Buddhist Scriptures

by Donald S. Lopez Jr.

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.

Genres: Religion, Buddhism, Philosophy, Nonfiction, Classics, Spirituality, Reference

612 pages, Kindle Edition

About the author

Donald Sewell Lopez, Jr. (born 1952) is the Arthur E. Link Distinguished University Professor of Buddhist and Tibetan Studies at the University of Michigan, in the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures.

Son of the deputy director of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Donald S. Lopez.

Reviews

[Chris brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

I showed this book to one of my Buddhist friends and he explained what the difference between "pure land" and "Zen" Buddhism. With that knowledge in hand, I re-read this book. I found that what we have come to know here in America as Buddhism is, in truth “Zen” Buddhism. This book is more "pure land" with some ZEN in the back. Its worth the read to get some history and what the rest of the world practices but if your not a Buddhist or your just want somewhere to start to learn about Buddhism this is not the book for you. If you’re familiar with things and want some more "indepthness" then get this.

To visualize the average American reading this book for the first time would be akin to being a Tibetan Buddhist not knowing anything about Christianity but wanting to learn and someone hands you the Dead Sea scrolls.

It’s not a good place to start but it’s a nice middle ground

[Harry · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you've found your way into Buddhism through the books of D. T. Suzuki, Eugen Herrigel or HHDL's books and teachings, like I have, you might be excused to think that it is almost a kind of secular religion, a branch of moral philosophy and epistemology that steers clear from most of the usual metaphysical pitfalls. This collection of texts goes a long way towards dispelling this falsehood. Gods, ghosts, demons, heavens, hells, even a multiverse is here, as well as promises for longevity, good health and riches for the true believers. Not that it takes anything away from the core of the dharma; if anything, I'm glad to have a better understanding of the religion as a whole, and I'm adding a couple of Sutras in my reading list. And, like all religious texts, the book leaves you with a resolution to be a better person.

Personal favourite: Chapter 21, "Proving the Buddha", where the 7th century scholar Dharmakīrti precedes all of western philosophy by a thousand years with sentences such as: "Knowledge is non-deceptive cognition. Non-deception consists in suitability for the accomplishment of a purpose. Non-deception occurs even in the case of what is acquired through language, because it is a means of communicating the speaker's intention.".

[Agnetta]

Just started this and after reading the introduction and going thru the structure of the book, I think I can safely make a statement to respond to all the persons who complain that this is not a good introduction to Buddhism, saying : .. it simply is not an introduction to Buddhism. It is a work that is targeted for people who have (already developed) an authentic interest in Buddhism and are in search of in depth source of objective knowledge about it's historically relevant texts.

For sure if you have no clue about Buddhism, and it is your wish to start with this work, you can, but it is going to be an extraordinary intellectual effort, so the question is just - how prepared are you for that task? I would say if you have no background in any related area (be it philosophy or other spiritual tradition or anthropology or what have you... ), it might be ambitious.
Now I am nothing if not supportive of ambition in intellectual goals, so have a go, but be conscious of what you are up to !

In my opinion, this book is especially valuable for people like myself who have read by now quite a few introductions to Buddhism, in distinct forms and flavors, from zen to theravada to mahayana to tibetan, I had a glimpse of all those, ... and now we are looking for some scholarly knowledge of the "authentic" texts, as they were compiled historically in different languages, traditions, etc. It will still be a glimpse of that too, the material is just too vast, as the anthologist Donald S. Lopez clearly informs.

This is most definitely not a "random" collection as some reviewers mentioned. Possibly they skipped the introduction where Donald S. Lopez explains his method and purpose. If some texts are boring... well, what can we do, the text is the text, we can't cheer it up a bit. This is an anthology, so in that light one should read or consult it.

[Joel Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a trip. I took a deep dive into these Buddhist texts over the last few months, reading them carefully and trying my best to comprehend the main currents of this fascinating religion/philosophy. Interesting to find that throughout different revered Buddhist sect and their writings, the philosophy is night and day different in some parts. Some seem to adhere to something close to Plato, regarding the world of true forms, and inherent metaphysical souls, etc., while others hold to the idea that even these things are an illusion and are not real at all on any level. I find that the Buddhists had an intuitive understanding of the cosmos and its constant flux and trading of matter around. It seems much of their pondering had to do with what exactly it was being traded around and re-incarnated: was it just matter? Was it consciousness? Buddha-nature itself? Are any of these different? Are any of them real? And the questions of how consciousness and matter interact today are still just as mysterious today, and for religious folks, how metaphysical beings or deities interact with those two things is also mysterious. I found most interesting the explanation of Buddha-nature as the essence of life and consciousness itself. Will likely read all of most of these passages over again multiple times.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Penguin. I trust Penguin, for the most part.

I bought this with a voucher. It provides a reliable overview of a broad cross section of buddhist scholarship.

It was revealing of the sources of several of the ideas of buddhism I was exposed to in my 5-10 years of devotion to a Tibetan buddhist Rinpoche. Several of the chapters were a kind of crystallisation - a clarification of concepts upon which I hung my hat some time ago, without considering their context or source.

I read through, somewhat dutifully, and as I passed midway, some penny's began to drop, and finally, the last 6 or 10 chapters summarised beautifully why I love and adhere to buddhist philosophy.

A

[Stephanie Wilcox · Rating 1 out of 5]

Confusing af. Seriously, what the heck Buddhism lol. Super thankful tomorrow is the last day we discuss this book in class.

Buddhists: I don't know how you understand this stuff, but man I commend you for doing it.

-500/10 would never read again

[Lukas Cavar · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful meander through many buddhisms across the world. Not to be treated as a textbook to buddhism, but as an introduction to the flavor, style, and (various approaches to) some of buddhism's basic concerns.

The book is a collection of excerpts from various buddhist works all across space, time, and sect. They are often contradictory, either outright or in the direction that they want to take the reader, which makes for a fun and engaging read. While, generally, the editor did a good job providing context to each excerpt in the form of an introduction, it still felt that some of the works were cut too short for comfort. Luckily this problem has an easy remedy, and that is to seek out a version of the full text on your own. For me (a reader with absolutely no prior knowledge of buddhism to speak of), this makes for an ideal springboard into the manifold world of buddhism-- the book makes it very easy to pick a direction and go.

[Salem Hansen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lopez draws together numerous seminal texts in Buddhism and organizes them by topic, with sections that describe the Buddhist cosmology or the life of the Buddha. Unfortunately, there was little actual discussion of praxis, as not many of the texts Lopez selects have direct guidelines for actual Buddhist practice. Texts will say to take refuge in the Three Jewels or to follow the dharma, but then little is actually said in the way of how to take refuge or how to follow the dharma. Overall though, the texts were very interesting reads, they incited some good reflection, and they cover a wide range of the Buddhist world.

[Andrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

This took longer to read than it should have, but it felt like a chore to read at times.
If you want to read this, you are probably best served by sticking to the introduction to each chapter. Then forgo reading the rest of the chapter’s actually script, that you just read a summary of in the introduction.

[Calvin Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t find this volume particularly helpful as a philosopher. Maybe more interesting from a generalist religious studies perspective. The canonical accounts of the hell realms in the beginning are pretty metal, though, so that’s a plus.

[Chet Taranowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

The selected pieces are usually short, making for relatively easy reading. As others have noted, the book focuses on the lore of Buddhism rather than the actual rules for living. If you want a good overview of some of the basic texts, this is a good place to start.

[Azlan Khan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was a good introduction but perhaps focused far too much on the mythological and folklore side of Buddhism, which can be quite boring to read after the first few pages.

[Luke Levi]

Very technical. I think this is geared toward scholars, not to people interested in buddhism, its concepts, and how to apply them in their life.

[Jamie Stead · Rating 3 out of 5]

a sprawling, vast and rich anthology, collecting Buddhist texts from all over the world and presenting them in a mostly digestible and engaging manner. the anthology's range (both geographically and historically) is cause for the book's best and worst attributes; make one thing clear, this is not a dilution of Buddhism's key aspects, but a single all encompassing take on a 2500-year-old religion/philosophy. the passages were often beautiful, poignant and informative, yet at other times came off as monotonous, ludicrous and incredibly sexist; three things I would have always said Buddhism was wholly... uh, not. definitely should not be used as an introduction to Buddhism, nor as an amalgamation of what Buddhism is. instead, this is a love-letter, if you will, to a canon so large and varied it could not be consolidated into a book a hundred times the size. overall the reading experience was fascinating, yet slightly wearisome.

[Landon Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a nice enough anthology of Buddhist sutras, stories, and other texts from various Buddhist cultures throughout Asia, particularly Mahayana traditions. It definitely seems geared more towards readers with a casual interest in Buddhism, as the translations and the author's commentaries on the different texts read more like a glossary than an in-depth exploration. However, there are a lot of good, pithy readings on some fundamental aspects of Buddhist thought and practice, such as the Three Jewels (Triratna), the Buddha's life and family, Buddhist cosmology, karma stories, and the like. With that in mind this book can be looked at as a bit of a refresher in some ways. All in all, I'm glad to have this on my shelf!

[L · Rating 4 out of 5]

All scriptures, regardless of the religion, have sublime passages as well as parts that are dry as Tyrannosaurus bones. Donald Lopez presents a wide variety of Buddhist Scriptures diverse in time and culture. This collection is quite entertaining with fewer dry bones, yet Lopez doesn't shy away from the important doctrinal texts. Reading this book expanded my understanding of Buddhism and of the diversity within this religion.

[Erik Champenois · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviews selected Buddhist scriptures thematically across the following sections: the Buddhist universe, the Buddha, monastic life, meditation and other rituals, and enlightenment. Excerpts writings from as early as the earliest Buddhist writings to as late as the 19th century, covering texts from across the Buddhist world (India, China, Japan, Korea, Tibet, etc.). A good intro to the world of Buddhism across time and space.

[James Conigrave · Rating 2 out of 5]

Somewhat naively I was expecting to read a book filled with historical Buddhist teachings. Whilst there were a few gems in this collection of mythologies and stories they pale in comparison to other Buddhist works.

Beyond this disappointment the work was nicely translated and explained well by the editor.

[Kara]

Collection and analysis of various Buddhist texts from across the centuries and continents. I read from cover to cover though not every word; sometimes read just the introduction and sometimes just the text. I suppose this is meant to go on your bedside table for constant reading, or to be used in a class. I don’t remember much of it 2 years later.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good reference book. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend reading it from cover to cover, but you can find a lot of what you want to read about by skimming selectively through it and finding what you want. Covers most major traditions and schools of Buddhist thought.

[Garrett Emile · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like to pick up books on subjects I know next to nothing about, and Buddhism falls into that. I can’t speak for the accuracy of the book, but I can say the delivery was well down. Couldn’t put it down.

[Joseph Harriott]

one of the best

[James Violand · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting take on the basic beliefs.

[Joshua Duffy · Rating 2 out of 5]

aside from some interesting stories, this one was kinda boring. gives you a good overview of what is deemed inspired writings by Buddhism

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was the absolutely driest reading I've ever done in my life. This is the last book I would recommend to anyone, especially a novice to Buddhist literature.

[Parker Samelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The explanations were helpful. Texts themselves were bizarre. Confusing how many different canons there are.