Buddhism: Introducing the Buddhist Experience focuses on the depth of Buddhist experience as expressed in the teachings and practices of a wide array of its religious and philosophical traditions. Taking a broad and inclusive approach, this unique work spans over 2,500 years, featuring chapters on Buddhism's origins in India; Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism; and Buddhism in Southeast Asia, Tibet, China, Korea, and Japan. It also includes an extensive discussion of modern, socially engaged Buddhism and a concluding chapter on the spread of Buddhism to the West. Mitchell provides substantial selections of primary text material throughout that illustrate a great variety of moral, psychological, meditative, and spiritual Buddhist experiences. Buddhism features twenty-two boxed personal narratives provided by respected Buddhist leaders and scholars from around the world, including His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Dharma Master Sheng Yen, Dharma Master Cheng Yen, Jeffrey Hopkins, Sulak Sivaraksa, Rita M. Gross, Chatsumarn Kabilsingh, and Robert Aitken. These concise and intriguing essays give students a glimpse into what the topics discussed in the book actually mean in terms of human experience today. Ideal for courses in Buddhism, Asian religions, and Asian philosophy, Buddhism also incorporates helpful maps, numerous illustrations, a glossary, and suggestions for further reading.

Boxes, Figures, and Maps Acknowledgments Pronunciation Guide Introduction 1. THE LIFE OF GAUTAMA BUDDHA The Early Life of Siddhartha Gautama Birth Youth The Four Sights The Great Renunciation Spiritual Teachers Asceticism The Awakening of the Buddha Enlightenment Nirvana The Mission of the Buddha The Three Refuges Important Conversions Monasticism Social Concern Women's Ordination The Rebellion of Devadatta The Last Days of Gautama Buddha 2. THE TEACHINGS OF THE BUDDHA The Three Characteristics Impermanence Dissatisfactoriness No-Self The Five Aggregates Dependent Arising Karma and Rebirth The Four Noble Truths The Middle Way The First Noble Truth: Life Is Duhkha The Second Noble Truth: The Cause of Duhkha The Third Noble Truth: The Cessation of Duhkha The Fourth Noble Truth: The Eightfold Path to the Cessation of Duhkha Awakening The Eightfold Path Right Understanding Right Thought Right Speech Right Action Right Livelihood Right Effort Right Mindfulness Right Concentration Nirvana 3. THE WAY OF THE ELDERS The Three Baskets The Sutra Pitaka The Vinaya Pitaka The Abhidharma Pitaka The Second and Third Councils King Asoka Theravada's Path of Purification Morality Concentration Wisdom Theravada Buddhism in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia Sri Lanka Southeast Asia Theravada Monastic and Lay Experience 4. THE GREAT VEHICLE The Mahayana Sutras The Perfection of Wisdom Sutras The Vimalakirti Sutra The Lankavatara Sutra The Lotus Sutra Land of Bliss Sutras The Great Journey of the Bodhisattva The Six Perfections The Ten Stages Celestial Bodhisattvas and Buddhas Celestial Bodhisattvas The Three Bodies of the Buddha 5. THE INDIAN EXPERIENCE OF BUDDHISM The Abhidharma Schools The Mahayana Schools The Madhyamika School The Tathagata-garbha Literature The Yogacara School Logic, Tantra, and the Extinction of Buddhism in India 6. THE TIBETAN EXPERIENCE OF BUDDHISM The First Dissemination of Buddhism in Tibet The Second Dissemination of Buddhism in Tibet The Geluk School and the Dalai Lama The Tantric Experience Preliminary Practices Mandalas, Mantras, and Mudras Deity Yoga Four Types of Tantric Practice Schools of Tibetan Buddhism: Distinctive Practices The Nyingma School The Sakya School The Kagyu School The Geluk School Recent Events in Tibet 7. THE CHINESE EXPERIENCE OF BUDDHISM Translation and Inculturation New Translations and Scholarship Persecution and Reform The Chinese Schools I: Laying the Foundation of the Chinese Experience The Chu-she School The Ch'eng-shih School The Lu School The Chen-yen School The San-lun School The Fa-hsiang School The Chinese Schools II: Defining the Chinese Experience The T'ien-t'ai School The Hua-yen School The Ch'an School The Ching-t'u School Persecution and Decline Later Developments 8. THE KOREAN EXPERIENCE OF BUDDHISM The Advent of Buddhism during the Three Kingdoms Period Buddhism durin ghte Unified Silla Dynasty: Innovation and Scholarship Uisang Wonhyo The Five Buddhist Schools Buddhism during the Koryo Dynasty: Searching for Unity Uich'on Chinul The Korean Tripitaka Repression during the Choson Dynasty The Japanese Occupation and Recent Developments 9. THE JAPANESE EXPERIENCE OF BUDDHISM Prince Shotoku The Nara Period (710-784): The Six Schools The Kusha School The Jojitsu School The Ritsu School The Sanron School The Hosso School The Kegon School The Heian Period (794-1185): The Tendai and Shingon Schools The Tendai School The Shingon School The Kamakura Period (1185-1333): Pure Land, Zen, and Nichiren Pure Land Buddhism Zen Buddhism Nichiren Buddhism The Muromachi Period (1338-1573): Zen and Japanese Culture The Tokugawa Period (1603-1868): Struggle and Reform The Meiji Period (1868-1912) and Recent Developments 10. MODERN BUDDHISM IN ASIA New Buddhist Movements in Asia India Sri Lanka Thailand Cambodia Vietnam Tibet China Korea Japan Women's Experiences of Buddhism in Modern Asia 11. BUDDHISM IN THE WEST Major Buddhist Traditions in the West Theravada Buddhism Vietnamese Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism Chinese Buddhism Korean Buddhism Japanese Buddhism The Experience of Buddhism in the United States Ethnicity, Identity, and Practice Authority and Gender Issues Buddhist Ecumenism Interfaith Dialogue Social Engagement Glossary of Technical Terms Index

Donald W. MitchellChair of Religious Studies and Professor of Philosophy, Purdue University

Advance praise (the first three quotes): "Simply excellent. Its strengths are its clarity and its comprehensiveness."--John P. Keenan, Middlebury College