Early Buddhist Discourses (Hackett Classics)

Book Overview

Twenty discourses from the Pali Canon--including those most essential to the study and teaching of early Buddhism--are provided in fresh translations, accompanied by introductions that highlight the main themes and set the ideas presented in the context of wider philosophical and religious issues. Taken together, these fascinating works give an account of Buddhist teachings directly from the earliest primary sources. In his General Introduction, John J. Holder discusses the structure and language of the Pali Canon--its importance within the Buddhist tradition and the historical context in which it developed--and gives an overview of the basic doctrines of early Buddhism.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0872207927
• ISBN13: 9780872207929
• Release Date: March 2006
• Publisher: Hackett Publishing Co.
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.61 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.3" x 0.5" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

The best introduction to Buddhism and Buddhist primary sources!

One can't say enough good things about this first-class introduction to early Buddhist writings. The editor and translator John J. Holder has done an absolutely splendid job of selecting the most important writings of the early Buddhist canon and translating them into very clear, modern English. The book has the single best brief overview of Buddhism that I've ever encountered and each selection from the early discourses also carries a terrific introduction that explains the meaning of the discourse and its overall importance in Buddhist philosophy. This far and away bests the many other good introductions to Buddhist scriptures currently available (e.g. from Penguin, Oxford Classics, etc) and is a great bargain for the price. For many years now Hackett Publishing has lead the way in translations of Western philosophical classics and literature and they are now doing the same splendid job for the philosophies and literature of Asia. If you have any interest in Buddhism and it's primary texts this is the best place to start!