Capire il buddhismo costituisce una succinta, autorevole e accessibile introduzione a una delle grandi tradizioni religiose e culturali del mondo. Il libro è organizzato intorno a nove temi chiave: le origini e lo sviluppo storico, gli aspetti del divino, i testi sacri, le persone sacre, i principi etici, gli spazi sacri, il tempo sacro, la morte e l'aldilà, la società e la religione. Ciascuno di questi temi è arricchito con citazioni oppure con riassunti di testi storici, accompagnati da un commento d'autore che spiega il significato di ciascun testo o lo colloca nel suo contesto. Più specificamente, gli argomenti trattati in questo libro comprendono: le Quattro Nobili Verità; il Nobile Ottuplice Sentiero; le scritture mahayana e le opere tantriche; la Ruota della Vita; i buddha, i bodhisattva e i mandala; i concetti di arhant e siddha; i pellegrinaggi e i templi; le feste e i riti di passaggio.
Good basic grounding in Buddhism. It's easy to read, had great pictures, and is easy to understand. Perfect for someone who knows little to nothing about Buddhism.
“It is not enough merely to call for freedom, democracy and human rights. There has to be a united determination… to make sacrifices in the name of enduring truths, to resist the corrupting influence of desire, ill will, ignorance and fear.”
This book gave a good overview of Buddhism and the various schools of Buddhism. It did not have much philosophy included but had a lot of facts and history. Could be a but dry at times but otherwise it was a quick and interesting read.
A lot of history of Buddhism, which important yes, I just don’t feel like I gained a much better understanding of the practice. Perhaps this was not the read for that. Didn’t take long to read though. I did learn something though.
No God, no holy men (excluding the Tibetan sect) and no self. Desire and aversion are the roots of suffering. These are just a few of the things I'll be mulling over for weeks, maybe years. Too soon for an opinion. I'm very happy I read it. I'll say that.
decent. provides basic information about the background and history of buddhism. i would’ve liked to read more about the actual principles, meditation, spiritual practices. but this was still informative.
Un buon libro per farsi una prima idea di cosa sia il buddismo, da un punto di vista da puro studioso, quindi molto asettico (il che è un bene) e non di parte.
Ottimo libro se si vuole iniziare a conoscere il mondo buddhista o orientale in generale. Avrei preferito una parte riguardante l'aldilà più approfondita e curata, ma va bene lo stesso:D .
This book is divided in 9 short chapters that aim to clarify the key concepts of Buddhism and its development. Such a task is accomplished in a succinct and easy to understand fashion. It did help me to understand some concepts better, such as "boddhisattva", the role of deities in Buddhism, the different kinds of Buddhism, and where the written teachings come from. It is very basic, but that is what I need, since I have had little contact with this belief system.
Buddhism is based on the teachings of Siddhartha, also know as Budda. The author gives a background on the development of this Eastern religion as well as on the sacred texts, spaces, and times. The afterlife is also explored.
This is the first book on Buddhism that I have ever read. It is informative and appears to be a concise introduction to Buddhist religion and culture. I will continue to read other books on Buddhism to expand my knowledge
The book concentrated mainly enthusing the basics of Buddhism, there was little more than just the main concept of karma and the history of Buddhism, I was expecting more.