Buddhist Thought is crucial reading for those interested in Buddhism. It guides the reader towards a richer understanding of the central concepts of classical Indian Buddhist thought, from the time of Buddha to the latest scholarly perspectives and controversies. Abstract and complex ideas are made understandable by the authors' lucid style. The second edition has been thoroughly revised and updated throughout in light of new scholarship, in particular on Mahayana and tantric Buddhism. It now includes a section of further reading, study questions, a pronunciation guide and glossary of terms.

Buddhism is often characterised as one of the most complex and enigmatic of all the world's religions. Although the Buddha himself was not a philosopher in the sense that that term is often understood, a Buddhist philosophy nevertheless emerged from the Buddha's teachings that was astonishingly rich, profound and elusive. Buddhism, which for six millennia has been an integral part of South and East Asian society and civilization, is now increasingly popular in the West, where its teachings about liberation of the self from the cycle of existence have proved attractive to people from a wide...