Buddhist Scriptures

by Donald Lopez

While Buddhism has no central text such as the Bible or the Koran, there is a powerful body of scripture from across Asia that encompasses the dharma, or the teachings of Buddha. This rich anthology brings together works from a broad historical and geographical range, and from languages such as Pali, Sanskrit, Tibetan, Chinese and Japanese. There are tales of the Buddha's past lives, a discussion of the qualities and qualifications of a monk, and an exploration of the many meanings of Enlightenment. Together they provide a vivid picture of the Buddha and of the vast nature of the Buddhist tradition.

ebook

Published March 25, 2004

Reviews

[Josh J Kuespert]

I liked the selection of texts, enjoyed thinking through the various competing and complementing ideas. There seems to be an effort made in this edition, to counter some of the preconceived notions about Buddhism that became enmeshed in American thought since the first English translations. I reckon it succeeds.