Buddha for Beginners
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Buddha for Beginners by Stephen T Asma
Despite the widespread popularity of Buddhist practices (like meditation), there is little understanding of the complex philosophy behind Buddhism. The historical Buddha, Gautama, was a real person--a radical--who challenged the religious leaders of his day. Buddha For Beginners introduces the reader to the historical Buddha, to the ideas that made him change his life, and to the fascinating philosophical debates that engaged him and formed the core of Buddhism.
Buddha For Beginners compares Buddha's philosophy with those of his contemporaries, the later Buddhist schools, and Western Philosophy. The book includes a survey, distinguishing the philosophical differences among later schools of Buddhism, such as Theravada, Madhyamaika, Tantric, Zen, and others.
Buddha For Beginners is not a book you read, it is a book you experience. It makes you stop and close your eyes. Through some magical combination of words, drawings, and intuitive wisdom, Buddha For Beginners conveys not only the facts of Buddhism, but the peace, the silence...the feel of it. It is historically accurate, spiritually challenging, and the white spaces mean as much as the words.
Stephen T. Asma is a Distinguished Scholar and Professor of Philosophy at Columbia College Chicago. He is the author of seven publications, including Against Fairness: In Support of Favoritism (Univ. On Monsters: An Unnatural History of Our Worst Fears (Oxford Univ. Press, 2012), Stuffed Animals and Pickled Heads (Oxford Univ. Press), Stuffed Animals and Pickled Heads (Oxford Univ. Why I Am a Buddhist (Hampton Roads) and the best-selling Buddha for Beginners (first published in 1996 and republished in 2008) are among his works. Dr. Asma is a founding Fellow of Columbia College Chicago's Research Group in Mind, Science, and Culture. His writing has been translated into German, Spanish, Hebrew, Czech, Romanian, Hindi, Portuguese, and Chinese.
The Research Group is working on a philosophical and scientific explanation of the mind/brain that appropriately embraces the emotional components of mammalian consciousness. Asma is interested in Buddhism and Confucianism in addition to Western philosophy. He was a Visiting Professor at the Buddhist Institute in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in 2003, where he taught a Buddhist Philosophy seminar as part of the Graduate Program in Buddhist Studies. He has studied Asian philosophies in Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Mainland China, and Laos, in addition to Cambodia. He's also spent time in Shanghai, China, where he studied and lived.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781939994332 |
| ISBN 10 | 1939994330 |
| Title | Buddha for Beginners |
| Author | Stephen T Asma |
| Series | For Beginners |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | For Beginners |
| Year published | 2015-06-26 |
| Number of pages | 160 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |