practices, history, and the different schools and sects. This intriguing set illuminates a religion that is a mystery to most Westerners by exploring Buddhist scriptures, art, architecture, saints, demons, monastic orders, festivals, rites and ceremonies, as well as the different forms Buddhism has taken in different parts of the world, and how it has blended with other religions like Shinto, Confucianism, Daoism and Christianity.

5 pages, ebook

Published January 1, 2003

About the author

Gregory Schopen, PhD (South Asian and Buddhist Studies, Australian National University, Canberra, 1979; MA, History of Religions, McMaster University, Ontario, 1975; BA, American Literature, Black Hills State College, 1970), is Professor of Buddhist Studies in the Asian Languages & Cultures Department of the University of California, Los Angeles. He received a MacArthur Fellowship in 1985 for his work in the field of History of Religion, and was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2015. He served previously as a professor at the Center for Asian Studies at the University of Texas.