Faculty of Asian Studies, The Australian National University

Buddhism, an introduction

Buddhism: an introduction, generously contributed by Dr John Powers, is a draft of a chapter from Anthology of Scriptures of World Religions by Dr John Powers and James Fieser, published by McGraw-Hill Publications in 1997.

Contents

1. Introduction
2. The Spread of Buddhism Outside of India
3. Selections from Buddhist Texts
4. The Buddha and the Texts of the Pali Canon
5. The Life of the Buddha
6. The First Sermon
7. Analysis of the Truths
8. The Buddha's Good Qualities
9. Nirvana
10. Dependent Arising
11. Consciousness is a Dependent Arising
12. Questions That Should Be Avoided
13. Selflessness
14. Instructions on Meditation
15. Ordination of Women
16. The Cessation of Suffering
17. My Teacher
18. Learning and Good Conduct Count More than Birth
19. The Joy of Release
20. Excerpts from The Path of Truth
21. The Questions of King Milinda
22. How to Avoid Extreme Views
23. Change and Continuity
24. The Buddha Lives On
25. Selections from Mahayana Texts
26. The Heart of Perfect Wisdom Sutra
27. Excerpts from the Diamond Sutra
28. Bodhisattvas Are Celibate
29. On the Differences Between Men and Women
30. Everything Is Controlled By the Mind
31. The Basis Consciousness
32. Nirvana Is Here and Now
33. The Bodhisattva Works Alone
34. Nagarjuna On Emptiness
35. Ultimate Reality
36. Tantric Skill in Means
37. The Stage of Completion
38. Using Desire to Eradicate Desire
39. The State of Pure Awareness
40. The Importance of the Guru
41. Selections from Tibetan Buddhist Texts
42. Ultimate Reality
43. Bardo, the State Between Lives
44. Milarepa on Meditation
45. Niguma on Mahamudra
46. Instructions from Manjushri
47. The Triple Appearance
48. Chinese and Japanese Buddhist Texts
49. Why Buddhism Is Superior to Taoism and Confucianism
50. The Mingling of Taoism and Buddhism
51. Dogen's Meditation Instructions
52. The Mu Koan
53. Pure Land: Shinran on Amida's Vow
54. Truth Decay: Nichiren on The Title of the Lotus Sutra