Buddhism: Introducing the Buddhist Experience, Second Edition, focuses on the depth of Buddhist experience as expressed in the teachings and practices of its religious and philosophical traditions. Taking a broad and inclusive approach, this unique work spans over 2,500 years, offering chapters on Buddhism`s origins in India; Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism; and Buddhism in Southeast Asia, Tibet, China, Korea, and Japan. It also includes an extensive discussion of modern, socially engaged Buddhism and a concluding chapter on the spread of Buddhism to the West. Author Donald W. Mitchell provides substantial selections of primary text material throughout that illustrate a great variety of moral, cultural, psychological, meditative, and spiritual Buddhist experiences.
Buddhism features twenty-two boxed personal narratives by respected Buddhist leaders and scholars, including His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Dharma Master Sheng Yen, Dharma Master Cheng Yen, Jeffrey Hopkins, Sulak Sivaraksa, Rita M. Gross, Chatsumarn Kabilsingh, and Robert Aitken. The text also includes photographs, maps, a pronunciation guide, and a glossary of technical terms. Integrating more information about how Buddhism is actually practiced around the world today, the second edition adds six brief end-of-chapter essays by scholars and practitioners on cultural experiences of Buddhism in Thailand, Tibet, China, Korea, Japan, and America. Ideal for courses in Buddhism, Asian religions, and Asian philosophy, this edition also offers additional photographs, new sections on topics like Buddhist cosmology, expanded coverage of Buddhism and globalization, and updated suggestions for further reading.

Contents
Boxes, Figures, and Maps
Acknowledgments
First Edition
Second Edition
Pronunciation Guide
Introduction
1. THE LIFE OF GAUTAMA BUDDHA

The Early Life of Siddhartha Gautama
Birth
Youth
The Four Sights
The Great Renunciation
Spiritual Teachers
Asceticism
The Awakening of the Buddha
Enlightenment
Nirvana
The Mission of the Buddha
The Three Refuges
Important Conversions
Monasticism
Social Concern
Women`s Ordination
The Rebellion of Devadatta
The Last Days of Gautama Buddha
2. THE TEACHINGS OF THE BUDDHA

The Three Characteristics
Impermanence
Dissatisfactoriness
No-Self
The Five Aggregates
Dependent Arising
Karma and Rebirth
Buddhist Cosmology
The Wheel of Life
The Four Noble Truths
The Middle Way
The First Noble Truth: Life Is Duhkha
The Second Noble Truth: The Cause of Duhkha
The Third Noble Truth: The Cessation of Duhkha
The Fourth Noble Truth: The Eightfold Path to the Cessation of Duhkha
Awakening
The Eightfold Path
Right Understanding
Right Thought
Right Speech
Right Action
Right Livelihood
Right Effort
Right Mindfulness
Right Concentration
Nirvana
3. THE WAY OF THE ELDERS

The Three Baskets
The Sutra Pitaka
The Vinaya Pitaka
The Abhidharma Pitaka
The Second and Third Councils
King Asoka
Theravada`s Path of Purification
Morality
Concentration
Wisdom
Theravada Buddhism in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia
Sri Lanka
Southeast Asia
Theravada Monastic and Lay Experience
The Cultural Experience of Thai Buddhism Today, Mettanando Bhikku
From Childhood to Adulthood
Marriages and Funerals
Popular Buddhist Practices
Contributions of Thailand to Buddhist Culture
4. THE GREAT VEHICLE

The Mahayana Sutras
The Perfection of Wisdom Sutras
The Vimalakirti Sutra
The Lankavatara Sutra
The Lotus Sutra
Land of Bliss Sutras
The Great Journey of the Bodhisattva
The Six Perfections
The Ten Stages
Celestial Bodhisattvas and Buddhas
Celestial Bodhisattvas
The Three Bodies of the Buddha
5. THE INDIAN EXPERIENCE OF BUDDHISM

The Abhidharma Schools
The Mahayana Schools
The Madhyamika School
The Tathagata-garbha Literature
The Yogacara School
Logic, Tantra, and the Extinction of Buddhism in India
6. THE TIBETAN EXPERIENCE OF BUDDHISM

The First Dissemination of Buddhism in Tibet
The Second Dissemination of Buddhism in Tibet
The Geluk School and the Dalai Lama
The Tantric Experience
Preliminary Practices
Mandalas, Mantras, and Mudras
Deity Yoga
Four Types of Tantric Practice
Schools of Tibetan Buddhism: Distinctive Practices
The Nyingma School
The Sakya School
The Kagyu School
The Geluk School
Recent Events in Tibet
The Cultural Experience of Tibetan Buddhism Today, Geshe Damdul Namgyal
Daily Rituals
Circumambulation
Prayer Wheels
Prayer Flags
The Ransom of Animals
Purifications
Auspicious Days
Pilgrimage
Wandering Storytellers
The Deeper Life
7. THE CHINESE EXPERIENCE OF BUDDHISM

Translation and Inculturation
New Translations and Scholarship
Persecution and Reform
The Chinese Schools I: Laying the Foundation of the Chinese Experience
The Chu-she School
The Ch`eng-shih School
The Lu School
The Chen-yen School
The San-lun School
The Fa-hsiang School
The Chinese Schools II: Defining the Chinese Experience
The T`ien-t`ai School
The Hua-yen School
The Ch`an School
The Ching-t`u School
Persecution and Decline
Later Developments
The Cultural Experience of Chinese Buddhism Today, Dedong Wei
Temple Rituals
Buddhist Festivals
Popular Buddhist Practices
Recent Developments in Popular Chinese Buddhism
Buddhism`s Influence on Chinese Culture Today
8. THE KOREAN EXPERIENCE OF BUDDHISM

The Advent of Buddhism during the Three Kingdoms Period
Buddhism during the Unified Silla Dynasty: Innovation and Scholarship
Uisang
Wonhyo
The Five Buddhist Schools
Buddhism during the Koryo Dynasty: Searching for Unity
Uich`on
Chinul
The Korean Tripitaka
Repression during the Choson Dynasty
The Japanese Occupation and Recent Developments
The Cultural Experience of Korean Buddhism Today, Jongmyung Kim
Temple Rituals
Prayer and Pilgrimage
The Templestay Program
Buddhist Cultural Heritage in Korea
The Future of Popular Buddhism in Korean Culture
9. THE JAPANESE EXPERIENCE OF BUDDHISM

Prince Shotoku
The Nara Period (710-784): The Six Schools
The Kusha School
The Jojitsu School
The Ritsu School
The Sanron School
The Hosso School
The Kegon School
The Heian Period (794-1185): The Tendai and Shingon Schools
The Tendai School
The Shingon School
The Kamakura Period (1185-1333): Pure Land, Zen, and Nichiren
Pure Land Buddhism
Zen Buddhism
Nichiren Buddhism
The Muromachi Period (1338-1573): Zen and Japanese Culture
The Tokugawa Period (1603-1868): Struggle and Reform
The Meiji Period (1868-1912) and Recent Developments
The Cultural Experience of Japanese Buddhism Today, Tomonobu Shinozaki
Buddhist Veneration of Ancestors
O-bon Festival
Popular Buddhist Practices and Holidays
The Bodhisattva Figure and Buddhist Practice Today
10. MODERN BUDDHISM IN ASIA

New Buddhist Movements in Asia
India
Sri Lanka
Thailand
Cambodia
Vietnam
Tibet
China
Korea
Japan
Women`s Experience of Buddhism in Modern Asia
11. BUDDHISM IN THE WEST

Buddhism in Europe
Buddhism in Canada
Buddhism in Australia
Western Buddhism and Globalization
Buddhism in the United States
Theravada Buddhism
Vietnamese Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism
Chinese Buddhism
Korean Buddhism
Japanese Buddhism
The Experience of Buddhism in the United States
Ethnicity, Identity, and Practice
Authority and Gender Issues
Buddhist Ecumenism
Interfaith Dialogue
Social Engagement
The Cultural Experience of American Buddhism Today, Rev. Heng Sure
Encountering Buddhist Culture
Bowing
Taking Refuge and the Five Precepts
Buddhist Practice and Western Culture
Glossary of Technical Terms
Index