Kategoria BISAC: Religion >> Buddhism - History

When researching and presenting their studies on Burma, most scholars of Southeast Asian studies have traditionally overlooked a critical chapter in Burmese history. The majority of texts pertaining to Burma typically do not explore the earliest roots of Buddhism in the region, and they frequently overlook the ancient accounts of the presence of Buddhism from local sources in Rakhaing.

Here, however, is a book that goes where others have not. It fills the gaps left by previous titles on the Rakhaing and corrects some of the oversights and mistakes earlier authors have made.

Eshinni (1182-1268?), a Buddhist nun and the wife of Shinran (1173-1262), the celebrated founder of the True Pure Land, or Shin, school of Buddhism, was largely unknown until the discovery of a collection of her letters in 1921. In this study, James C. Dobbins, a leading scholar of Pure Land Buddhism, has made creative use of these letters to shed new light on life and religion in medieval Japan. He provides a complete translation of the letters and an explication of them that reveals the character and flavor of early Shin Buddhism. Readers will come away with a new perspective on Pure...

The study of Cambodian religion has long been hampered by a lack of easily accessible scholarship. This impressive new work by Ian Harris thus fills a major gap and offers English-language scholars a booklength, up-to-date treatment of the religious aspects of Cambodian culture. Beginning with a coherent history of the presence of religion in the country from its inception to the present day, the book goes on to furnish insights into the distinctive nature of Cambodia's important yet overlooked manifestation of Theravada Buddhist tradition and to show how it reestablished itself following...

This ambitious cross-disciplinary study of Buddhist modernism in colonial Cambodia breaks new ground in understanding the history and development of religion and colonialism in Southeast Asia.

Buddhism: The Basics provides a thorough and accessible introduction to a fascinating religion. Examining the historical development of Buddhism and its presence today, this guide covers:

• principal traditions
• practices and beliefs
• ethical guidelines and philosophy
• religious texts
• community

With helpful features including a detailed map of the Buddhist world, glossary of terms and tips for further study, this is an ideal...