Contribution of Buddhism to World Civilization and Culture

The book is organized into five broad sections. The opening section introduces the Buddha and Buddhism through essays and reflections, including writings associated with E. H. d’Alvis, Rabindranath Tagore, and P. N. Chopra, emphasizing the Buddha’s universal message, compassion, spiritual humanism, and historical significance. The second section, “Contribution to Civilization and Culture,” studies Buddhism’s impact on world civilization, Indian culture, Japanese culture, Chinese culture, Thai culture, education, human rights, women’s status, Central Asia, and South East Asia. The third section, “Arts and Architecture,” examines Buddhist art, architecture, Asian cultural arts, Indian Buddhist art, Buddhist monasteries in Central Asia, wall-painting techniques, and the relation between Buddhism and printing technology. The fourth section, “Philosophy and Religion,” explores Buddhist perspectives on Sukhāvatī, life, oneness, universal love, tolerance, peace, harmony, thinking, concentration, meditation, the Pāli Tipiṭaka, bibliotherapy, Theravāda, Japanese non-Vinaya Buddhism, Mongolian commentaries, and Buddhist doctrine. The final section, “Buddhism Today,” surveys the relevance of Buddhist spirit in the modern world and discusses Buddhism in India, Britain, America, Japan, China, Mongolia, Bhutan, and Tibet, concluding with the challenges facing Buddhism in a changing world.