Religious life in history; 

xxiii, 357 pages : illustrations, map ; 24 cm. Previously published: The Buddhist religion. 4th ed. ©1997. Map: The world of Buddhism -- Introduction -- The Buddha's awakening. The social and religious context of early Buddhism ; Issues in early North Indian thought ; The quest for awakening ; The lessons of awakening -- The Buddha as teacher and power figure. The response to the awakened one ; The Buddha begins teaching ; An analysis of the first discourse ; The spread of the religion ; The middle years ; The last days and beyond -- The development of early Indian Buddhism. Sources ; The formation of the Canons ; Norms for religious life ; Aśoka ; Abhidharma ; Past-life narratives ; The Stūpa cult -- The period of the three vehicles. Social background ; The cult of Maitreya ; Monuments to the Triple Gem ; The search for the Mahāyāna ; Two levels of truth -- Early Medieval Indian Buddhism. Portraits of a Buddhist empire ; Mahāyāna Sūtras ; Scholastic philosophy -- Buddhism in late Medieval and Modern India. The culture of belligerence ; Vajrayāna ; The decimation of Indian Buddhism ; Buddhism in Nepal ; The Buddhist revival. 

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