Buddhisms: An Introduction

by John S. Strong

Overview

Buddhism or Buddhisms? By the time they move on to Buddhism in Japan, many students who have studied its origins in India ask whether this is in fact the same religion, so different can they appear. In Buddhisms: An Introduction, Professor John S. Strong provides an overview of the Buddhist tradition in all its different forms around the world. Beginning at the modern day temples of Lumbini, where the Buddha was born, Strong takes us through the life of the Buddha and a study of Buddhist Doctrine, revealing how Buddhism has changed just as it has stayed the same. Finally, Strong examines the nature of Buddhist community life and its development today in the very different environments of Thailand, Japan, and Tibet. Enriched by the author’s own insights gathered over forty years, Buddhisms never loses sight of the personal experience amidst the wide-scope of its subject. Clear in its explanations, replete with tables and suggestions for further reading, this is an essential new work that makes original contributions to the study of this 2,500 year-old religion.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781780745053
Publisher:	Oneworld Publications
Publication date:	08/11/2015
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	480
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

John S. Strong is Charles A. Dana Professor of Religious Studies at Bates College in Maine, USA. He is the author of four other books on Buddhism.

Table of Contents

Preface

Schemes and Themes

Technicalities

Note on abbreviations

Chapter 1 Introduction: Lumbinī, a Buddhist World Exposition

1.1 Theravāda and Mahāyāna

1.2 Lumbinī’s Eastern Monastic Zone: South and Southeast Asian Traditions

1.2.1 The Mahā Bodhi Society

1.2.2 The Sri Lanka Monastery

1.2.3 The Gautamī Center for Nuns

1.2.4 Myanmar (Burma)

1.2.5 Meditation Centers

1.3 Lumbinī’s Western Monastic Zone: East Asian Traditions

1.3.1 China

1.3.2 Korea

1.3.3 Japan

1.3.4 Vietnam

1.4 Lumbinī’s Western Monastic Zone: Tibetan Vajrayāna Traditions

1.4.1 The Great Lotus Stūpa

1.4.2 The Lumbinī Udyana Mahachaitya



Part I: Foundations of the Triple Gem: Buddha/s, Dharma/s, and Saṃgha/s

Chapter 2 Śākyamuni, Lives and Legends

2.1 The Historical Buddha

2.2 The Buddha’s World

2.3 The Buddha of Story

2.4 Past Buddhas and the Biographical Blueprint

2.5 The Start of Śākyamuni’s Career

2.6 Previous Lives (Jātakas)

2.6.1 The Donkey in the Lion’s Skin

2.6.2 Vessantara Jātaka

2.6.3 The Tigress Jātaka

2.7 A Lifestory of Śākyamuni

2.7.1 Birth and Childhood

2.7.2 Life in the Palace

2.7.3 The Beginnings of Discontent

2.7.4 The Great Departure

2.7.5 Paths Not Taken

2.7.6 Awakening

2.7.7 After Enlightenment

2.7.8 The First Sermon

2.7.9 Various Conversions and Miracles

2.7.10 Death and Parinirvāṇa

Chapter 3 Overcoming the Buddha’s Absence

3.1 Seeing the Buddha in the Dharma

3.1.1 Excursus on the Buddhist Canon/s

3.2 Places of Pilgrimage

3.3 Relics

3.4 Buddha Images

3.5 The Masters of the Dharma

3.6 The Arhat Dharma-Protectors

3.7 Meeting Maitreya

Chapter 4 Some Permutations of the Middle Way

4.1 The Middle Way

4.2 Karma and Saṃsāra

4.2.1 Why Do Good Deeds?

4.2.2 Contexts of Karma I: Neither Free Will nor Determinism

4.2.3 Contexts of Karma II: Both Jain and Upaniṣadic Views

4.3 The Doctrine of Non-Self (Anātman)

4.3.1 Breaking Down the False Sense of Self: the Five Aggregates and Impermanence

4.3.2 The Elements (Dharmas)

4.3.3 Countering the Breakdown of Self: Personal Continuity

4.3.4 Explications of Continuity: Pseudo-Selves and Ersatz Ātmans

4.4 Summary

Chapter 5 The Four Truths

5.1 The First Truth: Stress

5.2 The Second Truth: the Continual Arising of Stress and Interdependent Origination

5.2.1 The Double Bind of Saṃsāra

5.3 The Third Truth: the Cessation of Stress – Nirvāṇa

5.4 The Fourth Truth: the Path to the Cessation of Stress

5.4.1 Moral Discipline

5.4.2 Meditation

5.4.3 Wisdom

5.5 Other Systematizations of the Path

5.5.1 The Seven Factors Conducive to Enlightenment

5.5.2 The Graduated Training

5.5.3 The Four Divine Abidings

5.5.4 The Four Fruits of the Path

5.6 Summary

Chapter 6 The Establishment and Character of the Early Buddhist Community

6.1 Monastic–Lay Interactions

6.1.1 Dāna (Giving) and Other Forms of Making Merit

6.1.2 Lay Ethics

6.1.3 Magical Protection

6.1.4 Laypersons and the Monastic Rules

6.1.5 Royal Supporters

6.1.6 King Aśoka

6.2 The Monastics: Wandering and Settling

6.2.1 Monastic Lifestyles

6.2.2 Monasteries

6.3 Mahāprajāpatī and the Establishment of the Order of Nuns

6.4 Common Moral Commitments

6.5 Initiation Rituals: Wandering Forth and Ordination

6.6 Monastic Rules

6.6.1 The Elaboration of the Disciplinary Code

6.6.2 Enforcement of the Rules: Prātimokṣa Recitation and Pravāraṇa

6.7 Some Exemplary Disciples of the Buddha

6.7.1 Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana

6.7.2 Paṭācārā

6.7.3 The Laypersons Nakulapitṛ and Nakulamātṛ

6.7.4 Viśākhā, Preeminent Laywoman

6.8 Summary

Chapter 7 Visions and Divisions of the Saṃgha

7.1 Council Stories

7.1.1 The Council at Rājagṛha

7.1.2 Vinaya Disputes: the Council of Vaiśālī

7.1.3 The Councils of Pāṭaliputra

7.1.4 Other Council Traditions

7.2 The Flowering of Mainstream Factionalism

7.3 Other Divisional Issues

7.3.1 Practice vs. Study

7.3.2 Meditators and Merit Makers

7.3.3 Forest Monks and Town Monks

7.3.4 The Question of Asceticism

7.3.5 The Question of Bon-Vivant Monks

7.3.6 Sect vs. Sect

7.4 The Origins of the Mahāyāna

7.5 Proliferation of Mahāyāna Schools

7.5.1 Mahāyāna Schools in India

7.5.2 Mahāyāna Schools in China

7.5.3 Mahāyāna Schools in Japan

7.5.4 Mahāyāna Schools in Tibet

7.6 Summary



Part II: Further Elaborations of the Triple Gem

Chapter 8 Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna Ways of Meeting the Buddha/s

8.1 Changes in the View of the Buddha: the Lotus Sūtra and Śākyamuni’s Lifespan

8.2 Three Bodies of the Buddha/s

8.3 Meeting the Buddha/s in Their Pure Lands

8.3.1 Akṣobhya

8.3.2 Bhaiṣajyaguru

8.4 Amitābha

8.4.1 Meeting Amitābha through Visualization

8.4.2 Rebirth in the Pure Land

8.5 Meeting the Buddha in the Great Bodhisattvas

8.5.1 Avalokiteśvara

8.5.2 Other Great Bodhisattvas

8.6 Meeting the Buddha/s in the Vajrayāna

8.6.1 Maṇḍalas and the Five Tathāgatas

8.6.2 Ritual Consecration (Abhiṣeka)

8.6.3 Merging with the Buddha

8.6.4 Visions: Meeting the Buddha/s in Bardo

8.6.5 Buddha Embodiments in This World: Gurus and Tülkus

8.7 Summary

Chapter 9 Māhāyana Doctrinal Developments

9.1 Emptiness: the Selflessness of Dharmas

9.2 Nāgārjuna and the Madhyamaka

9.3 The Expansion of Provisional Truth: Expedient Means (Upāya)

9.4 Tiantai Doctrines

9.5 The Ongoing Dialectic: the Yogācāra School

9.5.1 Asanga and Vasubandhu and the Development of the School

9.5.2 Yogācāra Doctrines

9.6 Avataṃsaka Doctrines

9.6.1 Applications of Interpenetration

9.7 The Buddha Womb/Embryo (Tathāgatagarbha) Teachings

9.7.1 Resurgence of the True Self

9.8 Buddha-Nature Controversies

9.8.1 Limitations to the Buddha-Nature: the Icchantika Debate

9.8.2 The End of the Dharma

9.8.3 Expansions of the Buddha-Nature Doctrine

9.9 Summary

Chapter 10 The Bodhisattva Path, Tantra, and Zen

10.1 The Bodhisattva Path

10.2 Sudden and Gradual

10.2.1 Disagreements over the Nature of the Path: the Debate at Samyé

10.2.2 Disagreements over the Nature of Enlightenment

10.3 Graduated Paths

10.3.1 Compassion and Bodhicitta

10.3.2 The Stages of the Path, the Perfections, the Five Paths

10.3.3 Routinization and Ritualization

10.4 Path Shortcuts

10.5 Tantra

10.5.1 Uniting the Poles

10.5.2 Tantric Physiology

10.5.3 Mahāmūdra and Dzokchen (Rdzogs chen)

10.6 Direct Experiences: Chan/Zen

10.6.1 Kōans

10.6.2 Critical Phrases (Huatou)

10.7 Summary

Chapter 11 Saṃgha Situations: Places, Persons, and Practices in Thai Buddhism/s

11.1 Buddhism in Thailand

11.2 Thai Monastic Life: Temporary Ordination

11.2.1 Life as a Novice

11.2.2 Experiences as a Monk

11.3 The Lives of Two Charismatic Thai Monks

11.3.1 Acharn Mun

11.3.2 Khruba Siwichai

11.4 The End of the Rains-Retreat in a Northern Thai Village

11.5 A Thai Temple in Wimbledon, England

Chapter 12 Saṃgha Situations: Places, Persons, and Practices in Japanese Buddhism/s

12.1 The Hexagonal Hall (Rokkakudō)

12.1.1 Prince Shōtoku

12.1.2 Shinran

12.1.3 Kannon, Jizō, and Fudō

12.2 The Ritual Year at Shinnyodō

12.2.1 New Year’s

12.2.2 Ḍākinī and the Recitation of the Great Perfection of Wisdom Sūtra

12.2.3 Main Hall Rituals

12.2.4 Goma

12.2.5 The Killing Stone

12.3 The Ryōanji Rock Garden

12.4 The Buddha’s Birthday at the Morgan Bay Zendō

12.5 The Japan Temple in Lumbinī

12.6 Conclusion

Chapter 13 Saṃgha Situations: Places, Persons, and Practices in Tibetan Buddhism/s

13.1 Lhasa Jokhang

13.1.1 Pinning Down the Demoness

13.1.2 Flood Control

13.1.3 Grand Prostrations

10.1.4 The Great Prayer Festival

13.2 The Potala and the Dalai Lamas

13.2.1 Finding a New Dalai Lama

13.3 Scholars and Mad Saints

13.3.1 Drepung Monastery and Monastic Studies

13.3.2 Mad Monks: the Case of Tangtong Gyalpo

13.4 Samding: Female Incarnations and a Contemporary Buddhist

13.5 A Tibetan Dharma Center in Vermont, U.S.A.

13.6 Conclusion



Appendices

Appendix A: A Short Chronology of Buddhism in India

Appendix B: A Short Chronology of Buddhism in Sri Lanka

Appendix C: A Short Chronology of Buddhism in Myanmar (Burma)

Appendix D: A Short Chronology of Buddhism in Cambodia

Appendix E: A Short Chronology of Buddhism in Thailand

Appendix F: A Short Chronology of Buddhism in China

Appendix G: A Short Chronology of Buddhism in Japan

Appendix H: A Short Chronology of Buddhism in Vietnam

Appendix I: A Short Chronology of Buddhism in Tibet



Bibliography of Works Cited

Index

Editorial Reviews

09/07/2015
Acknowledging that many introductions to Buddhism are already available, Strong focuses on three themes in this substantial survey: Buddhism as a "middle way," the efforts adherents have made to "overcome the Buddha's absence," and the importance of place. Strong, professor of religion at Bates College, uses the "three refuges" (Buddha, dharma, and samgha) to organize his exploration of the religion's earliest developments and later Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions, keeping in mind the question, "Is there one or are there many Buddhisms?" Deftly selecting material from a vast tradition, Strong guides the reader through complex topics with precision, clarity, and insight, aided by tables presenting more abstruse information. Particularly cogent are his analyses of long-debated subjects such as karma, non-self, and approaches to enlightenment (practice/study, gradual/sudden). He includes topics related to women in Buddhism throughout. This introduction's primary shortcoming is its unevenness: Strong sometimes delves into too much detail for his intended audience, and his examples of current Buddhist practice outside Asia are too cursory to be instructive. Nevertheless, readers eager to dive into a rigorous, well-organized investigation of Buddhism's intricate 2500-year-old history will find much to reward them. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

‘An original contribution and approach to this 2,500 year-old religion, with its precise explanations fortified by tables and information on further reading’.

East and West Series

‘Buddhisms: An Introduction is a Brueghalian masterpiece, which conveys the age-old religious themes in a setting of lived reality touched with hints of humour, offering intriguing perspectives on all of Buddhism’s bewildering diversity. The effect is somewhat breathtaking – so much covered so apparently effortlessly.’

Kate Crosby

‘Written with great clarity and sensitivity... this work is a welcome addition to the genre of books that survey the development of Buddhism across Asia.’

Stephen C. Berkwitz

"Deftly selecting material from a vast tradition, Strong guides the reader through complex topics with precision, clarity, and insight, aided by tables presenting more abstruse information. Particularly cogent are his analyses of long-debated subjects such as karma, non-self, and approaches to enlightenment (practice/study, gradual/sudden). He includes topics related to women in Buddhism throughout.... Readers eager to dive into a rigorous, well-organized investigation of Buddhism's intricate 2500-year-old history will find much to reward them."
—Publishers Weekly

"Strong (religious studies, Bates Coll.) is well qualified to discuss Buddhism, having authored The Buddha and The Experience of Buddhism, among other titles. This substantial study is a near-comprehensive digest of the history of Buddhism in its multiple forms, from its origins in India to its variants in Thailand, Japan, and Tibet. Strong’s exhaustive account is doubtless intended as a textbook, yet it is also gratifying and accessible to all readers as it includes the lives (real and legendary) of Gautama Buddha, also known as Sakyamuni, as well as discussions of early monastic communities and clear expositions of most Buddhist doctrines. The latter part of the title focuses on several variants of Buddhism and contains chronologies of the tradition throughout Asia. VERDICT Exemplary for its organization and writing, this work is likely to become the standard single-volume text on Buddhism for the student, whether within the walls of the academy or without.”
— Starred Review, Library Journal

"Recommended .... Strong’s exhaustive study of Buddhisms is both accessible and informative. The volume’s greatest strength is the vast detail and breadth of Buddhism that it manages to cover while preserving a sense of what makes Buddhism what it is across a variety of geographic and temporal ranges. The breadth of the book notwithstanding, Strong (philosophy and religion, Bates College) does well to express the personal experience of Buddhism, and it is clear that this work is the result of decades of research. He opens with the modern day temple setting before moving to the root story of the experience of Sakyamuni (the Buddha). Having provided this background, the author proceeds to explain the process of institutionalization of the tradition and the various teachings. This serves as a beautiful transition to explaining the varieties of Buddhist expression in later developments in Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions outside the Indian context. By limiting the volume's scope to the Asian context, Strong is able to focus on some key elements of the religious tradition and its development."
—CHOICE Magazine, from the American Library Association

From the Publisher

★ 10/01/2015
Strong (religious studies, Bates Coll.) is well qualified to discuss Buddhism, having authored The Buddha and The Experience of Buddhism, among other titles. This substantial study is a near-comprehensive digest of the history of Buddhism in its multiple forms, from its origins in India to its variants in Thailand, Japan, and Tibet. Strong's exhaustive account is doubtless intended as a textbook, yet it is also gratifying and accessible to all readers as it includes the lives (real and legendary) of Gautama Buddha, also known as Sakyamuni, as well as discussions of early monastic communities and clear expositions of most Buddhist doctrines. The latter part of the title focuses on several variants of Buddhism and contains chronologies of the tradition throughout Asia. VERDICT Exemplary for its organization and writing, this work is likely to become the standard single-volume text on Buddhism for the student, whether within the walls of the academy or without.

Library Journal