1st Edition

The Origin of Buddhist Meditation

By Alexander Wynne Copyright 2007
184 Pages
by Routledge

182 Pages
by Routledge

192 Pages
by Routledge

Having identified early material that goes back to the Buddha himself, the author argues that the two teachers of the Buddha were historical figures. Based on the early Brahminic literature, namely the early Upanishads and Moksadharma, the author asserts the origin of the method of meditation learned by the Buddha from these teachers, and attempts to use them to identify some authentic teachings... Read more

1. Introduction  2. Alara Kalama and Uddaka Ramaputta  3. Formless Meditation and Early Brahminism  4. The Philosophy of Early Brahminic Yoga  5. Meditation in the Parayanavagga  6. Conclusion: The Origin of Buddhist Meditation and Early Buddhism

Biography

Alexander Wynne is a translator for the Clay Sanskrit Library. He was awarded a DPhil in Oriental Studies from the University of Oxford in 2003 and was a Junior Research Fellow at St John’s College, Oxford, from 2002--2006.

'[A] well-argued and well-researched scholarship that takes us through the many byways of early Buddhism... [A] thoroughly enjoyable read.' - Roger Bantock, The Middle Way, Vol 82, No 2, August 2007