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The Island: An Anthology of the Buddha's Teachings of Nibbana
This important work will appeal to scholars and to students. It's an outstanding, and in some ways a singular, resource.
The authors examine how classical Buddhist texts describe Nibbana (Nirvana). Even though it's the "goal" of the Buddhist life, Nibbana is rarely discussed, so people wanting a concrete goal to motivate them are often left in the dark. The authors certainly agree no one can adequately describe Nibbana, and any discussion involves risks of misinterpretation, but they know the value of examining how Nibbana has been characterized in the texts, in descriptions of the Buddha's life, and in subsequent writings. This is an exceptional goal, and the authors manage it nicely IMHO.
The book is well-organized, well-written, well-thought out, interesting, and valuable; the authors have given us a labor of love. The authors, who are dedicated monastics, also have considerable experience and credibility within the modern Buddhist Dharma community.
NOTE ON AVAILABILITY: Thanks, Amazon, for your kindness in listing this book and bringing it to our attention, but "The Island" is indeed available (at the time of this Review). It is available for free distribution from Abhayagiri Monastic Foundation, either in softcover form or via downloading. This reflects a Buddhist tradition of offering free teachings as an act of generosity (it also offers the recipients the opportunity, but not the requirement, to support the teachings with free-will offerings -- mutual support is part of our practice if the teachings are to survive). Readers should be grateful for the opportunity to make a free-will offering to the Abhayagiri community so they can continue offering this book without cost (to the user), and they might be grateful to Amazon for listing it on their website.
The authors examine how classical Buddhist texts describe Nibbana (Nirvana). Even though it's the "goal" of the Buddhist life, Nibbana is rarely discussed, so people wanting a concrete goal to motivate them are often left in the dark. The authors certainly agree no one can adequately describe Nibbana, and any discussion involves risks of misinterpretation, but they know the value of examining how Nibbana has been characterized in the texts, in descriptions of the Buddha's life, and in subsequent writings. This is an exceptional goal, and the authors manage it nicely IMHO.
The book is well-organized, well-written, well-thought out, interesting, and valuable; the authors have given us a labor of love. The authors, who are dedicated monastics, also have considerable experience and credibility within the modern Buddhist Dharma community.
NOTE ON AVAILABILITY: Thanks, Amazon, for your kindness in listing this book and bringing it to our attention, but "The Island" is indeed available (at the time of this Review). It is available for free distribution from Abhayagiri Monastic Foundation, either in softcover form or via downloading. This reflects a Buddhist tradition of offering free teachings as an act of generosity (it also offers the recipients the opportunity, but not the requirement, to support the teachings with free-will offerings -- mutual support is part of our practice if the teachings are to survive). Readers should be grateful for the opportunity to make a free-will offering to the Abhayagiri community so they can continue offering this book without cost (to the user), and they might be grateful to Amazon for listing it on their website.
390 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
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