John S. Strong is the Charles A. Dana Professor of Religion, Bates College, in Maine, USA. Specializing in history of religions, Asian religions, and Buddhist Studies, with a focus on Buddhist legendary and cultic traditions in India and South Asia. He is the author of numerous books and articles including The Buddha: A Beginner¿s Guide (Oneworld).

Preface

Schemes and Themes

Technicalities

Note on abbreviations

Chapter 1 Introduction: Lumbin¿, a Buddhist World Exposition

1.1 Therav¿da and Mah¿y¿na

1.2 Lumbin¿¿s Eastern Monastic Zone: South and Southeast Asian Traditions

1.2.1 The Mah¿ Bodhi Society

1.2.2 The Sri Lanka Monastery

1.2.3 The Gautam¿ Center for Nuns

1.2.4 Myanmar (Burma)

1.2.5 Meditation Centers

1.3 Lumbin¿¿s Western Monastic Zone: East Asian Traditions

1.3.1 China

1.3.2 Korea

1.3.3 Japan

1.3.4 Vietnam

1.4 Lumbin¿¿s Western Monastic Zone: Tibetan Vajray¿na Traditions

1.4.1 The Great Lotus St¿pa

1.4.2 The Lumbin¿ Udyana Mahachaitya

Part I: Foundations of the Triple Gem: Buddha/s, Dharma/s, and Sägha/s

Chapter 2 ¿¿kyamuni, Lives and Legends

2.1 The Historical Buddha

2.2 The Buddhäs World

2.3 The Buddha of Story

2.4 Past Buddhas and the Biographical Blueprint

2.5 The Start of ¿¿kyamuni¿s Career

2.6 Previous Lives (J¿takas)

2.6.1 The Donkey in the Lion¿s Skin

2.6.2 Vessantara J¿taka

2.6.3 The Tigress J¿taka

2.7 A Lifestory of ¿¿kyamuni

2.7.1 Birth and Childhood

2.7.2 Life in the Palace

2.7.3 The Beginnings of Discontent

2.7.4 The Great Departure

2.7.5 Paths Not Taken

2.7.6 Awakening

2.7.7 After Enlightenment

2.7.8 The First Sermon

2.7.9 Various Conversions and Miracles

2.7.10 Death and Parinirv¿¿a

Chapter 3 Overcoming the Buddhäs Absence

3.1 Seeing the Buddha in the Dharma

3.1.1 Excursus on the Buddhist Canon/s

3.2 Places of Pilgrimage

3.3 Relics

3.4 Buddha Images

3.5 The Masters of the Dharma

3.6 The Arhat Dharma-Protectors

3.7 Meeting Maitreya

Chapter 4 Some Permutations of the Middle Way

4.1 The Middle Way

4.2 Karma and Säs¿ra

4.2.1 Why Do Good Deeds?

4.2.2 Contexts of Karma I: Neither Free Will nor Determinism

4.2.3 Contexts of Karma II: Both Jain and Upani¿adic Views

4.3 The Doctrine of Non-Self (An¿tman)

4.3.1 Breaking Down the False Sense of Self: the Five Aggregates and Impermanence

4.3.2 The Elements (Dharmas)

4.3.3 Countering the Breakdown of Self: Personal Continuity

4.3.4 Explications of Continuity: Pseudo-Selves and Ersatz ¿tmans

4.4 Summary

Chapter 5 The Four Truths

5.1 The First Truth: Stress

5.2 The Second Truth: the Continual Arising of Stress and Interdependent Origination

5.2.1 The Double Bind of Säs¿ra

5.3 The Third Truth: the Cessation of Stress ¿ Nirv¿¿a

5.4 The Fourth Truth: the Path to the Cessation of Stress

5.4.1 Moral Discipline

5.4.2 Meditation

5.4.3 Wisdom

5.5 Other Systematizations of the Path

5.5.1 The Seven Factors Conducive to Enlightenment

5.5.2 The Graduated Training

5.5.3 The Four Divine Abidings

5.5.4 The Four Fruits of the Path

5.6 Summary

Chapter 6 The Establishment and Character of the Early Buddhist Community

6.1 Monastic¿Lay Interactions

6.1.1 D¿na (Giving) and Other Forms of Making Merit

6.1.2 Lay Ethics

6.1.3 Magical Protection

6.1.4 Laypersons and the Monastic Rules

6.1.5 Royal Supporters

6.1.6 King A¿oka

6.2 The Monastics: Wandering and Settling

6.2.1 Monastic Lifestyles

6.2.2 Monasteries

6.3 Mah¿praj¿pat¿ and the Establishment of the Order of Nuns

6.4 Common Moral Commitments

6.5 Initiation Rituals: Wandering Forth and Ordination

6.6 Monastic Rules

6.6.1 The Elaboration of the Disciplinary Code

6.6.2 Enforcement of the Rules: Pr¿timok¿a Recitation and Prav¿räa

6.7 Some Exemplary Disciples of the Buddha

6.7.1 ¿¿riputra and Maudgaly¿yana

6.7.2 Pä¿c¿r¿

6.7.3 The Laypersons Nakulapit¿ and Nakulam¿t¿

6.7.4 Vi¿¿kh¿, Preeminent Laywoman

6.8 Summary

Chapter 7 Visions and Divisions of the Sägha

7.1 Council Stories

7.1.1 The Council at R¿jag¿ha

7.1.2 Vinaya Disputes: the Council of Vai¿¿l¿

7.1.3 The Councils of P¿¿aliputra

7.1.4 Other Council Traditions

7.2 The Flowering of Mainstream Factionalism

7.3 Other Divisional Issues

7.3.1 Practice vs. Study

7.3.2 Meditators and Merit Makers

7.3.3 Forest Monks and Town Monks

7.3.4 The Question of Asceticism

7.3.5 The Question of Bon-Vivant Monks

7.3.6 Sect vs. Sect

7.4 The Origins of the Mah¿y¿na

7.5 Proliferation of Mah¿y¿na Schools

7.5.1 Mah¿y¿na Schools in India

7.5.2 Mah¿y¿na Schools in China

7.5.3 Mah¿y¿na Schools in Japan

7.5.4 Mah¿y¿na Schools in Tibet

7.6 Summary

Part II: Further Elaborations of the Triple Gem

Chapter 8 Mah¿y¿na and Vajray¿na Ways of Meeting the Buddha/s

8.1 Changes in the View of the Buddha: the Lotus S¿tra and ¿¿kyamuni¿s Lifespan

8.2 Three Bodies of the Buddha/s

8.3 Meeting the Buddha/s in Their Pure Lands

8.3.1 Ak¿obhya

8.3.2 Bhai¿ajyaguru

8.4 Amit¿bha

8.4.1 Meeting Amit¿bha through Visualization

8.4.2 Rebirth in the Pure Land

8.5 Meeting the Buddha in the Great Bodhisattvas

8.5.1 Avalokite¿vara

8.5.2 Other Great Bodhisattvas

8.6 Meeting the Buddha/s in the Vajray¿na

8.6.1 Mä¿alas and the Five Tath¿gatas

8.6.2 Ritual Consecration (Abhi¿eka)

8.6.3 Merging with the Buddha

8.6.4 Visions: Meeting the Buddha/s in Bardo

8.6.5 Buddha Embodiments in This World: Gurus and Tülkus

8.7 Summary

Chapter 9 M¿h¿yana Doctrinal Developments

9.1 Emptiness: the Selflessness of Dharmas

9.2 N¿g¿rjuna and the Madhyamaka

9.3 The Expansion of Provisional Truth: Expedient Means (Up¿ya)

9.4 Tiantai Doctrines

9.5 The Ongoing Dialectic: the Yog¿c¿ra School

9.5.1 Asanga and Vasubandhu and the Development of the School

9.5.2 Yog¿c¿ra Doctrines

9.6 Avatäsaka Doctrines

9.6.1 Applications of Interpenetration

9.7 The Buddha Womb/Embryo (Tath¿gatagarbha) Teachings

9.7.1 Resurgence of the True Self

9.8 Buddha-Nature Controversies

9.8.1 Limitations to the Buddha-Nature: the Icchantika Debate

9.8.2 The End of the Dharma

9.8.3 Expansions of the Buddha-Nature Doctrine

9.9 Summary

Chapter 10 The Bodhisattva Path, Tantra, and Zen

10.1 The Bodhisattva Path

10.2 Sudden and Gradual

10.2.1 Disagreements over the Nature of the Path: the Debate at Samyé

10.2.2 Disagreements over the Nature of Enlightenment

10.3 Graduated Paths

10.3.1 Compassion and Bodhicitta

10.3.2 The Stages of the Path, the Perfections, the Five Paths

10.3.3 Routinization and Ritualization

10.4 Path Shortcuts

10.5 Tantra

10.5.1 Uniting the Poles

10.5.2 Tantric Physiology

10.5.3 Mah¿m¿dra and Dzokchen (Rdzogs chen)

10.6 Direct Experiences: Chan/Zen

10.6.1 K¿ans

10.6.2 Critical Phrases (Huatou)

10.7 Summary

Chapter 11 Sägha Situations: Places, Persons, and Practices in Thai Buddhism/s

11.1 Buddhism in Thailand

11.2 Thai Monastic Life: Temporary Ordination

11.2.1 Life as a Novice

11.2.2 Experiences as a Monk

11.3 The Lives of Two Charismatic Thai Monks

11.3.1 Acharn Mun

11.3.2 Khruba Siwichai

11.4 The End of the Rains-Retreat in a Northern Thai Village

11.5 A Thai Temple in Wimbledon, England

Chapter 12 Sägha Situations: Places, Persons, and Practices in Japanese Buddhism/s

12.1 The Hexagonal Hall (Rokkakud¿)

12.1.1 Prince Sh¿toku

12.1.2 Shinran

12.1.3 Kannon, Jiz¿, and Fud¿

12.2 The Ritual Year at Shinnyod¿

12.2.1 New Year¿s

12.2.2 ¿¿kin¿ and the Recitation of the Great Perfection of Wisdom S¿tra

12.2.3 Main Hall Rituals

12.2.4 Goma

12.2.5 The Killing Stone

12.3 The Ry¿anji Rock Garden

12.4 The Buddhäs Birthday at the Morgan Bay Zend¿

12.5 The Japan Temple in...