Cantwell - Buddhism

BUDDHISM

THE BASICS

Buddhism: The Basics provides a thorough and accessible introduction to a fascinating religion. Examining the historical development of Buddhism and its presence today, this guide covers:

principal traditions

practices and beliefs

ethical guidelines and philosophy

religious texts

community

With helpful features including a detailed map of the Buddhist world, glossary of terms, and tips for further study, this is an ideal text for students and interested readers wanting to familiarise themselves with the Buddhist faith.

Cathy Cantwell is an academic researcher at the Oriental Institute, University of Oxford. She specialises in Tibetan Buddhism, and has worked on eleventh-century manuscripts, an eighteenth-century scriptural collection, and contemporary Buddhist ritual manuals and practice. She has taught widely in UK Higher Education and is joint author of Early Tibetan Documents on Phur pa from Dunhuang.

BUDDHISM

THE BASICS

cathy cantwell

LONDON AND NEW YORK

First published 2010
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN

Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
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This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2010.

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2010 Cathy Cantwell

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in
any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter
invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Cantwell, Cathy.
Buddhism : the basics / Cathy Cantwell.
p. cm. (The basics)
1. Buddhism. I. Title.
BQ4012.C36 2009
294.3dc22
2009002030

ISBN 0-203-87425-0 Master e-book ISBN

ISBN10: 0-415-40879-2 (hbk)

ISBN10: 0-415-40880-6 (pbk)

ISBN10: 0-203-87425-0 (ebk)

ISBN13: 978-0-415-40879-0 (hbk)

ISBN13: 978-0-415-40880-6 (pbk)

ISBN13: 978-0-203-87425-7 (ebk)

CONTENTS

Map of Buddhism in Asia Showing the main directions of the historical spread of Buddhism, and the approximate locations of the major Buddhist regions in the modern world