The Buddhist Path to Awakening - (Classics in Religious Studies) 2nd Edition by R M L Gethin (Paperback)

About the Book

An authoritative and critically acclaimed book, in which the author traces the path of enlightenment as it is found in 37 pieces of Buddhist literature, known as the bodhi-pakkhiya dhamma. The result is a thorough and engrossing piece of work, which provides a unique insight into the nature not only of Buddhism, but also the mystic experience generally.

Book Synopsis

This comprehensive study draws exhaustively on a wide range of sources both primary and secondary, and in particular the Pali texts, to offer an authoritative study of the thirty-seven conditions that contribute to awakening. This classic set of Buddhist teachings is examined both collectively and individually, thus revealing how early Buddhist thinkers understood the process of spiritual practice by which ordinary consciousness is transformed in the mystic mind. Sensitive, conscientious, and featuring full notes and extensive bibliography, this text will be appreciated by scholars and students alike.

Review Quotes

A very thorough study of the Abhidhamma texts, the complicated knots of which he unravels with great skill... An important contribution to the study of the Buddhist path to awakening. J. W. de Jong-- "Indo-Iranian Journal"

Certain to become the definitive work on the subject.-- "Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society"

It should be read by everyone concerned with Buddhist thought, in whatever school or period.-- "Journal of the American Oriental Society"

About the Author

Rupert Gethin is a Lecturer in Indian Religions and Co-Director of the Centre for Buddhist Studies at the University of Bristol. He has published several books on the subject of Buddhist throught and literature, including The Foundations of Buddhism (Oxford University Press).