Philosophy of the Buddha: An Introduction 1st Edition by Christopher Gowans (PDF)

Description

Philosophy of the Buddha is a philosophical introduction to the teaching of the Buddha. It carefully guides readers through the basic ideas and practices of the Buddha, including kamma (karma), rebirth, the not-self doctrine, the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, ethics, meditation, non-attachment, and Nibbâna (Nirvana).The book includes an account of the life of the Buddha as well as comparisons of his teaching with practical and theoretical aspects of some Western philosophical outlooks, both ancient and modern. Most distinctively, Philosophy of the Buddha explores how Buddhist enlightenment could enable us to overcome suffering in our lives and reach our full potential for compassion and tranquillity.This is one of the first books to introduce the philosophy of the Buddha to students of Western philosophy. Christopher W. Gowans’ style is exceptionally clear and appropriate for anyone looking for a comprehensive introduction to this growing area of interest.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐This book isn’t about Buddhism per se, but about the Buddha’s philosophy, and that means it is not so much about any specific teachings of the Buddha, but about what he was trying to teach.The author uses selected quotes of the Buddha, taken from English translations of the “Three Pitakas,” which are the earliest words of the Buddha, to validate the author’s assertion that the Buddha had one, and only one, principle to convey: “desire for what will not be attained ends in frustration (suffering); therefore to avoid frustration, avoid desiring what will not be attained.”This is Buddha’s middle way. It doesn’t say “stop desiring!” because desire is fundamental to life and gives it value, and without desire there can be no freedom of choice. It says stop desiring what cannot be attained, which the author clarifies as “craving” something unobtainable, such as the ending of all desiring. And it is in this last statement that the author, and this reader, finds the absolute brilliance of the Buddha’s enlightenment—the middle way between extremes, even the extreme of desiring to end all desires.The author’s assertion is that the Buddha never strayed from this single consistent principle, and all of the Buddha’s teachings were completely coherent with this principle. Thus, any other principles found in words purportedly spoken by the Buddha were, in the author’s opinion, spoken by other minds, and in many cases introduced a misunderstanding of what the Buddha taught, primarily by taking extreme positions rather than following the middle way. The author bolsters his assertion by quoting the Buddha’s own remarks about how his teaching was being misunderstood by others and in what ways it was being misunderstood.Even such fundamental Buddhist doctrine as the “Four Noble Truths” was derivative of the Buddha’s single principle, according to the author, who again backs up his argument with ample quotes from the Pitakas. It’s not that these derivative doctrines are wrong per se, but that they were later attempts to simplify the Buddha’s insight for students who did not understand the dialectical nature (a conflict between extremes giving rise to a new way between them) of the Buddha’s enlightenment, and thus these derivative doctrines serve to create misunderstandings, and block access to the original insight.An example of this kind of misunderstanding is found in the “noble eight-fold path” and its assertion of the “right” (versus the wrong) way forward, such as “right speech,” “right livelihood,” etc. This, the author claims, is not the middle way, but a taking of an extreme position. In this particular case, the author points to fundamental mistranslations of the Pali and Sanskrit words in the original teachings leading to the use of the concept of right versus wrong. By focusing students on one (and only one) extreme in that conflict, rather than a middle way between both extremes, even such a simple thing as a name can obscure the Buddha’s original teaching.This book is not about practices and does not question later developments within Buddhism and Buddhist thought. It is a clarification only of the Buddha’s brilliant and sublime principle of the middle way to end suffering, and thus the way to the direct attainment of Nirvana in this life.Note: at the time of the writing of this review, there is a mismatch between the “Look Inside” featured text on this page and some of the reviews posted here, both of which are for another book, not the one written by Archie J. Bahm. This review is about Bahm’s book.

⭐Well written synopsis of the Buddha’s teachings, which turn out to be much simpler than the doctrines promulgated by the various schools and sects that have grown up around him. I found the critiques of Buddhist philosophy that the author explores, as well as his defenses, very engaging. This is a thorough and scholarly work, though simple and easy to read.

⭐The seller sent the book about as quickly as a seller can. The book was in very good to fine condition. What’s not to like?As to the content of the book, this is one of the more insightful and incisive overviews of Buddhism as it was originally designed that’s out there. It’s considered a classic–if a little bit dry.

⭐Prof. Gowans text is a concise, easily understandable text, which unpacks for the reader not only what the Buddha thought, but how he arrived at this thinking. It is one of the seminal texts in the field and it is always the first text I recommend to people who want to familiarize themselves with this increasingly popular quest for the Buddha of history. You can’t go wrong purchasing this text if you have any sort of interest in the Buddha of history and the development or evolution of his thoughts. Unlike other figures in history who claim to a been enlightened, the Buddha is the sole figure that I feel like we can understand, given his reasoning and insights, why he felt completely emancipated and why his new view of reality liberated him (And produced for him Nirvana). It is a fascinating case study that Prof. Gowans puts forth in this wonderful text.

⭐What the Buddha really (interpation) said and how he intended the teachings to be applied. A brilliant read and highly recommended for the followers of the path. Buddha without the ism is what I call this book. Many blessings

⭐This is an old treatment of Buddhist philosophy, but still the best one I have read. Dr. Bahm knows what he is talking about as he did his doctoral work in Thailand with Buddhists. He is a well recognized scholar and father of the philosophy known as Organicism.

⭐The Buddha was one of history’s greatest psychologists, phenomenologists, diagnosticians, and ethicists. He taught that men and women can achieve bliss-in-life (and afterwards) through the painstaking transformation of their deepest beliefs and desires. The Buddha’s mental technology calls for years of hard work, with no assurance of success (in this life anyway), but Christopher Gowans’ “Philosophy of the Buddha” does a fantastic job of making the venture seem worth the effort. Gowans doesn’t pretend to know the truth of every Buddhist doctrine — he seems agnostic about karma and rebirth — but he does defend the plausibility of Buddhism’s no-self doctrine and its analysis of human suffering. With these fundamentals in place, Gowans hopes readers will be motivated to “enter the stream” and take up Buddhist practice. He writes clearly about profound issues. This is a great book.

⭐Very interesting. Used it as part of a university course on consciousness, agency and self. Clear writing and intriguing ideas on Buddhism.

⭐A great read. Highly recommended.

⭐Ich habe auf den ersten 15 Seiten mehr über Buddismus gelernt, als in den letzten 15 Jahren. Erstaunlich. Für alle Freunde des “middle way” – ans Herz gelegt!

⭐

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