Theravada Buddhism

Theravada Buddhism in Contemporary Sri LankaBuddhism in Sri Lanka, Nepal and Southeast Asia

Theravada Buddhism in Contemporary Sri Lanka" edited by Maeda Egaku - A great book for systematic study of contemporary Sri Lankan Buddhism!

Just as Japanese Buddhism is divided into various sects, each with completely different doctrines and manners, there are many differences in Sri Lankan Buddhism.

In this book, you can learn about each of these modern Sri Lankan sects and their origins in a systematic and easy-to-understand manner. This was a great help to me when I was confused.

This book is very valuable because it systematically summarizes the characteristics and doctrines of each sect in Sri Lanka, as well as Buddhism at the level of daily life of the people of Sri Lanka. It is very interesting to read it while comparing it with Buddhism in Japan, as it also explains in detail about funerals and daily prayers.

Buddhism in Sri LankaBuddhism in Sri Lanka, Nepal and Southeast Asia

Gombrich, Ovesekara, "Buddhism in Sri Lanka" - Is Sri Lankan Buddhism new? A Shocking and Famous Book!

スリランカの仏教といえば厳密な戒律を守る上座部仏教というイメージがあるかもしれませんが、実は現代スリランカの仏教自体は最近構築されたものでした。スリランカ仏教は最も原始教団に近い仏教と言われることもありますが、それは実はここ数世紀で作り上げられたイメージだったのです。この本を読めば確実に驚くと思います。スリランカの仏教に対しての印象ががらっと変わると思います。

The obi of this book says, "Why does Buddhism, which died out in its birthplace, India, continue to live on in Sri Lanka?" and this is precisely the reality of modern Sri Lankan Buddhism that will be examined in detail in this book.

The Legacy of Buddhist ModernismBuddhism in Sri Lanka, Nepal and Southeast Asia

Yoshio Sugimoto, "The Legacy of Buddhist Modernism" - Why did the Sri Lankan Civil War Occur? Buddhist Nationalism and the Link Between Religion and Violence

Sri Lankan scholar Ovesekara called the Sri Lankan Buddhism created by Dharmapala "Protestant Buddhism (Reform Buddhism). Sri Lankan Buddhism may give the impression that it is the inheritance of the oldest Buddhism, but in fact it was not, but rather a movement that became active in the 19th century. This book takes a detailed look at the history of how Buddhism and Sinhalese nationalism became linked and led to civil war. In particular, we will take a close look at the life of Dharmapala, as if he were a biography. The book is a unique history of Sri Lankan Buddhism.

Sri Lanka Today MagazineBuddhism in Sri Lanka, Nepal and Southeast Asia

Toshio Shibuya's "Sri Lanka Today" - Recommended work that summarizes the relationship between ethnic conflict and religion in Sri Lanka in an easy-to-understand manner.

As the title suggests, this book is about contemporary Sri Lanka and the conflict. While this blog has featured various books on Sri Lankan history and Buddhism, this is the first book to focus specifically on Sri Lanka's civil war that lasted from 1983 to 2009.

The civil war in Sri Lanka was largely a civil war between the Sinhala Buddhist majority and the Tamil Hindu minority. In other words, religion was one of the major causes of the civil war.

Of course, religion was not the only major factor, but history and political and economic issues up to that time were also a major factor, and I was shocked to learn that Buddhism had become involved in the civil war. I was shocked to learn that Buddhism was involved in the civil war.

Exorcism in Sri LankaBuddhism in Sri Lanka, Nepal and Southeast Asia

Noriyuki Ueda, "Exorcism in Sri Lanka" - Is exorcism an unscientific superstition? A masterful book that reexamines the connection between humans and religion!

The book will discuss not merely Sri Lankan "exorcisms" but also what religion is all about and why people "heal" in the first place.

The Corona disaster has made us think about science, superstition, hoaxes, conspiracy theories, peer pressure, and many other things, but this is a wonderful work that will make us think again about the connection between our lives, our health, our vitality, and our "mind. It is a great book among great books that I hope many people will pick up.

I strongly recommend this book as well. It was a wonderful encounter. You should definitely pick up a copy.

India Sri LankaBuddhism in Sri Lanka, Nepal and Southeast Asia

R. Gombrich, "History of Theravada Buddhism in India and Sri Lanka" - "Who Listened to Buddha's Teachings?" a great book that makes us think about the connection between society and Buddhism.

This book is highly recommended for learning the general framework of Sri Lankan Buddhism.

Sri Lanka is a country where Theravada Buddhism, which is different from Mahayana Buddhism in Japan, has taken root, as the title of this book suggests. The main flow of this book is to trace the history of Buddhism in Sri Lanka back to the birth of Buddhism in India.

What is unique about this book is its perspective on the "social history of Buddhism. This book looks not only at ideological and historical issues, but also at how Buddhism existed in relation to the society of the time. I am sure you will be surprised by this book. I highly recommend this book.

The Life of BuddhaBuddhism in India

Akira Hirakawa, "The Life of the Buddha: Reading the 'Buddha's Praises'" - Recommended introductory book that looks at the life of the superhuman Buddha based on the Chinese translation of the Buddha's biography.

In our previous article, we introduced the Buddhacharita, a Buddhist epic by Ashvaghosa, who was active around the 2nd century.

This "Buddhacharita" was translated into Chinese around A.D. 430 as "Buddhacharita" (仏所行讃) by Cloudy I-Ching. It was introduced to Japan and passed down to Japanese Buddhists. Saicho, Kukai, Honen, and Shinran must have read this Buddhist biography and thought about Buddha.

This book is an introduction to Buddhism in which the life of the Buddha is explained in an easy-to-understand manner while reading a transcript of this Chinese translation of the Buddha's Praises for the Practice of Buddhism.

Buddha CharitaBuddhism in India

The Complete Translation of the Buddhacharita - The great source of Buddhist biography, also known as the "Praise of Buddha's Place of Practice" by Ashvaghosha (Ma-Ming)! An epic of Buddha's life!

The present work, Buddhacharita, is a Buddhist biography by Ashvaghosa (Ma Ming), a Buddhist poet active in India around the 1st and 2nd centuries. In Chinese translation, it was translated as "Buddhacharita" (仏所行讃) by Cloudy I-Ching. Kukai, Saicho, and the founders of Kamakura Buddhism may have read this Buddhist biography to learn about Buddha's life.

Ashvaghosha's Buddhacharita, which was the major source of the life of Buddha as it is told today. It was a very interesting work as a story.

History of Buddhism in IndiaBuddhism in India

Akira Hirakawa, "History of Buddhism in India" - An immortal classic of Buddhist studies! A masterful book covering the history and doctrines of Buddhism!

Although this book was first published in 1974, it is still highly regarded as one of the most famous Buddhist books of all time. 2011 saw the publication of a new edition, and even today it is a must-read reference book for those who wish to study Buddhism in depth.

It is a marvel that this book has been able to cover so much of the teachings in a single work and to write a history of Buddhism in a single stream.

This is a tremendous book. This is not a book that I would casually recommend to a beginner, but I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about Buddhism.

Ajanta and ElloraIndian thought, culture and history

Ajanta and Ellora: Rock Temples and Mural Paintings of the Deccan Plateau of India" - A recommended guidebook to India's proud world heritage sites!

This book will be a recommended guidebook for the World Heritage Sites of Ajanta and Ellora in India.

The explanations of the sculptures and paintings at both sites were especially interesting. The commentary on the Buddhist tale of Jataka was particularly moving. The commentary was not just about the ruins or the art, but it also went deeper into the historical background and thought of the times, which drew me in.

I am also planning to visit Ajanta and Ellora this year. This book was a very helpful guidebook for me. I highly recommend this book.