Buddhist Thought and Ritual will appeal to anyone interested in acquiring an authentic grasp of Buddhism as it lives and functions in today's world. The wide spectrum of Buddhist practice is represented here by the men and women who contributed to this volume. The focus on thought and ritual captures the organic interrelationship of these religious components and moves away from the compartmentalization characteristic of much religious scholarship. The reader discovers the central tenets of Buddhism, Anatta, Pratityasamutpada, Sunyatta, Nirvana, and others, not as free-floating curiosities, but in terms of their contemporary relevance and active participation in the formation of society and culture. Likewise, commonly practiced rituals such as the Paritta Ceremony and Mantra Recitation are analyzed in terms of their role in living Buddhism." (jacket)

Buddhist Thought and Ritual/David J. Kalupahana. Reprint, First Published in 1991, Delhi, Motilal Banarsidass, 2001, 199 pp.

David J. Kalupahana, Ph.D., is one of the most famous writers of Buddhism in the English language. Dr. Kalupahana has written nine books, more than thirty articles and contributed thirty-five minor articles and entries in the Encyclopedia of Buddhism.

Contents: Introduction/David J. Kalupahana, 1. The Buddhist Doctrine of Anatta/Y. Karunadasa. 2. Pratityasamupada and the renunciation of mystery/David J. Kalupahana. 3. Space, emptiness, and freedom/R.D. Gunaratne. 4. The social relevance of the Buddhist Nibbana ideal/P.D. Premasiri. 5. The Bodhisattva ideal: some observations/Sanath Nanayakkara. 6. The syncretism of Chinese Ch�an and Pure Land Buddhism/Heng-Ching Shih. 7. Integration of Sutra and Tantra/Masao Ichishima. 8. The Mahisasaka view of women/Cheng-mei Ku. 9. The significance of Paritta and its application in the Theravada tradition/Hammalawa Saddhatissa. 10. The Paritta ceremony of Sri Lanka: its antiquity and symbolism/Lily de Silva. 11. Significance of the ritual concerning offerings to ancestors in Theravada Buddhism/P.D. Premasiri. 12. A ritual of Mahayana Vinaya: self-sacrifice/Cheng-mei Ku. 13. Chinese Buddhist confessional rituals: their origin and spiritual implications/Hsiang-Chou Yo. Index.