Basic Buddhism: Exploring Buddhism and Zen

There is a great deal of interest in Buddhist philosophy today. Nan Huai-Chin has provided an overview of the history and the tradition, tracing Buddhism from its inception in India to its transmission to China, and its subsequent blossoming throughout the world. He shares the basics and origins, relating the many stories surrounding the life of Shakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, as well as the cultural and religious setting of India that fostered the initial rise of Buddhism.

He discusses Buddhism in the rest of Asia, Europe, and America, and brings us to date with a discussion of Buddhism in the 20th century. An extensive appendix explains the Zen Monastic System, with an especially interesting discussion of living in the Zen Hall, Zen Master Baizhang’s enlightenment, and the twenty essential rules of the Zen community. For a solid understanding of contemporary Buddhism in its varied forms, this is an indispensable book.