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    Book Review Gods in Early Buddhism

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    mahiyagi
    - The book analyzes the concepts of divine beings in early Buddhism and how they evolved from tribal, Indus Valley, Vedic, and Gangetic cultural traditions. - It traces how Buddhism transformed traditional beliefs about gods like Brahma, Indra, and Yama by giving them new meanings and roles under Buddhist teachings while still appealing to popular beliefs. - The author convincingly outlines how Buddhism created a new cosmology through a subtle synthesis of ancient religious concepts with the Buddha's teachings, winning over people from all classes by presenting a peaceful revolution in their worldview and path to liberation.

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    Book Review Gods in Early Buddhism

    Uploaded by

    mahiyagi
    58 views1 page
    - The book analyzes the concepts of divine beings in early Buddhism and how they evolved from tribal, Indus Valley, Vedic, and Gangetic cultural traditions. - It traces how Buddhism transformed traditional beliefs about gods like Brahma, Indra, and Yama by giving them new meanings and roles under Buddhist teachings while still appealing to popular beliefs. - The author convincingly outlines how Buddhism created a new cosmology through a subtle synthesis of ancient religious concepts with the Buddha's teachings, winning over people from all classes by presenting a peaceful revolution in their worldview and path to liberation.

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    Book Review Gods in Early Buddhism M M J Marasinghe

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    - The book analyzes the concepts of divine beings in early Buddhism and how they evolved from tribal, Indus Valley, Vedic, and Gangetic cultural traditions. - It traces how Buddhism transformed traditional beliefs about gods like Brahma, Indra, and Yama by giving them new meanings and roles under Buddhist teachings while still appealing to popular beliefs. - The author convincingly outlines how Buddhism created a new cosmology through a subtle synthesis of ancient religious concepts with the Buddha's teachings, winning over people from all classes by presenting a peaceful revolution in their worldview and path to liberation.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    58 views1 page

    Book Review Gods in Early Buddhism

    Uploaded by

    mahiyagi
    - The book analyzes the concepts of divine beings in early Buddhism and how they evolved from tribal, Indus Valley, Vedic, and Gangetic cultural traditions. - It traces how Buddhism transformed traditional beliefs about gods like Brahma, Indra, and Yama by giving them new meanings and roles under Buddhist teachings while still appealing to popular beliefs. - The author convincingly outlines how Buddhism created a new cosmology through a subtle synthesis of ancient religious concepts with the Buddha's teachings, winning over people from all classes by presenting a peaceful revolution in their worldview and path to liberation.

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    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 1

    -l

    tsook Reviews
    Gods in Early Buddhism by l'I. M. J. Marasinha B'A. (Hons.) Ceylon; Ph.D. (Birmingham) 3or pp, Colombo.

    'fhe author ol this book is a Senior Lecturer in Buddhist Philosophy at the Vidyalankara Campus, University o{ Sri Lanka. He himsel{ states that

    the "book is a study in their social and mythoiogical milieu as depicted in the Nikayas of the I'ali Canon", IIe recognises the evolution of the social.cultural and religious elements continuing from Indus civilization, pre-Aryan tribal cultures, Vedic and Gangetic cultures. IIe traces the development of certain thought processes oI each of these traditions until the evolution of the society
    o{ the Gangetic basin. The Buddha appears in this scene. The most valuable contribution is the ana,Iysis of the concepts that changed

    with changing tirnes. The development of philosophical ideas and divine beings through tiibal, underdeveloped, to highly developed religio-social values has been. worked out carefully; having regard to all background cultural trendstribai, Indus, vedic and gangetic. During 6th century B.C. the Brahamins and Kshatri.vas stood in the forefront. It was the Buddha who changed the scene. A new Buddhist cosmology came to be created. The author explains how the teaching of the Buddha was an interpretation and a refashioning of traditional religious and pirilosophical

    ttie b;lie;ers. This subtle but clever synthesis was the supreme contribution to Indian thought. It was this approach that won the hearts and minds of all
    classes.

    conceptJ presented without discarding those of popular appeal and displeasing

    their way of iife and reiigion. lleaven and happiness can be attained only by
    virtuous conduct by sila, samadhi and pafrfia and the Nobei Eightfold Path. This was a peaceful revolution. The Arahat is held out as the highest ideal and the Buddha is the supreme persooality among gods and men.

    gods of traditional cultures into seemingiy new shapes and {orms under new names, The well known examples are those oi Brahma, Indra and Yama etc. Ihereby men and women of all classes at all levels, Yakl<has, Nagas etc. chaoged

    In an ingenious manner Buddhism trans{ormed the beliefs and even the

    The author has attempted to work out the stages and processes oI this transformation with material culled from the Pali texts" using the socio-religious approach. He has outlined, I think, convincingly the synthesis of the ancielt and the uew, This re-valuation is the underlying essence of the birth of gods in Buddhism. In doing so he has clarified the evolution of human thought processes underlyiog the philosophy oI gods in Buddhism in a manner that no one,
    tr believe, has done

    with such

    success.

    NANDADEYA WIJESEKERA
    6z

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