Common Buddhist text : guidance and insight from the Buddha

Title Page
Background to this Book and its Contributors
INTRODUCTION
	General Introduction
	Introduction on the life of the historical Buddha
	Introduction to the Sangha, or community of disciples
	Introduction to the selections from Theravāda Buddhism
	Introduction to the selections from Mahāyāna Buddhism
	Introduction to the selections from Vajrayāna Buddhism
PART I: THE BUDDHA
CHAPTER 1: THE LIFE OF THE HISTORICAL BUDDHA
	Conception, birth and early life: passages
	The quest for awakening
	Attaining refined, formless states
	The ascetic life of rigorous self-denial
	The awakening and its aftermath
	The achievements and nature of the Buddha
	The Buddha as teacher
	Praise of the Buddha
	The Buddha’s appearance and manner
	Taming and teaching those who resisted or threatened him
	The Buddha’s meditative life and praise for quietness and contentment
	Physical ailments of the Buddha, and compassionate help for the sick
	Sleeping and eating
	Composing and enjoying poetry
	The last months of the Buddha’s life
CHAPTER 2: DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES ON THE BUDDHA
	Theravāda: Th.1–11
		Qualities of the Buddha
		The Buddha’s relation to the Dhamma
		The nature of the Buddha
		The Buddha, his perfections built up in past lives as a bodhisatta, and his awakened disciples
		The status of the Buddha beyond his death
	Mahāyāna: M.1–13
		Epithets and qualities of the Buddha
		The nature of the Buddha
		A Buddha’s three ‘bodies’
		The Buddha-nature
	Vajrayāna: V.1–6
		The Buddha-nature
		A Buddha’s three ‘bodies’
		The five Buddha families
		The Buddha within
PART II: THE DHAMMA/DHARMA
CHAPTER 3: CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TEACHINGS
	Theravāda: Th.12–28
		The overall nature of the Dhamma
		Reasons for choosing to practise Buddhism
		Attitudes to other spiritual traditions
		Disputes and tolerance
		The teachings as having a practical focus
		The way to liberating knowledge
	Mahāyāna: M.14–22
		Qualities of the Dharma
		Reasons for choosing to practise Buddhism
		Disputes and tolerance
		The teachings as means to an end
		The teachings are pitched at different levels, to attract all
	Vajrayāna: V.7–11
		The qualities of the Dharma
		Concise expositions of the Dharma
CHAPTER 4: ON SOCIETY AND HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS
	Theravāda: Th.29–54
		Good governance
		Peace, violence and crime
		Wealth and economic activity
		Social equality
		The equality of men and women
		Good human relationships
		Parents and children
		Husband and wife
		Friendship
	Mahāyāna: M.23–38
		Good governance
		Peace, violence and crime
		Wealth and economy
		Equality of men and women
		Respect for and gratitude to parents
		Sharing karmic benefit with dead relatives
	Vajrayāna: V.12–13
		Advice on compassionate royal policy
		Reflection on the kindnesses of one’s mother
CHAPTER 5: ON HUMAN LIFE
	Theravāda: Th.55–78
		The cycle of rebirths (saṃsāra)
		Precious human rebirth
		Our world in the context of the universe
		Karma
		The implications of karma and rebirth for attitudes to others
		This life and all rebirths entail ageing, sickness and death
	Mahāyāna: M.39–45
		Our universe
		Karma
		Precious human birth
		Impermanence
	Vajrayāna: V.14–23
		Precious human birth
		The pains of saṃsāra
CHAPTER 6: THE BUDDHIST PATH AND ITS PRACTICE
	Theravāda: Th.79–101
		Individual responsibility and personal effort
		The need for virtuous and wise companions as spiritual friends
		The role and nature of faith
		Going for refuge to the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha
		Devotional activities
		Chants on the qualities of the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha that bring protection and blessing
		Ethical discipline, meditation, wisdom
		The noble eightfold path: the middle way of practice
	Mahāyāna: M.46–76
		Faith
		Going for refuge to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha
		Individual responsibility and personal effort
		The middle way
		The path of the bodhisattva as superior to those of the disciple and solitary-buddha
		The need for a spiritual teacher
		Developing the awakening-mind (bodhi-citta)
	Vajrayāna: V.24–40
		Faith
		Going for refuge to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha
		The spiritual teacher
		Practising the middle way
		The awakening-mind (bodhi-citta)
		Graded stages of the path
CHAPTER 7: ETHICS
	Theravāda: Th.102–120
		Wholesome and unwholesome actions
		Generosity
		Precepts of ethical discipline
		Right livelihood, and extra precepts
		Loving kindness and patient acceptance
		Helping oneself and helping others
		Caring for animals and the environment
	Mahāyāna: M.77–108
		The power of goodness
		Generosity
		The precepts of ethical discipline
		Right livelihood, and extra precepts
		Helping oneself and helping others
		Teaching others
		Care for animals and the environment
		Loving kindness and compassion
		The bodhisattva perfections
		The bodhisattva vows and precepts
	Vajrayāna: V.41–54
		Wholesome and unwholesome actions
		The perfection of generosity
		The perfection of ethical discipline
		The perfection of patient acceptance
		The perfection of vigour
CHAPTER 8: MEDITATION
	Theravāda: Th.121–142
		The purpose of meditation
		The mind’s negative underlying tendencies but also bright potential
		The five hindrances and other defilements
		The importance of attention
		Calm (samatha) and insight (vipassanā) meditations
		Recollection of the qualities of the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha, and of the reality of death
		Meditation on the four limitless qualities: loving kindness, compassion, empathetic joy and equanimity
		The four foundations of mindfulness (satipaṭṭhāna) as ways to cultivate insight (vipassanā) and calm (samatha)
		Mindfulness of breathing (ānāpāna-sati)
		Meditative absorptions, higher knowledges and formless attainments
	Mahāyāna: M.109–128
		Preparatory meditations
		Not being attached to meditation
		The radiant mind
		Meditation on loving kindness and compassion
		Recollecting the Buddhas
		Mindfulness
		Calm (śamatha) meditation and the four meditative absorptions
		Insight (vipaśyanā) meditation
		Chan/Zen meditation
	Vajrayāna: V.55–70
		Giving up distractions
		Meditative concentration
		Meditative antidotes for the various defilements
		Meditation on the four limitless qualities
		The four mindfulnesses
		Meditation on the nature of mind
CHAPTER 9: WISDOM
	Theravāda: Th.143–179
		The nature of wisdom
		Suffering and the four Truths of the Noble Ones
		Dependent arising and how suffering originates
		Critical reflections on the idea of a creator God
		The lack of a permanent, essential self
	Mahāyāna: M.129–150
		The nature of wisdom
		Dependent arising
		Critical reflections on the idea of a creator God
		The lack of a permanent, essential self
		Emptiness of inherent nature/inherent existence
		Mind-only and emptiness of subject-object duality
		The Buddha-nature as a positive reality
		The radical interrelationship of all
	Vajrayāna: V.71–76
		The three types of wisdom
		Dependent arising
		Insight into the lack of identity
CHAPTER 10: THE GOALS OF BUDDHISM
	Theravāda: 180–188
		Happiness in this and future lives
		Definitive spiritual breakthroughs
		Nirvana
	Mahāyāna: M.151–159
		Happiness in this and future lives
		Definitive spiritual breakthroughs
		Nirvana
		Buddhahood
		Pure Lands
	Vajrayāna: V.77–83
		Happiness in this and future lives
		Definitive spiritual breakthroughs
		Nirvana
		Activities of the Buddha
PART III: THE SANGHA OR SPIRITUAL ‘COMMUNITY’
CHAPTER 11: MONASTIC AND LAY DISCIPLES AND NOBLE PERSONS
	Theravāda Th.189–211
		The Buddha’s community of monastic and lay disciples
		The monastic Sangha
		Monastic discipline
		Types of noble disciples
		Arahants
	Mahāyāna: M.160–164
		Lay and monastic bodhisattvas
		Monastic discipline
	Vajrayāna: V.85
		Monastic life
CHAPTER 12: EXEMPLARY LIVES
	Theravāda: Th.212–231
		Great arahant monk disciples
		Great arahant nun disciples
		Great laymen and laywomen disciples
	Mahāyāna: M.165–168
		Great monastic disciples
		Great lay disciples
	Vajrayāna: V.86–91
		Great accomplished ones
APPENDIXES
	Buddhanet’s World Buddhist Directory
	To hear some Buddhist chanting
	Books on Buddhism
	Printed translations and anthologies of translations
	Web sources on Buddhism, including translations
Glossary / Index of key Buddhist terms and names
NOTES
	Introduction (Notes 1-32)
	Chapter 1 (Notes 33-114)
	Chapter 2 (Notes 115-181)
	Chapter 3 (Notes 182-254)
	Chapter 4 (Notes 255-285)
	Chapter 5 (Notes 286-340)
	Chapter 6 (Notes 341-398)
	Chapter 7 (Notes 399-453)
	Chapter 8 (Notes 454-534)
	Chapter 9 (Notes 535-613)
	Chapter 10 (Notes 614-644)
	Chapter 11 (Notes 645-662)
	Chapter 12 (Notes 663-721)