The Buddhism Omnibus: Comprising Gautama Buddha, the Dhammapada, the Philosophy of Religion

The three works brought together in this collection explore Buddhism as a rich source of literary legend, an austere ethical guide, and a contemporary philosophy very relevant in the modern world in view of the resurgence of interest in the Buddha and his philosophy. Matthew T. Kapstein in his Introduction provides a concise historical overview of Buddhism in India and the renewal of interest in the Buddha s teachings and also situates the works in their proper contexts. Gautama Buddha by Iqbal Singh views the life of the Buddha in the context of the eventful age in which he lived, keeping in mind the significant connection of the personality of Gautama and his understanding of the nature of human experience and destiny, the deeper problems of our age. The Dhammapada or the path of virtue is the founding text of Buddhist teaching. The verses of the Dhammapada are believed to have been the utterances of Gautama the Buddha himself. Presented here in both Pali and English this classic edition was translated, edited, and annotated by S. Radhakrishnan, one of India s foremost philosophers. The Philosophy of Religion by Arvind Sharma interrogates key philosophical issues such as the nature of evil, belief or disbelief in God, human destiny, immortality, karma, and reincarnation, from the perspective of Buddhist philosophy and compares them with the tenets of the Western-dominated philosophy of religion .

Table of Contents:
INTRODUCTION BY MATTHEW T KAPSTEIN ; GAUTAMA BUDDHA: APROPOS THE SECOND IMPRESSION ; PREFACE ; PART I: THE WORLD OF THE BUDDHA ; PART II: BIOGRAPHICAL ; MAYA S DREAM AND THE NATIVITY OF THE BUDDHA ; THE REPUBLIC OF KAPILAVASTU ; SOME EARLY EVENTS ; THE PURSUIT OF PLEASURE ; THE CRISIS AND RENUNCIATION ; AFTER STRANGE GODS ; ENLIGHTENMENT ; VIII TURNING THE WHEEL OF DOCTRINE ; IX GROWTH OF THE ORDER ; X YEARS OF WANDERING AND A DAY ; XI FOOLS IN THE ORDER ; XII THE GREAT DECEASE ; XIII POSTHUMOUS POSTSCRIPT ; PART III THE WORLD OF THE BUDDHA: I THE WHEEL ; II THE WAY ; III THE VOID ; PART IV AND THE WORD WAS MADE FLESH ; PART V THE BUDDHA IN A CHANGING WORLD ; EPILOGUE ; LITTLE TO ADD ; ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ; BIBLIOGRAPHY ; INDEX & ; S. RADHAKRISHNAN (ED.) THE DHAMMAPADA: PREFACE ; LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ; INTRODUCTION: I. THE DHAMMAPADA, II. GAUTAMA THE BUDDHA ; TEXT, TRANSLATION, AND NOTES: I. THE TWIN-VERSES ; II. VIGILANCE ; III. THOUGHT ; IV. FLOWERS ; V ; . THE FOOL ; VI. THE WISE MAN ; VII. THE ARHAT (THE SAINT) ; VIII. THE THOUSANDS ; IX. EVIL CONDUCT ; X. PUNISHMENT ; XI. OLD AGE ; XII. THE SELF ; XIII. THE WORLD ; XIV. THE BUDDHA (THE AWAKENED) ; XV. HAPPINESS ; XVI. PLEASURE ; XVII. ANGER ; XVIII. IMPURITY ; XIX. THE RIGHTEOUS ; XX THE PATH ; XXI. MISCELLANEOUS VERSES ; XXII. THE DOWNWARD COURSE (HELL) ; XXIII. THE ELEPHANT ; XXIV. THIRST (OR CRAVING) ; XXV. THE MENDICANT ; XXVI. THE BRAHMIN ; SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY ; PALI INDEX ; GENERAL INDEX & ; ARVIND SHARMA, THE PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION: INTRODUCTION ; 1. THE CONCEPT OF GOD ; 2. GROUNDS FOR BELIEF IN GOD ; 3. GROUNDS FOR DISBELIEF IN GOD ; 4. THE PROBLEM OF EVIL ; 5. REVELATION AND FAITH ; 6. PROBLEMS OF RELIGIOUS LANGUAGE ; 7. THE PROBLEM OF VERIFICATION ; 8. THE CONFLICTING TRUTH CLAIMS OF DIFFERENT RELIGIONS ; 9. HUMAN DESTINY: IMMORTALITY AND RESURRECTION ; 10. HUMAN DESTINY: KARMA AND REINCARNATION ; NOTES AND REFERENCES ; INDEX

About the Author :
SINGH, IQBAL/RADHAKRISHNA, S/SHARMA, ARVIND