Buddhism

Drawn from lectures given at Oxford, this survey by a leading Buddhist scholar traces the full span of Buddhist thought, from its spiritual aims and doctrinal foundations to its underlying assumptions. Edward Conze, who embraced Buddhism while pursuing his research, presents the faith as both a religion and a philosophy, and he explores where it overlaps with other world religions.

The author distinguishes monastic Buddhism from the practices of ordinary believers and sorts the traditions into older and newer schools. He examines individual sects and their customs, the moral teachings at the core of the faith, and the growth of its literature. Further chapters cover the Yogacarin school, Tantra (sometimes called magical Buddhism), and the spread of the religion beyond India.

Presented as the first comprehensive account of Buddhism in English, the book offers a compact route through a complicated body of thought. This edition includes a preface by Arthur Waley, a respected scholar of Oriental literature.