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"`A Journey with the Buddha' - across pan-Asian countries and 27 centuries
since the Buddha's appearance - has been an exciting fact-finding mission :
both assimilative and analytical in approach. This questions from the
midern man's context, are:
* What made the appearance of the Buddha and his credo so compelling to the
Indian masses in the 6th century BC?
* How far the ancient Jataka stories held prototypes for the parables and
fables to follow the world over?
* How were the Bodhisattvas expected to overcome imperfections before
attaining the Buddhahood?
* What made people to flock to Shakyamuni, an extraordinary savant, so
tantalisingly silent even on the existence of God?
* How could `Theravada' (Hinayana) disavow the norms of rituals and espouse
critical methods of investigation, as opposed to blind faith?
* After the demise of the Master, how were the inevitable doubts and
dissent - in the rank and file - resolved entirely democratically?
* Was the `Mahayana' credo essentially a fruit of backlash from Hinduism,
with the earlier faith re-asserting itself?
* How was the supreme assertion made in the Lotus Sutra for all human
beings that the Buddhahood was attainable in the same birth?
* How did `Zen' play down theoretical knowledge and religious texts in
favour of direct experience and meditation?
* How did `Mantrayana' arise in distant Japan, contributing seminally to
the growth of the mascent Japanese culture?
* How did `Vajrayana' let the Buddhist institutions amalgamate with the
esoteric `Tantric' cult in the pan-Himalayan region?
* What were the factors that made the Buddhist Acharyas and Siddha poets
take to `Sahajiya' philosophy?
* What was the inner zeal that led Buddhists cross inaccessible
international borders, promoting their faith?
* Above all, who is the consummate Maitreya, residing in Tushita heaven,
looked forward to, by the jaded mankind?
The answers received in the quest reveal an amazing `gestalt' of Buddhism,
namely, a reality where the sum of individual parts is more than the whole!
With propagation and absorption of Buddhism over space and time, the
`gestaltic' perception begins right in the beginning. Architecture and
sculpture got a boost. The wealth of Pali language and literature was
adopted as national heritage in the entire south Asia. Exquisitely-sculpted
images from Afghanistan, Gandhara and Mathura spread everywhere. Above
all, the civilisation impact - from Sri Lanka, Myanmar and South Asian
peninsula up to China, Japan, Korea and Mongolia in north - is unbelievably
invigorating and life-sustaining. Such a global `gestalt', arising from the
spread-eagling of a single religion, has seldom been witnessed or shall be
seen again."
[from Blurb]
Contents
Vol. 1
Foreword by Lokesh Chandra
Preface
1. Introduction
2. Jatakas : Journeys of Compassion and Conscience
3. Bodhisattvas : Towards the Buddha
4. Shakyamuni : The Historical Buddha
5. Theravada : Effulgence of Enlightenment
6. Samgiti : Consolidation of Ethos
7. Mahayana : Embodiment of Altruism
8. Lotus Sutra : Attainment of Buddhahood
9. Zen : Tranquility of Inner Mind
Bibliography
Index
Vol. 2
Preface
10. Mantrayana : Unto Higher Conscience
11. Vajrayana : Multiple Manifestations
12. Sahajayana : The Mystic Interface
13. Vishvacharya : Sojourns across Asia
14. Shilpakriti : Efflorescence in Aesthetics
15. Maitreya : The Future Buddha
Bibliography
Index
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