Faith And Knowledge In Early Buddhism

The author of this volume, an accomplished philologist, historian and philosopher, analyzes the relevant earlier and later texts and traces the epistemological foundations of Pali canonical thought from the Vedic period onwards. Originally published in 1963, it sheds new light on later developments and elucidates from the Indian point of view some of the basic problems of the conflict between metaphysics and logical and linguistic analysis.

Corrected Edition

This comprehensive and detailed survey of the first six centuries of Indian Buddhism sums up the results of a lifetime of research and reflection by one of Japan's most renowned scholars of Buddhism.

This is an analytical study of faith (saddha), devotion (bhatti) and worship (puja) in the Theravada school of Buddhism. It elucidates these concepts and deals with their objects, viz., gods in general, and Buddha in particular, as described in the Pali canonical, postcanonical and commentarial literature. The first chapter of this book examines the conception of the "the Deities" and "the supernatural"; the attributes, knowledge, powers and functions of Buddhist deities; their role as objects of meditation; how Theravada Buddhism is non-theistic and how its basic concepts are incompatible to the conception of Creator God. The second chapter discusses the special attributes, knowledge, powers and functions of the Buddha in the Theravada literature which establishes His supramundane character and spiritual eminence over gods, arhants and pratyekabuddhas. It throws light on the origins of Buddha's deification, his docetic conception and other Buddhological speculations which led him to become an object of highest reverence, adoration and devotion. The third chapter outlines the origin, nature and scope of faith and devotion for the Buddha in Theravada literature; how and why he has been regarded as the object of absolute confidence (saddha), recollection and contemplation (buddhanussati), devotion (bhatti) and worship (puja) and thereby viewed as Bhagavan and compassionate Saviour. The book provides an authentic and comprehensive account of faith (saddha) and devotion (bhatti) in Pali canonical and post-canonical literature of Theravada Buddhist School. This work is an invaluable aid to students, teachers and researchers of Pali literature and Buddhist philosophy.

New interpretations of the central teachings of early Buddhism, mainly the relationship between identity and perception in early Buddhism.

This is a critical and philosophical analysis and assessment of the teachings of Buddha as Found in the Early Stratum of the Pali Canon and those of Lord Krsna as embodied in the Bhagvadgita. It is the first time that the foundational works of the two most important traditions of Indian thought have been brought together for comperative treatment.The Widely prevalent openion among scholars that Hindu thought did not have any significant contact with Pali Buddhism, might perhaps be one of the reasons why no attempt has previously been made to undertake a comparative study of Bhagwadgita and early Buddhism. The author covers the whole field of epistemology, metaphysics, and ethics in detail and depth, and bases his conclusions throughout on the original texts, making careful examinations of, and paing due attention, to the commentatiorialexegeses and scholarly interpretations.