Essay on Buddhism
All too often books for the novice concentrate too much on the spread of the Dharma and the different forms it has taken in the countries where it has taken root without giving the reader that all-important first taste of the Dharma. However, Roger J. Corless does not do that. He mainly focuses on the idea of Buddhism through which general public can gain knowledge. Corless structures and explains complex Buddhist ideas in an easy way. Definitely one of the best introduction to Buddhism because, very early in the book, he points out common mistakes westerners make when approaching Buddhism.Since most people are influenced by mainstream Christianity, they analyze Buddhism with the wrong methodology. Therefore, he wrote the book to educate the western society who are more concerned with historical background and influenced by Christianity.Destined to become classis in its field, The Vision of Buddhism constitutes a dramatic departure from most Western treatments of Buddhism. Holding that the usual historical approach is not only irrelevant to Buddhism, but also destructive of its distinctive world view. Corless takes a nonlinear approach, one more faithful to the Buddhist tradition iteself.
For example, In chapter seven, Moha was mentioned a lot, so therefore, in the glossary it gave a short description of Moha meaning 'confusion'(Pg. Also, end of each chapter, footnotes were provided to giver better understanding of the material and where he had referenced it from. Roger Corless tied the chapters together by usuing skilful means to present the Dharma as a whole. The first of these Acts he entitles "Waiting in the Tushita Heaven" and progresses through the traditional phases of the life of Shakyamuni(last human birth, renunciation,asceticism, awakening, teaching) to "Final Nirvana". In the glossary, brief explanations of the key words were given. But Roger Corless is not interested in how these schools may have come about; he presents them as complementary tools that can help us on the road experiencing for ourselves whatever it was that happened under the Bodhi tree all those centuries ago. The fact is that although the Dharma is "good in the beginning, good in the middle and good in the end", it has no beginning, middle or end but seamless whole that must be lived. Corless, professor of Religion at Duke University, is one of the foremost scholars on Buddhism. The book was presented in a factual manner. " The theoretical concepts of the religion was explained in a concise, clear, objective and non-judgemental manner. 138), then in the end of the chapter for number 1, he noted , "1. k, Author Roger Corless presents and explains Buddhist teachings and practices in light of events in the life of Buddha. Buddhistically, is that as time goes on we get more of Buddhism"(Pg. in Buddhist studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
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