Books by John S. Strong

The Buddhist monk Upagupta, who preached and taught meditative practices in Northwest India over two thousand years ago, is venerated today by the laity in parts of Burma, Thailand, and Laos as a protective figure endowed with magical powers. In this monumental work John Strong offers a systematic presentation of the Indian and Southeast Asian legends and rituals surrounding this popular saint. Once considered by Buddhist authorities as only marginally important, Upagupta emerges here as a central, ubiquitous figure within the Buddhist world. The author demonstrates the remarkable continuity among traditions focused on Upagupta in ancient Sarvastivadin Sanskrit materials, key Pali texts, medieval Thai and Burmese texts, and contemporary oral traditions and religious rituals in Southeast Asia. In so doing he reflects the orientation of popular Sanskrit Hinayana Buddhism, which allows for new perspectives on such classic questions as the nature of enlightenment, the role of asceticism, the problem of evil, the worship of the Buddha image, the veneration of saints, master-disciple relationships, the treatment of heterodoxy, and the relation of myth and ritual.Originally published in 1992.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Buddhisms: An Introduction represents a novel way of presenting the whole of the Buddhist tradition in its unity and multiplicity. Clear in its explanations, replete with tables and suggestions for further reading, it should appeal to students, yet also be of interest to scholars for some of its ways of viewing the Buddha, his teachings, and the Buddhist community through the ages.The volume begins with an overview-introduction to the many aspects of Buddhism by surveying the modern-day temples that exist in Lumbini, the Buddhas birthplace. It then recounts not only the story of the Buddhas life, but the ways in which subsequent Buddhist traditions sought to overcome the absence of the Buddha, after his death. Turning to Buddhist Doctrine, it expands the notion of the Middle Way to depict the manner in which Buddhism both avoided or incorporated the extreme teachings extant in India in its time. It then goes on to show how the theme of the Middle Way also helps us understand the transition to later schools of Buddhist thought. Finally, it examines the establishment and nature of Buddhist community life before going on to show its development in the very different environments of Thailand, Japan, and Tibet.Throughout, the author does not hesitate to lace his explanations with personal anecdotes and insights gathered during over forty years of studying Buddhism and travelling and living in Buddhist countries.

Buddhism is seen as a religion stressing the truth of impermanence. How, then, to account for the long-standing veneration, in Asian Buddhist communities, of bone fragments, and other bodily bits said to come from the historic Buddha? This book argues that relic veneration has played an integral role in Buddhist traditions in Southeast Asia.