The Buddha: Life and Afterlife Between East and West
Nov 2023 · Cambridge University Press
Ebook
361
Pages
reportRatings and reviews aren’t verified Learn More
About this ebook
Alongside Jesus and Muhammad, the Buddha is the most significant figure in the history of religion. Philip Almond's engaging new book is the first to combine a history of early traditions about Siddhartha Gautama's life with an authoritative account of how he and the tantalizing philosophy inspired by him came to the attention of the West. It takes the reader on a remarkable journey encompassing (among other topics) Alexander the Great, the courts of the Mongol Khans, Jesuit missions to China and Japan, and intrepid European travellers and scholars from the modern era. Melding Pali and Sanskrit sources with vivid reception, Almond presents the Buddha's story as multi-layered: one of transition from a world of angels and demons, water and tree spirits, to an altogether different context where Buddhism mixed with the cultural preoccupations of those who tentatively – sometimes following false trails – tried to make sense of its fascinating complexity.
About the author
Philip C. Almond is Emeritus Professor in Religious Thought at the University of Queensland and a renowned specialist in the nexus between religion and the history of ideas. His recent publications include Mary Magdalene: A Cultural History (Cambridge University Press, 2022), The Antichrist: A New Biography (Cambridge University Press, 2020), God: A New Biography (I.B. Tauris, 2018); Afterlife: A History of Life after Death (I.B. Tauris, 2016), and The Devil: A New Biography (I.B. Tauris, 2014). His earlier, pioneering book The British Discovery of Buddhism (Cambridge University Press, 1988) has gained a reputation as a landmark study in comparative religion and intellectual history.
Rate this ebook
Tell us what you think.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
