Download or read book Heaven and Hell in Buddhist Perspective written by B. C. Law and published by Pilgrims Book House. This book was released on 2004-12 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book describes the Buddhist idea of heaven and hell prevalent amongst the people of northern India at the time of Buddha and later incorporated in the Buddhist scriptures.
Download or read book Heaven and Philosophy written by Simon Cushing and published by Lexington Books. This book was released on 2017-11-30 with total page 317 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume is a collection of essays analyzing different issues concerning the nature, possibility, and desirability of heaven as understood by the Abrahamic faiths of Judaism, Christianity. and Islam. Topics include whether or not it is possible that a mortal could, upon bodily death, become an inhabitant of heaven without loss of identity, where exactly heaven might be located, whether or not everyone should be saved, or if there might be alternative destinations (including some less fiery versions of Hell). Chapter authors include believers and skeptics, well-known philosophers, and new voices. While some chapters are more challenging than others, all are written in a style that should be accessible to any interested reader.
Download or read book The Bad Jesus The Ethics of New Testament Ethics written by Hector Avalos and published by . This book was released on 2015-04-09 with total page 476 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Did Jesus ever do anything wrong? Judging by the vast majority of books on New Testament ethics, the answer is a resounding No. Writers on New Testament ethics generally view Jesus as the paradigm of human standards and behaviour. But since the his-torical Jesus was a human being, must he not have had flaws, like everyone else? The notion of a flawless human Jesus is a paradoxical oddity in New Testament ethics. According to Avalos, it shows that New Testament ethics is still primarily an apologetic enterprise de-spite its claim to rest on critical and historical scholarship. The Bad Jesus is a powerful and challenging study, presenting de-tailed case studies of fundamental ethical principles enunciated or practised by Jesus but antithetical to what would be widely deemed 'acceptable' or 'good' today. Such topics include Jesus' supposedly innovative teachings on love, along with his views on hate, violence, imperialism, animal rights, environmental ethics, Judaism, women, disabled persons and biblical hermeneutics. After closely examining arguments offered by those unwilling to find any fault with the Jesus depicted in the Gospels, Avalos concludes that current treatments of New Testament ethics are permeated by a religiocentric, ethnocentric and imperialistic orientation. But if it is to be a credible historical and critical dis-cipline in modern academia, New Testament ethics needs to discover both a Good and a Bad Jesus.
Download or read book The Good Heart written by Dalai Lama and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2016-03-22 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This landmark of interfaith dialogue will inspire readers of all faiths. In The Good Heart, The Dalai Lama provides an extraordinary Buddhist perspective on the teachings of Jesus. His Holiness comments on well-known passages from the four Christian Gospels, including the Sermon on the Mount, the parable of the mustard seed, the Resurrection, and others. Drawing parallels between Jesus and the Buddha — and the rich traditions from which they hail — the Dalai Lama delivers a profound affirmation of the sacred in all religions. Readers will be uplifted by the exploration of each tradition’s endless merits and the common humanity they share.
Download or read book Ornament of Precious Liberation written by Sgam-po-pa and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2017-02-07 with total page 375 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A welcome new translation of Gampopa's classic overview of the Buddha's teachings. Discover the heart of the Buddha’s teachings in this new and beautiful translation of Gampopa’s classic guidebook. Ornament of Precious Liberation is a spiritual and literary treasure of Tibetan Buddhism and of the Kagyü lineage in particular. Laying out step-by-step the path to buddhahood that is open to us all, to read Gampopa’s text is like receiving the teachings directly from the master himself. It is a quintessential guide to enlightenment that students will return to again and again for its insights into living an awakened life.
Download or read book Buddhist Cosmology written by Akira Sadakata and published by Tuttle Publishing. This book was released on 1997 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This extensively researched and illustrated volume offers Western readers a rare introduction to Buddhism's complex and fascinating views about the structure of the universe. The book begins by clearly explaining classical cosmology, with its symmetrical, India-centered universe and multitudinous heavens and hells, and illuminates the cosmos's relation to the human concerns of karma, transmigration, and enlightenment. It moves on to discuss the Mahayana conception of the universe as a lotus flower containing uncountable realms, each with its own buddha. Then, examining changes in the notions of hell and the gods, the author traces Buddhism's gradual shift from a religion to a mythology. Throughout, treatment of Buddhism's historical, geographical, and doctrinal origins complements detailed cosmological descriptions. Finally, the author shows us how this ancient philosophy resembles the modern scientific view of the cosmos, and how even today it can help us lead more fulfilling lives.
Download or read book Buddhism in a Nutshell written by Narada Thera and published by Pariyatti Publishing. This book was released on 2017-09-01 with total page 87 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This new Pariyatti Edition of the classic Buddhism in a Nutshell is an excellent introductory overview of the fundamental principles of Buddhist doctrine. Topics covered include: the life of the Buddha, the Dhamma (Is it a philosophy? A religion? An ethical system?), the Four Noble Truths, the Law of Kamma, Rebirth, Dependent Origination, Anatta, and Nibbana. Recommended for beginners.
Download or read book The Future Is Open written by Chogyam Trungpa and published by Shambhala Publications. This book was released on 2018-11-13 with total page 201 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Renowned meditation master Chögyam Trungpa challenges popular misconceptions of the Buddhist doctrines of karma and rebirth, in the process showing how to step beyond karma on the path to awakening. Karma has become a popular term in the West, often connected with somewhat naive or deterministic ideas of rebirth and reincarnation or equated with views of morality and guilt. Chögyam Trungpa unpacks this intriguing but misunderstood topic. He viewed an understanding of karma as good news, showing us that liberation is possible and that the future is never predetermined. His unique approach to presenting the Buddhist teachings lends itself to an insightful and profound view of karma, its cause and effects, and how to cut the root of karma itself.
Download or read book Buddhism A Very Short Introduction written by Damien Keown and published by Oxford Paperbacks. This book was released on 1996-10-03 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This Very Short Introduction introduces the reader to the teachings of the Buddha and to the integration of Buddhism into daily life. What are the distinctive features of Buddhism? Who was the Buddha, and what are his teachings? How has Buddhist thought developed over the centuries, and how can contemporary dilemmas be faced from a Buddhist perspective? Words such as 'karma' and 'nirvana' have entered our vocabulary, but what do they mean? Damien Keown's book provides a lively, informative response to these frequently asked questions about Buddhism.
Download or read book The Buddha in Hell and Other Alarms written by Nancy Evans Bush and published by Nancy Evans Bush. This book was released on 2016-07-29 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “The Buddha in hell! What kind of sense is that?” Near-death experiences which are frightening, alienating, and/or hellish are the hardest of all to understand. A veteran researcher of distressing NDEs, Nancy Evans Bush, MA, explores questions raised by the experiences which are typically seen as punishment or evidence of bad character, suggestive of the hell described by medieval Christianity. After seventeen hundred years, is that still all we have as explanation? Evans Bush says not. President Emerita of the International Association for Near-Death Studies, she brings straight talk and decades of study to a difficult subject, respecting both religion and science in this age of the Hubble universe. The book is not a collection of distressing NDE accounts but an exploration of finding meaning and purpose in them.
Download or read book Heart of the Shin Buddhist Path written by Takamaro Shigaraki and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2013-02-18 with total page 186 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In his Heart of the Shin Buddhist Path, Takamaro Shigaraki examines Shin Buddhism anew as a practical path of spiritual growth and self-transformation, challenging assessments of the tradition as a passive religion of mere faith. Shigaraki presents the core themes of the Shin Buddhist path in fresh, engaging, down-to-earth language, considering each frankly from both secular and religious perspectives. Shigaraki discloses a nondual Pure Land that finds philosophical kinship with Zen but has been little discussed in the West. With its unassuming language and insights drawn from a life of practice, Heart of the Shin Buddhist Path dispels the fog of misconception that has shrouded Western appreciation of Shin traditions to reveal the limitless light of Amida Buddha that reaches all.
Download or read book The Division of Heaven and Earth written by Shokdung and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2017-01-01 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a translation of one of the most influential and important books from Tibet in the modern era, a passionate indictment of Chinese policies and an eloquent analysis of protests that swept Tibet from March, 2008 - the 'Earth Rat' year according to the Tibetan calendar - as a re-awakening of Tibetan national consciousness and solidarity. The Division of Heaven and Earth was banned by the Chinese government on publication, and led to Shokdung being "disappeared" and imprisoned for nearly six months. This English translation is being made available for the first time since copies began to circulate underground in Tibet. The author, Tagyal -- who uses the pen name Shokdung, meaning "morning conch"-- one of Tibet's leading intellectuals, wrote his book in response to an unprecedented wave of bold demonstrations and expressions of Tibetan solidarity and national identity. In his foreword Matthew Akester, a Tibet specialist who translated this book into English, offers an account of the significance of these developments, which transformed the political landscape across the plateau and led to a sustained and violent crackdown by the Chinese authorities that continues to this day. Shokdung's book is regarded as the most daring and wide-ranging critique of China's policies in Tibet since the 10th Panchen
Download or read book Essential Buddhism written by Jack Maguire and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2013-09-03 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Four hundred million people call themselves Buddhists today. Yet most Westerners know little about this powerful, Eastern-spawned faith. How did it begin? What do its adherents believe? Why are so many Westerners drawn to it? Essential Buddhism responds to these questions and many more, offering an accessible, global perspective on the religion's past, present, and future. It identifies how the principal concepts and practices originated and evolved through diverse cultural adaptations into three basic formats: * Theraveda (including Vipassana, brought from Vietnam in the 1960s and including such practitioners as Jack Kornfield and Jon Kapat-Zinn) * Mahayana (including Zen Buddhism, originally brought to America by Japanese teachers after World War II and popularized by Jack Kerouac and Thomas Merton) * Vajrayana (including Tibetan Buddhism, from the teachers who fled the Chinese takeover of Tibet in the 1950s as well as the Dalai Lama, and embraced by Allen Ginsberg, Richard Gere, and countless others) Essential Buddhism is the single best resource for the novice and the expert alike, exploring the depths of Buddhism's popularity and illuminating its tenets and sensible approach to living. Written in the lucid prose of a longtime professional storyteller, and full of Buddhist tales, scriptural quotes, ancient stories, and contemporary insights, Essential Buddhism is the first complete guide to the faith and the phenomenon.
Download or read book The Bodhisattva s Brain written by Owen Flanagan and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2011-08-12 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This fascinating introduction to the intersection between religion, neuroscience, and moral philosophy asks: Can there be a Buddhism without karma, nirvana, and reincarnation that is compatible with the rest of knowledge? If we are material beings living in a material world—and all the scientific evidence suggests that we are—then we must find existential meaning, if there is such a thing, in this physical world. We must cast our lot with the natural rather than the supernatural. Many Westerners with spiritual (but not religious) inclinations are attracted to Buddhism—almost as a kind of moral-mental hygiene. But, as Owen Flanagan points out in The Bodhisattva's Brain, Buddhism is hardly naturalistic. In The Bodhisattva's Brain, Flanagan argues that it is possible to discover in Buddhism a rich, empirically responsible philosophy that could point us to one path of human flourishing. Some claim that neuroscience is in the process of validating Buddhism empirically, but Flanagan'’ naturalized Buddhism does not reduce itself to a brain scan showing happiness patterns. “Buddhism naturalized,” as Flanagan constructs it, offers instead a fully naturalistic and comprehensive philosophy, compatible with the rest of knowledge—a way of conceiving of the human predicament, of thinking about meaning for finite material beings living in a material world.
Download or read book The Ninth Karmapa s Ocean of Definitive Meaning written by Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche and published by National Geographic Books. This book was released on 2011-05-16 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Ocean of Definitive Meaning by the Ninth Karmapa (1556–1603) is the most profound and famous text on Mahamudra ever written and is of vital importance in the living Kagyu tradition. It offers a detailed, uniquely comprehensive presentation of instruction on both the view and the practice. In the teachings contained in this book, Thrangu Rinpoche has distilled the essence of the Ninth Karmapa's massive text into manageable proportions and has given pointed guidance on the implementation of its instruction. According to Thrangu Rinpoche, Mahamudra practice is especially appropriate for Westerners and contemporary practitioners because it can be realized in the context of virtually any lifestyle. Mahamudra dissolves the artificial separation between phenomena and emptiness, revealing the radiant display of mind. The Ninth Karmapa's text has traditionally been available only to advanced students. However, Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche has kindly consented to the publication of these core teachings on the text, which he gave in the context of a retreat he led in 2001 in the mountains of British Columbia for 140 Western students. His compelling presentation provides teachers and students with a systematic approach to some of the highest practices in the Kagyu tradition. Thrangu Rinpoche's extraordinary wisdom and insight make this new commentary a peerless jewel in the canons of spiritual literature.
Download or read book Without Buddha I Could Not be a Christian written by Paul F. Knitter and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2013-01-01 with total page 335 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An honest, unflinching tale of re-finding one's faith, from one of the world's most famous theologians Without Buddha I Could Not Be a Christian narrates how esteemed theologian, Paul F. Knitter overcame a crisis of faith by looking to Buddhism for inspiration. From prayer to how Christianity views life after death, Knitter argues that a Buddhist standpoint can encourage a more person-centred conception of Christianity, where individual religious experience comes first, and liturgy and tradition second. Moving and revolutionary, this book will inspire Christians everywhere.
Download or read book The Death of Death written by Rabbi Neil Gillman, PhD and published by Turner Publishing Company. This book was released on 2011-11-16 with total page 358 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Does death end life, or is it the passage from one stage of life to another? In The Death of Death, noted theologian Neil Gillman offers readers an original and compelling argument that Judaism, a religion often thought to pay little attention to the afterlife, not only presents us with rich ideas on this subject—but delivers a deathblow to death itself. Combining astute scholarship with keen historical, theological and liturgical insights, Gillman outlines the evolution of Jewish thought about bodily resurrection and spiritual immortality. Beginning with the near-silence of the Bible on the afterlife, he traces the development of these two doctrines through Jewish history. He also describes why today, somewhat surprisingly, more contemporary Jewish scholars—including Gillman—have unabashedly reaffirmed the notion of bodily resurrection. In this innovative and personal synthesis, Gillman creates a strikingly modern statement on resurrection and immortality. The Death of Death gives new and fascinating life to an ancient debate. This new work is an intellectual and spiritual milestone for all of us interested in the meaning of life, as well as the meaning of death.
