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From the Jacket:

Buddhism as a religion of salvation is not so much concerned with the question of heaven and hell as much as with the existential question of suffering. It is, thus, the text of human suffering that has determined the soteriological goal of Buddhism, which is characterized as to how to obtain release from human suffering itself. Since suffering is a fact of life, so the aim has been to search for such ways and means by the application of which suffering may be overcome. It is this concern of Buddhism with suffering that is the focus of this book, that is, what basically suffering means to a Buddhist. It is on the basis of this insight of the Buddha that the Buddhist thinkers have attempted to find such a practical framework that would serve that purpose of reaching the transcendent goal of salvation. Whatever the Buddhists have spoken about suffering, it must be seen as a practical devise of reaching the goal of salvation.

About the Author:

Moti Lal Pandit has been engaged in the Indological research for last thirty years. Upon completing his studies, the author had the opportunity of studying the abstruse Vedantic texts from Dayananda Saraswati. Later he studied the important tantric texts of Kashmir Shaiviam from Dr. Baljinath Pandit. The author has contributed numerous papers on Comparative Religion. Theology, Spirituality and Mysticism. The earlier works of the author include Vedic Hinduism; Philosophy of the Upanishads; The Essentials of Buddhism; Beyond the Word; Transcendence and Negation; Sunyata: The Essence of Mahayana Spirituality; and The Hidden Way."

Description:

Until recently, East-West comparative philosophy has been at best sporadic gestures marked by an imbalance in the way the Eastern and Western ideas were presented. A rather unsuccessful pattern in comparison was partly due to the socio-political and historical relationship between the East and West. The philosophical orientation of the West's Continental metaphysical thinking and the nature of the project of modernity and enlightenment have also played a significant role in creating this pattern. It would be premature to say that such a practice has completely disappeared. However, along with the emergence of nonsubstantialist philosophy in the West, a new direction in comparative philosophy is definitely on the horizon. Buddhisms and Deconstructions, with its acknowledgment of the plurality of both Buddhist traditions and deconstructive philosophy, is an attempt to mark such a change. The thirteen essays in this volume attest to a new relationship between Eastern and Western thought, expand the scope of our understanding of each philosophical tradition, and thus offer a new framework for both.

Review
This set of essays crystallizes decades of important developments in the dialogue between Buddhism and postmodern thought, revealing their relevance to each other and to the future of philosophical reflection, East and West. --John Makransky, Boston College

About the Author
Jin Y. Park is assistant professor in the department of philosophy and religion at American University.

Specification:

• Product Code: BK11553
• Publisher     :   Motilal Banarsidass Publishers
• Edition  :   April 30, 2011
• Pages  :   290
• Weight   :   550 gm.
• Size   :   0.1 x 7.3 x 9.5 inches
• Cover   :   Hardcover
• Auther :   Jin Y. Park
• Language   :    English
• ISBN : 8120833864, 978-8120833869

The annals and chronicles are Important for a study of political, religious, cultural and literary history of a country. This book Introduces to the readers for the first time a new picture in the field of annals and chronicles. It gives, not only, the history and the development of the Buddhist annals and chronicles of South-East Asia but it also refers to the important role played by the chronicles in the field of Pali and Singhalese literature in Ceylon. Fortunately, this is a first attempt, to give a connected account of the Buddhist annals and chronicles of South and South-East Asia, on the basis of all available sources. The book should be found useful to readers interested in the religious and cultural history of South and South-East Asia.

From the Jacket:

The annals and chronicles are important for a study of political, religious, cultural and literary history of a country. This book introduces to the readers for the first time a new picture in the field of annals and chronicles. It gives, not only, the history and the development of the Buddhist annals and chronicles of South-East Asia but it also refers to the important role played by the chroniclers in the field of Pali and Singhalese literature in Ceylon. Fortunately, this is a first attempt, to give a connected account of the Buddhist annals and chronicles of South and South-East Asia, on the basis of all available sources. The book should be found useful to readers interested in the religious and cultural history of South and South-East Asia.

Roman Diaspora in the making of India thrived on a syncrtic goddess ushered by the Greco-Buddhist reliquary cult. Lustrated by royal elephant identified with Africa, goddess Gajalakshmi on lotus of rebirth coexists with Isis-Venus and Nemesis symbolized by the Wheel of Low (Retribution), winged griffin and other rebus memory devices .Metaphors originally distilled faith in afterlife but these necromantic signs are now translated as Buddha’s external presence in a neural religion. Unprecedented cult images of goddess invoked as Maha Maya (Mega Maia) and Maha Vuhara Devi on the Great Boat (Mahayana) radically transformed the cultural landscape of South Asia. Subject to Influences, Meaning of art correlated with Mystery religions moved eastward from the Mediterranean to reach the gateway to heaven (Torana).The search for immortality demonstrates inter-connectedness of all art objects from Gandhara to Sri Lanka giving to ample scope for portraiture, Narrative techniques and symbolic Communication. Backed by new mortuary practices and esoteric rituals magic of art and new Brahmi script invented from invented from Aramaic was crucial to afterlife. Not surprisingly Tamil Brami on pot shards was found in Berenike and Oman. The two Volumes examine Late- synthesis in order to create new premises for investigating its Greco-Roman past centered on the powerful impulse to ti induces descent of the Lord (Bhagavato ukramti) through Immaculate conception and ambiguity in its cultural moorings. In the process, patrons, priest-kings and historical figures emerge as contributor to the obscure space of the funerary cult. Lasting less than four centuries in India, veneration of luminous Buddhas had far reaching consequences in Asia. Simultaneously, transcending human limitations goddess Mahalakshmi is singular witness to transformations through two millennia of Indian civilization.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Art Historian ArputhaRani Sengupta (born June 14, 1947) examines semiotics of iconography with wide range of meaning in the South and Central Asian Buddhist cultures in the milieu of Greco-Roman world. Her primary interest is to study the ways in which trans-cultural non-linguistic phenomena in art history can generate meaning and provide information on the role of cultural synthesis and knowledge production. Her powerful deductive Alternate History is a new form of empiricism that reveals synthesis of heterodox beliefs and philosophy in the Greco-Buddhist reliquary art and cult during the early Christian era. The former Professor at National Museum Institute, New Delhi and Stella Maris College, Chennai is adjunct faculty in the Delhi Institute of Research and Heritage Management. Sengupta has undertaken cross-disciplinary research on prehistoric and early historic burial goods in South Asia and on Buddist Symbole and Substitute with research grant from the Ministry of Culture and Indian Council for Historical Research. Publications include Art of Terracotta: Cult and Cultural Synthesis in India (2004), Jewellery from Buddha Zone in Central and South Asia (2012), Kailasanatha Temple. The Realm of Immortals (2009), and Makimekalai: Dancer with Magic Bowl (2005). Edited volumes include Cult of the Goddess (2012) and Devaraja Cult in South and Southeast Asia (2004).

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