Metaphor and literalism in Buddhism : the doctrinal history of nirvana / Soonil Hwang.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hwang, Soon-il, 1968-

Contributor:

Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies.

Alumni and Friends Memorial Book Fund.

Series:

Routledge critical studies in Buddhism

Language:

Chinese

English

Pali

Sanskrit

Subjects (All):

Nirvana.

Buddhism--Doctrines--History.

Buddhism.

Buddhism--Doctrines.

History.

Physical Description:

xv, 160 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

London ; New York : Routledge, 2006.

Language Note:

Includes translations from Pali, Sanskrit, and Chinese.

Summary:

The notion of nirvana originally used the image of extinguishing a fire. Although the attainment of nirvana, ultimate liberation, is the focus of the Buddha's teaching, its interpretation has been a constant problem to Buddhist exegetes, and has changed in different historical and doctrinal contexts. The concept is so central that changes in its understanding have necessarily involved much larger shifts in doctrine.

This book studies the doctrinal development of nirvana in the Pali nikaya and subsequent tradition and compares it with the Chinese agama and its traditional interpretation. It clarifies early doctrinal developments of nirvana and traces the word and related terms back to their original metaphorical contexts. Thereby, it elucidates diverse interpretations and doctrinal and philosophical developments in the abhidharma exegeses and treatises of Southern and Northern Buddhist schools. Finally, the book examines which school, if any, kept the original meaning and reference of nirvana.

Contents:

Part 1 The doctrinal development of nirvana in early Indian Buddhism 7

1 Nirvana and its reference 9

2 The two nirvana theory in the early canon 14

3 Developments of the two nirvana theory 36

4 Nirvana in the Theravada Buddhist tradition 50

5 Nirvana in Northern Buddhist schools 77

Part 2 Annotated translations of the related texts in Pali, Sanskrit and Chinese 113

Selected sources for the nirvana concept and the two nirvana theory 115.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 126-157) and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Alumni and Friends Memorial Book Fund.

ISBN:

0415355508

0203001931

OCLC:

62732625

Publisher Number:

9780415355506

9780203001936

Online:

Publisher description