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The Buddha before Buddhism
Wisdom from the Early Teachings
By: Gil Fronsdal
Paperback | 15 December 2016
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One of the earliest of all Buddhist texts, the Atthakavagga, or "Book of Eights," is a remarkable document, not only because it comes from the earliest strain of the literature before the Buddha, as the title suggests, came to be thought of as a "Buddhist" but also because its approach to awakening is so simple and free of adherence to any kind of ideology. Instead the Atthakavagga points to a direct and simple approach for attaining peace without requiring the adherence to doctrine.
The value of the teachings it contains is not in the profundity of their philosophy or in their authority as scripture; rather, the value is found in the results they bring to those who live by them. Instead of doctrines to be believed, the Book of Eights describes means or practices for realizing peace. Gil Fronsdal's rigorous translation with commentary reveals the text to be of interest not only to Buddhists, but also to the ever-growing demographic of spiritual-but-not-religious, who seek a spiritual life outside the structures of religion.
About the Author
Gil Fronsdal is part of the Vipassana Teachers' Collective at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. He has a PhD in Buddhist Studies from Stanford. He practiced in both the Zen and Insight Meditation worlds, ordaining as a Soto priest in 1982 and as a Theravada monk in Burma in 1985. He's guiding teacher of the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, California. He's also one of the most prolific publishers of audio dharma talks today, through the venues of Dharma Seed, Audio Dharma, Zencast, and elsewhere.
Industry Reviews
"Widely acknowledged as one of the oldest texts in the Buddhist canon, the Atthakavagga is intriguingly different from other Buddhist scriptures, lacking many of the doctrinal propositions that have come to be associated with Buddhism. Gil Fronsdal's fresh new translation, together with illuminating commentaries to each section of the text drawn both from scholarly research and from his many years of meditation practice, will make this classic text come alive for a new generation of readers."-Jan Nattier, author of A Few Good Men: The Bodhisattva Path according to The Inquiry of Ugra
ISBN: 9781611803242
ISBN-10: 1611803241
Published: 15th December 2016
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Number of Pages: 192
Audience: General Adult
Publisher: RANDOM HOUSE US
Country of Publication: GB
Dimensions (cm): 19.5 x 12.7 x 1.3
Weight (kg): 0.19
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You Can Find This Book In
This product is categorised by
- Non-FictionReligion & BeliefsBuddhismTibetan Buddhism
- Non-FictionMind, Body, SpiritMeditation and Visualisation
- Non-FictionReligion & BeliefsBuddhismBuddhist Sacred Texts
- Non-FictionMind, Body, SpiritThought and Practice
- Non-FictionReligion & BeliefsReligionHistory of Religion
- Non-FictionReligion & BeliefsAspects of Religion for Non-ChristiansSacred Texts
- Non-FictionReligion & BeliefsReligionPhilosophy of Religion