Synopses & Reviews
A concise and up-to-date guide to the history, teachings, and practice of Buddhism by two luminaries in the field of world religions.
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“A useful primer for those new to the study of Buddhism.” Indianapolis Star
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“Those seeking to dip a toe into Buddhism will find this an inviting pond.” Dallas Morning News
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“This book is an impressive and accessible overview of the core teachings [of Buddhism]. Inquiring Mind Magazine
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“Stellar...outstanding....Highly recommended.” Library Journal
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“A valuable primer on Buddhism East and West, old and new.” David Loy, author of A Buddhist History of the West
Synopsis
Huston Smith and Philip Novak offer a highly readable and incisive guide to the heart of Buddhism, a quickly growing tradition with an increasing presence and importance in the Western world. The first half of the book is written by Smith, the world's premier authority on religious traditions. Smith traces the history of Buddhism, with a special focus on the differences and similarities between the Mahayana and Theravada traditions. Noted scholar (and former student of Smith) Novak then traces the spread of Buddhism out of Asia and into the West.
Esoteric concepts like the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path are explained in a clear and straightforward manner that those new to Buddhism will easily understand. This book will stand apart as the most concise, timely, and reliable introduction to Buddhism available today.
Huston Smith is internationally known and revered as the premier teacher of world religions and for his bestselling book The World's Religions. He was the focus of a five-part PBS television series with Bill Moyers, and has taught at Washington University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Syracuse University, and the University of California, Berkeley.
Philip Novak is professor of philosophy and religion at Dominican University in San Rafael, CA, where he has won several teaching awards, and the editor of The World's Wisdom, the companion reader to Huston Smith's The World's Religions. Novak did his doctoral work with Huston Smith, and Smith considers him his most accomplished student. Novak is a committed Buddhist.
"Stellar...outstanding....Highly recommended."
-Library Journal
--Indianapolis Star
About the Author
Huston Smith is internationally known and revered as the premier teacher of world religions. He is the focus of a five-part PBS television series with Bill Moyers and has taught at Washington University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Syracuse University, and the University of California at Berkeley. The recipient of twelve honorary degrees, Smith's fifteen books include his bestselling
The World's Religions,
Why Religion Matters, and his autobiography,
Tales of Wonder.
Philip Novak is the Santo Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Dominican University in San Rafael, California, where he has taught for over twenty years, and the author of The World's Wisdom, a widely used anthology of the sacred texts of the world's religions and the companion reader to Huston Smith's The World's Religions.