The A to Z of Buddhism

The book was prepared as part of the Scarecrow Press A to Z reference series and grew out of his long-standing scholarly engagement with Buddhism. He describes the difficulty of producing a compact reference work for a tradition as geographically, historically, linguistically, and doctrinally diverse as Buddhism. The author indicates that the selection of entries includes significant events, persons, places, religious institutions, ritual practices, doctrines, heresies, missionary movements, and related subjects. He also acknowledges that a work of limited size cannot provide complete coverage of every aspect of Buddhism. 

The preliminary sections provide a map of major historic Buddhist sites in Asia, a pronunciation guide for Sanskrit, Pāli, Chinese, Japanese, and Tibetan terminology, an outline of Buddhist scriptures, a chronology of Buddhist history, and an extended introduction. The dictionary proper begins on page 33. 

The introductory discussion surveys the background of Buddhism, the life of the Buddha, the historical development of Buddhist traditions in India and throughout Asia, major doctrinal principles, and Buddhist community life. Buddhism is presented not simply as a body of doctrines but as a religious tradition shaped by historical circumstances, institutions, ritual practices, texts, cultural interaction, and forms of communal life. 

A particular strength of the volume is its broad comparative scope. It treats Buddhism across India, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, China, Korea, Japan, Tibet, and the West, while also introducing major scriptural traditions such as the Pāli, Chinese, and Tibetan canons. The entries are intended to assist readers in understanding important persons, institutions, schools, doctrines, sacred sites, texts, and historical developments in the Buddhist tradition.

Contents

• Map: Modern Asia with Historic Buddhist Sites

• Preface

• Pronunciation Guide

• The Buddhist Scriptures

• Chronology

• Introduction

• The Dictionary