Bhikkhu Bodhi – författare

Mänskligheten står inför utmaningar på många plan, med det allt varmare klimatet, utarmningen av jordens resurser och förstörelsen av livsmiljöer för djur och människor. Hur kan vi tackla allt detta, så att både planetens och vår personliga hälsa värnas?

Bland västerländska buddhister är dialogen kring de existentiella utmaningar vi nu står inför livlig och engagerad. Inte minst i USA blomstrar det digitala samtal som inspirerats av buddhistiska tankar och andliga praktiker. I Sverige har dock perspektiven från dessa samtal om de stora ödesfrågorna hittills inte fått bred spridning.

Boken presenterar ett urval tongivande texter från detta tankeutbyte. Utgångspunkten är att vi inte har någon tid att förlora. Innehållet spänner över allt från socialt engagerad buddhism och kritik av vår moderna civilisation till meditation, djup naturkontakt och kontemplation till hjälp för oss alla. Även metoder och projekt med lösningar för klimatet lyfts fram.

Som en röd tråd i boken löper tanken att den ekologiska krisen också är en andlig och psykologisk kris. En kris som samtidigt öppnar för att finna nya perspektiv, styrka och stöd - enskilt och tillsammans.

BOKENS FÖRFATTAREStephen Batchelor, Bikkhu Bodhi, Dekila Chungyalpa, Mark Coleman, Matthew Gindin, Paul Hawken, David Loy, Joanna Macy.

Drawn from the Anguttara Nikaya, Numerical Discourses of the Buddha brings together teachings of the Buddha ranging from basic ethical observances recommended to the busy man or woman of the world, to the more rigorous instructions on mental training prescribed for the monks and nuns. The Anguttara Nikaya is a part of the Pali Canon, the authorized recension of the Buddha's Word for followers of Theravada Buddhism, the form of Buddhism prevailing in the Buddhist countries of southern Asia. These discourses are called numerical because they retain the structure of the original Anguttara Nikaya. Sayings are organized not by topic, but by numbers mentioned in the texts. This organizational scheme, common in ancient Indian literature, can give the reader a haphazard view of the Buddha's teachings. To balance this tendency, Bhikku Bodhi provides a systematic introduction to the Buddha's teachings. To balance this tendency, Bhikku Bodhi provides a systematic introduction to the Buddha's Teaching in the Anguttara Nikaya. The translators also provide notes, a glossary, and another introduction placing the Anguttara Nikaya in the context of the larger Theravada Buddhist Canon. This readable butt precise translation will be welcomed by both students of Theravada Buddhism as well as anyone wishing to learn from the Buddha's teachings.

This landmark volume in the Teachings of the Buddha series translates the Suttanipata, a text that matches the Dhammapada in its concise power and its centrality to the Buddhist tradition. Celebrated translator Bhikkhu Bodhi illuminates this text and its classical commentaries with elegant renderings and authoritative annotations.The Suttanipata, or “Group of Discourses” is a collection of discourses ascribed to the Buddha that includes some of the most popular suttas of the Pali Canon, among them the Discourse on Loving-Kindness Sutta. The suttas are primarily in verse, though several are in mixed prose and verse. The Suttanipata contains discourses that extol the figure of the muni, the illumined sage, who wanders homeless completely detached from the world. Other suttas, such as the Discourse on Downfall and the Discourse on Blessings, establish the foundations of Buddhist lay ethics. The last two chapters—the Atthakavagga (Chapter of Octads) and the Parayanavagga (The Way to the Beyond)—are considered to be among the most ancient parts of the Pali Canon. The Atthakavagga advocates a critical attitude toward views and doctrines. The Parayanavagga is a beautiful poem in which sixteen spiritual seekers travel across India to meet the Buddha and ask him profound questions pertaining to the highest goal. The commentary, the Paramatthajotika, relates the background story to each sutta and explains each verse in detail. The volume includes numerous excerpts from the Niddesa, an ancient commentary already included in the Pali Canon, which offers detailed expositions of each verse in the Atthakavagga, the Parayanavagga, and the Rhinoceros Horn Sutta. Translator Bhikkhu Bodhi provides an insightful, in-depth introduction, a guide to the individual suttas, extensive notes, a list of parallels to the discourses of the Suttanipata, and a list of the numerical sets mentioned in the commentaries.