Author: Nan Huai ChinPublisher: JaicoYear: 1999Language: EnglishPages: 243ISBN/UPC (if available): 8172248091 DescriptionFor a solid understanding of contemporary Buddhism in its varied forms, this is an indispensable book. There is a great deal of interest in Buddhist philosophy today, but different groups practice various traditions and this might confuse Westerners who want to know the basis for the particular tradition they study. The author has provided an overview of the history and the tradition, tracing Buddhism from its inception in India to its transmission to China, and its subsequent blossoming throughout the world. He shares the basic and origins, relating the many stories surrounding the life of Shakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, as swell as the cultural and religious setting of India that fostered the initial rise of Buddhism. He discusses Buddhism in the rest of Asia, Europe and America and brings us to date with a discussion of Buddhism that brings us into the 20th century. An extensive appendix explains the Zen Monastic System, with an especially interesting discussion of living in the Zen Hall, Zen Master Baizhang's enlightenment, and the twenty essential rules of the Zen community.
