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The Foundations of Buddhism
by
Rupert Gethin
3.97 · Rating details · 688 ratings · 61 reviews
Buddhism is a vast and complex religious and philosophical tradition with a history that stretches over 2,500 years, and which is now followed by around 115 million people. In this introduction to the foundations of Buddhism, Rupert Gethin concentrates on the ideas and practices which
constitute the common heritage of the different traditions of Buddhism (Thervada, Tibetan, and Eastern) that exist in the world today. From the narrative of the story of the Buddha, through discussions of aspects such as textual traditions, the framework of the Four Noble Truths, the interaction
between the monastic and lay ways of life, the cosmology of karma and rebirth, and the path of the bodhisattva, this book provides a stimulating introduction to Buddhism as a religion and way of life.
Paperback, 333 pages
Published September 24th 1998 by Oxford University Press, USA (first published 1998)
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May 19, 2016Justin Evans rated it it was amazing
Shelves: philosophy
I've read a few books on/of Buddhism, and it's pretty clear that this is a religion not well served by the publishing industry: like Christianity, it's easy to find books on Buddhism that will try to explain how Buddhism will change your life for the better; easy to find books about foundational figures (Buddha himself, in this case); but, unlike Christianity, it's very hard to find books that will teach you about the history of the religion from a more or less objective perspective, without being too specialized.
Well, here's one. How does Gethin do it? In part by focusing mostly on the features of Buddhism that, in his argument at least, all the schools share; and in part by being exceptionally smart and good at writing. This is not the book for you if you want a guide to practical meditation, or just generally want religion-without-religion. If you want someone to hold your hand and guide you through the wonderful, staggering maze of Buddhist thought, on the other hand, go to it.
We get summaries and discussions of the taxonomies of meditation stages, the different philosophical questions that are inevitably thrown up by the Buddha's teaching (but what is nothingness? the mind? the self? the no-self? a Buddha?). Gethin presents many of them in a handy frame: how does one explain the idea of no longer entering the chain of re-birth? What is this "nirvana" which we enter instead? You might say "well, nirvana means you cease to exist," but that doesn't seem quite right, in no small part because it's not clear what "you" "cease" and "to exist" mean. You might also say "well, nirvana is a kind of eternal state outside rebirth," but that seems wrong too. Trying to avoid these two views is the work of millenia (just like avoiding too much unity in the Christian trinity, and avoiding the total separation of the three).
Gethin traces responses to this problem through the history of southern, eastern and northern Buddhism, and even a few pages on the unfortunate adventures of Buddhism in the west. He does it clearly, concisely, and with modesty. He's probably a bit too keen to give Buddhism a united front, and to downplay disagreements, but that's the worst I can say. Highly recommended. (less)
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Oct 13, 2017Kevin rated it really liked it
Shelves: buddhist, ebook, non-fiction
A college text that covers Buddhism quite throughly. Starting with the history of the Buddha, his famous sutra's. Buddhist's monks, nuns and monasteries are covered, along with with the different countries and schools of Buddhism. Interesting chapter on the Buddhist Cosmos, something I know little of except from wuxia movies. Closes with a chapter on the evolving Buddhism that is ongoing in the east and the west. (less)
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Jun 26, 2014Charles Zardo rated it liked it
I can't say I really enjoyed reading this book, but it does contain a lot of information about Buddhism and its associated schools. I think this book gave me more questions than answers, so I can't say it provided me with a proper 'foundation of Buddhism.' However I do know more now and feel like I have a decent grasp of most of the key Buddhist concepts. The real struggle I found is the keeping track of the various teachings between schools/sects/etc. as their differences are often subtle and c ...more
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Jul 26, 2016Linda Blanchard rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
This book covers the basics of Buddhism from a fairly academic perspective. It doesn't address putting Buddhism into practice -- it is not intended to be that kind of book -- but it does cover the history, the philosophy, and many of the most essential differences between the various lineages. There are very few books I've found that cover this subject so well. Despite being from an academic perspective, it's a pleasant read, well-written in ordinary language, not the often high falutin talk we often find in books written by university professors. (less)
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Oct 29, 2011Shane Kramer rated it it was amazing
Probably the most informative general overview of Buddhism I've read so far. (less)
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Oct 31, 2019Shane rated it really liked it · review of another edition
A good primer on the philosophy of Buddhism
A good primer on Buddhism, its terminology, history and evolution into the various traditions and schools that exist today. This is not a “how to” manual but rather a what, when and why on Buddhist philosophy.
I was particularly interested in the core learning such as the four noble truths and the eight-fold path that is explained in detail. The story of Gautama Buddha is, as usual, always engaging and enlightening. The sections on Theravada, Mahayana, Tripitaka (Chinese) and Kanjur (Tibetan) traditions help outline their differences and similarities.
What struck me was that even though Buddhism is supposed to be devoid of the schisms that exist in Christianity, here too we see the teachings of a master being subjected to the desires and motivations of his adherents and therefore being set to evolve differently in different geographies and cultures long after the master has passed on. To discover the pure teaching, we need to go back to the master and his message, which, having taken place at a time where only the oral tradition prevailed, is bound to be wrapped, interpreted and changed through the fallible lenses of his disciples and followers. Rupert Gethin has done an admirable job in gathering the multi-various strands of this complex philosophy and presenting it in a single book.
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Aug 18, 2017Leo Walsh rated it it was amazing
The Foundations of Buddhism by Rupert Gethin is a perfect introduction to Buddhism. The text is readable, but scholarly. And Gethin focuses on Buddhist scripture, so his analysis is closer to what devout Buddhists think, discuss and practice than the often drippy New-Agey Buddhist texts I've paged through in my local bookstore. Gethin's treatment real sense of the breadth, depth and diversity of Buddhist philosophy and practice.
I really appreciate Gethin's placing Buddhism in context of the Hindu Vedas, especially the Upanishads. Those writings provided Buddha and his early followers a common language and understanding. And while Buddha transformed those writings, keeping things simple and pragmatic as opposed to the Veda's often dense, poetic, mythical and hard-to-grasp approach.
Read this book if you want more than a basic introduction to Buddha and his teachings. Though it won't make you a Buddhist (you'll need a mediation teacher for that), it will familiarize yourself with one of the greatest, most powerful spiritual traditions on the planet. Five stars. (less)
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Aug 13, 2018Paula rated it really liked it
According to my professor this is the most accurate and comprehensive book on this subject. It was the hardest book I’ve ever read, and took me the full length of the semester to appreciate it and get used to the writing. Whew!
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May 14, 2019Tobias rated it liked it
A decent little introduction to the core tenets and traditions of Buddhism. Some chapters I liked better than others, naturally. Gethin writes rather accessibly, though some caution is advised when it comes to terms in either Sanskrit, Pali, Chinese, Japanese or Tibetan. It can get difficult and cluttered quite quickly.
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Dec 12, 2019Marsha Altman rated it it was amazing
Shelves: buddhism, history, for-grad-school, china, tibet, india
This is definitely the best book explaining the origins of Buddhism and its core system of beliefs according to the earliest canon. Maybe it shouldn't be your FIRST book on Buddhism, because it's not the easiest read, with lots and lots of terms and charts, but it is really filled with great information and is therefore worthwhile. (less)
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Jul 02, 2020Samuel Gee added it
me before reading this book: I know what Buddhism is
me after reading this book: ...what IS Buddhism
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Sep 16, 2021Kiuzzaxk Kaveen added it
Let me start by saying that I emphasize agnosticism. It is impossible to pin-point a deity and call it God. However, it is also impossible to explain certain things in nature, albeit ascertain it to a divine entity. What this book covers and teaches about Buddhism is that, it strictly forbids calling that the universe or the life in it was created by a divine entity, as other religions claim. Rather, it emphasizes on the notion of evolution. There is a strong highlight on Darwin Dharma, or the notion of survival of the fittest. I particularly liked how it focuses on the topic of "we are the ones in control of our life". Buddhism stresses quite a good amount on meditation, which roughly translates to focusing more on the inwardly or individual self, which then corresponds to natural selection, rather than focusing on the unearthly beliefs of a creator and such.
In a comical way, this book about the Buddhist philosophies reminded me of the movie The Matrix. In the movie, the lead character learns that he is stuck in a simulated environment and controlled by robots. The movie is all about how the rebellion against the controller is established by the controlled. This is how Buddhism should be followed, in my POV. Overcoming the constraints of individual self. (less)
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Mar 20, 2014Reinhard rated it really liked it
It's really comprehensive, to the extent that the overview becomes overwhelming. As an introduction it's certainly okay. However, for practical purposes, I cannot recommend it. Less sometimes is more. (less)
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Jun 11, 2018Dan Slimmon rated it liked it
Shelves: non-fiction, philosophy, history, scholarly
I read this for Robert Wright's Buddhism And Modern Psychology Coursera course. It gave me the information I needed. It also gave me a lot of information on Buddhist cosmology and dogma that I wasn't particularly interested in. (less)
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Jun 22, 2019DoGG rated it it was amazing
A very clear and comprehensive survey of the many types of Buddhism that flow from the experiences and teaching of Sidhartha Guatama, son of Brahman aristocrats, who, sitting under the bodhi tree saw the nature of suffering, its causes, and treatment.
Is it a religion? Whether or not it is a religion depends on how one defines religion. There is no creator, but there are rituals, devotions, and practices. There are even gods and angels that entered from ancient Indian folk religions, but these are seen as helpers, not omniscient beings. It does not rely on blind faith, rather it is based on seeing. Whether or not it is a religion is mostly immaterial.
Who is a Buddhist? Simply one who takes refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha, with a commitment to follow the Buddha’s path (conduct, meditation, and wisdom).
Dependent arising and no self:
“Language and the fact that experiences are somehow connected fools us into thinking that there is an “I” apart from and behind changing experiences being connected. In reality…there is only their ‘connectedness – nothing besides that. The fact that experiences are causally connected is not to be explained by reference to an unchanging self that underlies experience, but by examining the nature of causality….all physical and mental events occur in various relationships to each other….and it is the concern with the nature of this causal connectedness that lies at the heart of Buddhist philosophy and which is seen as validating all Buddhist practice.”
“Since we fail to see things as they really are – impermanent, suffering, and not self – we grasp at them as if they were permanent, as if they could bring us lasting happiness, as if we could possess them as our very own. Thu the cultivation of calm and insight involves breaking up the seemingly substantial and enduring appearance of things. Things – our very selves, our own minds – are actually nothing but insubstantial, evanescent dharmas. Abhidharma theory and the associated meditations thus provide a way of getting behind appearances to a world that is quite different from the one ordinarily experienced – a way of easing the mind from the ways and patterns of thought it habitually uses to understand the world…[but] we are always in danger of mistaking our own views and opinions for a true understanding of the way things are. This danger – and this is the really significant point – may apply to views and opinions based on the theoretical teachings of Buddhism no less than to to views and opinions derived from other theoretical systems. Perfect wisdom, however, is what sees through the process of the mind’s conceptual construction and is not tainted by attachment to any view or opinion. In particular, it is not attached to the views and conceptual constructs of Buddhist theory,…which are ultimately no less artificial and arbitrary entities than the conceptual constructs of the ordinary unawakened mind which sees really existing persons and selves. The mind can grasp at the theory of dharma and turn it into another conceptual strait-jacket.” (less)
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Nov 14, 2020tongla rated it really liked it
Growing up in a semi-secular, overwhelmingly Theravadin country of Thailand, I was taught Buddhism from the national curriculum from my early years to school up to the end of highschool. Yet, in all those years, I never really grasped what exactly the core of Buddhism is. Sure, I was taught the four noble truths and was told that it was what the Buddha discovered, along with detailed legends of the Buddha, his disciples, bodhisattvas, holy places, etc., but this was little more than rote learning. I remembered a whole lot of teachings, but no real understanding was gained. Argumentation--which, this book shows, constitutes a large part of the Buddhist traditions--was often frowned upon and my attempts at arguments were often dismissed. As with other areas of Thai education, Thai Buddhism education miserably failed to show conceptual relationships and encourage critical examination. (Of course, there is also the issue of whether Buddhism should be a compulsory subject at all, but I digress.)
I learned from this one book more about Buddhism than my 12 years with the national Buddhism education. Except for the discussion of Abhidharma, which I think is a bit messy, the author writes in a clear and concise style. This does not, however, compromise his academic rigor, something I came to value dearly after higher education. He is also opinionated, making arguments for and against particular scholarly positions, turning the book into a critical introduction and preparing the reader for the wider literature they might wish to dive deep into. This is also a feature I particularly liked.
Given my interests in philosophy, I was naturally attracted to the Buddhist metaphysical discussions. Despite being situated in a different context, Buddhist ideas that anticipated and sometimes even argued against Western philosophy can be found throughout the book, including e.g. Berkeley's idealism and ordinary language philosophy. I was especially impressed by the arguments for the No-Self doctrine, and more generally the division between conventional and ultimate truths, that in my view amount to a devastating attack on the cogito argument. The lively debates of Dharma also kept the book engaging for me. Nāgārjuna easily became my favorite figure when he demostrated the inconsistency within the prior Abhidarma theory of Dharmas as metaphysical primitives. Indeed, as I learned from the book, my overdedicated focus on the intellectual would compromise my path to arhatship, but hey, I guess my current non-religious self does not have enough Śrāddha in Buddhism to embark on that path in the first place.
Covering the historically common threads that hold disparage Buddhist schools together, the book opens up the world of Buddhism for newcomers and structures the thoughts of oldcomers in the best way possible. Highly recommended for anyone who is intent on learning what Buddhism truly is. (less)
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Dec 03, 2019Bonnie rated it it was ok
Shelves: 2019
The author introduces this book as being a basic - but thorough overview of the foundations of Buddhism. Clearly and quickly, the reader realizes that this is not meant to be an introduction to the religion and philosophy. It is not for the novice . I have read other , shorter books on Buddhism so starting this book I did expect to uncover a greater depth and breadth to the subject. But, it was way beyond by my comprehension- more geared to a college level textbook.
Struggling with the language, baffled by the subtle differences among the levels of Buddhism, the geographical affects on the rules and behavior - I found mysel skimming along the pages. Some thoughts I grasped; many I never quite understood.
I suggest that any reader looking for an introduction to Buddhism - find an easier book, one not published by a university press. (less)
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Apr 15, 2020Anubha (BooksFullOfLife, LifeFullOfBooks) rated it liked it
Rupert Gethin's work walks you through the history of Buddhism, the influences Siddhartha has had, the spiritual guidelines, the two vehicles of discipline, chronological dating of all the sutras, influence of the religion through the means of media.
It involves in depth knowledge of the non binding Nirvana concept, different schools of thoughts and their different approaches in attaining it. Further when unsuccessful in surviving in India how it still thrives globally and interests foreign minds with its philosophy and brings it back to home. (less)
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May 15, 2019Rooster rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Fantastic introduction to Buddhist philosophy
Great introduction to Buddhist philosophy. Accessible, yet sufficiently detailed and sophisticated. Highly recommended reading to anyone wishing to get a sufficiently substantive appreciation for Buddhist thought. Clear and concise writing.
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Apr 05, 2020Ci rated it it was amazing
This is a scholarly, textbook styled introduction to Buddhism. It contains the essential philosophical and practical characteristics of traditional schools of Buddhism. Its style is clear, succinct, non polemic, densely footnoted. It should serve as a great reference for any Buddhist concepts and ideas.
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May 12, 2019Will rated it really liked it
Detailed introduction to Buddhism which gives an idea of the complexity of Buddhist thought and schools but packs this into less than 300 pages. This wasn't an easy book to get through but it's readable and worth the effort if you're interested in the subject or for travel context. (less)
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Nov 18, 2019Ellie Patterson rated it really liked it
Shelves: academic-school-reading
This was certainly one of the most readable texts about a foreign religion/philosophy that I have read to date! At times, however, I did find the mix between narrative about Buddhism and Gethin’s person voice compared to the actual content that we were trying to extract as a student be unclear.
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Jan 26, 2020Nikhil Narain rated it it was amazing
With a sufficiently detailed overview of the shared ideas and concepts that are central to all lineages and traditions of the religion written in an accessible style, this is the best introduction to Buddhism one can hope for.
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May 14, 2021Emily O. rated it really liked it
A dense but clear and informative book explaining Buddhist history, theology, and practice, this book helped me make better sense of a diverse, complex religious tradition and is something I will continue to consult.
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May 20, 2017Brooke rated it really liked it
Shelves: 2017
A dense book, but provides incredible foundational information about a vast, complex subject.
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Oct 12, 2017Paul rated it it was amazing
Shelves: buddhism
If you read this sweeping but detailed survey, you will know more about Buddhism than most Buddhists do.
