The World of Buddhism (The Great Civilizations)

By Etienne Lamotte

Book Overview

Describes the teachings of the Buddha, looks at Buddhism in India, Burma, Thailand, China, Korea, and Japan, and looks at Buddhist history, sects, shrines, and temples.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0500276285
• ISBN13: 9780500276280
• Release Date: January 1991
• Publisher: Thames & Hudson
• Length: 308 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 8.7" x 11.8"

Customer Reviews

An excellent and authoritative set of essays.

This is a wonderful book. It's a rare combination of authoritative scholarship, readability and beautiful presentation. The book is lavishly illustrated with color photos of Buddhist sculpture, historic sites, paintings and much more. But this is really only the beginning of this book's merits, for the most attractive feature of the book is probably its ability to give the reader the best available "big picture" of Buddhism - in all its fantastic variety - in such a condensed and attractive format. This is not at all to imply that the content is at all superficial in any significant way. Yes, it's true that an 18-page chapter on Tibetan Buddhism can't cover everything but the book does such a wonderful job of weaving together the pertinent material on the subject in such an enjoyably dense and lucid manner that you come away with a surprisingly complex understanding of the subject. It's true that the book is a little out-dated, much great scholarship has been done since the book was published some 23 years ago, but this isn't something anyone but a specialist should be terribly worried about - and even for that group the book stills remains very valuable. Again, this is a fantastic place to "start" one's studies of Buddhism - and that's really what's at issue with a book of this type. The further reading that this volume will almost undoubtedly provoke will fill in the gaps and render more complex the picture this book provides. No book is perfect, but this book's merits vastly outweigh its flaws. Simply put - a must have for anyone interested in Buddhism, especially in an academic sense.

Even more than one expects ...

Aha! I'm always looking for a bargain, and The World of Buddhism is probably as close as I have come. True to the cliche that books cannot be judged by their covers, this large, handsomely produced volume actually delivers more than one expects -- and in many more ways. Miraculously, its cost is significantly less than its ample size and elegant format could probably justify.I was first attracted to World of Buddhism's many striking pictures and detailed drawings, maps and illustrations. They turn out to have been chosen with exceptional care and sensitivity to the subject, not simply to entertain the casual browser. Some of the resulting images are stunning, greatly enhance the text, and make a powerful impression on the eye, the mind and the spirit.I also happen to be deeply interested in Buddhism and everything about it. This book has proven to be nearly encyclopedic in scope, pays due heed to all sorts of different schools, sects, denominations and traditions within Buddhism, and can basically be relied on as a comparatively comprehensive survey of the topic. I frequently consult its index and glossary.Best of all, though books which purport to survey such a broad range of ideas -- and especially those with such sensational illustrations -- sometimes contain only superficial, inaccurate or misleading texts, this is totally untrue of World of Buddhism. Its panel of contributors consists of outstanding scholars and Buddhologists from all over the world. Indeed some of them (in particular Richard Gombrich and Etienne Lamotte) are (or have been) among the foremost authorities in the field. Fortunately all of them manage to write interesting, engaging prose, though it often covers relatively complex technical topics, and is sometimes intricately detailed. Though not necessarily for the specialist, this book is certainly one to be considered by those who may be fairly new to the subject and want an introduction, or even by someone reasonably conversant with Buddhism but in search of new ideas and insights.Naturally, as the Buddha himself never tired of pointing out, nothing is perfect. There are some limitations, even to a book as satisfying as this one. Thus be aware that its scope and focus is less adequately conveyed by its title, "The World of Buddhism," than by its subtitle, "Buddhist Monks and Nuns in Society and Culture." The reader must accept going in that this book pays foremost attention to the Sangha, which is to say the formally structured Buddhist clergy. There are many reasons for this, including the extraordinary longevity of this unique institution, plus its inherent interest and fascination. However probably the most important reason is that, as Bechert explains, "It is primarily the Sangha that has transmitted the Buddha's words and maintained the tradition of meditation and thus ensured that future generations ... can be shown the way to release from the world." In any even