The Routledge Encyclopedia of Buddhism is a complete up-to-date one-volume desk reference, documenting the history, doctrines, schools, rituals, sacred places, basic ideas and concepts, and globalization of the entire Buddhist tradition. In addition, it provides bibliographic references to the leading scholarship by scholar from around the world. As such, it is an indispensable tool for students, teachers, and researchers from a wide range of disciplinary backgrounds, as well as to the general reader.

The Encyclopedia is characterized by its wide range of contents, primary sources, and both the depth and quality of its entries. It allows its readers to quickly access information on all topics included in the volume.

It covers the study of Buddhism, Buddhist canons and literature, Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, Nikaya Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhism, Vajrayana Buddhism, Buddhist meditational systems, sacred places in Buddhism, practices and rituals, biographies of famous Buddhists (including ideal types), Buddhist ethics, Buddhist art(s), engaged Buddhism, Buddhism and technology, women in Buddhism, Buddhism in India, South and Southeast Asia, Tibet, China, Korea, Japan, and Buddhism in the Western World.

All readers of the Encyclopedia will benefit from a scholarly but readable work that lends itself to being approached from almost any starting point, and guides the reader to an increased knowledge of Buddhism through very easy access to all relevant materials.

Encyclopedia of Buddhism, Damien Keown, Charles S Prebish (Editors), Routledge, Paperback, 2009, 922 Pages, $65.00

Charles S. Prebish holds the Charles Redd Chair in Religious Studies at Utah State University, USA.

Damien Keown is Professor of Buddhist Ethics at Goldsmiths College, University of London.

They are the editors of the Routledge World Religions Series and authors of Introducing Buddhism (Routledge, 2006).