The History of Buddhist Thought

Contents: Preface. 1. Introduction. i. Geography. ii. Chronology. 2. The ascetic ideal. 3. The councils : early schools. 4. Early doctrine : Yoga. 5. Causation : note on the wheel of becoming. 6. The background of Buddhism. 7. Brahminism and the upanishads. 8. Dogma and philosophy : the soul. 9. Karma. 10. Release and nirvana. 11. Buddha. 12. Developments in Abhidhamma. 13. Development of the doctrine : the Buddhas. 14. The lotus of the true doctrine : note on spells. 15. Popular Bodhisattva doctrine. 16. The Bodhisattva's career. 17. The doctrine of the void : note on the later schools. 18. The doctrine of consciousness only. 19. Buddhism and modern thought. Appendices. Bibliography. Index.

"The aim of the present work is to trace the growth of the Buddhist community, to indicate the relation to the world of Hindu and non-Hindu society in which it arose, and to follow the rise and development of the doctrines from their legendary origin into the system which has spread over a great part of Asia.

"The legendary and earliest historical aspect was dealt with by the author in The life of Buddha as Legend and History. The later phase is covered in the present work, making the chronology of Indian history and the sequence of thought in the development of Buddhist doctrine much clearer". (jacket)