Buddhism: Introducing the Buddhist Experience [Paperback]

Buddhism: Introducing the Buddhist Experience, focuses on the depth of Buddhist experiences as expressed in the teachings and practices of its religious and philosophical traditions. Taking a more global and inclusive approach than any other introductory text, the book spans more than 2,500 years, offering chapters on Buddhism's origins in India; Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism; Buddhism in Southeast Asia, Tibet, China, Korea, and Japan; and the globalization of Buddhism with a focus on the United States.Buddhism: Introducing the Buddhist Experienceis the only up-to-date introductory text that covers the full spectrum of writings, practices, and perspectives animating the global Buddhist tradition.Instructors struggle to expose students to a diverse array of Buddhist texts and voices. This volume is enhanced by primary sources and twenty-two gender-balanced personal narrative boxes. Each country chapter also concludes with an essay by a noted Buddhist practitioner-scholar. Another common challenge for instructors involves covering the variety of global Buddhist traditions; there are many such traditions, and only so much time in the semester. The authors solve this problem decisively. After discussing Buddhism's origins in India, they go on to cover: Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism; Buddhism in Southeast Asia, Tibet, China, Korea, and Japan; and the globalization of Buddhism with special emphasis on the United States.A final, related challenge for instructors is to avoid overwhelming students. Indeed, instructors seem to face a paradox: they can cover the full variety of Buddhist texts and traditions only if they assign an unmanageable amount of reading.Buddhism'sbrief, accessible, pedagogically rich chapters show that this paradox is only apparent. While the text is authoritative and comprehensive, its coverage respects the average student's attention-span.Boxes, Figures, and MapsPrefaceAcknowledgmentsPronunciation GuideIntroduction