Indian Buddhism

The book is organized as a comprehensive historical progression of Indian Buddhism. It first discusses Indian civilisation before the Buddha, the religious and philosophical environment of the Buddha’s time, and the life of the Buddha from birth to parinirvāṇa. It then presents the Buddha’s doctrine, especially the principles connected with enlightenment, the Eightfold Path, causation, conditioned origination, consciousness, impermanence, freedom, and knowledge. The following chapters explore Buddhism’s social dimension, including the lay disciple, good government, class, priesthood, and the relation between Buddhist practice and society. Warder then studies the collection of the Tripiṭaka, the early councils, schisms, Abhidharma, and the popularisation of Buddhism through pagodas, pilgrimage, poetry, storytelling, and Aśoka’s religious policy. The later sections examine the eighteen schools, Theravāda/Sthaviravāda, Sarvāstivāda, Sautrāntika, Mahāyāna, Madhyamaka, Nāgārjuna, Yogācāra idealism, Asaṅga, Vasubandhu, Dignāga, Dharmakīrti, the Buddhist universities, medieval scholastic developments, and Mantrayāna.