Buddhist Thought and Ritual

by David Kalupahana

Buddhist Thought and Ritual will appeal to anyone interested in acquiring an authentic grasp of Buddhism as it lives and functions in today`s world. The wide spectrum of Buddhist practice is represented here by the men and women who contributed to this volume. The focus on thought and ritual captures the organic interrelationship of these religious components and moves away from the compartmentalization characteristic of much religious scholarship. The reader discovers the central tenets of Buddhism, Anatta, Pratityasamutpada, Sunyatta, Nirvana, and others, not as free-floating curiosities, but in terms of their contemporary relevance and active participation in the formation of society and culture. Likewise, commonly practiced rituals such as the Paritta Ceremony and Mantra Recitation are analyzed in terms of their role in living Buddhism. DAVID J. KALUPAHANA, Ph.D. is one of the most famous writers of Buddhism in the English language. He has written nine books, more than thirty articles, and contributed thirty-five minor articles and entries in the Encyclopedia of Buddhism.The papers on Buddhsit thought provide clear treatments of the central buddhsit doctrines of anatta. pratityasmulpada nibbana nibbana, bodhisattva, buddhsit ideas of the cosmos the mahisasaka view of women the sycretism of chinese chan and pure land sects and the integration of sutra and tantra. The papers on buddhsit rituals provide equally clear treatments of paritta ceremonies.