This lively introduction to Buddhist meditation offers students and practitioners alike a deeper understanding of what meditation is and its purpose and place in the context of different Buddhist schools.
The historical background and geographical spread of Buddhist meditation is explored alongside an examination of the development of meditative practices. Chapters cover basic meditative practice, types of meditation, meditation in different regions, meditation and doctrine, and the role of chanting within meditation. Although not a practical guide, Introduction to Buddhist Meditation outlines the procedures associated with Buddhist practices and suggests appropriate activities, useful both for students and interested Buddhists. Vivid quotations from Buddhist texts and carefully selected photographs and diagrams help the reader engage fully with this fascinating subject.
Thoroughly revised throughout, this new edition also features a glossary and key, making it ideal reading for students approaching the topic of Buddhist meditation for the first time.
List of figures and permissions
Preface
Key
Three kinds of Buddhisms
1. The eightfold path and meditation
2. Buddhist guidance on meditation, old and new
3. Radiant but defiled: the human mind
4. Buddhaghosa and the forty objects of meditation
5. Chanting, paying respects and devotional ritual
6. Meditation in Buddhist South and Southeast Asia
7. Developments in Indian Buddhism
8. Buddhist meditation traditions in Tibet
9. Meditation in China
10. Meditation in Korea and Vietnam
11. Meditation in Japan
12. Meditation around the world
Glossary
Index
Biography
Sarah Shaw is a member of the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Oxford, and a fellow of the Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies.
